Sesamin ameliorates arterial dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats via downregulation of NADPH oxidase subunits and upregulation of eNOS expression.

AIM: Sesamin is one of the major lignans in sesame seeds with antihyperlipidemic, antioxidative and antihypertensive activities. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of sesamin on arterial function in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). METHODS: SHRs were orally administered sesamin (40, 80 and 160 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)) for 16 weeks. After the rats were killed, thoracic aortas were dissected out. The vasorelaxation responses of aortic rings to ACh and nitroprusside were measured. The expression of eNOS and NADPH oxidase subunits p47(phox) and p22(phox) in aortas were detected using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Aortic nitrotyrosine was measured with ELISA. The total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and MDA levels in aortas were also determined. RESULTS: The aortic rings of SHRs showed significantly smaller ACh-induced and nitroprusside-induced relaxation than those of control rats. Treatment of SHRs with sesamin increased both the endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent relaxation of aortic rings in a dose-dependent manner. In aortas of SHRs, the level of T-AOC and the expression of nitrotyrosine, p22(phox) and p47(phox) proteins were markedly increased, while the level of MDA and the expression of eNOS protein were significantly decreased. Treatment of SHRs with sesamin dose-dependently reversed these biochemical and molecular abnormalities in aortas. CONCLUSION: Long-term treatment with sesamin improves arterial function in SHR through the upregulation of eNOS expression and downregulation of p22(phox) and p47(phox) expression.

Regulatory role of Arabidopsis pTAC14 in chloroplast development and plastid gene expression.

Transcriptionally active chromosome (TAC) is a fraction of protein/DNA complexes with RNA polymerase activity in the plastid. The function of most TAC proteins is not well known. We isolated a mutant gene encoding a plastid TAC component, pTAC14, and performed functional analysis of plastid gene expression and chloroplast development in Arabidopsis. We found that knockout of pTAC14 led to the blockage of thylakoid formation in the initial process of chloroplast development. Furthermore, the transcript levels of plastid-encoded polymerase (PEP)-dependent genes were downregulated in ptac14, suggesting that PEP activity was decreased in the mutant. On the basis of these results, we briefly review the available evidence and highlight the interaction between pTAC14 and pTAC12 that could help us understand the regulatory role of pTAC14 in chloroplast development and plastid gene expression.

A functional component of the transcriptionally active chromosome complex, Arabidopsis pTAC14, interacts with pTAC12/HEMERA and regulates plastid gene expression.

The SET domain-containing protein, pTAC14, was previously identified as a component of the transcriptionally active chromosome (TAC) complexes. Here, we investigated the function of pTAC14 in the regulation of plastid-encoded bacterial-type RNA polymerase (PEP) activity and chloroplast development. The knockout of pTAC14 led to the blockage of thylakoid formation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and ptac14 was seedling lethal. Sequence and transcriptional analysis showed that pTAC14 encodes a specific protein in plants that is located in the chloroplast associated with the thylakoid and that its expression depends on light. In addition, the transcript levels of all investigated PEP-dependent genes were clearly reduced in the ptac14-1 mutants, while the accumulation of nucleus-encoded phage-type RNA polymerase-dependent transcripts was increased, indicating an important role of pTAC14 in maintaining PEP activity. pTAC14 was found to interact with pTAC12/HEMERA, another component of TACs that is involved in phytochrome signaling. The data suggest that pTAC14 is essential for proper chloroplast development, most likely by affecting PEP activity and regulating PEP-dependent plastid gene transcription in Arabidopsis together with pTAC12.

Iron-mediated [3 + 2] or [3 + 3] annulation of 2-(2-(ethynyl)phenoxy)-1-arylethanones: selective synthesis of indeno[1,2-c]chromenes and 5H-naphtho[1,2-c]chromenes.

An iron-mediated tandem annulation strategy has been developed for the synthesis of numerous functional indeno[1,2-c]chromenes and 5H-naphtho[1,2-c]chromenes. This work is the first to disclose an iron-mediated method through sequential electrophilic addition of a ketone to an alkyne and annulation tandem reaction. Importantly, a halide is introduced into the products by a ring-opening process among the annulation of alkynylcyclopropanes, which makes the methodology more attractive for organic synthesis.

Palladium-catalyzed annulations of arynes with 2-(2-iodophenoxy)-1-substituted ethanones.

Palladium-catalyzed annulations of arynes with 2-(2-iodophenoxy)-1-substituted ethanones for the synthesis of 6H-benzo[c]chromenes are presented. This mild route allows formation of two new carbon-carbon bonds via an α-arylation/annulation process.

Changes in chloroplast ultrastructure, fatty acid components of thylakoid membrane and chlorophyll a fluorescence transient in flag leaves of a super-high-yield hybrid rice and its parents during the reproductive stage.

In plants, it is well established that chloroplast is one of the early targgeted organelles to breakdown during leaves senescing. Here we applied a newly developed super-high-yield hybrid rice (Oryza sativa) LiangYouPeiJiu (LYPJ) and its parents lines to investigate changes in ultrastructure of chloroplasts, fatty acid composition of thylakoid membrane lipids and chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence transient in natural senescing leaves. We found that at full expansion of flag leaves in three lines, chloroplasts often showed oblong shapes with a typical membrane system of stroma and grana thylakoids, whereas their shapes had been changed from oblong to spherical during senescence. Our data showed that the initiation of senescence displayed accumulation of starch and an increase in the number and size of plastoglobuli with the damaged thylakoid membranes; subsequently, swollen thylakoid membranes in stroma and in grana with a significant increase in MDA content, and disorganization of thylakoid membrane system with significant changes in fatty acid composition of thylakoid membrane lipids were developed. Compared with its parents, the newly developed hybrid rice LYPJ had the highest capacity of carbohydrate transport from leaves (sources) to ears (sink), marked with the lowest accumulation of starch grains in the leaf chloroplasts, and the slowest senescing rate of chloroplast in overall leaf senescence process. Chl a fluorescence transients of three kinds of flag leaves were analyzed by so-called JIP-test. The results of analysis suggest that these findings inculding a high inherited activity of antioxidant enzymes and high photosynthetate transport to pretect chloroplast structure in the hybrid rice LYPJ have close relations to its super-high yield.

[Construct a wireless clinical information system on the basis of the original information system].

This article describes how to construct a integrated wireless clinical information system based on the original information system. It is constructed on the basis of the hospital HIS through the middle ware which provides a data-interaction platform for all the existing data and the data which would be added in future for various information management systems. The software system adopts the Web Service technology in information services. The SOAP protocol is applied to the data interaction between the foreground and the background. The mode of the network structure is "Wireless Switchboard + Intelligence antenna". Relying on the wireless network, the handheld data terminal and the barcode, the network information can be extended to the patient bedsides and the mobile medical personnels.

[Detection of trace organic compounds by using ion mobility spectrometry and SIMPLISMA].

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a sensitive means for detection of trace volatile organic compounds. This technique has been used as a routine method for some organic compounds in forensic science, environmental and pharmaceutical analysis, etc. SIMPLISMA (simple-to-use-interactive self-modeling mixture analysis) is an effective method for large-scale data processing. In the present work, SIMPLISMA has been applied to process IMS data of three methanephosphonate esters. The SIMPLISMA can retain the peak characteristics and eliminate much of the noises of the IMS measurements. The processed spectral data can be subsequently used for other computations, such as curve resolution and pattern recognition etc.