Thyroxine Regulates the Opening of the Organ of Corti through Affecting P-Cadherin and Acetylated Microtubule

Different serum thyroxine levels may influence the morphology of the inner ear during development. A well-developed organ of Corti (OC) is considered to be critical to the function of hearing. In our study, we treated mice with triiodothyronine (T3) and found that the opening of the OC occurred sooner than in control mice. We also observed an increased formation of acetylated microtubules and a decrease in the adhesion junction molecule P-cadherin the during opening of the OC. Our investigation indicates that thyroxin affects P-cadherin expression and microtubule acetylation to influence the opening of the OC.     

Cardioprotective Signaling Pathways in Obese Mice Submitted to Regular Exercise: Effect on Oxysterols

Exercise induces cardioprotection against myocardial infarction, despite obesity, by restoring pro-survival pathways and increasing resistance of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening at reperfusion. Among the mechanisms involved in the inactivation of these pathways, oxysterols appear interesting. Thus, we investigated the influence of regular exercise on the reperfusion injury salvage kinase (RISK) pathway, oxysterols, and mitochondria, in the absence of ischemia-reperfusion. We also studied 7β-hydroxycholesterol (7βOH) concentration (mass spectrometry) in human lean and obese subjects. Wild-type (WT) and obese (ob/ob) mice were assigned to sedentary conditions or regular treadmill exercise. Exercise significantly increased Akt phosphorylation, whereas 7βOH concentration was reduced. Moreover, exercise induced the translocation of PKCε from the cytosol to mitochondria. However, exercise did not affect the calcium concentration required to open mPTP in the mitochondria, neither in WT nor in ob/ob animals. Finally, human plasma 7βOH concentration was consistent with observations made in mice. In conclusion, regular exercise enhanced the RISK pathway by increasing kinase phosphorylation and PKCε translocation and decreasing 7βOH concentration. This activation needs the combination with stress conditions, i.e., ischemia-reperfusion, in order to inhibit mPTP opening at the onset of reperfusion. The human findings suggest 7βOH as a candidate marker for evaluating cardiovascular risk factors in obesity.     

The Plastidial DIG5 Protein Affects Lateral Root Development by Regulating Flavonoid Biosynthesis and Auxin Transport in Arabidopsis

To reveal the mechanisms underlying root adaptation to drought stress, we isolated and characterized an Arabidopsis mutant, dig5 (drought inhibition of lateral root growth 5), which exhibited increased sensitivity to the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) for the inhibition of lateral root growth. The dig5 mutant also had fewer lateral roots under normal conditions and the aerial parts were yellowish with a lower level of chlorophylls. The mutant seedlings also displayed phenotypes indicative of impaired auxin transport, such as abnormal root curling, leaf venation defects, absence of apical hook formation, and reduced hypocotyl elongation in darkness. Auxin transport assays with [³H]-labeled indole acetic acid (IAA) confirmed that dig5 roots were impaired in polar auxin transport. Map-based cloning and complementation assays indicated that the DIG5 locus encodes a chloroplast-localized tRNA adenosine deaminase arginine (TADA) that is involved in chloroplast protein translation. The levels of flavonoids, which are naturally occurring auxin transport inhibitors in plants, were significantly higher in dig5 roots than in the wild type roots. Further investigation showed that flavonoid biosynthetic genes were upregulated in dig5. Introduction of the flavonoid biosynthetic mutation transparent testa 4 (tt4) into dig5 restored the lateral root growth of dig5. Our study uncovers an important role of DIG5/TADA in retrogradely controlling flavonoid biosynthesis and lateral root development. We suggest that the DIG5-related signaling pathways, triggered likely by drought-induced chlorophyll breakdown and leaf senescence, may potentially help the plants to adapt to drought stress through optimizing the root system architecture.     

NX210c Peptide Promotes Glutamatergic Receptor-Mediated Synaptic Transmission and Signaling in the Mouse Central Nervous System

NX210c is a disease-modifying dodecapeptide derived from the subcommissural organ-spondin that is under preclinical and clinical development for the treatment of neurological disorders. Here, using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we demonstrate that NX210c increased α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR)- and GluN2A-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (GluN2A-NMDAR)-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents in the brain. Accordingly, using extracellular field excitatory postsynaptic potential recordings, an enhancement of synaptic transmission was shown in the presence of NX210c in two different neuronal circuits. Furthermore, the modulation of synaptic transmission and GluN2A-NMDAR-driven signaling by NX210c restored memory in mice chronically treated with the NMDAR antagonist phencyclidine. Overall, by promoting glutamatergic receptor-related neurotransmission and signaling, NX210c represents an innovative therapeutic opportunity for patients suffering from CNS disorders, injuries, and states with crippling synaptic dysfunctions.     

Robustness of interdependent multi-model addressing networks

Dear editor, Many complicated real-world systems can be considered as complex networks to analyze their macroscopic properties,e.g.,the Internet,power grids,and...     

含氟保护渣与无氟保护渣的传热机制研究

综述了传统含氟保护渣和无氟保护渣的传热机制研究现状,比较了目前传统含氟保护渣和无氟保护渣传热机制的研究成果.在此基础上,提出了以适当的比例混合加入Li2O、B2O3和TiO2等氟化物替代溶剂,可以配制出满足连铸用的无氟保护渣.合适加入量:w(Li2O)为2%,w(B2O3)为7%,w(TiO2)为6%.     

内河港口固定起重机的安全技术状况

近年来,随着城市建设的高速发展,物流格局发生了巨大的改变,装卸作业、个体运输围绕城市周边湖河延伸,城乡结合地区,数量众多而品种杂乱的港口固定起重机已成泛滥之势。这类具有结构简单、造价低廉、操作维护简便等特点的起重机,在20世纪70、80年代曾广泛使用于我国内河港口的装卸作业。但是实践证明：这类起重机设计上存在诸多缺陷和事故隐患,不符合GB6067-1985《起重机械安全规程》和现行《起重机械监督检验规程》的规定,给起重机的可靠运行和安全使用带来严重的隐患。     

混合系统的建模设计与仿真综述

混合系统是一类既包含连续动态行为又包含离散动态行为的系统,这类系统在实际应用中显得越来越重要,对这类系统需要探索新的模型和研究方法。该文在概述混合系统概念、特点以及发展近况的基础上,主要综述了近年来混合系统研究中的一些重要问题,指出现有各种方法的优缺点,并指出了今后的研究方向。该文首先介绍了混合系统研究中多种常见的建模方法,如混合自动机、Petri网和时段演算,然后重点讨论了混合系统一些重要性质,主要集中在对系统稳定性、可达性、可观性的分析方法上,以及混合系统的多种设计方法,并且对这些方法进行了初步评价,最后介绍了混合系统研究中一些常用的仿真工具。     

Low Doses of PFOA Promote Prostate and Breast Cancer Cells Growth through Different Pathways

Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) are found in everyday products. Widely distributed throughout the environment, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a specific class of EDCs that can accumulate in adipose tissue. Many of them induce adverse effects on human health—such as obesity, fertility disorders and cancers—by perturbing hormone effects. We previously identified many compounds with EDC activity in the circulation of obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery. Herein, we analyzed the effects of four of them (aldrin, BDE28, PFOA and PCB153) on two cancer cell lines of hormone-sensitive organs (prostate and breast). Each cell line was exposed to serial dilutions of EDCs from 10⁻⁶ M to 10⁻¹² M; cytotoxicity and proliferation were monitored using the IncuCyte^® technology. We showed that none of these EDCs induce cytotoxicity and that PFOA and PCB153, only at very low doses (10⁻¹² M), increase the proliferation of DU145 (prostate cancer) and MCF7 (breast cancer) cells, while the same effects are observed with high concentrations (10⁻⁶ M) for aldrin or BDE28. Regarding the mechanistic aspects, PFOA uses two different signaling pathways between the two lines (the Akt/mTORC1 and PlexinD1 in MCF7 and DU145, respectively). Thus, our study demonstrates that even at picomolar (10⁻¹² M) concentrations PFOA and PCB153 increase the proliferation of prostate and breast cancer cell lines and can be considered possible carcinogens.