Phosphoinositides (PtdInsPs) play critical roles in cytoplasmic signal transduction pathways. However, their functions in the nucleus are unclear, as specific nuclear receptors for PtdInsPs have not ...been identified. Here, we show that ING2, a candidate tumor suppressor protein, is a nuclear PtdInsP receptor. ING2 contains a
plant
homeo
domain (PHD) finger, a motif common to many chromatin-regulatory proteins. We find that the PHD fingers of ING2 and other diverse nuclear proteins bind in vitro to PtdInsPs, including the rare PtdInsP species, phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate (PtdIns(5)P). Further, we demonstrate that the ING2 PHD finger interacts with PtdIns(5)P in vivo and provide evidence that this interaction regulates the ability of ING2 to activate p53 and p53-dependent apoptotic pathways. Together, our data identify the PHD finger as a phosphoinositide binding module and a nuclear PtdInsP receptor, and suggest that PHD-phosphoinositide interactions directly regulate nuclear responses to DNA damage.
Astroviruses infect humans and many different animal species and are associated with gastroenteritis. Recent studies first detected the virus from bat species in Hong Kong. To understand astrovirus ...distribution in the wider region further, we examined the prevalence of this virus family in bat specimens collected from a large geographical region of mainland China. We collected 500 anal swabs from 20 bat species in 51 natural habitats from 11 provinces of China and tested these for astroviruses. Our study revealed a remarkably high genetic diversity of astroviruses; five monophyletic groups were identified in bats, including two novel groups. Evidence for varying degrees of host restriction for astroviruses from bats has been found. Phylogenetic analyses also provided insight into the inter-species transmission of Mamastrovirus.
Summary
This multicenter and randomized clinical trial showed that daily oral herbal formula Xian Ling Gu Bao (XLGB) was safe in postmenopausal women over a 1-year treatment. Those patients (
n
∼ ...50) treated with XLGB at the conventional dose demonstrated a statistically significant increase in dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine at 6 months and a numerically increased BMD at 12 months.
Introduction
The aim of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of a herbal formula XLGB in postmenopausal women (ChiCTR-TRC-00000347).
Methods
One hundred eighty healthy postmenopausal women (≥60 years old) with BMD T-score ≤ −2.0 (lumbar spine or femoral neck) were recruited from four clinical centers to receive low-dose (conventional dose) XLGB (L-XLGB group, 3 g/day,
n
= 61) or high-dose XLGB (H-XLGB group, 6 g/day,
n
= 58) or placebo (CON group,
n
= 61). Women received daily calcium (500 mg) and vitamin D (200 IU) supplementation. Primary endpoints were lumbar spine BMD and safety; secondary endpoints were femoral neck BMD and bone turnover markers measured at baseline and at 6 and 12 months.
Results
Of 180 women recruited, 148 completed the study. The compliance in each group was comparable. Prominent adverse events were not observed in either group. In the L-XLGB group at 6 months, lumbar spine BMD by DXA increased significantly from baseline (+2.11% versus CON +0.58%,
p
< 0.05), but femoral neck BMD did not; at 12 months, BMD in the L-XLGB group decreased from 6-month levels yet remained higher than baseline, but without difference from the CON group. There was no dose-dependent response. Bone turnover marker levels declined during the first 6 months after XLGB treatment. There was no significant difference in the overall incidence of side effects among treatment and control groups.
Conclusion
XLGB over 1-year treatment at the conventional dose demonstrated safe and only a statistically significant increase in BMD at lumbar spine at 6 months in postmenopausal women.
We report the observation of W -annihilation decay Ds+ → ωπ+ and evidence for Ds+ → ωK+ in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.19 fb–1 collected with the BESIII detector at a ...center-of-mass energy √s = 4.178 GeV. We obtain the branching fractions B( Ds+ → ωπ+ ) = (1.77 ± 0.32stat ± 0.13sys) ×10–3 with a significance of 6.7σ and B( Ds+ → ωK+ ) = (0.87 ± 0.24stat ± 0.08sys) ×10–3 with a significance of 4.4σ. This measurement provides critical information to determine the nonperturbative W -annihilation amplitudes and shows the potential of searching for CP asymmetry in Ds+ → ωK+ .
The grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA) is a new meta-heuristic algorithm inspired by the behavior of grasshopper groups. Aiming at the shortcomings of poor development ability and low ...convergence accuracy of GOA, this paper introduces the gravity search operator into the optimization process of GOA to improve the grasshopper's global exploration and avoid falling into local optimum in advance. At the same time, a pigeon search operator-landmark operator is introduced to improve and balance the algorithm's exploration and development capabilities. In order to verify the validity of the improved algorithm, this paper will adopts the gravity search operator and a deterrent landmark operator hybrid grasshoppers algorithm (HGOA) with basic grasshopper algorithm (GOA), particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, sine and cosine algorithm (SCA), moth-flame optimization (MFO) algorithm, salp swarm algorithm (SSA), and bat algorithm (BA) to optimize 28 test functions. And the analysis and comparison of the obtained statistical data results finally show that the proposed improved grasshopper algorithm has better optimization ability.
The present study developed and validated a species-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the rapid detection and discrimination of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola ...gigantica. The LAMP assay is inexpensive, easy to perform and shows rapid reaction, wherein the amplification can be obtained in 45min under isothermal conditions of 61°C or 62°C by employing a set of four species-specific primer mixtures and results can be checked through naked-eye visualization. The optimal assay conditions with no cross-reaction with other closely related trematodes (Clonorchis sinensis, Opisthorchis viverrini, Orientobilharzia turkestanicum and Schistosoma japonicum) as well as within the two Fasciola species were established. The assay was validated by examining F. gigantica DNA in the intermediate host snails and in faecal samples. The results indicated that the LAMP assay is approximately 104 times more sensitive than the conventional specific PCR assays. These findings indicate that this Fasciola species-specific LAMP assay may have a potential clinical application for detection and differentiation of Fasciola species, especially in endemic countries.
Recent advances in smartphone technologies have opened the door to the development of accessible, highly portable sensing tools capable of accurate and reliable data collection in a range of ...environmental settings. In this article, we introduce a low-cost smartphone-based hyperspectral imaging system that can convert a standard smartphone camera into a visible wavelength hyperspectral sensor for ca. £100. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first smartphone capable of hyperspectral data collection without the need for extensive post processing. The Hyperspectral Smartphone’s abilities are tested in a variety of environmental applications and its capabilities directly compared to the laboratory-based analogue from our previous research, as well as the wider existing literature. The Hyperspectral Smartphone is capable of accurate, laboratory- and field-based hyperspectral data collection, demonstrating the significant promise of both this device and smartphone-based hyperspectral imaging as a whole.
Using a sample of 4.48×108 ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, we study the two-photon decays of the pseudoscalar mesons π0, η, η′, η(1405), η(1475), η(1760), ...and X(1835) in J/ψ radiative decays using ψ(3686)→π+π−J/ψ events. The π0, η, and η′ mesons are clearly observed in the two-photon mass spectra, and the branching fractions are determined to be B(J/ψ→γπ0→3γ)=(3.57±0.12±0.16)×10−5, B(J/ψ→γη→3γ)=(4.42±0.04±0.18)×10−4, and B(J/ψ→γη′→3γ)=(1.26±0.02±0.05)×10−4, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. No clear signal for η(1405), η(1475), η(1760) or X(1835) is observed in the two-photon mass spectra, and upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the product branching fractions are obtained.
Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) and magnetic linear dichroism (MLD) have been investigated in a photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) system excited by a deep ultra-violet (DUV) laser (with ...λ = 177.3 nm and hυ = 7.0 eV) for the first time. High resolution PEEM magnetic images (down to 43.2 nm) were directly obtained on a (001)-oriented magnetic FePt film surface with a circularly-polarized light under normal incidence. Furthermore, a stepped Cr seeding layer was applied to induce the formation of large-area epitaxial FePt films with (001) and (111) two orientations, where MLD with large asymmetry was observed in the transition area of two phases. It demonstrates that DUV laser can be a powerful source for high resolution magnetic imaging in the laboratory in absence of synchrotron facilities.
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