Behavior and Impact of Zirconium in the Soil–Plant System: Plant Uptake and Phytotoxicity

Because of the large number of sites they pollute, toxic metals that contaminate terrestrial ecosystems are increasingly of environmental and sanitary concern (Uzu et al. 2010, 2011; Shahid et al. 2011a, b, 2012a). Among such metals is zirconium (Zr), which has the atomic number 40 and is a transition metal that resembles titanium in physical and chemical properties (Zaccone et al. 2008). Zr is widely used in many chemical industry processes and in nuclear reactors (Sandoval et al. 2011; Kamal et al. 2011), owing to its useful properties like hardness, corrosion-resistance and permeable to neutrons (Mushtaq 2012). Hence, the recent increased use of Zr by industry, and the occurrence of the Chernobyl and Fukashima catastrophe have enhanced environmental levels in soil and waters (Yirchenko and Agapkina 1993; Mosulishvili et al. 1994 ; Kruglov et al. 1996)

CONSORT extension for Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula 2017: recommendations, explanation and elaboration

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) formulas are the major components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions. The general reporting quality of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of CHM formulas is disappointing although there are CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) Statement extensions for herbal medicinal interventions and acupuncture interventions. A group of TCM clinical experts, methodologists, epidemiologists and editors has developed CONSORT–CHM Formulas through a comprehensive process including publication of the CONSORT–CHM Formulas (Draft), solicitation of comments, revision and finalization. The CONSORT 2010 Statement was extended by introducing the idea of TCM Pattern and the features of CHM formulas. One new checklist sub-item, Keywords was added to facilitate the indexation and data searching. Seven of the 25 CONSORT checklist items, namely Title and Abstract, Background and Objectives, Participants, Interventions, Outcomes, Generalizability and Interpretation, are now elaborated upon and the explanation of Harms of CHM formulas is revised. Illustrative examples and explanations are also provided. We hope that CONSORT–CHM Formulas 2017 can improve the reporting quality of RCTs of CHM formulas

Spatial competition shapes the dynamic mutational landscape of normal esophageal epithelium.

During aging, progenitor cells acquire mutations, which may generate clones that colonize the surrounding tissue. By middle age, normal human tissues, including the esophageal epithelium (EE), become a patchwork of mutant clones. Despite their relevance for understanding aging and cancer, the processes that underpin mutational selection in normal tissues remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated this issue in the esophageal epithelium of mutagen-treated mice. Deep sequencing identified numerous mutant clones with multiple genes under positive selection, including Notch1, Notch2 and Trp53, which are also selected in human esophageal epithelium. Transgenic lineage tracing revealed strong clonal competition that evolved over time. Clone dynamics were consistent with a simple model in which the proliferative advantage conferred by positively selected mutations depends on the nature of the neighboring cells. When clones with similar competitive fitness collide, mutant cell fate reverts towards homeostasis, a constraint that explains how selection operates in normal-appearing epithelium.This work was supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust to the Wellcome SangerInstitute (098051 and 296194) and Cancer Research UK Programme Grants to P.H.J.(C609/A17257 and C609/A27326). G.P. is supported by a Talento program fellowship from Comunidad de Madrid. B.A.H. and M.W.J.H. are supported by the MedicalResearch Council (Grant-in-Aid to the MRC Cancer unit grant no. MC_UU_12022/9 and NIRG to B.A.H. grant no. MR/S000216/1). M.W.J.H. acknowledges support fromthe Harrison Watson Fund at Clare College, Cambridge. B.A.H. acknowledges support from the Royal Society (grant no. UF130039). I.M. is funded by Cancer Research UK (C57387/A21777). S.D. benefited from the award of an ESPOD fellowship, 2018-21, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the European Bioinformatics Institute EMBL-EBI

Elevation of the Yields of Very Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids via Minimal Codon Optimization of Two Key Biosynthetic Enzymes

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5Δ5,8,11,14,17) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6Δ4,7,10,13,16,19) are nutritionally beneficial to human health. Transgenic production of EPA and DHA in oilseed crops by transferring genes originating from lower eukaryotes, such as microalgae and fungi, has been attempted in recent years. However, the low yield of EPA and DHA produced in these transgenic crops is a major hurdle for the commercialization of these transgenics. Many factors can negatively affect transgene expression, leading to a low level of converted fatty acid products. Among these the codon bias between the transgene donor and the host crop is one of the major contributing factors. Therefore, we carried out codon optimization of a fatty acid delta-6 desaturase gene PinD6 from the fungus Phytophthora infestans, and a delta-9 elongase gene, IgASE1 from the microalga Isochrysis galbana for expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Arabidopsis respectively. These are the two key genes encoding enzymes for driving the first catalytic steps in the Δ6 desaturation/ Δ6 elongation and the Δ9 elongation/Δ8 desaturation pathways for EPA/DHA biosynthesis. Hence expression levels of these two genes are important in determining the final yield of EPA/DHA. Via PCR-based mutagenesis we optimized the least preferred codons within the first 16 codons at their N-termini, as well as the most biased CGC codons (coding for arginine) within the entire sequences of both genes. An expression study showed that transgenic Arabidopsis plants harbouring the codon-optimized IgASE1 contained 64% more elongated fatty acid products than plants expressing the native IgASE1 sequence, whilst Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing the codon optimized PinD6 yielded 20 times more desaturated products than yeast expressing wild-type (WT) PinD6. Thus the codon optimization strategy we developed here offers a simple, effective and low-cost alternative to whole gene synthesis for high expression of foreign genes in yeast and Arabidopsis

Identification of a candidate oncogene SEI-1 within a minimal amplified region at 19q13.1 in ovarian cancer cell lines

High-level amplification of DNA sequence at 19q13.1 is one of the frequent genetic alterations in ovarian cancer. In an attempt to verify the minimal amplified region (MAR) at 19q13.1 and to identify the target oncogenes, 49 probes within a region from D19S425 to D19S907 (∼19.5 cM) were used to survey the amplification status in four ovarian cancer cell lines that have been confirmed as containing amplification at 19q13.1. Two separated overlapping MARs, MAR1 (∼b) and MAR2 (∼1.1 Mb), were identified at 19q13.1. Two candidate oncogenes, AKT2 and SEI-1, were identified in MAR2. Amplification and overexpression of these two genes in four ovarian cancer cell lines were confirmed by Southern and Northern blot analyses. The proliferation-related function of AKT2 and SEI-1 suggests that both genes are likely to be biological targets of an amplification event at 19q13.1 in ovarian cancer and to play important roles in ovarian tumorigenesis.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Recurrent chromosome alterations in primary ovarian carcinoma in Chinese women

Ovarian cancer is one of the most frequent gynecological malignancies worldwide with a poor prognosis. Comparative genomic hybridization has been applied to detect recurrent chromosome alterations in 31 primary ovarian carcinomas in Chinese women. Several nonrandom chromosomal changes were identified including gains of 3q (17 cases, 55%) with a minimum region at 3q25∼q26, 8q (16 cases, 52%), 19q (12 cases, 39%), Xq (11 cases, 35%), 1q (10 cases, 32%), 12p12∼q13 (10 cases, 32%), 17q (10 cases, 32%) with a minimum gain region at 17q21, and 20q (9 cases, 29%); and losses of 16q (9 cases, 29%), 1p (7 cases, 23%), 18q (7 cases, 23%), and 22 (7 cases, 23%). High-copy-number amplification was detected in eleven cases. Amplification of 3q25∼q26 was detected in four cases, and amplifications of 8q24 and 12p11.2∼q12 were observed in three cases each. The recurrent gains and losses of chromosomal regions identified in this study provide candidate regions that may contain oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes involved in the development and progression of ovarian cancer. © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

CONSORT extension for Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula 2017: recommendations, explanation and elaboration

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) formulas are the major components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions. The general reporting quality of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of CHM formulas is disappointing although there are CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) Statement extensions for herbal medicinal interventions and acupuncture interventions. A group of TCM clinical experts, methodologists, epidemiologists and editors has developed CONSORT–CHM Formulas through a comprehensive process including publication of the CONSORT–CHM Formulas (Draft), solicitation of comments, revision and finalization. The CONSORT 2010 Statement was extended by introducing the idea of TCM Pattern and the features of CHM formulas. One new checklist sub-item, Keywords was added to facilitate the indexation and data searching. Seven of the 25 CONSORT checklist items, namely Title and Abstract, Background and Objectives, Participants, Interventions, Outcomes, Generalizability and Interpretation, are now elaborated upon and the explanation of Harms of CHM formulas is revised. Illustrative examples and explanations are also provided. We hope that CONSORT–CHM Formulas 2017 can improve the reporting quality of RCTs of CHM formulas

CONSORT extension for Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula 2017: recommendations, explanation and elaboration

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) formulas are the major components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions. The general reporting quality of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of CHM formulas is disappointing although there are CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) Statement extensions for herbal medicinal interventions and acupuncture interventions. A group of TCM clinical experts, methodologists, epidemiologists and editors has developed CONSORT–CHM Formulas through a comprehensive process including publication of the CONSORT–CHM Formulas (Draft), solicitation of comments, revision and finalization. The CONSORT 2010 Statement was extended by introducing the idea of TCM Pattern and the features of CHM formulas. One new checklist sub-item, Keywords was added to facilitate the indexation and data searching. Seven of the 25 CONSORT checklist items, namely Title and Abstract, Background and Objectives, Participants, Interventions, Outcomes, Generalizability and Interpretation, are now elaborated upon and the explanation of Harms of CHM formulas is revised. Illustrative examples and explanations are also provided. We hope that CONSORT–CHM Formulas 2017 can improve the reporting quality of RCTs of CHM formulas