Castanopsis sclerophylla (Lindl.) Schott is an important species of evergreen broad-leaved tree in subtropical areas and has high ecological and economic value. However, there are few studies on its chloroplast genome. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of C. sclerophylla was determined using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. The complete chloroplast genome of C. sclerophylla is 160,497 bp long, including a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions (25,675 bp) separated by a large single-copy (LSC) region of 90,255 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,892 bp. The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome is 36.82%. A total of 131 genes were found; of these, 111 genes are unique and annotated, including 79 protein-coding genes, 27 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and four ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs). Twenty-one genes were found to be duplicated in the IR regions. Comparative analysis indicated that IR contraction might be the reason for the smaller chloroplast genome of C. sclerophylla compared to three congeneric species. Sequence analysis indicated that the LSC and SSC regions are more divergent than IR regions within Castanopsis; furthermore, greater divergence was found in noncoding regions than in coding regions. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis showed that four species of the genus Castanopsis form a monophyletic clade and that C. sclerophylla is closely related to Castanopsis hainanensis with strong bootstrap values. These results not only provide a basic understanding of Castanopsis chloroplast genomes, but also illuminate Castanopsis species evolution within the Fagaceae family. Furthermore, these findings will be valuable for future studies of genetic diversity and enhance our understanding of the phylogenetic evolution of Castanopsis.

Four chronologies of the bivalve species Glycymeris pilosa have been constructed along a 300 km gradient of the eastern coastal Adriatic Sea, all of which span the common period of 1982-2015. The chronologies are compared to local and remote environmental drivers suspected to influence the biology of the system, including air and seawater temperature, precipitation and freshwater discharge. The Adriatic-Ionian Bimodal Oscillating System (BiOS), a key oceanographic feature quantified by satellite-derived absolute dynamic topography, is also compared to the chronologies. The chronologies at the two southern sites are more strongly influenced by local river discharge, while the two northern chronologies are more strongly influenced by BiOS. These results highlight the broadscale importance of BiOS to the Adriatic system as well as the heterogeneity of nearshore environmental and drivers of growth. These G. pilosa chronologies provide unique multidecadal, continuous, biological time series to better understand the ecology and fine-scale variability of the Adriatic with potential for other shallow, semi-enclosed seas.

To examine the short-term effects of selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) ± soft-tissue surgery on gait in cerebral palsy (CP) compared to matched controls with no surgical intervention.

Many details of the pathophysiology of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) still remain unknown, making animal experiments an indispensable tool for assessment of diagnostics and therapy. For animal protection and project authorization, one needs objective measures to evaluate the severity and burden in each model. Corticosterone is described as a sensitive stress parameter reflecting the acute burden, and inflammatory markers can be used for assessment of the extent of the brain lesion. However, the brain lesion itself may activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis early after SAH, as shown for ischemic stroke, probably interfering with early inflammatory processes, thus complicating the assessment of severity and burden on the basis of corticosterone and inflammation. To assess the suitability of these markers in SAH, we evaluated the courses of corticosterone, IL-6 and TNF-α up to 6h in an acute model simulating SAH in continuously anaesthetized rats, lacking the pain and stress induced impact on these parameters. Animals were randomly allocated to sham or SAH. SAH was induced by cisterna magna blood-injection, and intracranial pressure and cerebral blood flow were measured under continuous isoflurane/fentanyl anaesthesia. Withdrawn at predetermined time points, blood was analysed by commercial ELISA kits. After 6h the brain was removed for western blot analysis of IL-6 and TNF-α. Serum corticosterone levels were low with no significant difference between sham and SAH. No activation of the HPA-axis was detectable, rendering corticosterone a potentially useful parameter for stress assessment in future chronic studies. Blood IL-6 and TNF-α increased in both groups over time, with IL-6 increasing significantly more in SAH compared to sham towards the end of the observation period. In the basal cortex, IL-6 and TNF-α increased only in SAH. The pro-inflammatory response seems to start locally in the brain, reflected by an increase in peripheral blood. An additional surgery-induced systemic inflammatory response should be considered.

More than 50% of the world's lung cancer cases occur in Asia and more than 20% of cancer deaths in Asia are attributable to lung cancer. The U.S. National Lung Screening Trial has shown that lung cancer screening with computed tomography (CT) can reduce lung cancer deaths. Using the Lung Cancer Policy Model-Asia (LCPM-Asia), we estimated the potential mortality reduction achievable through the implementation of CT-based lung cancer screening in China, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. The LCPM-Asia was calibrated to the smoking prevalence of each of the aforementioned countries based on published national surveys and to lung cancer mortality rates from the World Health Organization. The calibrated LCPM-Asia was then used to simulate lung cancer deaths under screening and no-screening scenarios for the four countries. Using screening eligibility criteria recommended by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which are based on age and smoking history, we estimated the lung cancer mortality reduction from screening through year 2040. By 2040, lung cancer screening would result in 91,362 life-years gained and 4.74% mortality reduction in South Korea; 290,325 life-years gained and 4.33% mortality reduction in Japan; 3,014,215 life-years gained and 4.22% mortality reduction in China; and 8,118 life-years gained and 3.76% mortality reduction in Singapore. As for mortality reduction by smoker type, current smokers would have the greatest mortality reduction in each country, ranging from 5.56% in Japan to 6.86% in Singapore. Among the four countries, lung cancer screening under CMS eligibility criteria was most effective in South Korea and least effective in Singapore. Singapore's low smoking prevalence and South Korea's aging population and higher smoking prevalence may partially explain the discrepancy in effectiveness. CT screening was shown to be promising as a means of reducing lung cancer mortality in the four countries.

Methyl-5-uridine (m5U) is one the most abundant non-canonical bases present in cellular RNA, and in yeast is found at position U54 of tRNAs where modification is catalysed by the methyltransferase Trm2. Although the mammalian enzymes that catalyse m5U formation are yet to be identified via experimental evidence, based on sequence homology to Trm2, two candidates currently exist, TRMT2A and TRMT2B. Here we developed a genome-wide single-nucleotide resolution mapping method, Fluorouracil-Induced-Catalytic-Crosslinking-Sequencing (FICC-Seq), in order to identify the relevant enzymatic targets. We demonstrate that TRMT2A is responsible for the majority of m5U present in human RNA, and that it commonly targets U54 of cytosolic tRNAs. By comparison to current methods, we show that FICC-Seq is a particularly robust method for accurate and reliable detection of relevant enzymatic target sites. Our associated finding of extensive irreversible TRMT2A-tRNA crosslinking in vivo following 5-Fluorouracil exposure is also intriguing, as it suggests a tangible mechanism for a previously suspected RNA-dependent route of Fluorouracil-mediated cytotoxicity.

Electronic cigarettes (E-cig) use is increasing rapidly, particularly among youths. Animal models for E-cig exposure with pharmacokinetics resembling human E-cig users are lacking. We developed an E-cig aerosol exposure system for rodents and a chronic intermittent delivery method that simulates E-cig users who vape episodically during wakefulness and abstain during sleep. Mice were exposed to E-cig in a programmed schedule at very low, low, medium, or high doses defined by duration of each puff, number of puffs per delivery episode and frequency of episodes in the dark phase of a 12/12-h circadian cycle for 9 consecutive days. The plasma nicotine/cotinine levels and their time courses were determined using LC/MS-MS. We assessed the body weight, food intake and locomotor activity of Apolipoprotein E null (ApoE-/-) mice exposed to chronic intermittent E-cig aerosol. Plasma nicotine and cotinine levels were positively correlated with exposure doses. Nicotine and cotinine levels showed a circadian variation as they increased with time up to the maximum nicotine level of 21.8 ± 7.1 ng/mL during the daily intermittent E-cig exposure in the 12-h dark phase and then declined during the light phase when there was no E-cig delivery. Chronic E-cig exposure to ApoE-/- mice decreased body weight, food intake and increased locomotion. Our rodent E-cig exposure system and chronic intermittent exposure method yield clinically relevant nicotine pharmacokinetics associated with behavioral and metabolic changes. The methodologies are essential tools for in vivo studies of the health impacts of E-cig exposure on CNS, cardiovascular, pulmonary, hepatic systems, metabolism and carcinogenesis.

Differentiation toward CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells is essentially dependent on an epigenetic program at Treg signature genes, which involves remodeling of the Treg-specific demethylated regions (TSDRs). In particular, the epigenetic status of the conserved non-coding sequence 2 of Foxp3 (Foxp3 TSDR) determines expression stability of the master transcription factor and thus Treg lineage identity. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling the epigenetic remodeling at TSDRs in Treg and conventional T cells are largely unknown. Using a combined approach of DNA pull-down and mass spectrometric analysis, we report a novel regulatory mechanism in which transcription factor Wiz recruits the histone methyltransferase Ehmt1 to Foxp3 TSDR. We show that both Wiz and Ehmt1 are crucial for shaping the region with the repressive histone modification H3K9me2 in conventional T cells. Consistently, knocking out either Ehmt1 or Wiz by CRISPR/Cas resulted in the loss of H3K9me2 and enhanced Foxp3 expression during iTreg differentiation. Moreover, the essential role of the Wiz-Ehmt1 interaction as observed at several TSDRs indicates a global function of Ehmt1 in the Treg differentiation program.

Organophosphates are chemical pollutants that are existed widely in the environment, but the reactions of these agents with blood proteins are still not fully clarified. The current story was to analyze the static and dynamic interactions between human serum albumin (HSA) and phenthoate and then uncover the impact of the conjugations on the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity at the microscopic scale. Experimental results revealed clearly that the bioconjugate of the HSA-phenthoate was yielded and the conformation of HSA can produce autoregulation during the reaction. Dynamic reaction processes suggested that the conformational flexibility of the specific protein domain was changed significantly in equilibrium, and the electrostatic interaction energy played a major role in total energy of the biosystems, which matches the results of wet experiment and molecular docking. We also found that the modes of homologous proteins-phenthoate have obvious distinctions, and this point is related closely to the local dynamic flexibility of biomolecular structures. Additionally, the degree of bioconjugation of the HSA-phenthoate is positively associated with the enzymatic activity of target AChE, which may be attributed to the competitive reactions between HSA and AChE. Evidently, this scenario could provide useful molecular information for the systematic exploration of the toxicokinetics of organophosphorus compounds.

The physiological role of Rho-specific guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (RhoGDI) in vascular remodeling remains unknown. We investigated the function of RhoGDI in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced vascular remodeling in cultured human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HA-VSMCs) and in an Ang II-infusion vascular remodeling mouse model.

Litter size is one of the most important economic traits for pig production as it is directly related to the production efficiency. As an important litter size trait in pigs, the number of piglets born alive at birth (NBA) receives widespread interests in the pig industry. However, traits of piglets born dead, including the number of stillborn piglets (NS) and the piglets mummified at birth (NM) should be noted to explain the loss of reproduction. Herein, in the present study, a total of 803 producing sows were sampled and 2807 farrowing records for NBA, NM, and NS traits were collected in a Duroc swine population. Subsequently, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed for NBA, NS and NM in parity groups 1 to 5. In total, 10 putative regions were found associated with these traits. After stepwise conditional analyses around the putative regions, eight independent signals were ultimately identified for NBA, NS, and NM, and there were seven promising candidate genes related to these traits, including ARID1A, RXRG, NFATC4, ABTB2, GRAMD1B, NDRG1, and APC. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the significant genetic causes of piglets born alive and dead, and could have a positive effect on pig production efficiency and economic profits.

The accumulation of excess white adipose tissue (WAT) has harmful consequences on metabolic health. WAT browning confers beneficial effects on adiposity, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia. In this study, it was found out that circNrxn2 sponged miR-103 and enhanced FGF10 levels in HFD mice WAT. We discovered that circNrxn2 promoted WAT browning and mitochondria functions. Furthermore, circNrxn2 also increased M2 macrophage polarization in HFD mouse adipose tissue, and the PPARγ signaling pathway participated in these biological processes. Moreover, eliminating adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) by clodronate-crippled circNrxn2 promoted WAT browning, and the simulation co-culture of macrophages and adipocytes results suggested that circNrxn2 promoted WAT browning through increasing M2 macrophage polarization. Our finding revealed that circNrxn2 acted as an endogenous miR-103 sponge, blocked miR-103 effects, and relieved its inhibition of FGF10 expression to promote WAT browning through increasing M2 macrophage polarization. This study provides a good therapeutic strategy for treating obesity and improving obesity-related metabolic disorders.

Aseptic meningitis is a common viral infection associated with human enteroviruses. The aim of the present study was to identify and characterize the enteroviruses associated with outbreaks and sporadic cases of aseptic meningitis that occurred in different regions of Brazil between 2013 and 2017. Cerebrospinal fluids obtained from patients admitted to public health facilities were analyzed. A total of 303 patients were positive for Human Enteroviruses (EV) by cell culture isolation with a median isolation rate throughout the year of 12%. We were able to identify enterovirus serotypes in 295 clinical specimens. Nineteen different serotypes were identified; the large majority corresponded to HEV-B species. Echovirus 30 (E-30) and Echovirus 6 (E-6) were the most prevalent genotypes (66.8%). Sequence analysis suggested that circulating E-30 was closely related to E-30 from other American countries; while E-6 was derived from Europe. Most of the patients consisted of children ≤ 15 years old. The temporal distribution of all aseptic meningitis and EV-positive cases showed an obvious seasonal pattern during autumn. Our results have provided valuable information about the enteroviral etiology of the aseptic meningitis cases in Brazil pointing to the importance of enterovirus surveillance in neurological diseases.

Surfactants are used to stabilize nanoemulsions by protecting their physical stability and preventing deterioration of the entrapped bioactive during processing and storage. The effect of surfactant concentration on physical-chemical properties of nanoemulsions with entrapped curcumin, relevant to commercial applications, was addressed in this research. Furthermore, the functionality of nanoemulsified curcumin in terms of lipid oxidation inhibition was determined. Protection against varying pH and thermal treatments was more significant in the nanoemulsions at the elevated surfactant level, but at these high concentrations, the surface charges of the emulsions dramatically decreased under sodium salt addition, which may result in instability over time. Nanoemulsions showed the potential to inhibit malondialdehyde (MDA) formulation by protecting the entrapped curcumin and enhance its antioxidant activity when added to milk. The fortified milk with added curcumin systems had a yellow color compared to the control. The results of the study are critical in choosing the surfactant concentration needed to stabilize emulsified curcumin, and to protect the entrapped curcumin under specific conditions of use to support the utilization of curcumin nanoemulsions as a food additive in different commercial products.

The gas sensing properties of two novel series of Mg-incorporated metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), termed Mg-MOFs-I and -II, were assessed. The synthesized iso-reticular type Mg-MOFs exhibited good crystallinity, high thermal stability, needle-shape morphology and high surface area (up to 2900 m2·g-1), which are promising for gas sensing applications. Gas-sensing studies of gas sensors fabricated from Mg-MOFs-II revealed better sensing performance, in terms of the sensor dynamics and sensor response, at an optimal operating temperature of 200 °C. The MOF gas sensor with a larger pore size and volume showed shorter response and recovery times, demonstrating the importance of the pore size and volume on the kinetic properties of MOF-based gas sensors. The gas-sensing results obtained in this study highlight the potential of Mg-MOFs gas sensors for the practical monitoring of toxic gases in a range of environments.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the motivational climate created by the coach and perceived by a group of young high-performance handball players on their sport motivation, self-determination, sport psychological needs and sport commitment. The study participants were 479 young handball players. The age range was 16-17 years old. Players were administered a battery composed of a Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire, Sport Motivation Scale, the Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale and Sport Commitment Questionnaire to measure the above-mentioned theoretical constructs. Results showed that the handball players showed high levels of a task-involving climate, of basic psychological needs satisfaction and of self-determined motivation and commitment. Higher levels of basic psychological needs such as autonomy and competence were associated with a higher task-involving climate, self-determined index and sport commitment (task-involving climate-basic psychological needs (β = 0.55; 95% IC 0.387/0.682; p = 0.001); Ego-involving climate-basic psychological needs (β = 0.06; 95% IC -0.069/0.181; p = 0.387); Basic psychological needs-self-determined index (β = 0.48; 95% IC 0.376/0.571; p = 0.001); Self-determined index-commitment (β = 0.58; 95% IC 0.488/0.663; p = 0.001). The obtained model showed that basic psychological needs mediated the association between a task-involving climate and self-determination, and self-determination mediated the association between basic psychological needs satisfaction and commitment.

Disruption of epigenetic regulation by environmental toxins is an emerging area of focus for understanding the latter's impact on human health. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), one such group of toxins, are an environmentally pervasive class of brominated flame retardants that have been extensively used as coatings on a wide range of consumer products. Their environmental stability, propensity for bioaccumulation, and known links to adverse health effects have evoked extensive research to characterize underlying biological mechanisms of toxicity. Of particular concern is the growing body of evidence correlating human exposure levels to behavioral deficits related to neurodevelopmental disorders. The developing nervous system is particularly sensitive to influence by environmental signals, including dysregulation by toxins. Several major modes of actions have been identified, but a clear understanding of how observed effects relate to negative impacts on human health has not been established. Here, we review the current body of evidence for PBDE-induced epigenetic disruptions, including DNA methylation, chromatin dynamics, and non-coding RNA expression while discussing the potential relationship between PBDEs and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Identifying factors that influence the composition of the microbial population in the digestive system of dairy cattle will be key in regulating these populations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, we analyzed rumen and fecal samples from five high residual feed intake (RFI) Holstein cows, five low RFI Holstein cows, five high RFI Jersey cows and five low RFI Jersey cows, fed either a high-concentrate diet (expected to reduce methane emission) or a high-forage diet. Bacterial communities from both the rumen and feces were profiled using Illumina sequencing on the 16S rRNA gene. Rumen archaeal communities were profiled using Terminal-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) targeting the mcrA gene. The rumen methanogen community was influenced by breed but not by diet or RFI. The rumen bacterial community was influenced by breed and diet but not by RFI. The fecal bacterial community was influenced by individual animal variation and, to a lesser extent, by breed and diet but not by RFI. Only the bacterial community correlated with methane production. Community differences seen in the rumen were reduced or absent in feces, except in the case of animal-to-animal variation, where differences were more pronounced. The two cattle breeds had different levels of response to the dietary intervention; therefore, it may be appropriate to individually tailor methane reduction strategies to each cattle breed.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are chronic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, although the exact causes of IBD remain unknown. Present treatments for IBDs have poor tolerability and insufficient therapeutic efficacy, thus, alternative therapeutic approaches are required. Soybean-derived isoflavones have multiple bioactivities such as anti-inflammation. However, the low water solubility of soybean isoflavones limits their bioavailability and practical use. Therefore, in order to study the preventive effects of water-soluble soybean isoflavones on colonic inflammatory status, we examined soybean-derived isoflavone glycosides (SIFs) in a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced murine colitis model and in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 macrophages. Oral administration of SIF (0.5 w/v%) attenuated DSS-induced colitis in terms of body weight decrease, colon shortening, epithelial apoptosis, histological score, mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines, and immune cell infiltration in colon tissues. In the in vitro assessment, we observed the inhibitory effects of SIF on the production of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2, via suppression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in RAW264.7 macrophages in response to LPS. Furthermore, we confirmed that the expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were decreased by pre-treatment with SIF in LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophages. Moreover, we demonstrated that SIF suppressed inflammatory mediators involved in nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway via inhibitory κB kinase phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitory κB. Our results suggested that SIF may be beneficial for the remission of colonic inflammatory status including IBDs.

Myosin VI plays crucial roles in diverse cellular processes. In autophagy, Myosin VI can facilitate the maturation of autophagosomes through interactions with Tom1 and the autophagy receptors, Optineurin, NDP52 and TAX1BP1. Here, we report the high-resolution crystal structure of the C-terminal cargo-binding domain (CBD) of Myosin VI in complex with Tom1, which elucidates the mechanistic basis underpinning the specific interaction between Myosin VI and Tom1, and uncovers that the C-terminal CBD of Myosin VI adopts a unique cargo recognition mode to interact with Tom1 for tethering. Furthermore, we show that Myosin VI can serve as a bridging adaptor to simultaneously interact with Tom1 and autophagy receptors through two distinct interfaces. In all, our findings provide mechanistic insights into the interactions of Myosin VI with Tom1 and relevant autophagy receptors, and are valuable for further understanding the functions of these proteins in autophagy and the cargo recognition modes of Myosin VI.