Oleifolioside A mediates caspase-independent human cervical carcinoma HeLa cell apoptosis involving nuclear relocation of mitochondrial apoptogenic factors AIF and EndoG

Apoptosis, the main type of programmed cell death, plays an essential role in a variety of biological events. Whereas "classical" apoptosis is dependent on caspase activation, caspase-independent death is increasingly recognized as an alternative pathway. To develop new anticancer agents, oleifolioside A was isolated from Dendropanax morbifera Leveille and the biochemical mechanisms of oleifolioside A-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells were investigated. Exposure to oleifolioside A resulted in caspase activation and typical features of apoptosis, although cell death was not prevented by caspase inhibition. Oleifolioside A treatment induced up-regulation of Bad, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, nuclear relocation of mitochondrial factors, apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), endonuclease G (EndoG), and apoptosis induction. This is the first report of anticancer activity of oleifolioside A, and nuclear translocation of AIF and EndoG in oleifolioside A-treated HeLa cells might represent an alternative death signaling pathway in the absence of caspase activity.     

Behaviour of price transmissions in vertically coordinated markets: The case of frozen black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon)*

Abstract

This study analyses the behaviour of the price transmission process for the leading cultured shrimp species, black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), in both forward and backward directions between Thai and Indonesian shrimp packer markets and the Japan Tokyo wholesale market. The bivariate cointegration approach using the Engle‐Granger two‐stage estimation procedure is applied in this study. The results show that Tokyo wholesale prices appear to have stronger backward influences on the formation of overseas contract prices used by Japanese shrimp importers in the Thai and Indonesian shrimp packer markets. In addition, there is a tendency for the speed of price transmissions in the long term to increase with increasing size class (from 26 to 30–21–25 and 16–20 counts per pound) of black tiger shrimp, regardless of estimation specification in the direction of price transmissions and the shrimp country of origin.     

Economic potential of the eel industry in Taiwan

The economic potential is evaluated in terms of both supply and demand. The eel farming industry in Taiwan is plagued by a serious problem — the inadequate supply of locally produced seed eels in spite of an increasing demand for eel. The prospective growth of this industry in Taiwan depends largely on the success of rearing the imported seed eels.     

Catalytic processes in the atmospheres of Earth and venus

Photochemical processes in planetary atmospheres are strongly influenced by catalytic effects of minor constituents. Catalytic cycles in the atmospheres of Earth and Venus are closely related. For example, chlorine oxides (CIOx) act as catalysts in the two atmospheres. On Earth, they serve to convert odd oxygen (atomic oxygen and ozone) to molecular oxygen. On Venus they have a similar effect, but in addition they accelerate the reactions of atomic and molecular oxygen with carbon monoxide. The latter process occurs by a unique combination of CIOx catalysis and sulfur dioxide photosensitization. The mechanism provides an explanation for the very low extent of carbon dioxide decomposition by sunlight in the Venus atmosphere.     

The antifungal activity of some sulphonyl derivatives of isoxazole,pyrazole, thiazole and thiophene

Fifty-three heterocyclic sulphonyl derivatives including eight sulphonamides, three sulphonyl azides, nine sulphonohydrazides and twenty sulphonohydrazones of substituted thiophenes, and a smaller range of analogous isoxazoles pryazoles and thiazoles, were tested as potential fungicides in a simple screening procedure against Mucor mucedo, Septoria nodorum, Trichoderma viride, Chaetomium globosum and Aspergillus niger. Several thiophene-2-sulphonyl based compounds exhibited a high level of antifungal activity at 100 mg litre^?1 against the five test species, especially the mono-halogen-substituted sulphonamides and sulphonohydrazines, in which a single chlorine or bromine atom was substituted in the para position of an attached phenyl ring. The most active compound, against all five species of fungus was N-(4-chlorophenyl)-N-(trichloromethylthio) thiophene-2-sulphonamide which had average MIC₅₀ and MIC₁₀₀ values of 86 and 180 μmol respectively. (MIC₅₀ and MIC₁₀₀ values are, respectively, the concentrations required to inhibit fungal growth by 50% and to inhibit it totally.) In general, the isoxazole analogues of the thiophene-2-sulphonyl compounds exhibited a much lower fungitoxic activity, whilst the pyrazole and thiazole based compounds had little or no activity. Compared with the other results, the considerable activity shown by 4-[2′-(3,4-dichlorobenzylidene)hydrazinosulphonyl]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid was unexpected.     

Quantitative analysis of inflammatory and immune responses in dogs with gastritis and their relationship to Helicobacter spp. infection

The present study sought to quantitatively examine mucosal inflammatory and immune responses in dogs with gastritis and the relationship of these responses to infection with Helicobacter. Gastric biopsies from 30 dogs were evaluated for B- and T-lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages, and mast cells. Mucosal atrophy, fibrosis, cellularity, and severity of gastritis were graded qualitatively. Messenger-RNA (mRNA) for actin, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-4, IL-8, and IL-10, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) was quantified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The presence of Helicobacter spp. was determined by urease activity, histology, PCR, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. mRNA for IL-1beta, IL-8, IL-10, TGF-beta, and IFN-gamma was detected in most dogs. IL-4 mRNA was detected in only 1 dog. Correlations were observed for IL-1beta versus IL-8 and IL-10; IL-8 versus IL-10, IFN-gamma, and TGF-beta; and IL-10 versus IFN-y. Mucosal pathology was related to cytokine mRNA expression (neutrophils to IL-8 and IFN-gamma, macrophages and lymphocytes to IFN-gamma, and fibrosis to IL-1beta). Gastritis was categorized as lymphoplasmacytic in all dogs, and its histologic severity correlated with atrophy, infiltration with lymphocytes and macrophages, and expression of IL-10 and IFN-gamma. Of the dogs examined, 76.7% were infected with Helicobacter spp. Infection was associated with increased expression of TGF-beta and fibrosis. Circulating anti-Helicobacter immunoglobulin G titers were higher in uninfected than infected dogs. We conclude that lymphoplasmacytic gastritis in dogs is characterized by concurrent activation of proinflammatory and immunomodulatory cytokines, with increased mRNA expression related to mucosal pathology. No significant associations between Helicobacter infection and proinflammatory cytokine expression, severity of gastritis, or differences in the pathogenicity of different Helicobacter spp. were found.     

Structural and functional homology among chicken, duck, goose, turkey and pigeon interleukin-8 proteins

Interleukin (IL)-8-encoding regions of five avian species were cloned, sequenced and characterized. Each IL-8-encoding region is 312 nucleotides long and encodes IL-8 which is 103 amino acids. Pairwise sequence analysis showed that sequence identities of IL-8-encoding regions ranged from 87% to 100%. The IL-8 protein identities varied from 84% to 100%. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that IL-8-encoding regions and encoded proteins of chicken, duck, goose and turkey clustered together and evolved into a distinct phylogenetic lineage from that of pigeon which evolved into a second lineage. The results from binding reactivities of antiserum against each recombinant IL-8 (rIL-8) protein to homologous or heterologous rIL-8 proteins, chemotactic activities of each rIL-8 protein or reduction levels of the chemotactic activity of rIL-8 protein which was pretreated with homologous or heterlogous antiserum have suggested that all five IL-8 proteins were functionally active, and shared structural and functional identity with each other.     

切除结膜结合淋巴组织鸡对新城疫疫苗的免疫反应Ⅰ.局部与循环抗体检测

实验将 60只 1日龄健康雏鸡随机分为A、B、C 3组。A组为CALT缺失组 ,B组为免疫组 ,C组为非免疫对照组。A组于 1日龄手术切除下眼睑结膜 ,A、B两组于 1 2日龄结扎鼻泪管后进行点眼免疫接种新城疫克隆 30疫苗。2 3日龄时 ,收集A、B、C各实验组鸡的血清和泪液 ,做红细胞凝集抑制试验 (HI试验 )、酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)。比较观察各实验组雏鸡血清和泪液抗体HI效价与IgA、IgG、IgM含量的变化特点。结果 ,1日龄手术切除下眼睑结膜后造成鸡CALT缺失 ,CALT缺失鸡点眼免疫后 ,泪液抗体HI效价与IgA、IgG、IgM含量比免疫组雏鸡低。但对雏鸡的抗体生成的规律并不产影响。故实验证实了CALT对眼区局部抗体的产生及其种类有重要的调控作用 ,协同哈氏腺完成局部免疫的功能     

Ultraviolet imaging spectroscopy shows an active saturnian system

Neutral oxygen in the saturnian system shows variability, and the total number of oxygen atoms peaks at 4 x 10(34). Saturn's aurora brightens in response to solar-wind forcing, and the auroral spectrum resembles Jupiter's. Phoebe's surface shows variable water-ice content, and the data indicate it originated in the outer solar system. Saturn's rings also show variable water abundance, with the purest ice in the outermost A ring. This radial variation is consistent with initially pure water ice bombarded by meteors, but smaller radial structures may indicate collisional transport and recent renewal events in the past 10(7) to 10(8) years.