The purpose of this investigation is to improve ethanol production and decrease acetate formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain YS2-?adh2.The strain YS2-?adh2 with deleted alcohol dehydrogenase Ⅱ(adh2) gene was isolated in our lab with higher ethanol production than that of the strain YS2.The ace-taldehyde dehydrogenase Ⅵ(ald6) gene encoded a cytosolic acetaldehyde dehydrogenase,a key enzyme of the pyruvate dehydrogenase(PDH) bypass,transfers acetaldehyde to acetate.To disrupt ald6 gene of the strain YS2-?adh2,ald6 gene targeting cassettes were synthesized by long flanking homology PCR(LFH-PCR) and then were transformed into YS2-?adh2 mutants by LiAc/SS Carrier DNA/PEG method.Positive transformants were selected with G418 and further confirmed by PCR.Once correctly integrated into the genome,the selective marker was rescued by transforming the plasmid pSH65 into the positive transformants and inducing the Cre expression with a Cre/loxP-mediated marker removal procedure.We named the ald6 gene knocked-out strain as YS2-?adh2-?ald6 which has a 12.5% higher ethanol production and a 18% lower acetate formation compared to the strain YS2.

OBJECTIVETo developed a multiplex RT-PCR assay for simultaneous screening of type A, B and novel A (H1N1) influenza viruses.

METHODSTwo pairs of universal primers in were designed for amplifying the M gene and NS gene of type A and B influenza viruses, respectively. A pair of specific primers of HA gene was designed to detect novel A (H1N1) influenza virus. A one-step method was used to establish the multiplex RT-PCR system. A blinded experiment was carried out to validate the accuracy of this assay in comparison with the results of real-time fluorescence RT-PCR. The clinical practicability and efficacy of this assay was also evaluated.

RESULTSThe RT-PCR products were analyzed using agarose gel electrophoresis, which yielded distinct bands of the target fragments without non-specific reactions, suggesting the high efficiency and specificity of the multiplex RT-PCR. Blinded study of 50 samples demonstrated a concordance rate of 100%.

CONCLUSIONThis multiplex RT-PCR assay allows one-step simultaneous detection of type A, B and novel A (H1N1) influenza viruses rapidly and accurately, and provides a valuable low-cost screening technique for influenza epidemic monitoring and early diagnosis.

Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza B virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Time Factors ; Viral Matrix Proteins ; genetics ; Viral Nonstructural Proteins ; genetics

To study the method for Rhesus box test and its significance, the sequence specific primers of upstream, downstream and hybrid Rhesus boxes were designed according to RhD gene sequence; the upstream, downstream and hybrid Rhesus boxes were determined by PCP-SSP and mismatched PCR. The results showed that this method was confirmed by DNA Standard test. It was shown that in unrelative RhD positive individuals RHD(+)/RHD(-), RHD(+)/RHD(+) genotype accounted for 9.00%, 91.00% respectively, and in RhD negative individuals RHD(+)/RHD(-), RHD(+)/RHD(+), RHD(-)/RHD(-) genotype were 26.14%, 3.92%, 69.94% respectively. It is concluded that the method of Rhesus box test was confirmed to be reliable and can be used for the identification of RhD haplotype gene structure, as well as for study on inheritance, clinical transfusion and neonatal hemolytic diseases.
Base Sequence ; Haplotypes ; Heterozygote ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Rh-Hr Blood-Group System ; analysis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the optimal surgical resection length for esophageal carcinoma.

METHODSSpecimens of seventy patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma resected and collected in our hospital were made into pathologic giant sections. Direct intramural infiltration, multicentric carcinogenic lesion and leaping metastasis were observed in the large slice by microscope. The actual length during the operation was calculated by the ratio of shrinkage.

RESULTSDirect intramural infiltration was found in 51 (72.9%) patients, 39 proximal and 36 distal to the tumor. The mean length of direct intramural infiltration was 0.9 +/- 0.8 cm (4.0 cm maximum) proximally and 0.5 +/- 0.3 cm (2.0 cm maximum) distally. Multicentric carcinogenic lesion was found in 11 (15.7%) patients, 5 proximally, 8 distally and 2 on both sides. Proximal to the tumor, the mean distance between the multicentric carcinogenic lesion and the main lesion plus the length of the multiple carcinogenic lesion was 3.2 +/- 1.5 cm (4.7 cm maximum). Distal to the tumor, it was 3.6 +/- 2.4 cm (9.1 cm maximum). Leaping metastasis was found in 9 (12.9%) patients, 7 proximally and 4 distally. The mean distance between the leaping metastasis and the main lesion plus the length of the leaping metastatic lesion was 1.9 +/- 0.6 cm (2.9 cm maximum) proximally and 1.4 +/- 1.0 cm (2.7 cm in maximum) distally.

CONCLUSIONThe optimal surgical resection length for esophageal carcinoma should be at least 5 cm proximal to the tumor and total length on the distal side.

Esophageal Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Invasiveness

AIM To study the protective effects and mechanism of pueraria isoflavones on myocardial injury in ovariectomized rats.METHODS Thirty-six rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group,the model group,the estradiol valerate group(0.1 mg/kg)and the low,medium and high dose pueraria isoflavones groups(55,110,220 mg/kg).In contrast to the rats of the sham operation group having their small pieces of adipose tissue removal around the ovaries,rats of the other groups had their bilateral ovaries excised,followed by the 16-week corresponding oral drug administration 2 weeks later at a once daily frequency for,6 days a week.At the end of the 16th week,the rats had their hemodynamics[systolic pressure(SBP),diastolic pressure(DBP),mean pressure(MBP),left ventricular systolic pressure(LVSP),left ventricular diastolic pressure(LVMP),and the maximum rate of increase and decrease of left ventricular pressure during isovolumic contraction(±dp/dtmax)]detected by PowerLab;their cardiac pathological changes observed by HE staining;their levels of creatine kinase(CK),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and glucose(Glu)in plasma detected by biochemical analyzer;their myocardial level of adenosine triphosphate(ATP)detected by colorimetry;their mRNA expressions of glucose transporter 4(GLUT4),lactate dehydrogenase A(LDHA),carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1(CPT-1α),acyl coenzyme A carboxylase(ACC),liver kinase B1(LKB1),adenylate-activated protein kinase(AMPK)and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator factor 1α(PGC-1α)detected by RT-qPCR;and their myocardial expressions of energy metabolism related proteins LKB1,p-AMPK/AMPK and PGC-1α detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the pueraria isoflavones groups displayed decreased levels of SBP,DBP,MBP,LVSP,LVMP(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);increased-dp/dtmax(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);improved myocardial fibrinolysis,gap widening and inflammatory infiltration caused by ovariectomy;decreased activities of LDH and CK(P＜0.05);increased myocardial ATP level(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);decreased levels of TC,TG,LDL-C and Glu(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);increased HDL-C level(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);increased myocardial mRNA expressions of GLUT4,LDHA,CPT-1α,ACC,LKB1,AMPK and PGC-1α(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and increased protein expressions of myocardial LKB1,p-AMPK/AMPK and PGC-1α(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).CONCLUSION Pueraria isoflavones are protective to myocardial injury in ovariectomized rats,and the mechanism may lie in the improvement of energy metabolism-related myocardial proteins via LKB1/AMPK/PGC-1α signaling pathway.

【Objective】To evaluate the feasibility of magnetization transfer（MT）magnetic resonance（MR）imaging for predicting the risk of intestinal fistula in patients with Crohn disease （CD）. 【Methods】 The study prospectively enrolled 12 consecutive patients with CD and abdominal MT imaging were performed before elective surgery. The bowel wall MT ratio normalized to skeletal muscle was calculated；region- by- region correlations with the surgical specimen were performed. Histopathologic evaluation of fibrosis was executed by using Masson trichrome. Wilcoxon rank test ， Spearman rank correlation， and receiver operating characteristic curve （ROC） were used for statistical analysis.【Results】Among 15 surgical intestinal segments from 12 patients，5 lesions were found with intestinal fistula and of them 12 bowel specimens were obtained. The other 10 intestinal segments were without complications and 23 bowel specimens were enrolled. The intestinal fistula bowel showed a significant higher （P=0.045） normalized MT ratio. ROC analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0.674（95%CI：0.537-0.811）for differentiating intestinal fistula bowel from the non- fistula one. The sensitivity，specificity was 93.3% and 51.1% with a cut-off value of 76.8%，respectively. For the Masson score，significant difference（P=0.012）was found between the complicated intestinal specimens and the non-complicated ones. Additionally， the normalized MT ration was statistical correlated with Masson score （r=0.708，P<0.001）.【Conclusion】MT imaging could be a potential method to predict the risk of intestinal fistula in patients with CD.

This paper aimed to study the effect of Dalbergia cochinchinensis heartwood on plasma endogenous metabolites in rats with ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and to analyze the mechanism of D. cochinchinensis heartwood in improving acute myocardial ischemic injury. The stability and consistency of the components in the D. cochinchinensis heartwood were verified by the establishment of fingerprint, and 30 male SD rats were randomly divided into a sham group, a model group, and a D. cochinchinensis heartwood(6 g·kg~(-1)) group, with 10 rats in each group. The sham group only opened the chest without ligation, while the other groups established the model of ligation. Ten days after administration, the hearts were taken for hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, and the content of heart injury indexes in the plasma creatine kinase isoenzyme(CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), energy metabolism-related index glucose(Glu) content, and vascular endothelial function index nitric oxide(NO) was determined. The endogenous metabolites were detected by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The results showed that the D. cochinchinensis heartwood reduced the content of CK-MB and LDH in the plasma of rats to relieve myocardial injury, reduced the content of Glu in the plasma, improved myocardial energy metabolism, increased the content of NO, cured the vascular endothelial injury, and promoted vasodilation. D. cochinchinensis heartwood improved the increase of intercellular space, myocardial inflammatory cell infiltration, and myofilament rupture caused by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The metabolomic study showed that the content of 26 metabolites in the plasma of rats in the model group increased significantly, while the content of 27 metabolites decreased significantly. Twenty metabolites were significantly adjusted after the administration of D. cochinchinensis heartwood. D. cochinchinensis heartwood can significantly adjust the metabolic abnormality in rats with ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of cardiac energy metabolism, NO production, and inflammation. The results provide a corresponding basis for further explaining the effect of D. cochinchinensis on the acute myocardial injury.
Male ; Animals ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Dalbergia ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Metabolomics ; Heart ; Heart Injuries ; Creatine Kinase, MB Form

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the univariate heritability of resting heart rate and common chronic disease such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia based on extended pedigrees in Fujian Tulou area and to explore bivariate heritability to test for the genetic correlation between resting heart rate and other relative phenotypes. METHODS: The study was conducted in Tulou area of Nanjing County, Fujian Province from August 2015 to December 2017. The participants were residents with Zhang surname and their relatives from Taxia Village, Qujiang Village, and Nanou Village or residents with Chen surname and their relatives from Caoban Village, Tumei Village, and Beiling Village. The baseline survey recruited 1 563 family members from 452 extended pedigrees. The pedigree reconstruction was based on the family information registration and the genealogy booklet. Univariate and bivariate heritability was estimated using variance component models for continuous variables, and susceptibility-threshold model for binary variables. RESULTS: The pedigree reconstruction identified 1 seven-generation pedigree, 2 five-generation pedigrees, 23 four-generation pedigrees, 186 three-generation pedigrees, and 240 two-generation pedigrees. The mean age of the participants was 57.2 years and the males accounted for 39.4%. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia in this population was 49.2%, 10.0%, and 45.2%, respectively. The univariate heritability estimation of resting heart rate, hypertension, and dyslipidemia was 0.263 (95%CI: 0.120－0.407), 0.404 (95%CI: 0.135－0.673), and 0.799 (95%CI: 0.590－1), respectively. The heritability of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 0.379, 0.306, 0.393, 0.452, 0.568, 0.852, and 0.387, respectively. In bivariate analysis, there were phenotypic correlations between resting heart rate with hypertension, diabetes, diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and triglyceride. After taking resting heart rate into account, there were strong genetic correlations between resting heart rate with fasting glucose (genetic correlation 0.485, 95%CI: 0.120－1, P<0.05) and diabetes (genetic correlation 0.795, 95%CI: 0.181－0.788, P<0.05). CONCLUSION Resting heart rate was a heritable trait and correlated with several common chronic diseases and related traits. There was strong genetic correlation between resting heart rate with fasting glucose and diabetes, suggesting that they may share common genetic risk factors.
Blood Pressure ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pedigree