Ditlevsenthorup4283

Biological phenomena defined as having an "epigenetic" component (according to various definitions) have been extensively studied in plant systems and illuminated many mechanisms by which gene expression is regulated and patterns of expression inherited through cell divisions. This second volume of Plant Epigenetics and Epigenomics Methods in Molecular Biology builds on the work of its predecessor to describe cutting-edge tools for plant epigenetic and epigenomic research, and embrace crop and forestry species as well as natural populations and further insights from model species. In this chapter, the historical background to plant epigenetic and epigenomic research is summarized, and key considerations for the interpretation of current data are outlined.OBJECTIVE Lung adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) is a rare histological subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Due to its rarity, the studies about 18F-FDG PET/CT in this kind of pulmonary tumor were quite limited. Thus, this study investigated 18F-FDG PET/CT findings in ASC and its correlation with clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes. METHODS Preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT findings and parameters of maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume and total lesion glycolysis of primary lesion (MTV-P, TLG-P), combination of primary lesion and metastases (MTV-C, TLG-C), and clinicopathological features were retrospectively investigated in patients with ASC. Moreover, progression-free survival (PFS) was also analyzed. RESULTS All 41 patients (25 men; 16 women; age 60 ± 7 years) had single ASC with the mean diameter of 33 ± 14 mm. Six lesions were located centrally and 35 peripherally. Serum tumor markers were abnormally increased sporadically. Twenty-two cases were at TNM stage I, 9 at II, and 10 at III. The primary tumors were FDG-avid in all cases, with the average SUVmax of 11.5 ± 6.0. SUVmax was significantly associated with tumor location, size, and TNM stage (P  less then  0.05). Forty-one lesions were subgrouped into 23 AC-predominant and 18 SCC-predominant lesions, and significant differences were observed for age, tumor size, and SUVmax in two groups (P  less then  0.05). The median PFS of 41 cases was 19 months, and 12-month and 24-month PFS rates were 72.1% and 36.1%, respectively. SUVmax, MTV-P, and TLG-C were significantly associated with PFS (P  less then  0.05). CONCLUSIONS ASC of the lung displayed high SUVmax on 18F-FDG PET/CT, which was associated with tumor location, size, TNM stage, and predominant histologic component. Moreover, metabolic parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT were independent prognostic factors of this rare lung malignancy.OBJECTIVE Digital brain template and atlas designed for a specific group provide advantages for the analysis and interpretation of neuroimaging data, but require a significant workload for development. We developed a simple method to create customized brain atlas for diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated lie algebra (DARTEL) tool using FreeSurfer-generated volume-of-interest (FSVOI) images and validated. METHODS 18F-florbetaben positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging data were obtained from 248 participants of Alzheimer's disease spectrum (from cognitively normal to Alzheimer's disease dementia). To create a customized atlas, MR images of 84 amyloid-negative controls were first processed with FreeSurfer to obtain individual FSVOI and with DARTEL tool to create DARTEL template. Individual FSVOI images were spatially normalized, and each voxel was then labelled with a VOI label with maximum probability. Using these template and atlas, all images were normalized, and the regional standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) were measured. RESULTS 18F-florbetaben SUVR values measured with customized atlas showed excellent one-to-one correlation with SUVR measured with individual FSVOI in all regions, and thereby showed almost identical between-group comparison results and outperformed the classic methods. CONCLUSIONS Customized FreeSurfer-based brain atlas for DARTEL tool is easy to create and useful for the analysis of PET and MR images with high adaptability and reliability for broad research purposes.A novel electrochemical and fluorescence dual-signal assay was developed for the determination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) based on Fe3O4@MnO2 and N-doped carbon dots (NCDs). Fe3O4@MnO2 was not only applied as the recognizer for H2O2 but also served as the fluorescence quencher and electrochemical enhancer. This permits the dual-signal readout of the analytical system. In the absence of H2O2, the NCDs were quenched by Fe3O4@MnO2, and the oxidation of the electrochemical probe ferrocene (Fc) was catalyzed by Fe3O4@MnO2. In the presence of H2O2, MnO2 was reduced to Mn2+, leading to the fluorescence recovery of NCDs and the reduction in the oxidation signal of Fc. By combining the electrochemical method and the fluorescence assay, more comprehensive and valuable information for H2O2 determination was provided to meet different analytical demands. The method exhibits good repeatability and selectivity with a detection limit of 1.0 μM for the fluorescence assay and 0.6 μM for the electrochemical method. The proposed approach holds great potential for probing released targets from living cells. Graphical abstract.As the top-selling herbicide in the world, glyphosate distributes widely in natural environment and its influence on the ecological security and human health has attracted more and more concern. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a well-characterized superfamily of isoenzymes for cellular defense against exogenous toxic substances and therefore protect organisms from injury. In this study, the complete cDNA sequence of GST gene (named as Dja-GST) in freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica was firstly cloned by means of RACE method. The full-length Dja-GST comprises of 706 nucleotides which encodes a polypeptide of 200 amino acids. Dja-GST has two representative GST domains at the N- and C-termini. The conservative GST-N domain includes G-site Y8, F9, R14, W39, K43, P52 and S64, while the variable GST-C domain contains H-site K104, V156, D159 and L161. Sequence analysis, phylogenetic tree reconstruction and multiple alignment collectively indicate that Dja-GST belongs to the Sigma class of GST superfamily. Also, GST gene expression profile, GST enzymatic activity and MDA content in response to glyphosate exposure were systematically investigated and the correlations among them were analyzed. The results suggest that glyphosate exposure modified the mRNA transcription and enzymatic activity of GST, as well as the MDA content in planarians, indicating that Dja-GST might play an important part in organisms defending against oxidative stress induced by glyphosate. This work lays a molecular foundation for further exploring the exact functions of Dja-GST and gives an important implication for evaluating the ecological environment effects of herbicide glyphosate.Children with Down syndrome often require several specialty doctors and multidisciplinary teams for their associated anomalies. This may impact their quality of life and creates gaps in treatment monitoring. No studies have yet been conducted in Thailand to measure their quality of life and level of comprehensive health supervision. Therefore, we aimed to study the quality of life among children with Down syndrome and determine if they receive comprehensive health supervision for their condition. In this descriptive research, data were collected from a medical record review of children with Down syndrome during a 1-year period in our Pediatric Outpatient Clinic; 50 children and 39 caregivers participated. Mean total quality of life score of the children was 67.9/100 points. The children had the highest scores (73.6 ± 12.8) in emotional functioning and the lowest (57.2 ± 25.6) in cognitive functioning. It appears that the quality of life may be lower in Down syndrome patients than in Thai children without it. Regarding health supervision, all 50 were screened for thyroid function, and 48 received cardiac evaluations. However, only 17 (34%) received "complete basic assessment" of 5 screening combinations with developmental evaluations and growth monitoring. Furthermore, none received "comprehensive" evaluations for all recommended conditions. While these findings show a need for health supervision improvement for children with Down syndrome within our hospital, they may also be indicative for most care facilities throughout Thailand.INTRODUCTION Targeting better glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and blood pressure (BP) goals may endanger older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Overtreatment of T2DM and hypertension is a trending issue, although undertreatment is still common. We investigated the rates and predictors of overtreatment and undertreatment of glycemia and BP in older adults with T2DM and physicians' attitudes to deintensify or intensify treatment. METHODS Data from older adults (≥ 65 years) enrolled in a large nationwide T2DM survey in 2017 across Turkey were analyzed. Overtreatment of glycemia was defined as HbA1c  90 mmHg. Deintensification or intensification rates were calculated according to treatment modification initiated by the treating physician(s). RESULTS The rate of overtreatment in the glycemia group (n = 1264) was 9.8% (n = 124) and that in the BP group (n = 1052) was 7.3% (n = 77), whereas the rate of undertreatment was 14.2% (n = 180) and 15.2% (n = 160), respectively. Selleck MK571 In the adjusted model, use of oral se available for this article.Affibody molecules are small engineered scaffold proteins suitable for in vivo tumor targeting. Radionuclide molecular imaging using directly radiolabelled affibody molecules provides excellent imaging. However, affibody molecules have a high renal reabsorption, which complicates their use for radionuclide therapy. The high renal reabsorption is a common problem for the use of engineered scaffold proteins for radionuclide therapy. Affibody-based PNA-mediated pretargeting reduces dramatically the absorbed dose to the kidneys and makes affibody-based radionuclide therapy possible. This methodology might, hopefully, solve the problem of high renal reabsorption for radionuclide therapy mediated by other engineered scaffold proteins.Many important biological applications of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) target nucleic acid binding in eukaryotic cells, which requires PNA translocation across at least one membrane barrier. The delivery challenge is further exacerbated for applications in whole organisms, where clearance mechanisms rapidly deplete and/or deactivate exogenous agents. We have demonstrated that nanoparticles (NPs) composed of biodegradable polymers can encapsulate and release PNAs (alone or with co-reagents) in amounts sufficient to mediate desired effects in vitro and in vivo without deleterious reactions in the recipient cell or organism. For example, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs can encapsulate and deliver PNAs and accompanying reagents to mediate gene editing outcomes in cells and animals, or PNAs alone to target oncogenic drivers in cells and correct cancer phenotypes in animal models. In this chapter, we provide a primer on PNA-induced gene editing and microRNA targeting-the two PNA-based biotechnological applications where NPs have enhanced and/or enabled in vivo demonstrations-as well as an introduction to the PLGA material and detailed protocols for formulation and robust characterization of PNA/DNA-laden PLGA NPs.