Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Three-Dimensional Human Vessel Models: Differential Effects According to Radiation Quality and Cellular Development

Little is known about the effects of space radiation on the human body. There are a number of potential chronic and acute effects, and one major target for noncarcinogenic effects is the human vasculature. Cellular stress, inflammatory response, and other radiation effects on endothelial cells may affect vascular function. This study was aimed at understanding the effects of space ionizing radiation on the formation and maintenance of capillary-like blood vessels. We used a 3D human vessel model created with human endothelial cells in a gel matrix to assess the effects of low-LET protons and high-LET iron ions. Iron ions were more damaging and caused significant reduction in the length of intact vessels in both developing and mature vessels at a dose of 80 cGy. Protons had no effect on mature vessels up to a dose of 3.2 Gy but did inhibit vessel formation at 80 cGy. Comparison with gamma radiation showed that photons had even less effect, although, as with protons, developing vessels were more sensitive. Apoptosis assays showed that inhibition of vessel development or deterioration of mature vessels was not due to cell death by apoptosis even in the case of iron ions. These are the first data to show the effects of radiation with varying linear energy transfer on a human vessel model. (C) 2011 In Radiation Research Society

毛蕊异黄酮类似物的合成及其对JAK/STAT信号途径调控的构效关系研究

干扰素（IFNs）是最早发现的具有广泛用途的一类细胞因子，IFN-α通过JAK/STAT信号途径调控机体一系列生理和病理反应。至今尚未发现类干扰素的小分子。我们前期研究发现天然产物毛蕊异黄酮可激活干扰素诱导的JAK/STAT信号途径。为发现类干扰素小分子、获得小分子探针，本课题拟建立成熟的JAK/STAT信号途径的筛选模型，合成毛蕊异黄酮及其类似物，研究这些化合物的构效关系，进而尝试通过共价键标记生物素或香豆素来直接研究它们与相关受体的作用。 从异香草醛出发经7步合成反应得到了毛蕊异黄酮。采用平行合成策略得到异黄酮类化合物；采用分支式合成策略，以取代苯乙酸作为合成砌块，获得具有与异黄酮类似结构的香豆素、3-芳基喹诺酮。与分离得到的黄酮类化合物，构建了一个包括异黄酮、黄酮、香豆素、3-芳基喹诺酮在内的化合物库。 建立了包含IFN-α刺激反应元件 (ISRE)的荧光素酶报告基因体系，通过筛选化合物库中的化合物，发现异黄酮骨架为激活JAK/STAT信号途径必须结构、毛蕊异黄酮7-位酚羟基被取代后活性丧失。根据以上结果，对毛蕊异黄酮3′-位标记物的合成进行了初步尝试。 发现山茱萸科植物青荚叶(Helwingia japonica (Thunb.) Dietr.)有抑制蛋白酪氨酸磷酸酯酶1B（PTP1B）的活性。从其地上部分95%乙醇提取物的乙酸乙酯部分分离得到5个化合物,应用波谱方法及与已知品对照的手段鉴定它们为p-menth-2-en-1β, 4β, 8-triol (Z-1)、blumenol A (Z-2)、2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-五羟基查尔酮(Z-3)、洋芹素7-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖苷(Z-4)、木犀草素7-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖苷(Z-5). Interferons (IFNs) are one kind of cytokines with broad functions. IFN-α mediates series physiological and pathological changes of human body via JAK/STAT pathway. Untill now, no IFNs-like small molecules are discovered. In our preliminary experiment, the natural product calycosin has been observed to activate JAK/STAT pathway. Therefore, we establish a luciferase reporter gene system and synthesize calycosin and its analogues to reveal their structure-activity relationship (SAR). Besides, in order to prove that calycosin activates JAK/STAT pathway through IFN receptor, we attempted to tag it with biotin or coumarin by covalent bonding. Calycosin was synthesized from isovanillin via seven steps. Other isoflavones were obtained by parallel synthesis; coumarins and quinolones were prepared through divergent synthesis, using substituted phenylacetic acids as building blocks. Combing with natural flavones, a small molecule library was established. A luciferase reporter gene system, consisting of 5 copies of the ISRE (interferon-stimulated response element), was used for screening of small molecules from that library. We found that the core-structure of isoflavone was necessary, and if the 7-OH is substituted, the activity slumps. According to our observation, we tried to tag biotin or coumarin at 3′-OH of calycosin. The 95% ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Helwingia japonica (Thunb.) Dietr. showed protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory activity. Five compounds were isolated. On the basis of spectral data or by comparison with authentic samples, they were identified as p-menth-2-en-1β,4β,8-triol (1), blumenol A (2), 2′,3′,4′,5′,6′-pentahydroxychalcone (3), apigenin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), and luteolin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5).

Formation equilibria of ternary metal complexes with citric acid and glutamine (alanine) in aqueous solution

The species and their formation constants in the ternary, systems were obtained by the Scogs2 software from potentiometric titration data. The Comics software was used to calculate the distribution of species in the ternary systems. MLXH, MLXH2 and MLXH3 are the common species in these systems. The coordination behaviors of the rare earths are very similar and their stability is closely matched. The ternary rare earth complexes are more stable than the corresponding ternary complexes of calcium. The ternary zinc complex with glutamine as the secondary ligand is more stable than the corresponding complexes of rare earths, but the ternary complex with alanine as the secondary ligand shows an inverse trend. The distributions of species in the ternary systems vary with pH changing. A prediction can be made that exogenous rare earths can affect the species of Ca and Zn in human body.

基于表面肌电信号的人体运动意图识别方法研究

提出了基于表面肌电信号进行人体运动意图识别的新方法。该方法将智能发育思想结合其中,分为离线知识库建立和在线知识库检索两个过程。首先,进行离线训练,建立IHDR(Incremental Hierarchical Discriminant Regression)知识库。采集人体表面肌电信号,对肌电信号进行小波分解,将各层小波系数的方差作为每个通道信号的特征;然后,将每个通道的特征作为输入,人体运动行为作为输出,离线建立基于智能发育思想的IHDR知识库。人体运动意图识别的过程即知识库的检索运用过程,通过每个通道的特征来在线检索IHDR知识库,搜索到合适的节点即为运动意图。实验表明,基于智能发育思想的人体运动意图识别方法可以达到满意的识别率。

Whole-body amino acid pattern of F-4 human growth hormone gene-transgenic red common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fed diets with different protein levels

F-4 generation of human growth hormone (hGH) gene-transgenic red common carp, and the non-transgenic controls were fed for 8 weeks on purified diets with 20%, 30% or 40% protein. Analysis of whole-body amino acids showed that the proportions of lysine, leucine, phenylalanine, valine and alanine, as percentages of body protein, increased significantly, while those of arginine, glutamic acid and tyrosine decreased, with increases in dietary protein level in at least one strain of fish. Proportions of the other amino acids were unaffected by the diets. The proportions of lysine and arginine were significantly higher, while those of leucine and alanine were lower in the transgenics than in the controls in at least one diet group. Proportions of the other amino acids were unaffected by strain. The results suggest that the whole-body amino acid profile of transgenic carp, when expressed as proportions of body protein, was in general, similar to that of the non-transgenic controls. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of different culture conditions for high-level soluble expression of human cyclin A(2) with pET vector in BL21 (DE3) and spectroscopic characterization of its inclusion body structure

In this paper, we evaluated various parameters of culture condition affecting high-level soluble expression of human cyclin A, in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and demonstrated that the highest protein yield was obtained using TB(no glycerol) + 0.5% glucose medium at 25 degrees C. By single immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography, we got highly purified human cyclin A(2) with a yield ranged from 20 to 30 mg/L. By amyloid-diagnostic dye ThT binding and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, we observed a significant decrease in alpha-helix content and an increase in beta-sheet structure in cyclin A(2) inclusion body in comparison to its native protein, and confirmed the resemblance of the internal organization of cyclin A(2) inclusion body and amyloid fibrils.

Body loadings and health risk assessment of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans at an intensive electronic waste recycling site in China

This study is one of the very few investigating the dioxin body burden of a group of child-bearing-aged women at an electronic waste (e-waste) recycling site (Taizhou, Zhejiang Province) (24 +/- 2.83 years of age, 40% were primiparae) and a reference site (Lin'an city, Zhejiang Province, about 245 km away from Taizhou) (24 +/- 2.35 years of age, 100% were primiparae) in China. Five sets of samples (each set consisted of human milk, placenta, and hair) were collected from each site. Body burdens of people from the e-waste processing site (human milk, 21.02 +/- 13.81 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) fat (World Health Organization toxic equivalency 1998); placenta, 31.15 +/- 15.67 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) fat; hair, 33.82 +/- 17.74 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) dry wt) showed significantly higher levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurnas (PCDD/Fs) than those from the reference site (human milk, 9.35 +/- 7.39 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) fat, placenta, 11.91 +/- 7.05 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) fat; hair, 5.59 +/- 4.36 pg WHO-TEQ(1998/g) dry wt) and were comparatively higher than other studies. The difference between the two sites was due to e-waste recycling operations, for example, open burning, which led to high background levels. Moreover, mothers from the e-waste recycling site consumed more foods of animal origin. The estimated daily intake of PCDD/Fs within 6 months by breast-fed infants from the e-waste processing site was 2 times higher than that from the reference site. Both values exceeded the WHO tolerable daily intake for adults by at least 25 and 11 times, respectively. Our results implicated that e-waste recycling operations cause prominent PCDD/F levels in the environment and in humans. The elevated body burden may have health implications for the next generation.

Microcystin accumulation in freshwater bivalves from Lake Taihu, China, and the potential risk to human consumption

The potential risk through ingestion of microcystins (MC) in contaminated mollusks has not been well studied. The present paper studied seasonal changes of MC content (determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) in various organs of three species of bivalves (Cristaria plicata, Hyriopsis cumingii, and Lamprotula leai) in Lake Taihu, China, where toxic cyanobacterial blooms occurred. Coinciding with peaks of seston MC (maximum, 5.7 mu g/L) and MC in cyanobacterial blooms (maximum, 0.534 mg/g), most organs showed sharp MC peaks during the summer, indicating both fast uptake and fast depuration by bivalves. Because hepatopancreas and intestine had considerably higher MC content than other organs, they are the most dangerous for human consumption. Both the present and previous studies show that the hepatopancreatic MC and total tissue MC often are correlated in various aquatic invertebrates. During the peak of the cyanobacterial blooms, C. plicata had higher hepatopancreatic MC content than the other bivalves, whereas H. cumingii had higher intestinal MC content than the other bivalves. Estimated daily intakes for humans from the consumption of whole tissues of the three bivalves were 0.48 to 0.94 mu g MC-LR equivalent/kg body weight (12- to 23.5-fold the tolerable daily intake value proposed by the World Health Organization), which indicates a high risk for humans consuming these bivalves.

Growth and feed utilization by F-4 human growth hormone transgenic carp fed diets with different protein levels

The F-4 generation of human growth hormone (hGH) transgenic red common carp Cyprinus carpio had significantly higher growth rates than the non-transgenic controls. Protein and energy intakes were significantly higher in the transgenic carp than in the controls fed the 20% protein diet, but were not different between the two strains fed diets with 30 and 40% protein. Faecal protein loss, as a proportion of protein intake, was significantly lower in the transgenics than in the controls fed diets with 20 and 30% protein, but was not different between the two strains Fed diet with 40% protein. Faecal energy loss, as a proportion of energy intake, was significantly lower in the transgenics than in the controls fed diet with 20% protein, but was not different between the two strains fed diets with 30 and 40% protein. Recovered protein, as a proportion of protein intake, was significantly higher in the transgenics than in the controls fed all diets, whereas recovered energy was significantly higher in the transgenic fish fed the 40% protein diet. For fish fed each diet, the transgenics had significantly higher body contents of dry matter and protein, but lower contents of lipid than the controls. It was concluded that transgenics were more efficient in utilizing dietary protein than the controls. it a lower dietary protein level; transgenics achieved higher growth rates mainly by increasing feed intake; at higher levels of dietary protein, transgenics achieved higher growth rates mainly through a higher energy conversion efficiency. (C) 1998 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Early effects of low dose C-12(6+) ion or X-ray irradiation on human peripheral blood lymphocytes

The aim of this study was to estimate the acute effects of low dose C-12(6+) ions or X-ray radiation on human immune function. The human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBL) of seven healthy donors were exposed to 0.05 Gy C-12(6+) ions or X-ray radiation and cell responses were measured at 24 h after exposure. The cytotoxic activities of HPBL were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT); the percentages of T and NK cells subsets were detected by flow cytometry; mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interferon (IFN)-gamma were examined by real time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR); and these cytokines protein levels in supematant of cultured cells were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The results showed that the cytotoxic activity of HPBL, mRNA expression of IL-2, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in HPBL and their protein levels in supernatant were significantly increased at 24 h after exposure to 0.05 Gy C-12(6+) ions radiation and the effects were stronger than observed for X-ray exposure. However, there was no significant change in the percentage of T and NK cells subsets of HPBL. These results suggested that 0.05 Gy high linear energy transfer (LET) C-12(6+) radiation was a more effective approach to host immune enhancement than that of low LET X-ray. We conclude that cytokines production might be used as sensitive indicators of acute response to LDL (C) 2009 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computer simulation of human iodothyronine deiodinase single-chain antibody

Iodothyronine plays a major role in growth, basic metabolism and organ formation. It has an extremely limited source in the body. In this thesis, we designed iodothyronine(T4) as hapten. Then a single chain antibody displayed on phange was obtained from a human phage displaying a single chain antibody library. The specific genes of E3 was subcloned in P-5E vector. According to its amino acid sequences, we simulate its three dimention structure by computer. It has never been reported in PDB.