Neuroblastoma is an embryonal tumor of the sympathetic nervous system. The
oncogene is amplified in some neuroblastoma patients and correlated with poor prognosis. However, less is known regarding ...the relationship between
gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and neuroblastoma risk.
To investigate the contribution of
gene polymorphisms to neuroblastoma risk, we performed a 3-center case-control study by genotyping 4 SNPs in the
gene from 429 cases and 884 controls.
The results showed that only rs57961569 G>A was associated with neuroblastoma risk (GA vs GG: adjusted odds ratio =0.76, 95% confidence interval =0.60-0.98,
=0.033), while the other 3 SNPs were not (rs9653226 T>C, rs13034994 A>G, and rs60226897 G>A). Stratified analysis revealed that rs57961569 GG carriers were more likely to develop neuroblastoma in the following subgroups: children older than 18 months, tumor derived from the adrenal gland, and clinical stages III + IV. The increased neuroblastoma risk associated with the rs9653226 variant CC genotypes was more evident in the following subgroups: females, tumor derived from the adrenal gland, and clinical stages III + IV. The presence of 2-3 risk genotypes had a significant relationship with the following subgroups: tumor derived from the adrenal gland and clinical stages III + IV.
This study demonstrates a weak impact of
gene polymorphisms on neuroblastoma risk, which should be further validated.
The influence of
meso-phenyl substitution on the geometric, electronic structure and vibrational spectra of free base porphyrin were studied by DFT calculation and experimental observation on a ...series of
meso-phenylporphyrins: 5-monophenylporphine (H
2MPP), 5,15-diphenyporphine (H
2D
OPP), 5,10-diphenyl porphine (H
2D
APP), 5,10,15-triphenylporphine (H
2TrPP), and 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphine (H
2TPP). Theoretical calculation indicates that
meso-phenyl substitution brings about significant in-plane distortion to porphyrin ring, whereas the resulted out-of-plane distortion is negligible. Thus, the observed redshift of electronic absorption peaks (both B and Q bands) upon increasing
meso-phenyl substitution, which is also indicated by theoretical calculation, was attributed to in-plane nuclear reorganization (IPNR) induced by phenyl-substitution rather than nonplanarity mechanism, though the contribution of the latter could not be excluded completely. The vibrational spectra analysis (both Raman and IR spectra) indicates that
meso-phenyl substitution results in different evolution for different vibrational modes of porphyrin ring. For example, both experiment and calculation shows the great downshift of
ν
10 and
ν
28 modes and the upshift of some other structure-sensitive bands (for instance
ν
2,
ν
6,
ν
15, and
ν
8 modes) in different extent. This evolution differs from the downshift of structure-sensitive bands (for instance
ν
2 and
ν
3 mode) caused by nonplanarity mechanism, and was also attributed to IPNR mechanism rather than nonplanarity mechanism. Further comparison indicates that calculation predicted shift of vibrational frequencies are consistent well with experimental observation, which indicates that DFT calculation at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level give convincible prediction on substitution-resulted frequency evolution of porphyrin.
To provide ethylene-propylene random copolymer (PPR) with balanced mechanical properties, β-nucleating agent and CaCO3 nanoparticles are incorporated into PPR matrix by melt blending. It is found ...that crystallization rate and relative content of β-crystal increase with the addition of β-nucleating agent together with nanoparticles. Size of PPR spherulite is greatly reduced, and a specific morphology appears, in which α-crystal lamella is grown upon the β-nucleus. The results suggest that both β-nucleating agent and nano-CaCO3 have heterogeneous nucleation and synergistic effects on β-nucleation of PPR. Mechanical characterization shows that mechanical properties of PPR can be tuned by incorporation of β-nucleating agent and nano-CaCO3 particles. Under suitable compositions, low temperature impact strength and high temperature creep resistance of PPR, the bottlenecks of application of such material, can be simultaneously improved without sacrificing the Youngs'modulus and tensile strength.
Here, we study the decays of J/ψ and ψ(3686) to the final states Σ(1385)0 $\bar{Σ}$(1385)0 and Ξ0 $\bar{Ξ}$0 based on a single baryon tag method using data samples of (1310.6 ± 7.0) × 106 J/ψ and ...(447.9 ± 2.9) × 106 ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The decays to Σ(1385)0 $\bar{Σ}$(1385)0 are observed for the first time. The measured branching fractions of J/ψ and ψ(3686) to Ξ0 $\bar{Ξ}$0 are in good agreement with, and much more precise than, the previously published results. The angular parameters for these decays are also measured for the first time. The measured angular decay parameter for J/ψ →Σ(1385)0 $\bar{Σ}$(1385)0, α = -0.64 ± 0.03 ± 0.10, is found to be negative, different to the other decay processes in this measurement. In addition, the “12% rule” and isospin symmetry in the decays of J/ψ and ψ(3686) to Ξ$\bar{Ξ}$ and Σ(1385)$\bar{Σ}$(1385) are tested.
Certain polyphenols inhibit the activity of aromatase, a critical enzyme in estrogen synthesis that is coded by the CYP19A1 gene. Consumption of polyphenol-rich foods and beverages, thus, may ...interact with CYP19A1 genetic polymorphisms in the development of endometrial cancer. The authors tested this hypothesis in the Shanghai Endometrial Cancer Study (1997–2003), a population-based case-control study of 1,204 endometrial cancer cases and 1,212 controls. Dietary information was obtained by use of a validated food frequency questionnaire. Genotypes of CYP19A1 at rs28566535, rs1065779, rs752760, rs700519, and rs1870050 were available for 1,042 cases and 1,035 controls. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Higher intake of soy foods and tea consumption were both inversely associated with the risk of endometrial cancer, with odds ratios of 0.8 (95% confidence interval: 0.6, 1.0) for the highest versus the lowest tertiles of intake of soy and 0.8 (95% confidence interval: 06, 0.9) for ever tea consumption. The association of single nucleotide polymorphisms rs1065779, rs752760, and rs1870050 with endometrial cancer was modified by tea consumption (pinteraction < 0.05) but not by soy isoflavone intake. The authors' findings suggest that tea polyphenols may modify the effect of CYP19A1 genetic polymorphisms on the development of endometrial cancer.
Gd2Ti2O7 (GTO) single crystals having dimensions of 17×17×20mm3 were grown by the Czochralski method. These crystals displayed a strong growth habit with {111} facets. The colors of the as-grown ...crystals were sensitive to the oxygen concentration both during growth and post-growth annealing. The possible reason for the different colors is discussed and based on transmission, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron spin resonance (ESR) analyses.
•Single crystals of Gd2Ti2O7 with large dimensions have been grown by Czochralski method.•GTO crystal that grown along the 111 direction has an octahedral morphology.•The color of as-grown GTO crystals is sensitive to the oxygen concentration in growth or post-annealing atmosphere.
Inflammatory stress accelerates the progression of atherosclerosis. Sirolimus, a new immunosuppressive agent, has been shown to have pleiotropic antiatherosclerotic effects. In this study we ...hypothesized that sirolimus inhibits 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR)-mediated cholesterol synthesis in human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) under inflammatory stress. Using radioactive assay, we demonstrated that sirolimus inhibited the increase of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)-induced cholesterol synthesis in VSMCs. Further studies showed that sirolimus inhibited both the HMGR gene and protein expression in VSMCs treated with or without IL-1beta. These effects were mediated by inhibiting the gene expression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) and SREBP-2 cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) as checked by real-time PCR, Western blot analysis, and confocal microscopy for the observation of decreased protein translocation of the SCAP/SREBP-2 complex from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi. Insulin-induced gene-1 (Insig-1) is a key ER protein controlling the feedback regulation of HMGR at transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. We demonstrated that sirolimus increased Insig-1 expression which may bind to the SCAP, preventing the exit of SCAP-SREBP complexes from the ER. The increased Insig-1 also accelerated HMGR protein degradation in VSMCs as shown by pulse-chase analysis. In conclusion, sirolimus inhibits cholesterol synthesis induced by inflammatory stress through the downregulation of HMGR expression and the acceleration of HMGR protein degradation. These findings may improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the antiatherosclerosis properties of sirolimus.
In order to make benchmark validation of the nuclear data for gallium (Ga), tungsten (W) and beryllium (Be) in existing modern evaluated nuclear data files, neutron leakage spectra in the range from ...0.8 to 15 MeV from slab samples were measured by time-of-flight technique with a BC501 scintillation detector. The measurements were performed at China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) using a D-T neutron source. The thicknesses of the slabs were 0.5 to 2.5 mean free path for 14.8 MeV neutrons, and the measured angles were chosen to be 60∘ and 120∘. The measured spectra were compared with those calculated by the continuous energy Monte-Carlo transport code MCNP, using the data from the CENDL-3.1, ENDF/B-VII.1 and JENDL-4.0 nuclear data files, the comparison between the experimental and calculated results show that: The results from all three libraries significantly underestimate the cross section in energy range of 10–13 MeV for Ga; For W, the calculated spectra using data from CENDL-3.1 and JENDL-4.0 libraries show larger discrepancies with the measured ones, especially around 8.5–13.5 MeV; and for Be, all the libraries led to underestimation below 3 MeV at 120∘.
Abstract Background The present study investigated the alteration of intestinal microbiota, innate immunity-related genes, and bacterial translocation in rats with cirrhosis and liver ...transplantation. Methods Specific pathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 4 groups: (1) normal controls (N); (2) liver cirrhosis (LC); (3) normal control groups with liver transplantation (LTN); and (4) liver cirrhosis with liver transplantation (LTC). We examined plasma endotoxin, bacterial tacslocation, Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) profile of intestinal mucosa-associated bacteria, abundance of key bacterial populations, and expression of innate immunity-related gene. Results The LTC and LC group, showed higher endotoxin levels (1.08 ± 0.73 EU/mL and 0.74 ± 0.70 EU/mL, respectively) than the N group (0.27 ± 0.13 EU/mL; P < .05). the incidence of bacterial translocation (BT) to liver and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), and the number of total bacteria were increased significantly in the LTC and LC groups compared with the N group ( P < .05). The counts of Lactobacilli and Bacteroides were lower, whereas Enterobacteria were higher in the LC than the N group ( P < .05). Mucins (MUC2, MUC3) and Toll-like receptors (TLR2, TLR4) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression were significantly higher in the LC and LTC groups than the N group ( P < .05). The marked difference between the groups in the overall structure of the bacterial community was also generated by DGGE profiles. Conclusion Liver cirrhosis disturbs intestinal microbiota and innate immunity-related genes, which contributes to endotoxemia and bacterial translocation. These had not completely recovered in cirrhotic rats until 1 month after orthotopic liver transplantation.
The objective of the present study was to analyze the genetic diversity of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). Representative TYLCV sequences were searched in the National Center for Biotechnology ...Information database. Comprehensive analysis of TYLCV was performed using bioinformatics by examining gene structure, sequence alignments, phylogeny, GC content, and homology. Forty-eight representative TYLCV sequences were selected from 48 regions in 29 countries. The results showed that all TYLCV sequences were 2752-2794 nucleotides in length, which encoded 6 open reading frames (AV1, AV2, AC1, AC2, AC3, and AC4). GC content ranged from 0.41-0.42. Sequence alignment showed a number of insertions and deletions within these TYLCV sequences. Phylogenetic tree results revealed that the sequences were divided into 10 classes; homology of the sequences ranged from 72.8 to 98.6%. All 48 sequences contained the typical structure of TYLCV, including open reading frames and intergenic regions. These results provide a theoretical basis for the identification and evolution of the virus in the future.
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