Nickel orthouronate: high-pressure synthesis

The compound NiUO(4) has been synthesized at high pressure and temperature. No material of this composition is known to be synthesized at ambient pressure. The NiUO(4) structure is of the orthorhombic body centered MgUO(4) type; cell dimensions: a(1), 6.415 A; a(2) 6.435 A; and a(3), 6.835 A.     

Anti-inflammatory effect of sulforaphane on LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and ob/ob mice

BackgroundSulforaphane (SFN) is an isothiocyanate compound present in cruciferous vegetables. Although the anti-inflammatory effects of SFN have been reported, the precise mechanism related to the inflammatory genes is poorly understood.ObjectivesThis study examined the relationship between the anti-inflammatory effects of SFN and the differential gene expression pattern in SFN treated ob/ob mice.MethodsNitric oxide (NO) level was measured using a Griess assay. The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression levels were analyzed by Western blot analysis. Pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin [IL]-1β, and IL-6) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RNA sequencing analysis was performed to evaluate the differential gene expression in the liver of ob/ob mice.ResultsThe SFN treatment significantly attenuated the iNOS and COX-2 expression levels and inhibited NO, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. RNA sequencing analysis showed that the expression levels of 28 genes related to inflammation were up-regulated (> 2-fold), and six genes were down-regulated (< 0.6-fold) in the control ob/ob mice compared to normal mice. In contrast, the gene expression levels were restored to the normal level by SFN. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network showed that chemokine ligand (Cxcl14, Ccl1, Ccl3, Ccl4, Ccl17) and chemokine receptor (Ccr3, Cxcr1, Ccr10) were located in close proximity and formed a “functional cluster” in the middle of the network.ConclusionsThe overall results suggest that SFN has a potent anti-inflammatory effect by normalizing the expression levels of the genes related to inflammation that were perturbed in ob/ob mice.     

Antitumour effects of Liporaxel (oral paclitaxel) for canine melanoma in a mouse xenograft model

Paclitaxel, a member of the taxane family, exhibits antitumour effects by targeting the microtubules in cancer cells. Recently, oral paclitaxel has been developed to overcome the side effects of intravenous paclitaxel administration in human patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the antitumour effects of oral paclitaxel in vitro and in vivo. Three weeks after inoculation, oral paclitaxel (25 and 50 mg/kg) or saline was administered every week for three consecutive weeks. To explore the underlying mechanism, tumour angiogenesis was examined by immunohistochemistry with an anti‐CD31 antibody. Tumour cell apoptosis was detected by Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP Nick‐End Labeling assay, and cell cycle arrest was confirmed by western blot analysis. Oral paclitaxel treatment of canine melanoma cells exerted mediated antiproliferative effects and mediated cell cycle arrest in vitro. In animal experiments, after oral paclitaxel administration, the average tumour size decreased to approximately 30% of that in the control. Histologically, oral paclitaxel showed anti‐angiogenic effects and induced the apoptosis in tumour tissues. Oral paclitaxel also downregulated the intratumoural expression of cyclin D1 and inhibited cell proliferation. The study findings support potential application of oral paclitaxel as a novel chemotherapeutic strategy to treat canine melanoma. This is the first study to investigate the potential of oral paclitaxel as a therapeutic drug against canine tumours.     

Post‐exposure rabies prophylaxis for mass bat exposures: Case series and systematic review

To assess and describe the use of rabies post‐exposure prophylaxis (PEP) related to mass bat exposures (MBEs) in the literature and in the state of Rhode Island. Data on MBE events occurring between 2010 and 2016 from the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) were reviewed to determine PEP usage. For comparison, a systematic review was also performed by searching PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science using the keywords ‘rabies,’ ‘bat’ and ‘exposure.’ There were three MBE events in Rhode Island between 2010 and 2016 in which groups of individuals were asleep during the potential exposure. As a result, RIDOH provided PEP to those involved in the event. In a systematic review of 12 published reports, a variety of settings were involved in MBEs: camping sites, a domestic flight, a neonatal intensive care unit and dormitories. The number of potential rabies exposures ranged from five to 1,429 people. PEP recommendations for assessed persons ranged from 0% to 100% across events (median 21%). The variation in PEP recommendations following a MBE may be dependent on medical need, past precedent or preference. Federal guidance for MBE is needed to add clarity and to minimize the variability in PEP recommendations for such events in the future.     

Structure of the Atmosphere of Venus up to 110 Kilometers: Preliminary Results from the Four Pioneer Venus Entry Probes

The four Pioneer Venus entry probes transmitted data of good quality on the structure of the atmosphere below the clouds. Contrast of the structure below an altitude of 50 kilometers at four widely separated locations was found to be no more than a few degrees Kelvin, with slightly warmer temperatures at 30 degrees south latitude than at 5 degrees or 60 degrees north. The atmosphere was stably stratified above 15 or 20 kilometers, indicating that the near-adiabatic state is maintained by the general circulation. The profiles move from near-adiabatic toward radiative equilibrium at altitudes above 40 kilometers. There appears to be a region of vertical convection above the dense cloud deck, which lies at 47.5 to 49 kilometers and at temperature levels near 360 K. The atmosphere is nearly isothermal around 100 kilometers (175 to 180 K) and appears to exhibit a sizable temperature wave between 60 and 70 kilometers. This is where the 4-day wind is believed to occur. The temperature wave may be related to some of the wavelike phenomena seen in Mariner 10 ultraviolet photographs.     

Population genetic diversity and structure of the pecan scab pathogen,Venturia effusa,on cv. Desirable and native seedlings,and the impact of marker number

Scab (Venturia effusa) is the major cause of economic loss in pecan in the south-eastern USA. We explored population genetic diversity and structure among orchards of cv. Desirable and native seedlings, and within-orchard variability among trees of all cultivars sampled. We compared the ability of 30, 15 and 7 previously developed microsatellites to characterize the population genetic diversity and structure of V. effusa. Analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) provided little evidence of structure dependent on cultivar, but there was some evidence of structure between orchards of a cultivar based on distance. Individual orchard AMOVA showed that three of 11 orchards had between-tree population structure. Among six populations from cv. Desirable, a Mantel test showed that geographic distance was related to the pairwise genetic divergence (R² = 0.84). Among 11 orchards of various cultivars there was little difference in diversity using 30, 15 or 7 markers, or population structure based on AMOVA. Some minor differences in population structure were seen based on discriminant analysis of principal components, or dendrograms. Thus, depending on the objectives, future studies may use as few as 15 or 7 markers without losing ability to discern population genetic diversity or structure. More populations exhibited linkage disequilibrium when using 15 or 30 markers compared to when using seven markers. Knowledge of population genetics of V. effusa in relation to host genotype is needed to understand pathogen population interactions and gene flow, knowledge that will help underpin future breeding efforts to develop durable resistance in this long-lived orchard tree.     

Carlton: A new early tablestock potato variety

Carlton, an early sizing, oval, white-skinned potato variety was released by Agriculture Canada in 1982. Its tubers size as early as Warba making it suitable for the first early market, while its eyes are much shallower. Its yielding pattern was very similar to that of Warba when harvested at 75, 89 and 103 days from planting and to those of Norland and Norchip at maincrop harvest at a wide range of locations on the Canadian prairies. Boiling quality was similar to Warba while early chipping quality was better. No serious problem has been encountered in nearly twenty years of testing.     

3,4-Dihydroxyflavone acts as an antioxidant and antiapoptotic agent to support bovine embryo development in vitro

The effects of two antioxidants, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the flavonoid 3,4-dihydroxyflavone (DHF), on bovine embryo development in vitro were examined. Blastocyst development, total cell and inner cell mass (ICM) numbers, intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptotic indices and gene expression levels were examined before and after treatment of day 2 bovine embryos (≥2-4 cells) with various concentrations of 3,4-DHF or SOD for 6 days. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance, with significance defined at the P<0.05 level. SOD had no significant effect on bovine embryo development at any tested concentration (control, 32.8%; 300 U/ml, 33.9%; 600 U/ml, 24.2%). In contrast, 10 μM 3,4-DHF promoted higher blastocyst development (39.3%) than any other concentration (control, 26.7%; 1 μM, 30.3%; 50 μM, 29.5%; 100 μM, 20.5%). Compared with 300 U/ml SOD, 10 μM 3,4-DHF resulted in significantly higher blastocyst development (44.2%) (control, 31.5%; SOD 300 U/ml, 33.6%). Treatment with 3,4-DHF increased the ICM cell number and reduced intracellular ROS production and apoptotic cell numbers. When O(2) tension was decreased from 20% (high tension) to 5% (low tension), embryo development rates were doubled regardless of 3,4-DHF treatment. Under high O(2) tension, 10 μM 3,4-DHF treatment may render bovine embryo development similar to a low O(2) tension environment. The best blastocyst development was obtained under low O(2) tension plus 10 μM 3,4-DHF treatment. The relative expression levels of antioxidant (MnSOD), antiapoptotic (Survivin, Bax inhibitor) and growth-related genes (IFN-τ, Glut-5) were significantly increased after 3,4-DHF treatment, while the expression levels of oxidant (Sox) and apoptotic genes (Caspase-3 and Bax) were reduced. These results suggest that 3,4-DHF may promote the in vitro development of bovine embryos through its antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects.