Sodium iodate induced retinal degeneration: new insights from an old model

Studies on the selective retinal degeneration induced by sodium iodate （NaIO3） date back to 1941; Sorsby （1941） described the effect of intravenously injected NaIO3 solution on the rabbit retina. Since then, NaIO3-induced retinal degeneration has been described in different mammalian species including sheep, rabbit, rat and mouse with varying doses and routes of administration. At the present time,

New Insights into the Depositional Environments of Ordovician Carbonate Formations in the Yubei Area of Tarim Basin Based on Standard Microfacies Types

Objective The Yubei area is located in the mid-east Maigaiti slope of southwestern Tarim Basin, China, with an exploration history of several years. Recent exploration has preliminarily indicated that the Ordovician carbonate formations in this area have some oil and gas potential. Carbonate microfacies provides material basis for reservoir development, seal formation and hydrocarbon generation. Therefore, this work utilized the standard microfacies （SMF） types to study the microfacies of the Ordovician formations in the Yubei area in order to provide theoretical basis for the next exploration.

New insights into the vitamin D requirements during pregnancy

Pregnancy represents a dynamic period with physical and physiological changes in both the mother and her developing fetus. The dramatic 2-3 fold increase in the active hormone 1,25（OH）2D concentrations during the early weeks of pregnancy despite minimal increased calcium demands during that time of gestation and which are sustained throughout pregnancy in both the mother and fetus suggests an immunomodulatory role in preventing fetal rejection by the mother. While there have been numerous observational studies that support the premise of vitamin D＇s role in maintaining maternal and fetal well-being, until recently, there have been few randomized clinical trials with vitamin D supplementation. One has to exhibit caution, however, even with RCTs, whose results can be problematic when analyzed on an intent-to-treat basis and when there is high non-adherence to protocol （as if often the case）, thereby diluting the potential good or harm of a given treatment at higher doses. As such, a biomarker of a drug or in this case ＂vitamin＂ or pre-prohormone is better served. For these reasons, the effect of vitamin D therapies using the biomarker circulating 25（OH）D is a far better indicator of true ＂effect.＂ When pregnancy outcomes are analyzed using the biomarker 25（OH）D instead of treatment dose, there are notable differences in maternal and fetal outcomes across diverse racial/ethnic groups, with improved health in those women who attain a circulating 25（OH）D concentration of at least 100 nmol. L-1 （40 ng. mL-1）. Because ,an important issue is the timing or initiation of vitamin D treatment/supplementation, and given the potential effect of vitamin D on placental gene expression and its effects on inflammation within the placenta, it appears crucial to start vitamin D treatment before placentation （and trophoblast invasion）; however, this question remains unanswered. Additional work is needed to decipher the vitamin D requirements of pregnant women and the optimal timing of supplementation, taking into account a variety of lifestyles, body types, baseline vitamin D status, and maternal and fetal vitamin D receptor （VDR） and vitamin D binding protein （VDBP） genotypes. Determining the role of vitamin D in nonclassical, immune pathways continues to be a challenge that once answered will substantiate recommendations and public health policies.

New insights of the Cenozoic Rotational Deformation of Crustal Blocks on the Southeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau and its Tectonic Implications

Objective The lateral extrusion of southeastern edge of the crustal materials around the Tibetan Plateau since the Oligocene is believed to be one of the main inducements of-1300 km latitudinal crustal convergence in the Tibetan Plateau, since the collision of India and Eurasia in the Paleogene. Two end-member models were used to describe the process of lateral extrusion of crustal material on the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The ＂tectonic escape＂ model suggests the Indochina Block, Chuandian Fragment and Shan-Thai Block have experienced lateral extrusion along strike-slip fault systems, and the ＂crustal flow＂ model suggests that the upper crust has undergone southeastward escape in the form of ductile deformation, driven by viscous lower crustal flow channels. In addition, the GPS observations surrounding the Tibetan Plateau indicate that crustal materials currently experience clockwise rotation around the Eastern Himalaya syntaxis. This work conducted paleomagnetic studies in the Cretaceous and Paleogene red-beds along the southeastern margin of Tibetan Plateau,

High Spatial Resolution Mapping of Dykes Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV) Photogrammetry: New Insights On Emplacement Processes

Remote sensing has played a pivotal role in our understanding of the geometry of dykes and dyke swarms on Earth,Venus and Mars(West and Ernst,1991;Mege and Masson,1995;Ernst et al.,2005).Since the 1970’s

New insights on the standardization of peripheral nerve regeneration quantitative analysis

Peripheral nerves form a complex network connecting the central nervous system and the body. Injuries to peripheral nerves often lead to partial or complete loss of motor, sen- sory and autonomic functions, thus interfering with many aspects of an individual＇s life.

New insights into the functions of Ptd Ins(3,5)P_2 in the pathogenisis of neurodegenerative disorders

The membrane trafficking systems in brain play an important role in the regulation of neuronal processes,such as morphology,neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity.It has been suggested that the phosphatidylinositols（PIs）located on endolysosomal membranes play a key role in controlling this trafficking systems.

New Insights on the Deflection and Internal Forces of a Bending Nanobeam

Nanowires, nanofibers and nanotubes have been widely used as the building blocks in micro/nano-electromechanical systems, energy harvesting or storage devices, and small-scaled measurement equipment. We report that the sur- face effects of these nanobeams have a great impact on their deflection and internal forces. A simply supported nanobeam is taken as an example. For the displacement and shear force of the nanobeam, its dangerous sections are different from those predicted by the conventional beam theory, but for the bending moment, the dangerous section is the same. Moreover, the values of these three quantities for the nanobeam are all distinct from those calculated from the conventional beam model. These analyses shed new light on the stiffness and strength check of nanobeams, which are beneficial to engineer new-types of nano-materials and nano-devices.

New insights into plant nutrient signaling and adaptation to fluctuating environments

Over the past 50 years, the Green Revolution and exploitation of heterosis have allowed cereal grain yield to keep pace with world- wide population growth. Unfortunately, plant growth and crop productivity are heavily dependent on the application of synthetic fertilizers.

The seahorse genome provides new insights into the evolution of its specialized morphology

Subject Code:D06Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,the research team led by Prof.Lin Qiang(林强)at the CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology(LMB),South China Sea Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,uncovered the seahorse genome and the evolution of its specialized morphology,which was published in Nature as a cover article(2016,540:395—399).

New insight into curcumin-based therapy in spinal cord injuries： CISD2 regulation

Multiple protective effects of curcumin in cases of spinal cord injuries（SCIs）：Curcumin[1,7-bis（4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl）-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione]is a nonsteroidal,naturally occurring compound commonly utilized as a dietary pigment as well as a spice in India.It is obtained from curcuma longa in.

Glucagon peptide-like 1 receptor (GLP-1R) expression per se: a new insight into neurodegenerative disease?

Glucagon peptide-like 1（GLP-1）and GLP-1 receptor（GLP-1R）：GLP-1 is an incretin hormone secreted from gut L cells.GLP-1 exerts its action through binding to its specific receptor,GLP-1R,which is a member of the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily.GLP-1R is reportedly expressed in various organs,such as the liver,kidney,and peripheral tissues.

Author's Reply:Comments on “Vitamin Pharmacogenomics:New Insight into Individua Differences in Diseases and Drug Responses”

Dear Editor, We thank the author for making meaningful comments on our recent article [1]. The SNP 772G 〉 A （rs602662） in exon 2 of the gene encoding fucosyl transferase （FUT2） has been found to be related with the alterations in plasma vitamin B12 levels. GG carriers possessed lower levels of vitamin B12. However, we didn＇t know the mechanism behind this association.

Comments on"Vitamin Pharmacogenomics:New Insight into Individual Differences in Diseases and Drug Responses"

Dear Editor, I would like to offer some comments on the excellent article by Hai-Yan He and colleagues published in Genomics, Proteomics ＆ Bioinformatics on 1st April 2017 [1]. The authors include, in the list of genetic polymorphisms that have an effect on vita- mins, the low concentrations of cellular and plasma vitamin B12 in GG carriers of SNP rs602662 （772 G 〉 A） in the gene encoding fucosyltransferase 2 （FUT2）.