Middle-late Stages Research Articles

Early inhibition of BRD4 facilitates iPSC reprogramming via accelerating rDNA dynamic expression

BackgroundiPSC reprogramming technology exhibits significant promise in the realms of clinical therapeutics, disease modeling, pharmaceutical drug discovery, and various other applications. However, the extensive utilization of this technology has encountered impediments in the form of inefficiency, prolonged procedures, and ambiguous biological processes. Consequently, in order to improve this technology, it is of great significance to delve into the underlying mechanisms involved in iPSC reprogramming. The BET protein BRD4 plays a crucial role in the late stage of reprogramming; however, its precise function in the early stage remains unclear.ResultsOur study aims to investigate BRD4’s role in the early stages of iPSC reprogramming. Our investigation reveals that early inhibition of BRD4 substantially enhances iPSC reprogramming, whereas its implementation during the middle-late stage impedes the process. During the reprogramming, ribosome DNA expression initially increases before decreasing and then gradually recovers. Early inhibition of BRD4 improved the decline and restoration of rDNA expression in the early and middle-late stages, respectively. Additionally, we uncovered the mechanism of BRD4’s regulation of rDNA transcription throughout reprogramming. Specifically, BRD4 interacts with UBF and co-localizes to both the rDNA promoter and enhancer regions. Ultimately, BRD4 facilitates rDNA transcription by promoting the enrichment of histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation in the surrounding chromatin. Moreover, we also discovered that early inhibition of BRD4 facilitates cells’ transition out of the somatic cell state and activate pluripotent genes.ConclusionsIn conclusion, our results demonstrate that early inhibition of BRD4 promotes sequential dynamic expression of rDNA, which improves iPSC reprogramming efficiency.

Novel biphasic mechanism of the canonical Wnt signalling component PYGO2 promotes cardiomyocyte differentiation from hUC-MSCs

Human umbilical cord–derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) are used to regenerate the myocardium during cardiac repair after myocardial infarction. However, the regulatory mechanism underlying their ability to form mesodermal cells and differentiate into cardiomyocytes remains unclear. Here, we established a human-derived MSCs line isolated from healthy umbilical cords and established a cell model of the natural state to examine the differentiation of hUC-MSCs into cardiomyocytes. Quantitative RT-PCR, western blotting, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, RNA Seq, and inhibitors of canonical Wnt signalling were used to detect the germ-layer markers T and MIXL1; the markers of cardiac progenitor cells MESP1, GATA4, and NKX2.5 and the cardiomyocyte-marker cTnT to identify the molecular mechanism associated with PYGO2, a key component of the canonical Wnt signalling pathway that regulates the formation of cardiomyocyte-like cells. We demonstrated that PYGO2 promotes the formation of mesodermal-like cells and their differentiation into cardiomyocytes through the hUC-MSC-dependent canonical Wnt signalling by promoting the early-stage entry of β-catenin into the nucleus. Surprisingly, PYGO2 did not alter the expression of the canonical-Wnt, NOTCH, or BMP signalling pathways during the middle–late stages. In contrast, PI3K-Akt signalling promoted hUC-MSCs formation and their differentiation into cardiomyocyte-like cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that PYGO2 uses a biphasic mechanism to promote cardiomyocyte formation from hUC-MSCs.

Insulin-like growth factor in Parkinson’s disease is related to nonmotor symptoms and the volume of specific brain areas

BackgroundInsulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) plays a protective role in Parkinson's disease (PD). To date, studies on the relationship between plasma IGF-1 levels and nonmotor symptoms and brain gray matter volume in PD patients have been rare. MethodsA Siemens automatic chemical analyzer was used to determine plasma IGF-1 levels in 55 healthy controls and 119 PD patients, including those at the early (n = 67) and middle-late (n = 52) stages of the disease. Evaluation of motor symptoms and nonmotor symptoms in PD patients was assessed by the associated scales. Image acquisition in 65 PD patients was performed using a Siemens MAGNETOM Prisma 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. ResultsPlasma IGF-1 levels in early-stage PD patients were higher than those in healthy controls, and plasma IGF-1 levels in early-stage PD patients were higher than those in middle-late-stage PD patients. Plasma IGF-1 levels were significantly negatively correlated with anxiety, depression and cognitive dysfunction. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve assessment confirmed that plasma IGF-1 levels had good predictive accuracy for PD with anxiety, depression and cognitive dysfunction. Furthermore, plasma IGF-1 levels were significantly positively correlated with volumes in the insula, caudate and anterior cingulate. ConclusionsThis study shows that plasma IGF-1 levels were correlated with the nonmotor symptoms of anxiety, depression and cognitive dysfunction and the volume in specific brain areas. This is the first report examining the relationships between plasma IGF-1 and clinical manifestations and imaging features in PD patients.

Dynamic analysis of physicochemical characteristics and microbial communities of Aspergillus-type douchi during fermentation

This study aimed to analyze the potential relationship between bacterial community succession and the physicochemical properties of Aspergillus Douchi. Combing the cultivable method, high-throughput sequencing technology and physical and chemical properties determination during fermentation, the physicochemical parameters, microorganism number, and bacterial community diversity were investigated. The fermentation temperature in Douchi firstly increased and then decreased, most of them were around 45 ℃; the pH value continued to drop and finally reached to 4.86; the salt content was maintained at approximately 6%; and amino nitrogen and total acid contents increased steadily, while the contents of reducing sugar and total sugar continued to decline. The culture-dependent and real-time quantitative PCR results showed that the number of fungi and bacteria in Douchi decreased. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that the bacterial composition of Aspergillus-type Douchi in the early fermentation stages was dominated by Lactobacillus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and few Bacillus spp.. In the middle-late stages, the dominant bacteria shifted from Staphylococcus spp. and Lactobacillus spp. to Bacillus spp. Redundancy analysis showed that the fermentation environment influenced the bacterial community succession. Particularly, pH and temperature are important environmental parameters that promote the bacterial flora structure transformation and influence the diversity distribution. This study lays the foundation of the theoretical for the precise controlling of the Douchi fermentation.

Low serum uric acid levels are associated with the nonmotor symptoms and brain gray matter volume in Parkinson\u2019s disease

BackgroundUric acid (UA) plays a protective role in Parkinson’s disease (PD). To date, studies on the relationship between serum UA levels and nonmotor symptoms and brain gray matter volume in PD patients have been rare.MethodsAutomated enzymatic analysis was used to determine serum UA levels in 68 healthy controls and 88 PD patients, including those at the early (n = 56) and middle-late (n = 32) stages of the disease. Evaluation of motor symptoms and nonmotor symptoms in PD patients was assessed by the associated scales. Image acquisition was performed using a Siemens MAGNETOM Prisma 3 T MRI scanner.ResultsSerum UA levels in early stage PD patients were lower than those in healthy controls, and serum UA levels in the middle-late stage PD patients were lower than those in the early stage PD patients. Serum UA levels were significantly negatively correlated with the disease course, dysphagia, anxiety, depression, apathy, and cognitive dysfunction. ROC assessment confirmed that serum UA levels had good predictive accuracy for PD with dysphagia, anxiety, depression, apathy, and cognitive dysfunction. Furthermore, UA levels were significantly positively correlated with gray matter volume in whole brain.ConclusionsThis study shows that serum UA levels were correlated with the nonmotor symptoms of dysphagia, anxiety, depression, apathy, and cognitive dysfunction and the whole-brain gray matter volume. That is the first report examining the relationships between serum UA and clinical manifestations and imaging features in PD patients.

Monitoring microbial succession and metabolic activity during manual and mechanical solid-state fermentation of Chinese cereal vinegar

Chinese vinegar solid-state fermentation (SSF) has been using traditional manual operation (TO) for a long history. Recently, mechanical operation (MO) is being applied. However, the fermentation periods and organic acids pattern of TO and MO are different. In this research they were compared considering the microbial diversity and succession, and the effects of fermentation conditions on microorganism metabolism were analyzed using in vitro and in vivo methods. TO has a higher lactic acid/acetic acid ratio (0.399) than MO (0.351). They differ in the middle-early, middle, and middle-late stages, whereas the later stages of both show similarities. Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are predominant microorganisms in SSF process. Acetic acid and lactic acid are mainly produced at the upper and lower of fermentation containers, respectively. Oxygen content is positively related to AAB metabolism, whereas negatively related to LAB metabolism. Heat generated by bio-reaction will inhibit the growth of AAB after the middle stage. The more sufficient mass and heat transfer is responsible for the higher activity of microbial metabolism in TO than in MO, resulting in a shorter fermentation period.

Tectonic Transformation and Metallogenesis of the Yanshan Movement during the Late Jurassic Period: Evidence from Geochemistry and Zircon U-Pb Geochronology of the Adamellites in Xingcheng, Western Liaoning, China

The Yanshan Movement occurred mainly during the Middle-Late Jurassic, and gave rise to NE trending structures, magmatic events, volcanism and mineral resources. The transformation and evolution of the movement during the Middle-Late Jurassic were investigated from the rock assemblage, geochemistry, and chronology in adamellites which were exposed in the Xingcheng area, western Liaoning. Two types of adamellites were recognized—biotite adamellites with the formation age of 172–168 Ma and garnet-bearing adamellites of 158–152 Ma. All the samples of the two types of adamellites displayed enriched characteristics with high content of SiO2 (66.86–75.55 wt.%) and total alkali (Na2O + K2O = 7.56–8.71 wt.%), high large ion lithophile element (LILE: K, Rb, Sr), and low high field strength element (HFSE: Ce, Ta, P, Ti). The biotite adamellites belong to metaluminous-peraluminous I-type granites, and show volcanic arc granite characteristics, and were formed by partial melting of the ancient crust in the compressional setting that resulting from the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate beneath the north margin of the North China Craton (NCC). The garnet-bearing adamellites are also metaluminous-peraluminous I-type granites, with characteristics of both the compressional and extensional regimes, which were formed at the middle-late stages of the continuing subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate, while simultaneously, the frontal side of the subduction slab began to roll back, leading to an extensional environment. Combining with regional geophysical studies and our petrological and geochemical studies, we propose that the eastern segment of the northern margin of NCC may have been controlled by the Paleo-Pacific tectonic domain at the latest in the Middle Jurassic, while the initiation of the tectonic regime from a compressional to an extensional environment was during the Late Jurassic (158–152 Ma) as a response of the Yanshan Movement. Simultaneously, geochronological statistics of the ore deposits in western Liaoning show that the Mesozoic endogenetic metalliferous deposits formed in a compressive environment influenced by the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate, similar to the magma events in ages, and the magmatism provided the thermodynamic condition and the source of metallogenic hydrothermal fluid for mineralization.

A new well structure and methane recovery enhancement method in two coal seams

ABSTRACTThe methane from two coal seams are usually produced in the same production well, and the commingled production process is of low efficiency. In order to enhance the methane recovery from the two coalbeds, a ‘multi-branch U-shaped’ well is introduced to double-coal seams. This well structure can perform a single layer or commingled production. There are at least 10 production methods for the new well: (1) Drainage gas recovery of upper coal seam, (2) gas injection huff and puff of upper coal seam, (3) gas injection displacement of upper coal seam (including continuous gas injection or intermittent gas injection), (4) drainage gas recovery of lower coal seam,(5) gas injection huff and puff of lower coal seam, (6) gas injection displacement of lower coal seam (including continuous gas injection or intermittent gas injection), (7) drainage gas recovery of both coal seams, (8) gas injection huff and puff of upper coal seam and drainage gas recovery of lower coal seam, (9) gas injection huff and puff of lower coal seam and drainage gas recovery of upper coal seam, and (10) gas injection displacement of both coal seams. Meanwhile, five production strategies are investigated by simulations with reference to the special well structure. Combined with the coalbed methane field operation, the well is conducive to carbon dioxide huff and puff, the optimized production strategy is: water drainage in the early period, and carbon dioxide huff and puff at middle-late stages of development. The new well structure can greatly improve CBM recovery.

Identification of differentially expressed proteins in the injured lung from zinc chloride smoke inhalation based on proteomics analysis

BackgroundLung injury due to zinc chloride smoke inhalation is very common in military personnel and leads to a high incidence of pulmonary complications and mortality. The aim of this study was to uncover the underlying mechanisms of lung injury due to zinc chloride smoke inhalation using a rat model.Methods: Histopathology analysis of rat lungs after zinc chloride smoke inhalation was performed by using haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Mallory staining. A lung injury rat model of zinc chloride smoke inhalation (smoke inhalation for 1, 2, 7 and 14 days) was developed. First, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantization (iTRAQ) and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were used to identify important differentially expressed proteins. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were used to study the biological functions of differentially expressed proteins. Then, analysis of lung injury repair-related differentially expressed proteins in the early (day 1 and day 2) and middle-late stages (day 7 and day 14) of lung injury after smoke inhalation was performed, followed by the protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis of these differentially expressed proteins. Finally, the injury repair-related proteins PARK7 and FABP5 were validated by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis.ResultsMorphological changes were observed in the lung tissues after zinc chloride smoke inhalation. A total of 27 common differentially expressed proteins were obtained on days 1, 2, 7 and 14 after smoke inhalation. WGCNA showed that the turquoise module (which involved 909 proteins) was most associated with smoke inhalation time. Myl3, Ckm, Adrm1 and Igfbp7 were identified in the early stages of lung injury repair. Gapdh, Acly, Tnni2, Acta1, Actn3, Pygm, Eno3 and Tpi1 (hub proteins in the PPI network) were identified in the middle-late stages of lung injury repair. Eno3 and Tpi1 were both involved in the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis signalling pathway. The expression of PARK7 and FABP5 was validated and was consistent with the proteomics analysis.ConclusionThe identified hub proteins and their related signalling pathways may play crucial roles in lung injury repair due to zinc chloride smoke inhalation.

Pulmonary intravascular macrophages regulate the pathogenetic mechanisms of pulmonary lesions during acute courses of classical swine fever.

Classical swine fever (CSF) is a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease of domestic pigs and wild boar. Pulmonary oedema and haemorrhages in lung parenchyma are common lesions in the acute forms of CSF that may compromise pig survival and whose pathogenetic mechanisms remain unclear. The appearance of pulmonary lesions in pigs infected with Alfort/187 strain of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) euthanized between 2 and 17days postinfection (dpi) and the role played by cytokines secreted by different pulmonary macrophage populations in the evolution of lesions was evaluated in this study. Microscopic changes of alveolar septal thickening along with oedema and haemorrhages became more severe at middle-late stages of the experiment. A significant increase in the number of pulmonary macrophages, mainly pulmonary intravascular macrophages (PIMs), was observed coinciding with the onset of alveolar septal thickening from Day 4pi. PIMs were the main target of CSFV from initial stages of infection while the presence of infected pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) was scarce and late. Initial infection of PIMs induced phagocytic and biosynthetic activation with subsequent release of chemotactic cytokines. TNFα and, to a lesser extent, IL-1α secreted by PIMs were the major cytokines involved, while IL-6 played only a minor role. On the contrary, results suggested only a secondary role of PAMs as source of cytokines. The presence of vascular changes from Day 9pi coincided with the highest levels of infected PIMs and the highest number of pro-inflammatory cytokines secreting PIMs. Activation and phagocytosis of platelets were observed in the lungs of infected pigs from early stages, also coinciding with the expression of cytokines with a proven procoagulant activity. The existence of intravascular coagulation phenomena in lung was ruled out.

Deciphering hepatocellular carcinoma through metabolomics: from biomarker discovery to therapy evaluation.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of death from cancer, with increasing prevalence worldwide. The mortality rate of HCC is similar to its incidence rate, which reflects its poor prognosis. At present, the diagnosis of HCC is still mostly dependent on invasive biopsy, imaging methods, and serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) testing. Because of the asymptomatic nature of early HCC, biopsy and imaging methods usually detect HCC at the middle–late stages. AFP has limited sensitivity and specificity, as many other nonmalignant liver diseases can also result in a very high serum level of AFP. Therefore, better biomarkers with higher sensitivity and specificity at earlier stages are greatly needed. Since metabolic reprogramming is an essential hallmark of cancer and the liver is the metabolic hub of living systems, it is useful to investigate HCC from a metabolic perspective. As a noninvasive and nondestructive approach, metabolomics provides holistic information on dynamically metabolic responses of living systems to both endogenous and exogenous factors. Therefore, it would be conducive to apply metabolomics in investigating HCC. In this review, we summarize recent metabolomic studies on HCC cellular, animal, and clinicopathologic models with attention to metabolomics as a biomarker in cancer diagnosis. Recent applications of metabolomics with respect to therapeutic and prognostic evaluation of HCC are also covered, with emphasis on the potential of treatment by drugs from natural products. In the last section, the current challenges and trends of future development of metabolomics on HCC are discussed. Overall, metabolomics provides us with novel insight into the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic evaluation of HCC.

Characterization of two splice variants of EGFR and their effects on the growth of the razor clam

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays a vital role in cell growth, proliferation, and body growth. In this study, two EGFR isoforms (Sc-EGFR-1a and Sc-EGFR-1b) were obtained from Sinonovacula constricta. Sequence analysis of the coding region of Sc-EGFRs, revealed the 2 isoforms were generated from a common gene by alternative splicing and that one form possessed an extra 81 bp that corresponded to an insertion of 27 amino acids in the C-terminus. Expression of the Sc-EGFR isoforms were detectable in the early embryo stages and increased in the middle-late stages. Both isoforms were widely expressed in tissues, but the highest levels were detected in the siphon. Although both isoforms had a typical extracellular region, transmembrane region, and intracellular region, the insertion/deletion of 27 aa in the C-terminus changed the phosphorylation sites and may have influenced downstream kinase activities. In vitro, the proliferating cell nuclear antigen indicator and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay showed that HEK293T cells transfected with Sc-EGFR-1a and Sc-EGFR-1b exhibited different proliferation patterns. Sc-EGFR-1a caused more rapid proliferation than Sc-EGFR-1b and the EGFP-N1 control. In vivo, Sc-EGFRs were successfully knocked-down for at least 15 days by injecting the clams with the dsRNA and was associated with a significant reduction in shell length. Our results reveal for the first time in mollusks the existence of alternative splicing of EGFR and provide the basis for further studies to establish the role of EGFR in growth and development of S. constricta.

Shifts from methyl chloride sink to source functions within a coastal salt marsh in eastern China: an examination of the effects of biomass burning prohibition policies.

Our previous study found that a salt marsh in eastern China can act as a large CH3Cl sink. One striking finding of this previous study was a strong relationship between high-ambient CH3Cl concentrations and fluxes during the growing season. Moreover, the high-ambient CH3Cl concentration was likely to be related to local biomass burning. However, implementation of biomass burning prohibition policies has effectively reduced biomass burning. Therefore, we predicted that the prohibition of biomass burning would alter CH3Cl concentration and flux within the eastern Chinese coastal salt marsh. In this study, we used static flux chambers to measure CH3Cl fluxes in the early (July of 2004 and January of 2005) and middle-late stages (August and December of 2013) of biomass burning prohibition of along a creek and vegetation transects of the salt marsh. After implementation of the biomass burning prohibition, the concentration and flux of CH3Cl directly related to biomass burning changed remarkably. During the middle-late stage of prohibition, the initial CH3Cl concentration was significantly reduced compared to during the early stage of prohibition. Reductions in atmospheric CH3Cl concentration were especially apparent during the growing season, when biomass burning was prohibited and atmospheric CH3Cl concentration dropped to levels nearly as low as the Northern Hemisphere background concentration. Atmospheric CH3Cl concentration significantly varied throughout the salt marsh, with the highest concentrations appearing over the inland areas and mudflat and lower values occurring over the middle locations. This spatial distribution of CH3Cl may have been directly related to the existence and distribution of potential CH3Cl sources, such as coastal seawater, terrestrial biomass burning, and senescent and decaying aboveground biomass. These changes in initial CH3Cl concentration caused by the biomass burning prohibition may eventually lead to shift in the salt marsh from the tendency to act as a CH3Cl sink to the tendency to act as a CH3Cl source. When the initial atmospheric CH3Cl concentration was high, the vegetation stands acted as CH3Cl sinks. Conversely, they became CH3Cl sources. Therefore, we conclude that the biomass burning prohibition altered the ecosystem-atmosphere exchange of CH3Cl within the studied eastern Chinese coastal salt marsh.

A new transgenic rice line exhibiting enhanced ferric iron reduction and phytosiderophore production confers tolerance to low iron availability in calcareous soil.

Iron (Fe) deficiency is a critical agricultural problem, especially in calcareous soil, which is distributed worldwide. Rice plants take up Fe(II) from soil through a OsIRT1 transporter (Strategy I-related system) and also take up Fe(III) via a phytosiderophore-based system (Strategy II system). However, rice plants are susceptible to low-Fe conditions because they have low Fe(III) reduction activity and low-level phytosiderophore secretion. Previously, we produced transgenic rice plants expressing a mutationally reconstructed yeast ferric chelate reductase, refre1/372, under the control of the OsIRT1 promoter. This transgenic rice line exhibited higher Fe(III) chelate reductase activity and tolerance to Fe deficiency. In addition, we produced transgenic rice overexpressing the Fe deficiency-inducible transcription factor, OsIRO2, which regulates the expression of various genes involved in the strategy II Fe(III) uptake system, including OsNAS1, OsNAAT1, OsDMAS1, OsYSL15, and TOM1. This transgenic rice exhibited improved phytosiderophore secretion ability and tolerance to Fe deficiency. In the present research, transgenic rice plants that possess both the OsIRT1 promoter-refre1/372 and the 35S promoter-OsIRO2 (RI lines) were produced to enhance both Strategy I Fe(II) reductase ability and Strategy II phytosiderophore productivity. RI lines exhibited enhanced tolerance to Fe-deficient conditions at the early and middle-late stages of growth in calcareous soil, compared to both the non-transgenic line and lines harboring either OsIRT1 promoter-refre1/372 or 35S promoter-OsIRO2 alone. RI lines also exhibited a 9-fold higher yield than the non-transgenic line. Moreover, we successfully produced Fe-deficiency-tolerant Tachisugata rice, which is a high-biomass variety used as fodder. Collectively, our results demonstrate that combined enhancement of two Fe uptake systems in rice is highly effective in conferring tolerance to low Fe availability in calcareous soil.

Textural properties of different melon (Cucumis melo L.) fruit types: Sensory and physical-chemical evaluation

Melon fruit properties are extremely different within the species and texture is one of the quality features that most influences its acceptance. The aim of this study was the comparison of melon textural traits, evaluating the linear correlations between both perceived and instrumentally determined texture of a distinctive group of genotypes representing wide species variability. Three landrace cultivars (the Korean ‘Songwhan charmi PI-161375’, the Indian ‘Calcuta PI-124112’, and the Iraqi ‘Irak C-1012’) and three elite cultivars (the Spanish ‘Piel de Sapo T111’, the French ‘Védrantais’, and the American ‘Dulce’), grown under the same conditions in the same place, were analyzed, together with four Spanish major commercial varieties (‘Piel de Sapo’, ‘Amarillo’, ‘Galia’ and ‘Cantaloupe’). Measurements of pH, Soluble Solids Content (SSC), weight losses, puncture tests (6mm and 10mm probes), texture profile analysis (TPA), and sensory analysis were performed in 38 fruits. Results showed wide parameter range depending on each particular type of melon. Significant differences were reported for five of six sensory descriptors: hardness (1.52–4.91), initial juiciness (1.77–7.45), crunchiness (0.29–4.58), mealiness (0.41–6.37) and chewiness (2.91–5.27); and for seven of nine physical-chemical parameters: hardness (921.3–4519.0), fracturability (587.4–4280.7), cohesiveness (0.027– 0.061), adhesiveness (−15.7 to −105.0), pH (5.21–6.53), SSC (4.8–14.0) and weight losses (18.0–66.0). Puncture tests parameters were good predictors of sensory hardness, crunchiness and chewiness, while TPA gave further information about initial juiciness, fibrousness and mealiness. Discriminant analysis showed that initial juiciness and mealiness were the most discriminant variables while any instrumental parameter showed particular discriminate ability between samples. These results prove the usefulness of sensory analysis to reflect melon textural traits, when compared to single physical-chemical approach, and could be extended to the middle-late stages of variety development breeding programs.

Factors controlling accumulation of soil organic carbon along vegetation succession in a typical karst region in Southwest China

Vegetation succession enhances the accumulation of carbon in the soil. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in different vegetation types in the karst region of Southwest China. The goal of this study was to identify and prioritize the effects of environmental parameters, including soil physico-chemical properties, microbial biomass, enzyme activities, and litter characteristics, on SOC accumulation along a vegetation succession sere (grassland, shrubland, secondary forest, and primary forest) in the karst landscape of Southwest China. Relationships between these parameters and SOC were evaluated by redundancy analysis. The results showed that SOC accumulation was significantly different among vegetation types (P<0.01) and increased with vegetation succession (from 29.10g·kg−1 in grassland to 73.92g·kg−1 in primary forest). Soil biochemistry and physical characteristics significantly affected the accumulation of SOC. Soil microbial biomass showed a predominant effect on SOC in each of the four vegetation types. In addition, the soil physical property (especially the silt content) was another controlling factor in the early stages (grassland), and urease activity and saccharase activity were important controlling factors in the early-middle and middle-late stages, respectively. Litter characteristics only showed mild effects on SOC accumulation. Variation partitioning analysis showed that the contribution of sole main factors to SOC variation decreased, while the interaction effect among parameters increased along the succession gradient.

Influence of occupational therapy at home to upper extremity function and activities of daily living on hemiplegia patients with stroke in middle-late stages

Influence of occupational therapy at home to upper extremity function and activities of daily living on hemiplegia patients with stroke in middle-late stages

Foam Concrete Performance Study Based on Experimental Analysis

In this paper, it studies the effect of the water-cement ratio, fly ash, PP fiber and high-performance expansion agent on the mechanical property and contractility of the foam concrete through experiments. The results of the experiment show that in the middle-late stages of hydration, the foam concrete shows the characteristic of contraction; when the water-cement ratio is between 0.3 to 0.5, the greater the ratio is, the smaller the contraction of foam concrete will be; when the water-cement ratio is greater than 0.5 or less than 0.2, the contraction amount of 28 d decreases. Fibers in random distribution may slightly reduce the shrinkage of foam concrete; while a certain content of expander can effectively compensate for the deformation shrinkage of foam concrete, and even realize no shrinkage in the early stage of hydration.

Effect of glucosamine, a therapeutic agent for osteoarthritis, on osteoblastic cell differentiation

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by qualitative and quantitative changes in the architecture and composition of all the joint structures. Glucosamine (GlcN) has been used to treat OA in humans, because GlcN is present in the cartilage tissues as a component of glycosaminoglycans, and exhibits the symptom-modifying effect on OA by normalizing cartilage metabolism. On the other hand, the pathological change of subchondral bone is associated with the initiation and progression of cartilage damage in OA. However, the effect of GlcN on bone metabolism remains unsolved. In the present study, we determined the effect of GlcN on bone metabolism (osteoblastic cell differentiation) using mouse osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells by evaluating the expression of early (typeI collagen and alkaline phosphatase), middle (osteopontin) and late (osteocalcin and mineralization) stage differentiation markers, and further compared its effects to those of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc), a derivative of GlcN. The results indicated that the mineralization of mature osteoblasts was increased by treatment with GlcN and GlcNAc. Furthermore, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses revealed that GlcN and GlcNAc substantially increased the expression of a middle stage marker and a late stage marker, although they did not essentially affect the expression of early stage markers. In addition, GlcN and GlcNAc suppressed the expression of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL), a key factor involved in the osteoclastic cell differentiation and activation. Together these observations suggest that both GlcN and GlcNAc may have a potential not only to induce osteoblastic cell differentiation especially at middle-late stages, but also to suppress the osteoclastic cell differentiation, thereby possibly increasing bone matrix deposition and decreasing bone resorption, and eventually modulating bone metabolism in OA.

The Genetic Mechanism and Model of Deep‐Basin Gas Accumulation and Methods for Predicting the Favorable Areas

Abstract As a kind of abnormal natural gas formed with special mechanism, the deep‐basin gas, accumulated in the lower parts of a basin or syncline and trapped by a tight reservoir, has such characteristics as gas‐water inversion, abnormal pressure, continuous distribution and tremendous reserves. Being a geological product of the evolution of petroliferous basins by the end of the middle‐late stages, the formation of a deep‐basin gas accumulation must meet four conditions, i.e., continuous and sufficient gas supply, tight reservoirs in continuous distribution, good sealing caps and stable structures. The areas, where the expansion force of natural gas is smaller than the sum of the capillary force and the hydrostatic pressure within tight reservoirs, are favorable for forming deep‐basin gas pools. The range delineated by the above two forces corresponds to that of the deep‐basin gas trap. Within the scope of the deep‐basin gas trap, the balance relationship between the amounts of ingoing and overflowing gases determines the gas‐bearing area of the deep‐basin gas pool. The gas volume in regions with high porosity and high permeability is worth exploring under current technical conditions and it is equivalent to the practical resources (about 10%‐20% of the deep‐basin gas). Based on studies of deep‐basin gas formation conditions, the theory of force balance and the equation of material balance, the favorable areas and gas‐containing ranges, as well as possible gas‐rich regions are preliminarily predicted in the deep‐basin gas pools in the Upper Paleozoic He‐8 segment of the Ordos basin.