Transcriptome analyses and weighted gene coexpression network analysis reveal key pathways and genes involved in the rapid cold resistance of the Chinese white wax scale insect.

The Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, is an important resource insect in China. The rapid response of E. pela to decreasing temperatures plays key roles in the population distribution. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression of E. pela treated with low temperature using transcriptome analyses and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). The results showed that the cold resistance of E. pela involved changes in the expression of many genes. The genes were mainly involved in alcohol formation activity, lipid metabolism, membrane and structure, and oxidoreductase activity. According to the WGCNA results, some pathways related to cold resistance were found in the genes in the modules, such as cytoskeleton proteins, cytoskeleton protein pathway, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, glycerophospholipid metabolism, ether lipid metabolism, and thermogenesis. Some of the hub genes were nonspecific lipid-transfer proteins, DnaJ homolog subfamily C member 13, paramyosin, tropomodulin, and tubulin beta chain. In particular, the hub genes of the tan module included the heat shock protein (hsp) 10, hsp 60, hsp 70, and hsp 90 genes. Thirty-five antifreeze protein (afp) genes were identified according to the annotation results. Three afp genes were further identified among the hub genes. Six of these genes were selected for heterogeneous protein expression. One of them was expressed successfully. The thermal hysteresis activity (THA) analyses showed that the THA was 1.73°C. These results showed that the cytoskeleton, lipid metabolism, thermogenesis, HSPs and AFPs may play important roles in the cold resistance of E. pela.

XML security protection scheme based on Kerberos authentication and polynomials authorization.

With XML becoming a promising standard for data storage, describing, transferring and exchanging information on the Internet, data security and privacy protection of XML become the focus of research in recent years. In order to achieve the authorization of legitimate user and ensure the secure access to sensitive information, in this paper, in the context of cloud storage, with the purpose of sharing sensitive XML information, a polynomial authorization scheme with Kerberos authentication was proposed, which was based on the users' access purpose and privacy policy. In this scheme, first, Kerberos authentication was used to identify the user, and then the polynomial whose coefficients were from the leaf node address was used to complete the authorization of user. For the legitimate user, under the interaction of authorization polynomials and the global structure view, authorization matrix is generated dynamically, its temporary and dynamic characteristics greatly improves the security of the system. Finally, with the help of authorization matrix and auxiliary information tables, security queries were successfully completed. The experimental results show that the scheme not only effectively protects XML sensitive data, but also reduces the server's storage pressure, at the same time it is beneficial to the rapid search and information positioning.

Build 3D Nanoparticles by Using Ultrathin 2D MOF Nanosheets for NIR Light-Triggered Molecular Switching.

The coordination interactions between transition-metal ions (Cu2+, Ag+) and sulfur atoms on ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets of spin-crossover (SCO) metal-organic frameworks {[Fe(1,3-bpp)2(NCS)2]2}n (1,3-bpp = 1,3-di(4-pyridyl)propane), which constructed the ultrathin 2D nanosheets into three-dimensional (3D) nanoparticles, have made a profound effect on the SCO performance. Compared with 2D nanosheets, both the intraligand π-π* transition band and the metal-to-ligand charge transition band from the d(Fe) + π(NCS) to π*(1,3-bpp), for the 3D nanoparticles, have shown dramatic blue-shifts; meanwhile, the d-d transition band for the high-spin (HS) state Fe(II) ions has been generated, suggesting significantly the influence of 3D assemble-caused dimensional changes on the solid-state SCO performance of ultrathin 2D nanosheets. More importantly, by loading on the ytterbium ion (Yb3+)-sensitized hexagonal phase upconverting nanoparticles in the aqueous colloidal suspension, the near infrared (NIR) light (980 nm) triggered HS (high spin) to LS (low spin) state transitions have been observed, demonstrating the achievement of challenging target of NIR light-triggered molecular conversion under environment conditions.

[Effect of Electroacupuncture on Serum TNF-α, IL-1ß and Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 Levels in Rheumatoid Arthritis Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of electroacupuncture (EA) on serum TNF-α, IL-1ß and Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats so as to explore its mechanism in relieving RA. METHODS: Eight Wistar rats were used as the normal control group in this study. The RA model was established by injecting mixture solution of incomplete Freund's adjuvant and type II chicken collagen into the left paw. The 24 successful RA rats were randomly divided into model, medication (Prednisolone) and EA groups (n = 8 in each group). EA(2 Hz /100 Hz,1-2 mA)was applied to "Zusanli"(ST 36) and "Kunlun" (BL 60) for 30 min, once daily for 10 days. For rats of the medication group, Prednisolone acetate (0. 1 mL/10 g) was intragastric infused daily. The rats' left ankle diameter was measured before and after the treatment, and the contents of serum TNF-α, IL-1ß and ICAM-1 were assayed by ELISA. RESULTS: In comparison with the normal control group, the rats' ankle diameter, serum TNF-α, IL-1ß and ICAM-1 contents were remarkably increased in the model group (P < 0.05); while compared with the model group, the increased ankle diameter, and serum TNF-α, IL-1ß and ICAM-1 contents were obviously reversed in both medication and EA groups ( P < 0.05), without significant differences between the medication and EA groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: EA intervention is effective in relieving RA rats' inflammatory reactions by down-regulating the levels of serum TNF-α, IL-1ß and ICAM-1.

[Effect of Electroacupuncture at "Yanglingquan" (GB 34) Acupoint on White Blood Cell Count and Gallbladder Wall Thickness in Rabbits with Acute Cholecystitis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Yanglingquan"(GB 34) acupoint on white blood cell (WBC) count and gallbladder wall thickness in rabbits with acute cholecystitis, so as to explore the inherent correlation between the gallbladder and GB 34 acupoint according to the theory of Chinese medicine. METHODS: Thirty-two male rabbits were randomly and equally divided into control group, model group, EA "Yanglingquan"(GB 34) group (EA-GB 34) and EA "Yinlingquan"(SP 9) group (EA-SP 9). The acute cholecystitis model was induced by intra-gallbladder injection of escherichia coli liquid. EA stimulation was delivered once per day for consecutive 7 days. WBC count and gallbladder wall thickness were measured to assess the effects of EA treatment. HE staining was carried out to examine the pathological changes of the gallbladder tissue. RESULTS: Compared with the control group,WBC count and gallbladder wall thickness of the model group were significantly increased (P<0. 05), and those changes were reversed by EA intervention at either GB 34 or SP 9 acupoints (P<0. 05). As to WBC count, there was no significant difference between EA-GB 34 and EA-SP 9 groups (P>0. 05), whereas for reducing gallbladder wall thickness, EA stimulation at GB 34 acupoint resulted in a better effect than that of EA at SP 9 acupoint (P<0. 05). CONCLUSION: EA produces positive therapeutic benefits on acute cholecystitis in rabbits. It seems that stimulation at "Yan - glingquan" acupoint gives rise to a better effect than that of "Yinlingquan" acupoint in particular for the reduction of gallbladder wall thickhess.

[Effect of electroacupunctu-e intervention on serum IL-17 and IL-23 contents in rheumatoid arthritis rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Kunlun" (BL 60) on serum and knee-joint IL-17 and IL-23 contents in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats so as to study its underlying mechanism in improving RA. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to normal control, RA model, EA and Prednisolone groups (n = 8 in each group). The RA model was established by intra-planta injection of incomplete Freund's adjuvant and type II collagen. EA (2 Hz/100 Hz,1-2 mA)was applied to bilateral "Zusanli"(ST 36) and "Kunlun"(BL 60) for 30 min, once daily for 10 days. The rats' ankle diameter was measured, and IL-17 and IL-23 contents in the serum and the knee-joint cavity were assayed by ELISA and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: In comparison with the normal control group, the rats' ankle diameter, serum IL-17 and IL-23 contents and knee-joint IL-17 and IL-23 protein expression levels were significantly increased in the model group (P < 0.05). After EA and Prednisolone treatment, compared with the model group, all the rats' ankle diameter, serum IL-17 and IL-23 contents and knee-joint IL-17 and IL-23 protein expression levels were decreased remarkably (P < 0.05). No obvious differences were found between the EA and Prednisolone groups in the aforementioned indexes (P > 0.05), except IL-17 protein expression level (being markedly lower in the Prednisolone group than in the EA group). CONCLUSION: EA intervention can reduce inflammatory reaction of the ankle-joint in RA rats, which may be related to its effects in down-regulating serum and knee-joint IL-17 and IL-23 levels.

[A meta-analysis on acupuncture treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect and safety of acupuncture treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) by using systematic review in view of evidence-based medicine (EBM). METHODS: Original articles about acupuncture treatment of PCOS published from the database-established year to November of 2013 were searched from the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Chongqing VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Library (CBM), Wanfang Data, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library and the associated references-indicated papers by using keywords of polycystic ovary syndrome, randomization, acupoint, acupuncture, acupuncture plus moxibustion, acupuncture plus acupoint-embedment of catgut, and acupuncture plus otopoint application. Those articles about treatment of PCOS with simple abdominal acupuncture, simple acupoint-embedment of catgut, simple otopoint-pellet-pressure, and simple moxibustion treatment, and simple abstracts were excluded. If the articles re-published in both Chinese and English and in academic conferences and journals, one of them with higher quality was included. Two independent reviewers extracted data from located articles in a pre-defined structured way, and the Meta-analysis was conducted using software RevMan 5.2, otherwise using the qualitative analysis. RESULTS: A total of 31 articles (28 in Chinese, 3 in English) containing 2,321 cases of PCOS patients met the included criteria. Meta-analysis showed that the clinical efficacy of simple acupuncture was the same as that of western medicine, and the efficacy of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine interventions was obviously higher than that of western medicine (P < 0.05). In addition, simple acupuncture intervention and acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicines or with moxibustion treatment have advantages in reducing serum luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone (LH/FSH), insulin resistance (IR), testosterone (T), and body mass index (BMI). However, the quality of the collected articles is generally lower due to unclear bias, no sample quantity estimation, incorrect randomization methods, no follow-up survey, etc. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture therapy may be effective for PCOS, but needs to be confirmed further by larger sample randomized controlled trials.

[Study on the association between gene polymorphism of ENPP1 and left ventricular hypertrophy: a Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study-CVD].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between genetic polymorphism of rs1409181 in ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) among older Chinese in Guangzhou. METHODS: 390 subjects aged ≥ 50 years were randomly selected from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study-CVD. Information on personal history, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose and lipids were collected. Color Doppler ultrasound was used to measure the indicators of LVH, including left ventricular internal diastolic diameter (LVIDD), thickness of the interventricular septum diastolic wall (IVSD) and the posterior wall diastolic diameter (LVPWD). LVIDD was calculated using Devereux ventricular mass (LVM) equation while the Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) equation was used to estimate LVH. The genotype of rs1409181 was determined by Taqman SNP genotyping kits using the ABI 7900HT real time PCR system. RESULTS: In the GG, CG and CC genotype groups, the proportions of LVH were 21.5%, 28.2% and 37.5% respectively. Compared with GG, the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for the LVH were 1.39 (0.78 - 2.50) and 2.36 (1.21 - 4.60) for CG genotype and CC genotype of ENPP1 respectively (P for trend = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Polymorphism of ENPP1 gene rs1409181 was associated with LVH in the older Chinese people in Guangzhou.

Targeted antimicrobial therapy against Streptococcus mutans establishes protective non-cariogenic oral biofilms and reduces subsequent infection.

AIM: Dental biofilms are complex communities composed largely of harmless bacteria. Certain pathogenic species including Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) can become predominant when host factors such as dietary sucrose intake imbalance the biofilm ecology. Current approaches to control S. mutans infection are not pathogen-specific and eliminate the entire oral community along with any protective benefits provided. Here, we tested the hypothesis that removal of S. mutans from the oral community through targeted antimicrobial therapy achieves protection against subsequent S. mutans colonization. METHODOLOGY: Controlled amounts of S. mutans were mixed with S. mutans-free saliva, grown into biofilms and visualized by antibody staining and cfu quantization. Two specifically-targeted antimicrobial peptides (STAMPs) against S. mutans were tested for their ability to reduce S. mutans biofilm incorporation upon treatment of the inocula. The resulting biofilms were also evaluated for their ability to resist subsequent exogenous S. mutans colonization. RESULTS: S. mutans colonization was considerably reduced ( +/- 0.4 fold reduction, P=0.01) when the surface was preoccupied with saliva-derived biofilms. Furthermore, treatment with S. mutans-specific STAMPs yielded S. mutans-deficient biofilms with significant protection against further S. mutans colonization (5 minutes treatment: 38 +/- 13 fold reduction P=0.01; 16 hours treatment: 96 +/- 28 fold reduction P=0.07). CONCLUSION: S. mutans infection is reduced by the presence of existing biofilms. Thus maintaining a healthy or "normal" biofilm through targeted antimicrobial therapy (such as the STAMPs) could represent an effective strategy for the treatment and prevention of S. mutans colonization in the oral cavity and caries progression.

Synthesis and characterization of CuO/Ce 1-x Ti x O2 catalysts used for low-temperature CO oxidation.

A series of CuO/Ce(1-x)Ti(x)O(2) catalysts used for low-temperature CO oxidation were prepared by impregnation with the support derived from surfactant-assisted co-precipitation. The techniques of N(2) adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and temperature-programmed reduction by H(2) (H(2)-TPR) were employed for catalyst characterization. It is found that the support CeO(2) prepared by the surfactant-assisted method possesses much larger specific surface area than the one obtained from conventional precipitation. Doping Ti in the support with Ti/Ce atomic ratio of 1:9 or 3:7 can further increase the surface area of CeO(2) and decrease its crystallite size. As a result, the active Cu species possess higher dispersion on the support Ce(1-x)Ti(x)O(2) than on pure CeO(2). The strong interaction between the dispersed Cu species and the support Ce(1-x)Ti(x)O(2) makes the catalysts possess much higher oxidation activity and thermal stability. However, when the ratio of Ti/Ce reaches 5:5, opposite effect is found, due to the highest surface concentration of Ti and the lack of surface highly dispersed copper species.

[Sequencing and bioinformatical analysis of virulent strain-specific DNA fragments from Streptococcus mutans].

OBJECTIVE: To search the DNA sequences specific to virulent strain of Streptococcus mutans in the public database and explore new genes or new functions of already known genes from Streptococcus mutans of serotype c and suppose their functions. METHODS: Thirty-one DNA fragments unique to virulent strain of Streptococcus mutans were sequenced. The sequences of these presumptive virulence DNA fragments were subjected to search through software BLASTn and BLASTx in public database, and their putative biological functions were analyzed. RESULTS Two clones were picked repeatedly. The size of the remaining DNA fragments ranged from 113 bp to 776 bp. The average G+C content was 38.59%, similar to that of the gene-coding sequences in Streptococcus mutans strain UA159 whose genome sequences were just complete. Of the twenty-nine DNA fragments, five potentially represented new DNA fragments in Streptococcus mutans, thus registered and obtained their gene's accession number in GenBank. The remaining DNA fragments showed high homology to known genes of Streptococcus mutans strain UA159. Their predicted functions of these fragments were associated to bacterial signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, stress-damage repair, biochemical metabolism, outer membrane protein synthesis, adhesion on tooth surface and hypothetical proteins. CONCLUSION: The gene analysis, identification and functional forecasting were carried out through bioinformatics associated software and database to find out new genes and new functions of known genes, and to supply the groundwork for researches in gene functions.

[Construction of a virulence-related gene library of Streptococcus mutans by suppression subtractive hybridization].

OBJECTIVE: To construct a suppression subtractive library of virulence-related genes from c serotype Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), and lay foundations for screening the virulent genes. METHODS: After being isolated from virulent and avirulent strain of S. mutans respectively, the intact and high-pure genomic DNA was digested with three appropriate four-base-cutting restriction endonueleases to produce fragments of optimal length. The digested DNA of the virulent strain ligated with adaptor was used as tester DNA, and that of the avirulent strain as driver DNA. Then the suppression subtractive hybridization was carried out, and the efficiency of ligation and subtraction detected respectively. The subtracted fragments were inserted into vector pCR2. 1 using T/A cloning kit, and transformed into E. coli TOP10F' competent cells. Those white colonies were selected to construct the suppression subtractive library. RESULTS: Alu I chosen from three restriction endonucleases was verified to be suitable for preparing restriction fragments from S. mutans genomic DNA. Through electrophoresis of Alu I -digested DNA, a smear ranged from 0.1 to 2.0 kb was observed. The ligation efficiency of tester DNA with adaptor was at least higher than 25 percent. The subtraction efficiency of suppression subtractive hybridization confirmed the success in enrichment of differential genes between virulent and avirulent strain of S. mutans. In the subtracted group, the appearance time of the 23S rRNA gene both in tester and driver DNA was later than that in the unsubtracted group by six cycles. It suggested that suppression subtractive hybridization happened indeed. After the subtracted fragments were cloned, 96 colonies were picked up for constructing the suppression subtractive library of virulence-related genes of S. mutans. CONCLUSION: Suppression subtractive hybridization allows rapid and easy construction of virulence-related gene library of S. mutans.