Objective To test amyloid beta protein(Aβ)40 and Aβ42 levels in CSF and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype in patients with Alzheimer's disease(AD) and study whether or not the Aβ is related to the severity of dementia and the genotypes of ApoE.Methods 48 AD patients including 27 cases of mild type and 21 cases of serious type and 35 normal controls were selected.Aβ40 and Aβ42 in CSF and ApoE genotype were analyzed.Results Aβ40 levels were ( 12.3 ±4.6) μg/L,( 11.7 ±4.1 ) μg/L,( 12.6 ±4.9) μg/L and ( 11.0 ±3.7) μg/L(t = 1.377,0.705 and 1.385 ,all the p values were greater than 0.05) and Aβ42 levels were ( 105.3 ±25.4) ng/L,(110.7 ±21.7) ng/L,(96.9 ±23.9) ng/L and (123.5 ±29.6) ng/L(t=3.006,2.832,and 3.488,all the p values less than 0.01 ),in AD group,mild AD group,moderate to serious AD group and normal controls,respectively.Aβ40 levels were (11.9 ± 5.2) μg/L vs.(10.5 ± 3.8) μg/L in AD and controls with ApoEε4(t=0.696,P＞0.05) and (12.6 ±4.5) μg/L vs.(11.4 ±3.4) μg/L without ApoEε4(t = 1.008,P＞0.05).Aβ42 levels were (99.7 ± 23.8) ng/L vs.( 129.6 ± 31.0) ng/L in AD and controls with ApoEε4( t =1.632,P ＞ 0.05 ) and ( 110.4 ± 28.4) ng/L vs.( 129.6 ± 31.0) ng/L in those without ApoEε4 ( t = 2.110,P ＜0.05 ).Conclusions The CSF level of Aβ is abnormal in AD,and it is related to the severity of the disease and the ApoE genotypes.

The high production inulase strain was screened from the soil sample where burdock planted in Qin Village,Bayou Town,Pei County,Xuzhou.Inulase activity were determined which produced by 40 strains separated from soil.Three mold stains,C122803、D081506 and D081513,which had higher ability of producing inulase were obtained by using transparent circle method as initial screening and rocker method as re-screening.Enzyme activity of the three strains were 1.411U/ml,1.895U/ml,1.792U/ml,separately.Enzyme activity of D081506,1.895U/ml,was the highest.The fermentation conditions of D081506 were studied and the optimized conditions were lappa juice 2.0%,yeast extraction 1.6%,(NH4)2SO4 0.5%,NaCl 0.5%,K2HPO4 0.5% and pH 5.0.Inulase activity of D081506 was 2.9578U/ml which increased 56.09% under the condition of 27℃,140r/min,24h.

Objective:To validate the clinical value of CT-guided curve-needle percutaneous ethanol injection (CNPEI) for celiac plexus block analgesia. Methods: Thirty-two patients with end-stage cancer, including 13 complicated with extensive retroperitoneal lymph node enlargement and fusion, were enrolled in this study. All patients complained of refractory upper abdominal pain and had received narcotic analgesics and radiotherapy, but the analgesic effect was not good. CT-guided CNPEI was therefore prescribed. Results: The effective rates of CT-guided CNPEI were 100%, 100%, 96.9%, 90.6%, 87.5%, and 84.4% immediately,and at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks after treatment, respectively. All enlarged lymph nodes had obvious necrosis and became shrunk. Conclusion: Combined application of bilateral anterior and posterior diaphragmatic crura block and trans-lymph node block can produce good analgesic effects, and curve-needle puncture make the above technique simpler.

Objective:To validate the therapeutic value of CT-guided percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) in the treatment of metastatic adrenal tumors. Methods: Thirty-one foci (diameter ranging from 1.5 cm to 7.2 cm) in 25 patients with metastatic adrenal tumors were treated with CT-guided PEI for more than twice. Plain and enhanced CT scans were performed 1-2 months after PEI to observe the size and necrosis of the tumors. Results: Post-PEI enhanced CT scan showed that 18 of the 20 foci with diameters less than 3 cm completely necrotized; 11 foci with diameters between 3 cm and 7.2 cm necrotized partially, and 2 foci completely necrotized after another 2-3 courses of PEI treatment. Conclusion: CT-guided PEI is a simple and minimally invasive means for treatment of metastatic adrenal tumors, and the therapeutic effect is satisfactory.

Objective: To identify the functional domain of ?-Synuclein in affecting mitochondrial function and how the function to be impaired,especially,the mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of Cytochrome c.Methods: Harvest of ?-Syn-N and ?-Syn-△N by PCR,then subcloned into the pCMV-Myc mammalian expression vector.The recombinant plasmids were transfected into HEK293T cells by Lipofectamine 2000.After detecting the protein expression by Western blot,the functional domain was detected by co-immunoprecipitation.The mitochondrial membrane potential through flow cytometry and immunofluorescence,at the same time,the release of Cytochrome c through flow cytometry to detect.Results: The recombinant plasmids were constructed successfully.CO-IP has proved that N-terminal may be the functional domain of ?-Synuclein in affecting mitochondria.Over-expression of N-terminal could depolarize the mitochondrial membrane potential and induce the Cytochrome c releasing in MN9D cells.Conclusion: N-terminal may be the functional domain of ?-synuclein and over-expression of N-terminal could decrease mitochondrial activity.

OBJECTIVETo shorten the duration of seed germinating, improve seed emergence and eventurally to establish a practical method for seeding of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis seed.

METHODTo study the effect of some factors (temperature, sowing time, covering-soil depth, plastic film ) on seed emergence of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis.

RESULTThe most suitable temperature for embryonic post-maturity and seed germinating is 18-20 degrees C. Paris seed could emerge in April when it was transfer to a low temperature 0-10 degrees C for 2-4 months after being treated under 18-20 degrees C for 3-4 months. For seed emergence, the best sowing time was before April. The suitable soil depth was about 1 cm. It is a better way to cover the seedling bed with black plastic film for improving the emergence percentage.

CONCLUSIONAbove results provide seedling techniques of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis.

Agriculture ; methods ; Germination ; Liliaceae ; growth & development ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; Seasons ; Seedlings ; growth & development ; Seeds ; growth & development ; Soil ; Temperature

Quarantine insects are economically important pests that frequently invade new habitats.A rapid and accurate monitoring method to trace the geographical sources of invaders is required for their prevention,detection,and eradication.Current methods based on genetics are typically time-consuming.Here,we developed a novel tracing method based on insect gut microbiota.The source location of the insect gut microbiota can be used to rapidly determine the geographical origin of the insect.We analyzed 179 gut microbiota samples from 591 individuals of 22 quarantine insect species collected from 36 regions in China.The gut microbiota of these insects primarily included Actinobacteria,Bacteroidetes,Cyanobacteria,Firmicutes,Proteobacteria,and Tenericutes.The diversity of the insect gut microbiota was closely associated with geographical and environmental factors.Different insect species could be distinguished based on the composition of gut microbiota at the phylum level.Populations of individual insect species from different regions could be distin-guished based on the composition of gut microbiota at the phylum,class,and order levels.A method for determining the geographical origins of invasive insect species has been established;however,its practical application requires further investigations before implementation.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the SNP rs11614913 on miR196a-2 gene and the treatment effects of Peg-IFN-α plus Ribavirin on chronic hepatitis C patients. Methods The total 139 patients of chronic hepatitis C infection who received the treatment of Peg-IFN-α-2a or Peg-IFN-α-2b plus Ribavirin were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: sustained virological response(SVR) ( n = 82 ) group and non virological response ( NVR ) or recurrence ( n = 57 )group. Blood samples were collected and chromosomal DNA was extracted. The miR-196a-2 polymorphism was determined with the method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP). Results In our study, there was statistically association between miR-196a-2polymorphism and the antiviral therapy efficacy of hepatitis C patients. There was statistically significance in the CT genotype and the TT genotype of m iR-196a-2 between the two groups [P = 0. 009, A = 2. 924( 1. 285-6. 652)]. There was statistically significance in the CC genotype and the TT genotype between the two groups [P = 0. 036, A = 3.091 ( 1. 052 - 9. 078 )]. There was statistically significance in the C allele and the T allele between the two groups [P =0.036, A =3.091(1.052 -9.078)]. Conclusion These findings suggested that the rs11614913 SNP in miR - 196a-2 be associated with the antiviral therapy efficacy of hepatitis C patients, and the TT genotype or T alleles be associated with the SVR while the CC genotype or C allele could be related to the NVR or recurrence.

Genetic studies are traditionally based on single-gene analysis. The use of these analyses can pose tremendous challenges for elucidating complicated genetic interplays involved in complex human diseases. Modern pathway-based analysis provides a technique, which allows a comprehen-sive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying complex diseases. Extensive studies uti-lizing the methods and applications for pathway-based analysis have significantly advanced our capacity to explore large-scale omics data, which has rapidly accumulated in biomedical fields. This article is a comprehensive review of the pathway-based analysis methods––the powerful methods with the potential to uncover the biological depths of the complex diseases. The general concepts and procedures for the pathway-based analysis methods are introduced and then, a comprehensive review of the major approaches for this analysis is presented. In addition, a list of available path-way-based analysis software and databases is provided. Finally, future directions and challenges for the methodological development and applications of pathway-based analysis techniques are dis-cussed. This review will provide a useful guide to dissect complex diseases.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a complex human disease, involving multiple genes and their nonlinear interactions, which often act in a modular fashion. Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiling provides an effective technique to unravel these underlying genetic interplays or their functional involvements for CAD. This study aimed to identify the susceptible pathways and modules for CAD based on SNP omics. First, the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) SNP datasets of CAD and control samples were used to assess the joint effect of multiple genetic variants at the pathway level, using logistic kernel machine regression model. Then, an expanded genetic network was constructed by integrating statistical gene–gene interactions involved in these susceptible pathways with their protein–protein interaction (PPI) knowledge. Finally, risk functional modules were identified by decomposition of the network. Of 276 KEGG pathways analyzed, 6 pathways were found to have a significant effect on CAD. Other than glycerolipid metabolism, glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis, and cardiac muscle contraction pathways, three pathways related to other diseases were also revealed, including Alzheimer’s disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and Huntington’s disease. A genetic epistatic network of 95 genes was further constructed using the abovementioned integrative approach. Of 10 functional modules derived from the network, 6 have been annotated to phospholipase C activity and cell adhesion molecule binding, which also have known functional involvement in Alzheimer’s disease. These findings indicate an overlap of the underlying molecular mechanisms between CAD and Alzheimer’s disease, thus providing new insights into the molecular basis for CAD and its molecular relationships with other diseases.