Microbial genome reduction and modification are important strategies for constructing cellular chassis used for synthetic biology. This article summarized the essential genes and the methods to identify them in microorganisms, compared various strategies for microbial genome reduction, and analyzed the characteristics of some microorganisms with the minimized genome. This review shows the important role of genome reduction in constructing cellular chassis.
Genes, Essential ; genetics ; Genetic Engineering ; Genome, Microbial ; genetics ; Synthetic Biology ; methods

The quality of sleep has a great relationship with health and working efficiency. The result of sleep stage classification is an important indicator to measure the quality of sleep, and it is also an important way to diagnose and treat sleep disorders. In this paper, the method of detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA) was used to analyze sleep stage classification, sleep electroencephalograph signals, which were extracted from the MIT-BIH Polysomno graphic Database randomly. The results showed that the average DCCA exponent of the awake period is smaller than that of the first stage of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleeps. It is well concluded that the method of studying the sleep electroencephalograph with this method is of great significance to improve the quality of sleep, to diagnose and to treat sleep disorders.
Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Sleep Stages

OBJECTVEThis study evaluates the expression of interleukin-18 (IL-18) and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-lα in rat periodontitis model exposed to normoxia and chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) environments. The possible correlation between periodontitis and obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) was also investigated. Methods: Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into four groups: normoxia control, normoxia periodontitis, hypoxia control, and hypoxia periodontitis groups. The periodontitis models were established by ligating the bilateral maxillary second molars and employing high-carbohydrate diets. Rats in hypoxia control and hypoxia periodontitis groups were exposed to CIH treatment mimicking a moderately severe OSAHS condition. All animals were sacrificed after eight weeks, and the clinical periodontal indexes were detected. The levels of IL-18 and HIF-1α in serum and gingival tissues were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The correlation between attachment loss (AL) and the levels of IL-18 and HIF-lα in hypoxia periodontitis group was evaluated.

RESULTSThe levels of IL-18 and HIF-lα in hypoxia periodontitis group were significantly higher than that in normoxia periodontitis and hypoxia control groups (P<0.05). Furthermore, the levels of IL-18 and HIF-lα in serum (r-0.792, r=0.753, P<0.05) and gingival tissues (r-0.817, r=0.779, P<0.05) were positively correlated with AL.

CONCLUSIONCIH could aggravate the destruction of periodontal tissues, which is correlated with IL-18 and HIF-lα levels.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Gingiva ; Hypoxia ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; Interleukin-18 ; Periodontal Index ; Periodontitis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Serum ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive

Aged ; Angiofibroma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Desmin ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Leiomyosarcoma ; pathology ; Neoplasms, Muscle Tissue ; metabolism ; pathology ; Vimentin ; metabolism ; Vulvar Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

When people are walking, they will produce gait signals and different people will produce different gait signals. The research of the gait signal complexity is really of great significance for medicine. By calculating people's gait signal complexity, we can assess a person's health status and thus timely detect and diagnose diseases. In this study, the Jensen-Shannon divergence (JSD), the method of complexity analysis, was used to calculate the complexity of gait signal in the healthy elderly, healthy young people and patients with Parkinson's disease. Then we detected the experimental data by variance detection. The results showed that the difference among the complexity of the three gait signals was great. Through this research, we have got gait signal complexity range of patients with Parkinson's disease, the healthy elderly and healthy young people, respectively, which would provide an important basis for clinical diagnosis.
Aged ; Gait ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Parkinson Disease ; physiopathology ; Reference Values ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Walking

Objective To compare the value of prostatic specific antigen(PSA),prostate volume (PV)and PSA density(PSAD)in healthy Chinese males between Uygur and Han and to analyze the relationship between age and above indexes.Methods Serum PSA of 1278 healthy Chinese men over than 40 years was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.The group composed of 555 Uygur males and 723 Han males was divided into four different age groups based on every ten years.40-49 year group: 395 (Uygur: 175,Han: 220);50-59 year group: 325(Uygur: 143,Han: 182);60-69 year group: 281(Uygur: 131,Han: 150);over than 70 year group: 277(Uygur: 106,Han: 171).The length,width and height of the prostate were measured by trans-abdominal ultrasound.The value of PSA,PV and PSAD were correlated with age using the correlation analysis.Results PSA and PV of Uygur were as follows,40 year group:(0.69 ± 0.50)μg/L,(22.83 ± 8.20)ml;50 year group:(0.87 ± 0.52)μg/L,(25.30 ± 9.27)ml;60 year group:(1.08 ±0.56)μg/L,(27.68 ±13.10)ml;70 year group:(2.39 ±0.99)μg/L,(36.36 ± 18.71)ml.PSA and PV of Han were as follows,40 year group:(1.01 ± 0.83)μg/L,(23.01 ±7.57)ml;50 year group:(1.26 ±0.80)μg/L,(27.23 ±10.24)ml;60 year group:(1.66 ±0.79)μg/L,(33.88±17.59)ml;70 year group:(2.51 ±1.11)μg/L,(43.98 ±20.21)ml.The value of PSA and PV of Uygur were less than those of Han in each age group and there were significant differences(P ＜ 0.05).PSAD of Uygur and Han in different age group were as follows: 40 year group:0.041 ± 0.022,0.042 ± 0.027;50 year group: 0.039 ± 0.027,0.040 ± 0.031;60 year group: 0.040 ±0.021,0.041 ±0.025;70 year group: 0.039 ± 0.020,0.040 ± 0.029.The PSAD showed no difference between two nationalities or any age group.With the increasing age,the value of PSA and PV gradually increased and the positive correlation was found among age,PSA and PV in both Uygar and Han nationalities.Conclusions The value of PSA and PV are affected by nationality and age.PSAD between different nationalities and age groups has no difference.

Aim To establish the rapidly detecting method of glucose concentration in brain microdialysate.Method Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detector (ED) and Nano-Copper screen-printed electrode (NCSE100)-Flow injection analysis the glucose concentration in brain microdialysate were detected.Result The related coefficient (r) of glucose standard curve was 0.9995. The variation coefficient (CV) within a day was 4%~7%. The striatum extracellular glucose concentration in rats was(2.4?0.8) mmol?L-1. These results indicated that our method was reliable.Conclusion Using HPLC with ED, NCSE100, and flow injection analysis the glucose concentration in brain microdialysate were detected, which has certain applied worth.

[Objective]To observe the effects of chronic renal failure (CRF)on hearing and investigate its mechanism.[Methods] Twenty-nine male wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups:Ⅰthe normal rats as control for 12 days (n=6); Ⅱrats given adenine(ig) for 12 days (n=8); Ⅲthe normal rats as control for 24 days (n=6);Ⅳ rats given adenine(ig) for 24 days(n=9). The rat model of CRF was produced by being perfused of adenine [300mg/kg]for 12d and 24d. Brain-stem auditory evoked potential(BAEP) was utilized to evaluate the auditory function and renal tissue morphology was observed; Serum sampling was used to determine the content of Cr, BuN. The expression of NOSⅡin the cochlear was measured by immunohistochemical technique.[Results] After adenine given for 12d or 24d, the Cr and BuN were in significant higher level than that in control group. The BAEP thresholds were gradually higher than that in control group, the BAEP delitescence prolonged. Light microscopic observation of renal tissue showed that the degree of fibrosis was gradually higher. Data of immune histochemistry about the cochlear tissue showed that the expressions of NOSⅡ were feebly positive in the cochlear vassal texture, inner-outer hairy cell and helical-ganglion cell, and following functional damage of the kidney, their expressions reinforced gradually, amongst which strongest expression was vassal texture, the next helical-ganglion cell, the last inner-outer hairy cell.[Conclusion]CRF can result in deafness. It is likely concerned with toxic effects of the metabolizable substance, the metabolizable dysfunction of the electrolyte, shortage of trace elements, etc. One of the important mechanisms of the effects of CRF on hearing is the toxic damage of NO to cochlea.

Objective To develop a port expander for simple network cable tester,which can raise the testing efficiency of the computer network twisted-pair.Methods Several RJ-45 sockets were used to connect the eight points separatedly according to the same arrangement order.One socket was connected to testing port by short twisted-pair,while other sockets were used as expander port.Results In practical test,the operation only needs one person,who could test the computer network twisteded-pair conveniently without going back and forth frequently between the two terminals of the tested line.Conclusion It is proved by testing that the port expander for the simple network cable tester can raise the testing efficiency of the computer network twist-pair.

Objective To study the effect of crystallins on survival and growth of rat retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in vitro and study elementarily the exact substance of the injured lens promoting RGCs survival and axonal regeneration. Methods RGCs in Long Evans rats were cultured in DMEM, crystallins and crystallins activated macrophage-conditioned media. The growth regularity and survival time of RGCs in vitro were observed under phase-contrast microscope. The number of RGCs with processes, length of the longest processes and cells activity were measured when RGCs were cultured for 1, 3 and 5 days respectively. Results (1) RGCs could survive for 12-14 days in DMEM containing crystallins, and the survival time of RGCs was longer significantly than other two groups (P