The hypoxia-inducible factor-1α activates ectopic production of fibroblast growth factor 23 in tumor-induced osteomalacia

Tumor-induced osteomalacia （TIO） is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome in which ectopic production of fibroblast growth factor 23 （FGF23） by non-malignant mesenchymal tumors causes phosphate wasting and bone fractures. Recent studies have implicated the hypoxia-inducible factor-la （HIF-la） in other phosphate wasting disorders caused by elevated FGF23, including X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets and autosomal dominant hypophosphatemia. Here we provide evidence that HIF-la mediates aberrant FGF23 in TIO by transcriptionally activating its promoter. Immunohistochemical studies in phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors resected from patients with documented TIO showed that HIF-la and FGF23 were co-localized in spindle- shaped cells adjacent to blood vessels. Cultured tumor tissue produced high levels of intact FGF23 and demonstrated increased expression of HIF-la protein. Transfection of MC3T3-E1 and Saos-2 cells with a HIF-la expression construct induced the activity of a FGF23 reporter construct. Prior treatment of tumor organ cultures with HIF-la inhibitors decreased HIF-la and FGF23 protein accumulation and inhibited HIF-la-induced luciferase reporter activity in transfected cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed binding to a HIF-la consensus sequence within the proximal FGF23 promoter, which was eliminated by treatment with a HIF-la inhibitor. These results show for the first time that HIF-la is a direct transcriptional activator of FGF23 and suggest that upregulation of HIF-la activity in TIO contributes to the aberrant FGF23 production in these patients.

An Improved Production Activity Control Architecture for Shop Floor Control

This paper presents a further improved Production Activity Control Architecture to deal with the complexity of information by creating Sub-Producers and Sub-Movers which will not only give a better control at workstation level but also reduce load on the Dispatcher. It also makes an analysis of the basic and improved PAC (Production Activity Control) Architecture in the Control System for Integrated Manufacturing. The PAC Architecture and the improvement will further enhance the flexibility and adaptability of the architecture in the ever changing environment of the Shop Floor Control (SFC) Systems.

Physiological basis for the differences of productive capacity among tillers in winter wheat

The quality or structure of a wheat population is significantly affected by the compositions of tillers. Little has been known about the physiological basis for the differences of productive capacity among tillers. Two winter wheat cultivars, Shannong 15（SN15） and Shannong 8355（SN8355）, were used to investigate the differences of productive capacity among tillers and analyze the physiological mechanisms that determine the superior tiller group. Low-position tillers（early initiated tillers） had a higher yield per spike than high-position tillers（late initiated tillers） in both cultivars, which was due to their more grain number per spike, more fertile spikelet per spike, less sterile spikelet per spike and higher grain weight. According to cluster analysis, tillers of SN15 were classified into 2 groups： superior tiller group including main stem（0）, the first primary tiller（I） and the second primary tiller（II）; and inferior tiller group including the third primary tiller（III） and the first secondary tiller（I-p）. Tillers of SN8355 were classified into 3 groups： superior tiller group（0 and I）, intermediate tiller group（II and III） and inferior tiller group（I-p）. In comparison with other tiller groups, the superior tiller group had higher photosynthetic rate of flag leaves, higher antioxidant enzyme（SOD, POD and CAT） activities and lower levels of lipid peroxidation in leaves, higher grain filling rate in both superior and inferior grains during grain filling, higher single-stem biological yield and larger single-stem economic coefficient. Correlation analysis showed that yield per spike was positively and significantly correlated with the flag leaf photosynthetic rate, grain filling rate, the antioxidant enzyme activities and soluble protein content（except for SN15 at 5 days post-anthesis（DPA）） of flag leaf, the single-stem biological yield, and the single-stem economic coefficient. Remarkable negative correlation was also found between yield per spike and MDA content of flag leaf. These results suggested that superior tiller group had stronger leaf photosynthetic capacity, more predominance in terms of grain filling, slower senescence rate, higher biological yield and larger economic coefficient, and therefore, showed greater productive capacity than other tiller groups.

STUDIES ON THE SYNTHESES AND BACTERICIDAL ACTIVITIES OF ACYLAMINOETHYL GLYCINES AND OF THEIR CYCLO-CONDENSATION PRODUCTS

Two series of new compounds:the aliphatic acylaminoethyl glycines (Ⅰ) and their cyclo-condensation products-allphatic acylaminoethyl plperazlnones (Ⅱ) were synthesized.The results of bactericidal and bacteriostatic tests show that the two series of compounds are good bactericldal agents.

APPLICATION OF IMPROVED PRODUCTION ACTIVITY CONTROL ARCHITECTURE FOR SHOP FLOOR INFORMATION SYSTEM IN DIGITAL MANUFACTURING

Shop floor control （SFC） is responsible for the coordination and control of the manufacturing physical and information flow within the shop floor in the manufacturing system. Weaknesses of the production activity control （PAC） architecture of the shop floor are addressed by the Maglica＇s new system architecture. This architecture gives rise to unlimited number of movers and producers thus evolving more complex but decentralized architecture. Beijing Institute of Technology - production activity control （BIT-PAC） architecture introduces an idea of sub-producars and sub-movers thus reducing the complexity of the architecture. All the equipments including sub-producars and sub-movers are considered to be passive in the proposed shop floor information system. The dissemination of information from sub-producers and sub-movers is done manually through a PC. Proposed BIT-PAC SFC architecture facilitates the information flow from shop floor to the other area of the organization. Effective use of interact information services （IIS） and SQL2000 is done along with the ASP.NET technology to implement the application logic. Applicability of the software based on BIT-PAC architecture is checked by running application software on a network PC that supports the dynamic flow of information from sub-producers and sub-movers to the other parts of the organization. Use of software is also shown at the end for BIT training workshop thus supporting the use of SFC architecture for similar kind of environments.

Golimumab in real-world practice in patients with ulcerative colitis:Twelve-month results

BACKGROUND The introduction of biologics has revolutionized the management of the chronic inflammatory bowel disease,ulcerative colitis(UC),with many patients experiencing significant improvements not only in their symptoms but in other outcomes relevant to individuals and society as a whole.In Germany,there are no prospective data>3 mo that assess the work productivity,daily activities and quality of life(QoL)of patients with moderate-to-severe UC treated with golimumab.AIM To assess change in work productivity,capacity for daily activities and QoL in UC patients treated with golimumab in Germany.METHODS The validated Work Productivity Activity Impairment(WPAI)Questionnaire was used to analyze the change in work productivity,the capacity for daily activities after three months(primary endpoint)and disease specific and health related QoL(HRQoL)up to 1 year(secondary endpoints).The changes in work productivity and activity impairment were evaluated every three months until month twelve compared to baseline.Disease-specific and health-related QoL were assessed with the inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire and with the short-form 12 health survey questionnaire(SF-12).RESULTS This prospective non-interventional study included 287 patients.The analysis population was comprised of 282 patients who had completed at least two visits.At baseline,61%of patients had moderate UC and 18%had severe UC.Furthermore,75%of patients worked full-time or part-time at baseline.A total of 212 patients who were employed at the start of the study(employed population)were evaluated for the primary endpoint.Golimumab significantly reduced all WPAI sub-scores compared to baseline after three,six,nine and twelve months after the start of treatment(P<0.0001).In addition,disease-specific QoL and HRQoL,as measured by the SF-12 questionnaire,improved significantly with golimumab at all evaluation times(P<0.0001 in each case vs baseline).CONCLUSION Treatment of moderate-to-severe UC with golimumab leads to significant improvements in patient´s work productivity,daily activity and QoL over twelve months.

An Improved PAC Architecture for Shop Floor Information System in Digital Manufacturing

In order to overcome the weakness of the former production activity control （PAC） architecture, this paper presents an improved PAC architecture. The BIT-PAC architecture has been applied with the use of information technology. It facilitates the information flow from Shop Floor to other areas of the organization and makes the organizations more integrated and productive. This architecture also facilitates the expansion of the Shop Floor functions without disturbing the basic infrastructure. Effectiveness of the BIT-PAC architecture was checked by developing and running application software on a network PC which has supported the dynamic flow of information from Sub-Producers and Sub-Movers to other areas of organization.

ACTIVATION OF BOVINE FACTOR IX BY THE REACTION PRODUCT OF BOVINE FACTOR VII AND HUMAN TISSUE FACTOR

A study was carried out on the alternate activation of factor IX （FIX） by bovine FVII and human tissue factor （TF） rather than by activated factor XI （FXI）. The reaction product of bovine FVII and human TF functioned as a FIX activator in the assay system used. Published studies suggest that in the presence of Caions, the complex of human FVII-TF readily activates both human FIX and human FX,and at low TF concentrations, FIX appears to be the preferred substrate for the reaction product of FVII and TF. This may explain the discrepancy between the mild bleeding of hereditary FXI deficiency and the severe bleeding of hereditery FIX deficieney. The results obtained with bovine FVII and a crude human TF preparation confirm that at low TF concentrations,bovine FIX is the preferred substrate rather than FX. At higher TF concentrations, bovine FX was rapidly activated.

Removal of anaerobic soluble microbial products in a biological activated carbon reactor

The soluble microbial products （SMP） in the biological treatment effluent are generally of great amount and are poorly biodegradable. Focusing on the biodegradation of anaerobic SMP, the biological activated carbon （BAC） was introduced into the anaerobic system. The experiments were conducted in two identical lab-scale up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket （UASB） reactors. The high strength organics were degraded in the first UASB reactor （UASB1） and the second UASB （UASB2, i.e., BAC） functioned as a polishing step to remove SMP produced in UASB1. The results showed that 90% of the SMP could be removed before granular activated carbon was saturated. After the saturation, the SMP removal decreased to 60% on the average. Analysis of granular activated carbon adsorption revealed that the main role of SMP removal in BAC reactor was biodegradation. A strain of SMP-degrading bacteria, which was found highly similar to Klebsiella sp., was isolated, enriched and inoculated back to the BAC reactor. When the influent chemical oxygen demand （COD） was 10,000 mg/L and the organic loading rate achieved 10 kg COD/（m 3 ·day）, the effluent from the BAC reactor could meet the discharge standard without further treatment. Anaerobic BAC reactor inoculated with the isolated Klebsiella was proved to be an effective, cheap and easy technical treatment approach for the removal of SMP in the treatment of easily-degradable wastewater with COD lower than 10,000 mg/L.

SESQUITERPENES FROM CURCUMA PHAEOCAULIS AND THEIR INHIBITORY ACTIVITIES ON NITRIC OXIDE PRODUCTION IN RAW 264.7 CELLS

Curcumfa phaeocaulis Valeton is used in traditional Chinese medicines for the treatment of blood-related disorders such as blood stasis and inflammation.Our previous studies have found that sesquiterpenes were mainly isolated from C.wenyujin and C.phaeocaulis,while diarylheptanoids were the major compounds from C.kwangsiensis.And most of the isolated compounds exhibited remarkable

Potential acute effects of suspended aluminum nitride (AlN) nanoparticles on soluble microbial products (SMP) of activated sludge

The study aims to identify the potential acute effects of suspended aluminum nitride（Al N）nanoparticles（NPs） on soluble microbial products（SMP） of activated sludge.Cultured activated sludge loaded with 1,10,50,100,150 and 200 mg/L of Al N NPs were carried out in this study.As results showed,Al N NPs had a highly inverse proportionality to bacterial dehydrogenase and OUR,indicating its direct toxicity to the activated sludge viability.The toxicity of Al N NPs was mainly due to the nano-scale of Al N NPs.In SMP,Al N NPs led to the decrease of polysaccharide and humic compounds,but had slight effects on protein.The decrease of tryptophan-like substances in SMP indicated the inhibition of Al N NPs on the bacterial metabolism.Additionally,Al N NPs reduced obviously the molecular weight of SMP,which might be due to the nano-scale of Al N.

Textile Industry to See Slow Growth Analysis of industrial production activities in the first four months

Textile industry, a major driver of the Chinese economy, has fallen victim to the global credit crisis and weaker demand. In the first two months, the output, sale, investment and export of textile industry grew at a slower pace than last year. But things began to pick up after that as the economy slowly begins to recover since March. Signif icant gains at that time will be hard to come by, and won’t be nearly enough to prevent other sizeable slippage in overall textile and apparel activity.

Textile industry to see slow growth Analysis of industrial production activities in the first eight months

The textile sector,a major driver of the Chinese economy,has fallen victim to the global credit crisis and weaker demand.In the first eight months

Bioactive sesquineolignans from the twigs of Litsea cubeba

In a continuing search for biological natural products with structure diversity from traditional Chinese herbs,five new sesquineolignans(1−5)were isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of the twigs of Litsea cubeba.Their structures were elucidated based on MS,1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data,as well as experimental electronic circular dichroism(ECD)spectra.Compounds 1−5 showed moderate inhibitory effects against LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages,with IC50 values of 16.2,20.2,22.1,15.1,and 16.6μmol·L^(−1),respectively.

Seimatoric acid and colletonoic acid:Two new compounds from the endophytic fungi,Seimatosporium sp.and Colletotrichum sp.

A new metabolite,named seimatoric acid（1）,representing a new oxobutanoic acid derivative has been isolated from Seimatosporium sp., in addition to four known compounds viz.,2-hydroxymethyl-4β,5α,6β-trihydroxycyclohex-2-enone（2）,（-）-phyllostine（3）,（＋）-epiepoxydon（4） and（＋）-epoxydon monoacetate（5）.Similarly one new benzoic acid derivative,named colletonoic acid（6） was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of Colletotrichum sp.The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by detailed ^1 H NMR,^13C NMR,COSY,HMQC.HMBC spectroscopic analysis,and HR-E1-MS.Seimatoric acid（1）was also isolated from another taxonomical unidentified fungal strain 4295 in ourgroup.The structures of the known compounds were elucidated by their spectral data comparison to literature data.Preliminary studies showed that colletonoic acid（6） showed good antibacterial,antifungal,and antialgal activities.