Serum proteins differentially expressed in gestational diabetes mellitus assessed using isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation proteomics

BACKGROUND As a well-known fact to the public,gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM)could bring serious risks for both pregnant women and infants.During this important investigation into the linkage between GDM patients and their altered expression in the serum,proteomics techniques were deployed to detect the differentially expressed proteins(DEPs)of in the serum of GDM patients to further explore its pathogenesis,and find out possible biomarkers to forecast GDM occurrence.METHODS Subjects were divided into GDM and normal control groups according to the IADPSG diagnostic criteria.Serum samples were randomly selected from four cases in each group at 24-28 wk of gestation,and the blood samples were identified by applying iTRAQ technology combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.Key proteins and signaling pathways associated with GDM were identified by bioinformatics analysis,and the expression of key proteins in serum from 12 wk to 16 wk of gestation was further verified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).RESULTS Forty-seven proteins were significantly differentially expressed by analyzing the serum samples between the GDMgravidas as well as the healthy ones. Among them, 31 proteins were found to be upregulated notably and the rest16 proteins were downregulated remarkably. Bioinformatic data report revealed abnormal expression of proteinsassociated with lipid metabolism, coagulation cascade activation, complement system and inflammatory responsein the GDM group. ELISA results showed that the contents of RBP4, as well as ANGPTL8, increased in the serumof GDM gravidas compared with the healthy ones, and this change was found to initiate from 12 wk to 16 wk ofgestation.CONCLUSION GDM symptoms may involve abnormalities in lipid metabolism, coagulation cascade activation, complementsystem and inflammatory response. RBP4 and ANGPTL8 are expected to be early predictors of GDM.

Tea polyphenols dominate the short-term tea(Camellia sinensis) leaf litter decomposition

Polyphenols are one of the most important secondary metabolites, and affect the decomposition of litter and soil organic matter. This study aims to monitor the mass loss rate of tea leaf litter and nutrient release pattern, and investigate the role of tea polyphenols played in this process. High-performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） and classical litter bag method were used to simulate the decomposition process of tea leaf litter and track the changes occurring in major polyphenols over eight months. The release patterns of nitrogen, potassium, calcium, and magnesium were also determined. The decomposition pattern of tea leaf litter could be described by a two-phase decomposition model, and the polyphenol/N ratio effectively regulated the degradation process. Most of the catechins decreased dramatically within two months; gallic acid（GA）, catechin gallate（CG）, and gallocatechin（GC） were faintly detected, while others were outside the detection limits by the end of the experiment. These results demonstrated that tea polyphenols transformed quickly and catechins had an effect on the individual conversion rate. The nutrient release pattern was different from other plants which might be due to the existence of tea polyphenols.

One-pot synthesis of nickel-cobalt hydroxyfluorides nanowires with ultrahigh energy density for an asymmetric supercapacitor

A novel and unique nickel-cobalt hydroxyfluorides(NiCo-HF)nanowires material is fabricated by one-pot solvothermal synthesis method for asymmetric supercapacitor.The synthesis mechanism and factors that influence the formation of the Ni Co-HF nanowires have been further discussed.The as-prepared NiCo-HF electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 3,372.6 F g^(à1),and the capacitance retention of 94.3%can be achieved at a high current density of 20 A g^(à1)after 10,000 cycles.The outstanding electrochemical performance of the electrode can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the nanowires morphology and complicated redox process of active material.Furthermore,an asymmetric supercapacitor assembled with Ni Co-HF nanowires as positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode shows an ultrahigh energy density of 83.6 Wh kg^(à1)at a power density of 379.4 W kg^(à1)and an excellent cycling stability with 86.3%capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles,indicating that this novel material has great promise for potential application in energy storage device.