Hernández LF^1,2, PM Bellés³, MA Bidegain^4,5, PD Postemsky⁴

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 198-208, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.198

Abstract Absence or underdevelopment of sunflower fruits come usually from failure in fertilization, stresses as well as physiological and morphological defects in the ovary. Thigmomorphogenesis has never been included as a possible cause. We have previously shown that a 2-3 day fertilization shift can occur between neighboring florets in the sunflower capitulum. It is proposed here that those ovaries with advanced fertilization can generate a significant radial and axial compressive stress on ovaries with delayed fertilization. This mechanical stimulus could be strong enough to trigger a thigmo response that affects further ovary development. In vivo tests… More >

Jianar A, JH Yuan, YF Yang

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 32-39, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.032

Abstract Ulmus macrocarpa Hance can form monodominant woodlands in the semiarid Keerqin sandy lands, China. Methods of sampling at meter intervals from the bases of trees at the woodland edges and isolated trees, respectively, were employed along vertical sections in different directions. Using statistical methods based on the density function of the Weibull distribution, the patterns of seed dispersal and the spatial expansion response of U. macrocarpa, which is a typical anemochorous plant, were analyzed. Although as an effect of the wind direction varying owing to the monsoon, there were differences in the degree of dispersal of seeds… More >

Lianggui Liu^1,*, Wei Li¹, Huiling Jia¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.57, No.1, pp. 97-106, 2018, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2018.03511

Abstract With the rapid development of mobile communication all over the world, the similarity of mobile phone communication data has received widely attention due to its advantage for the construction of smart cities. Mobile phone communication data can be regarded as a type of time series and dynamic time warping (DTW) and derivative dynamic time warping (DDTW) are usually used to analyze the similarity of these data. However, many traditional methods only calculate the distance between time series while neglecting the shape characteristics of time series. In this paper, a novel hybrid method based on the More >

Lihua Zhu^1,a, Liyan Zhu^2,a

European Cytokine Network, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 120-126, 2017, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2017.0400

Abstract Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting nearly 1% of adults worldwide. This study aimed to investigate whether sophocarpine is a potential drug for treating RA. Methods: The cytotoxicity of sophocarpine to RA-fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) was evaluated using 3-[4,-dimethylthiazol2-y]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays kit and released lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. The transcription of proinflammatory cytokines in RA-FLSs was analyzed by reverse transcription and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The proteins levels were further verified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The alterations in the mediators of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor B… More >

Enrico Mini^*, Ida Landini^*, Laura Lucarini^†, Andrea Lapucci^*, Cristina Napoli^‡, Gabriele Perrone^*, Renato Tassi^*, Emanuela Masini^†, Flavio Moroni^†, Stefania Nobili^‡

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1441-1451, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14926854178616

Abstract The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzymes play a key role in the regulation of cellular processes (e.g., DNA damage repair, genomic stability). It has been shown that PARP inhibitors (PARPIs) are selectively cytotoxic against cells having dysfunctions in genes involved in DNA repair mechanisms (synthetic lethality). Drug-induced PARP inhibition potentiates the activity of anticancer drugs such as 5-fluorouracil in enhancing DNA damage, whose repair involves PARP-1 activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of a novel PARPI, HYDAMTIQ, on growth in human tumor cell lines characterized by different features with regard… More >

Abdullah M. Alenizi^1,3, Kevin C. Zorn², Marc Bienz², Emad Rajih², Pierre Alain Hueber², Naif Al-Hathal¹, Serge Benayoun¹, Thierry Lebeau¹, Assaad El-Hakim¹

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.23, No.5, pp. 8451-8456, 2016

Abstract Introduction: To evaluate erectile function recovery following robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) according to preoperative sexual health inventory for men (SHIM) score stratification.
Materials and methods: We prospectively collected data on 250 consecutive patients who underwent RARP by a single surgeon between October 2006 and October 2012. Thirty-six patients were excluded because of lack of preoperative SHIM score. All patients had a minimum follow up of 2 years. Patients were divided into four groups according to their preoperative SHIM score: group 1 with normal potency (SHIM 22-25), group 2 with mild ED (SHIM 17-21), group 3 with mild-moderate… More >

Sheng Li, Zhengli Cui, Xianfeng Meng

Oncology Research, Vol.24, No.4, pp. 279-286, 2016, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14666990347554

Abstract Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) is reported to be involved in DNA repair and is now recognized as a key regulator in carcinogenesis. However, the potential role and the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of PARP-1 on osteosarcoma (OS) cells have not been elucidated. In this study, the results showed that knockdown of PARP-1 resulted in decreased cell proliferation, increased cell apoptosis, and G₀/G₁ phase arrest in U2OS cells. In addition, increased expression of active caspase 3 and Bax, but reduced Bcl-2, cyclin D1, and phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (pERK1/2) were observed in PARP-1 knockdown More >

Perissé P¹ y GM Tourn²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.84, No.1, pp. 184-189, 2015, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2015.84.184

Abstract The morphological characteristics of the seeds of Vicia dasycarpa Ten. cv. Tolse FCA were studied in relation to the area of imbibition water entry and were considered the presence of areoles. Seeds were analyzed using a stereo, optical and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The determination of the initial water entry area was carried out by immersing the seeds in a solution of tetrazolium (1%). This study showed that this species has seeds with a halo framing the hilum, an inconspicuous dry aril and a deltoid micropyle. The seedcoat pattern is papillose. The tracheid bar is surrounded More >

Rodríguez de León JI¹, MH Reyes-Valdés², DV Mendoza-Rodríguez³, F Ramírez-Godina², V Robledo-Torres², M Gómez-Martínez², G Hernández-Guzmán⁴

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.84, No.1, pp. 101-106, 2015, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2015.84.101

Abstract The cultivated husk tomato (Physalis ixocarpa) (2n = 2x = 24) is native from Mexico and Central America and shows a wide genetic variation. Presently, it is the fourth horticultural crop in cultivation surface in Mexico. The working team of this research previously developed an autotetraploid population by using colchicine. The objectives of the present work were to analyze the ploidy level and meiotic behavior of the subsequent generations (C3, C4, C5, C6) from the original (C2) composed only by plants with the duplicated genome from the Rendidora cultivar, and to determine pollen viability. As a… More >

Yun-Sok Ha^1,2, Dong Il Kang³, Jeong Hyun Kim⁴, Jae Young Joung⁵, Jihyeong Yu⁶, Jaspreet S. Parihar¹, Amirali Hassanzadeh Salmasi¹, Shigeo Horie⁷, Wun-Jae Kim⁸, Isaac Yi Kim¹

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.21, No.3, pp. 7290-7297, 2014

Abstract Introduction: Positive surgical margin (PSM) has classically been associated with biochemical recurrence (BCR) following radical prostatectomy (RP) and immediate adjuvant radiotherapy has been advocated based on two large randomized prospective clinical studies. However, a significant percentage of patients with PSM never experience BCR. This study evaluated factors potentially affecting risk of BCR among the patients with PSM after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).
Materials and methods: From a prospectively maintained database, 699 patients with localized prostate cancer who underwent a RARP without any adjuvant therapy were identified. Median follow up was 46.0 months. To determine the pathologic and… More >