Searching for initial stage of massive star formation around the H II region G18.2-0.3

Sometimes the early star formation can be found in cold and dense molecular clouds, such as infrared dark cloud (IRDC). Considering star formation often occurs in clustered condition, HII regions may be triggering a new generation of star formation, so we can search for initial stage of massive star formation around HII regions. Based on that above, this work is to introduce one method of how to search for initial stage of massive star formation around HII regions. Towards one sample of the HII region G18.2-0.3, multiwavelength observations are carried out to investigate its physical condition. In contrast and analysis, we find three potential initial stages of massive star formation, suggesting that it is feasible to search for initial stage of massive star formation around HII regions.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables. Accepted by Research in Astron. Astrophy

Adrenaline inhibited cell proliferation and regulated expression of TGF-beta1 and bFGF in cultured human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts via alpha-receptor

Adrenaline has been shown to modulate proliferation of mouse fibroblasts, adventitial fibroblasts and synovial B (fibroblasts-like) cells. However, little is known about the response of cultured human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts to adrenaline. In this study, we investigated cell proliferation and involved mechanisms in hypertrophic scar fibroblasts in response to adrenaline. Population doubling time (PDT) assay and MTT assay were performed to determine the cell proliferation and cell viability, respectively. The expression of bFGF and TGF- ß1 was measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that adrenaline inhibited proliferation of normal and hypertrophic scar fibroblasts in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, adrenaline up-regulated the expression of bFGF and down-regulated the expression of TGF- ß1 in normal and hypertrophic scar fibroblasts. Interestingly incubation with the a receptor antagonist regitine indicated that adrenaline mediated inhibition of cell proliferation and regulation of TGF-ß1 and bFGF in cultured normal and hypertrophic scar fibroblasts were mediated by the a receptor. These studies suggest that adrenaline inhibits proliferation and alters the expression of TGF-ß1 and bFGF in human hypertrophic scar fibroblast involving an a receptor mediated pathway

Microbiology, ecology, and application of the nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation process

Nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-damo), which couples the anaerobic oxidation of methane to denitrification, is a recently discovered process mediated by “Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera.” M. oxyfera is affiliated with the “NC10” phylum, a phylum having no members in pure culture. Based on the isotopic labeling experiments, it is hypothesized that M. oxyfera has an unusual intra-aerobic pathway for the production of oxygen via the dismutation of nitric oxide into dinitrogen gas and oxygen. In addition, the bacterial species has a unique ultrastructure that is distinct from that of other previously described microorganisms. M. oxyfera-like sequences have been recovered from different natural habitats, suggesting that the n-damo process potentially contributes to global carbon and nitrogen cycles. The n-damo process is a process that can reduce the greenhouse effect, as methane is more effective in heat-trapping than carbon dioxide. The n-damo process, which uses methane instead of organic matter to drive denitrification, is also an economical nitrogen removal process because methane is a relatively inexpensive electron donor. This mini-review summarizes the peculiar microbiology of M. oxyfera and discusses the potential ecological importance and engineering application of the n-damo process

Method of determining cosmological parameter ranges with samples of candles with an intrinsic distribution

In this paper, the effect of the intrinsic distribution of cosmological candles is investigated. We find that, in the case of a narrow distribution, the deviation of the observed modulus of sources from the expected central value could be estimated within a ceratin range. We thus introduce a lower and upper limits of $\chi ^{2}$, $\chi_{\min}^{2}$ and $\chi_{\max}^{2}$, to estimate cosmological parameters by applying the conventional minimizing $\chi ^{2}$ method. We apply this method to a gamma-ray burst (GRB) sample as well as to a combined sample including this GRB sample and an SN Ia sample. Our analysis shows that: a) in the case of assuming an intrinsic distribution of candles of the GRB sample, the effect of the distribution is obvious and should not be neglected; b) taking into account this effect would lead to a poorer constraint of the cosmological parameter ranges. The analysis suggests that in the attempt of constraining the cosmological model with current GRB samples, the results tend to be worse than what previously thought if the mentioned intrinsic distribution does exist.Comment: 6 pages,4 figures,1 tables.Data updated. Main conclusion unchange

Non-traditional CD4+CD25−CD69+ regulatory T cells are correlated to leukemia relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Background: Non-traditional CD4+CD25-CD69+ T cells were found to be involved in disease progression in tumor-bearing mouse models and cancer patients recently. We attempted to define whether this subset of T cells were related to leukemia relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Methods: The frequency of CD4+CD25-CD69+ T cells among the CD4+ T cell population from the bone marrow of relapsed patients, patients with positive minimal residual disease (MRD+) and healthy donors was examined by flow cytometry. The CD4+CD25-CD69+ T cells were also stained with the intracellular markers to determine the cytokine (TGF-beta, IL-2 and IL-10) secretion. Results: The results showed that the frequency of CD4+CD25-CD69 + T cells was markedly increased in patients in the relapsed group and the MRD + group compared to the healthy donor group. The percentage of this subset of T cells was significantly decreased after effective intervention treatment. We also analyzed the reconstitution of CD4+CD25-CD69+ T cells at various time points after allo-HSCT, and the results showed that this subset of T cells reconstituted rapidly and reached a relatively higher level at +60 d in patients compared to controls. The incidence of either MRD+ or relapse in patients with a high frequency of CD4+CD25-CD69+ T cells (>7%) was significantly higher than that of patients with a low frequency of CD4+CD25-CD69+ T cells at +60 d, +90 d and +270 d after transplant. However, our preliminary data indicated that CD4+CD25-CD69+ T cells may not exert immunoregulatory function via cytokine secretion. Conclusions: This study provides the first clinical evidence of a correlation between non-traditional CD4+CD25-CD69+ Tregs and leukemia relapse after allo-HSCT and suggests that exploration of new methods of adoptive immunotherapy may be beneficial. Further research related to regulatory mechanism behind this phenomenon would be necessary.Medicine, Research & ExperimentalSCI(E)[email protected]

4,4′-Bipyrid­yl–4,4′-(hy­droxy­methyl­ene)dibenzoic acid (1/1)

In the title 1:1 co-crystal, C10H8N2·C15H12O5, strong inter­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds link alternating mol­ecules of 4,4′-(hy­droxy­methyl­ene)dibenzoic acid and 4,4′-bipyridyl into zigzag chains in [501]. The crystal packing also exhibits π–π inter­actions between the 4,4′-bipyridyl rings of neighbouring chains [centroid–centroid distance = 3.608 (3) Å] and weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

A021: Hypoxic Complex Exercise Promotes HIF-1α Expression to Improve Drosophila Cardiac Pumping Function

Background: Some studies have shown that the stability and transcription of HIF-1α significantly increases under hypoxic conditions, and HIF and its downstream targets are becoming a new choice for the treatment of various organ injuries to improve physical function. Combined with the team\u27s pre-screening of suitable hypoxic compound exercise protocols, this study aimed to explore the link between the expression of exercise HIF-1α under hypoxic conditions and cardiac function, in order to provide a realistic and theoretical basis for the improvement of cardiac function by hypoxic compound exercise. Methods: 300 Drosophila flies of wild-type W1118 strain feathered within 12 hours were collected and randomly divided into control (NC), hypoxic quiet (HC), normoxic exercise (NE), and intermittent hypoxic training (HE) groups, with 100 Drosophila in each group, and were subjected to intermittent hypoxic, normoxic and hypoxic combined exercise interventions for 5 consecutive days, lasting for one hour per day, at the age of 7 days, respectively. The gas used in both HC and HE groups was a mixture of 6% O2 and 94% N2. At 24 h after the intervention, the changes of cardiac actin were observed by F-actin staining, the changes of HIF-1α expression level in the heart were detected by RT-qPCR, and 30 s of Drosophila heart beats were captured by an EM-CCD digital video camera (130 frames/s) to quantify the indexes of Drosophila cardiac pumping function. Results: Compared with the NC group, HIF-1α expression increased in the heart after hypoxic compound exercise (P \u3c 0.001), the diameter of the heart tube became larger, the arrangement of cardiac myofilaments was tighter and neater, the systolic diameter of the heart increased (P \u3c 0.05), the diastolic diameter increased (P \u3c 0.001), and the shortening fraction improved (P \u3c 0.001). Compared with the NC group, HIF-1α expression did not change significantly in the NE group, and the heart had an increased systolic diameter (P \u3c 0.05), an increased diastolic diameter (P \u3c 0.001), and a slightly improved shortening fraction. Compared with the NC group, after intermittent hypoxic exposure, cardiac HIF-1α expression was elevated, the diameter of the heart became smaller, myocardial myofilaments were irregularly arranged, the systolic and diastolic diameters did not change significantly, and the shortening fraction was slightly increased. Conclusion: Hypoxic compound exercise promoted HIF-1α expression in the heart and improved cardiac pumping function

Differential impact of two doses of antithymocyte globulin conditioning on lymphocyte recovery upon haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Background: In vivo depletion of host T cells with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) is a common strategy for preventing graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The total dose of ATG in conditioning regimens appears to be an important factor that influences the outcome in recipients of transplants. However, the optimal ATG dosage has not been established to date. It remains unclear whether, in the setting of haploidentical HSCT (haploHSCT), different doses of ATG might exert differential influences on the recovery of lymphocyte subpopulations. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed lymphocyte recovery and its correlation to viral infection in two groups of patients that received different doses of ATG before haploHSCT. We performed flowcytometry to determine immunophenotypes of CD19(+) B cells and CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD4(+) CD45RA(+), CD4(+) CD45RO(+), CD4(+) CD28(+), CD8(+) CD28(+), and CD4(-)CD8(-)T cells. Results: We found that, compared to 6 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg ATG significantly hampered the recoveries of CD4+, CD4(+) CD45RA(+), and CD4(+) CD45RO(+) T cells in the first 2 months following haploHSCT. Similarly, compared to 6 mg/kg, the 10 mg/kg dose of ATG negatively influenced the recoveries of CD4(-)CD8(-) and CD8(+) CD28(+) T cells; recovery was delayed for 6 and 12 months after transplantation, respectively. Moreover, we showed that an increase in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections, associated with the higher dose of ATG, was correlated with the delayed recovery of CD4(-)CD8(-)double negative T cells. Conclusions: The present study revealed a differential impact of different ATG conditioning doses on the recoveries of T cell subpopulations post-haploHSCT. This study was the first to connect the recovery of CD4-CD8-T cells to the risk of EBV infection after HSCT. These findings will facilitate optimization of the ATG conditioning dosage and improve the outcome of patients with leukemia that receive haploHSCT.Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China [81230013]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [81370666]SCI(E)[email protected]