Protocols and Video Articles Authored by Yong Wang (Translated to Swedish)

Immunoreactivity of the Phosphorylated Axonal Neurofilament H Subunit (pNF-H) in Blood of ALS Model Rodents and ALS Patients: Evaluation of Blood PNF-H As a Potential ALS Biomarker Journal of Neurochemistry. | Pubmed ID: 19765193 Levels of neurofilament subunits, potential biomarkers of motor axon breakdown, are increased in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient's CSF but data on blood are not available. We measured blood levels of the phosphorylated axonal form of neurofilament H (pNF-H) by ELISA in transgenic rodent models of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) ALS, and in 20 ALS patients and 20 similar aged controls monthly for 4 months. All symptomatic rodent ALS models showed robust levels of blood pNF-H, while control rodents or mice transgenic for unmutated SOD1 showed no detectable blood pNF-H. Average pNF-H levels in the G93A SOD1 mouse progressively increased from day 74 through death (day approximately 130). Median blood pNF-H level in ALS patients was 2.8-fold higher than controls (p < 0.001). Median ALSFRS-R declined a median of 0.8 pt/month (p < 0.001); higher baseline pNF-H level appeared to be associated with faster ALSFRS-R decline over 4 months (p = 0.087). The median rate of decline in ALSFRS-R was 1.9 pt/month in patients with baseline pNF-H levels above the median pNF-H value of 0.53 ng/mL; ALSFRS-R declined at a median of 0.6 pt/month in patients below this level. The pNF-H levels were relatively stable month to month in individual patients, raising questions regarding the molecular pathogenesis of ALS. Baseline control human pNF-H levels were higher in men than women and increased minimally over time. These data suggest that blood pNF-H can be used to monitor axonal degeneration in ALS model rodents and support further study of this protein as a potential biomarker of disease prognosis in ALS patients.

Insulin-producing Cells Are Bi-potential and Differentiatorsprior to Proliferation in Early Human Development World Journal of Diabetes. Apr, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21537461 To investigate the differentiation and migration of endocrine cells to form the pancreatic islets of Langer-hans in early human development.

The Directive of the Protein: How Does Cytochrome P450 Select the Mechanism of Dopamine Formation? Journal of the American Chemical Society. May, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21539368 Dopamine can be generated from tyramine via arene hydroxylation catalyzed by a cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP2D6). Our quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) results reveal the decisive impact of the protein in selecting the 'best' reaction mechanism. Instead of the traditional Meisenheimer-complex mechanism, the study reveals a mechanism involving an initial hydrogen atom transfer from the phenolic hydroxyl group of the tyramine to the iron-oxo of the compound I (Cpd I), followed by a ring-Ï€ radical rebound that eventually leads to dopamine by keto-enol rearrangement. This mechanism is not viable in the gas phase since the O-H bond activation by Cpd I is endothermic and the process does not form a stable intermediate. By contrast, the in-protein reaction has a low barrier and is exothermic. It is shown that the local electric field of the protein environment serves as a template that stabilizes the intermediate of the H-abstraction step and thereby mediates the catalysis of dopamine formation at a lower energy cost. Furthermore, it is shown that external electric fields can either catalyze or inhibit the process depending on their directionality.

Factors Affecting the Long-term Renal Allograft Survival Chinese Medical Journal. Apr, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21542992 In the past decades, the one-year graft survival of cadaveric renal allografts has been markedly improved, but their long-term survival has not kept pace. The attrition rate of renal allografts surviving after one year remains almost unchanged. The causes for late graft loss are multiple. The aim of this study was to analyze the predictive factors that impact long-term survival of grafts after kidney transplantation.

NOA: a Novel Network Ontology Analysis Method Nucleic Acids Research. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21543451 Gene ontology analysis has become a popular and important tool in bioinformatics study, and current ontology analyses are mainly conducted in individual gene or a gene list. However, recent molecular network analysis reveals that the same list of genes with different interactions may perform different functions. Therefore, it is necessary to consider molecular interactions to correctly and specifically annotate biological networks. Here, we propose a novel Network Ontology Analysis (NOA) method to perform gene ontology enrichment analysis on biological networks. Specifically, NOA first defines link ontology that assigns functions to interactions based on the known annotations of joint genes via optimizing two novel indexes 'Coverage' and 'Diversity'. Then, NOA generates two alternative reference sets to statistically rank the enriched functional terms for a given biological network. We compare NOA with traditional enrichment analysis methods in several biological networks, and find that: (i) NOA can capture the change of functions not only in dynamic transcription regulatory networks but also in rewiring protein interaction networks while the traditional methods cannot and (ii) NOA can find more relevant and specific functions than traditional methods in different types of static networks. Furthermore, a freely accessible web server for NOA has been developed at http://www.aporc.org/noa/.

Copper-catalyzed Intramolecular Dehydrogenative Aminooxygenation: Direct Access to Formyl-substituted Aromatic N-heterocycles Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English). Jun, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21544911

The Prevalence of Canine Leishmania Infantum Infection in Western China Detected by PCR and Serological Tests Parasites & Vectors. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21554677 Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is endemic in western China, resulting in important public health problem. It is essential to evaluate the prevalence of canine Leishmania infantum infection for designing control policy. In the present study we report for the first time prevalence of Leishmania infection in dogs living in Jiuzhaigou County (Sichuan Provence, China), which is not only an important endemic area of CanL but also a tourism scenic spot, detected by PCR, ELISA and dipstick test. The results could provide key information for designing control programs against canine and human leishmaniasis. In addition, the complete sequence of the Leishmania isolate from Sichuan Province has not been reported to date and we present the sequences of 116 base-pair (bp) fragment of the conserved region in the minicircle kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) and the results of phylogenetic analyses based on the sequence of the amplified fragment.

Mn(III) Meso-tetrakis-(N-ethylpyridinium-2-yl) Porphyrin Mitigates Total Body Irradiation-induced Long-term Bone Marrow Suppression Free Radical Biology & Medicine. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21565268 Our recent studies showed that total body irradiation (TBI) induces long-term bone marrow (BM) suppression in part by induction of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) senescence through reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we examined if Mn(III) meso-tetrakis-(N-ethylpyridinium-2-yl) porphyrin (MnTE), a superoxide dismutase mimetic and potent antioxidant, can mitigate TBI-induced long-term BM injury in a mouse model. Our results showed that post-TBI treatment with MnTE significantly inhibited the increases in ROS production and DNA damage in HSCs and the reduction in HSC frequency and clonogenic function induced by TBI. In fact, the clonogenic function of HSCs from irradiated mice after MnTE treatment was comparable to that of HSCs from normal controls on a per-HSC basis, suggesting that MnTE treatment inhibited the induction of HSC senescence by TBI. This suggestion is supported by the finding that MnTE treatment also reduced the expression of p16(Ink4a) (p16) mRNA in HSCs induced by TBI and improved the long-term and multilineage engraftment of irradiated HSCs after transplantation. Therefore, the results from this study demonstrate that MnTE has the potential to be used as a therapeutic agent to mitigate TBI-induced long-term BM suppression by inhibiting ionizing radiation-induced HSC senescence through the ROS-p16 pathway.

Reactive Oxygen Species and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Senescence International Journal of Hematology. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21567162 Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are responsible for sustaining hematopoietic homeostasis and regeneration after injury for the entire lifespan of an organism through self-renewal, proliferation, differentiation, and mobilization. Their functions can be affected by reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are produced endogenously through cellular metabolism or after exposure to exogenous stress. At physiological levels, ROS function as signal molecules which can regulate a variety of cellular functions, including HSC proliferation, differentiation, and mobilization. However, an abnormal increase in ROS production occurs under various pathological conditions, which can inhibit HSC self-renewal and induce HSC senescence, resulting in premature exhaustion of HSCs and hematopoietic dysfunction. This review aims to provide a summary of a number of recent findings regarding the cellular sources of ROS in HSCs and the mechanisms of action whereby ROS induce HSC senescence. In particular, we highlight the roles of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38)-p16(Ink4a) (p16) pathway in mediating ROS-induced HSC senescence.

A Study of Cycling Induced Degradation Mechanisms in Si Nanocrystal Memory Devices Nanotechnology. Jun, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21572215 The endurance of Si nanocrystal memory devices under Fowler-Nordheim program and erase (P/E) cycling is investigated. Both threshold voltage (V(th)) and subthreshold swing (SS) degradation are observed when using a high program or erase voltage. The change of SS is found to be proportional to the shift of V(th), indicating that the generation of interface traps plays a dominant role. The charge pumping and the mid-gap voltage methods have been used to analyze endurance degradation both qualitatively and quantitatively. It is concluded that high erase voltage causes severe threshold voltage degradation by generating more interface traps and trapped oxide charges.

A Formation Mechanism of Oxygen Vacancies in a MnO2 Monolayer: a DFT + U Study Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP. Jun, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21573308 Recently we reported the oxygen vacancy induced structural variations of the monolayer of manganese dioxide (MnO(2)) under the electronic irradiation. In this report, we further studied the formation mechanism of oxygen vacancies in a MnO(2) monolayer under the framework of density functional theory plus Hubbard model. The effect of injected electrons on the formation of oxygen vacancies has been investigated. It is believed that oxygen is most likely leaving in the form of neutral atoms or molecules. The origination of the role of negative charges has been particularly discussed.

[Diversity of Culturable Actinomycetes in Sea Deposit of Tiger Beach at Bohai Bay, Dalian, China] Wei Sheng Wu Xue Bao = Acta Microbiologica Sinica. Feb, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21574389 To study the diversity of culturable actinomycetes isolated from the sea deposit of Tiger beach at Bohai bay, Dalian, China.

Short-term Plasticity and Auditory Processing in the Ventral Cochlear Nucleus of Normal and Hearing-impaired Animals Hearing Research. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21586317 The dynamics of synaptic transmission between neurons plays a major role in neural information processing. In the cochlear nucleus, auditory nerve synapses have a relatively high release probability and show pronounced synaptic depression that, in conjunction with the variability of interspike intervals, shapes the information transmitted to the postsynaptic cells. Cellular mechanisms have been best analyzed at the endbulb synapses, revealing that the recent history of presynaptic activity plays a complex, non-linear, role in regulating release. Emerging evidence suggests that the dynamics of synaptic function differs according to the target neuron within the cochlear nucleus. One consequence of hearing loss is changes in evoked release at surviving auditory nerve synapses, and in some situations spontaneous release is greatly enhanced. In contrast, even with cochlear ablation, postsynaptic excitability is less affected. The existing evidence suggests that different modes of hearing loss can result in different dynamic patterns of synaptic transmission between the auditory nerve and postsynaptic neurons. These changes in dynamics in turn will affect the efficacy with which different kinds of information about the acoustic environment can be processed by the parallel pathways in the cochlear nucleus.

Steroidogenic Factor-1 is Required for TGF-beta3-mediated 17beta-estradiol Synthesis in Mouse Ovarian Granulosa Cells Endocrinology. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21586554 The TGF-Î² superfamily members are indicated to play key roles in ovarian follicular development, such as granulosa cell proliferation, estrogens, and progesterone production. However, little is known about the roles of TGF-Î²3 in follicular development. In this study, we found that TGF-Î²3 was predominantly expressed in granulosa cells of mouse ovarian follicles, and it significantly promoted 17Î²-estradiol (E(2)) release in a dose-dependent manner. The orphan nuclear receptor steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) was required in TGF-Î²3-induced Cyp19a1 (a key rate-limiting enzyme for estrogen biosynthesis) expression and E(2) release. Additionally, TGF-Î²3 enhanced the binding of SF-1 to endogenous ovary-specific Cyp19a1 type II promoter, as evidenced by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. The enhanced effect of SF-1 by TGF-Î²3 may be mediated through functional interactions between SF-1 and mothers against decapentaplegic homolog (Smad)3 (a mediator of TGF-Î² signaling pathway), because disruption of the interaction abolished the synergistic effects of SF-1, Smad3, and TGF-Î²3 on Cyp19a1 mRNA expression. RNA interference and chromatin immunoprecipitation studies also demonstrated that Smad3 was required for SF-1 binding to Cyp19a1 type II promoter and activation of Cyp19a1. Smad3 thus acts as a point of convergence that involves integration of SF-1 and TGF-Î² signaling in affecting E(2) production. Taken together, our data provide mechanistic insights into the roles of SF-1 in TGF-Î²3-mediated E(2) synthesis. Understanding of potential cross-points between extracellular signals affecting estrogen production will help to discover new therapeutic targets in estrogen-related diseases.

[Effect of Particulate Allogeneic Acellular Dermal Matrix (PADM) Combined with Autologous Split-thickness Skin (STS) on Wound Healing in Rats] Zhonghua Shao Shang Za Zhi = Zhonghua Shaoshang Zazhi = Chinese Journal of Burns. Feb, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21591334 To evaluate the effects of mixed grafting of allogeneic PADM and autologous STS on wound healing of full-thickness defect in rats.

Collagen Cross Linking Increases Its Biodegradation Resistance in Wet Dentin Bonding The Journal of Adhesive Dentistry. May, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21594232 Purpose: The biodegradation of exposed dentin collagen within the adhesive/dentin (a/d) interface is one of the main reasons for composite restoration failures and seriously affects the durability of dental restorations. In the present study, the objective was to investigate whether the inclusion of the cross-linking reagent (glutaraldehyde, GA) in the adhesive would increase collagen biodegradation resistance within the a/d interface. Materials and Methods: The model adhesive consisted of ~60 % monomers (HEMA/bis-GMA, 45/55 wt/wt) and ~ 40 % ethanol as a solvent. 5% GA was added to the above formulation. After the dentin surfaces were etched for 15 s with 35% phosphoric acid, rinsed with water and blotted dry, adhesives both with and without GA were applied and polymerized by visible light for 20 s. These a/d specimens were immersed in the biodegradation solution (prepared by adding 160 mg collagenase in 1 liter of TESCA buffer solution) for up to 30 days after proceeding with the sectioning/fracture to expose the a/d interfaces. The specimens were analyzed using SEM and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Results: SEM results indicated that for the adhesive without GA, there were many voids and a loss of collagen fibrils in the a/d interface after being challenged by the biodegradation solution. The Raman spectra collected from the interface showed that the amide I of collagen at 1667 cm-1 obviously decreased, indicating a removal of collagen fibrils during the degradation process. For the adhesive containing GA, the collagen fibrils within the interface did not degrade at all, which was also confirmed by the Raman results. Conclusion: The results corroborate the previous findings that by using the current adhesive system and wet bonding, the collagen fibrils in the a/d interface are largely unprotected and easily undergo biodegradation. Directly including cross-linking agents in the adhesive could protect collagen fibrils from degradation in situ within the a/d interface.

Surgical Treatment and Prognosis of Acetabular Fractures Associated with Ipsilateral Femoral Neck Fractures Orthopedics. May, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21598880 Combined ipsilateral acetabular and femoral neck fractures are the result of high-energy trauma. Satisfactory treatment for this injury pattern remains a challenge, since traditional open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is always accompanied by a high prevalence of posttraumatic arthritis and avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Eight of 502 acetabular fractures from 1990 to 2008 were diagnosed with combined ipsilateral femoral neck fracture, in which 5 patients' fractures were associated with hip dislocation. These patients were injured from falls, traffic accidents, or crushing accidents. Radiographs and computed tomography scans were taken to check acetabular and femoral neck fractures. All of the patients underwent surgery using appropriate approaches and techniques. Postoperative radiographs demonstrated anatomic or satisfactory reduction for acetabular fractures as well as excellent or good reduction for femoral neck fractures in all of the patients. Follow-up radiographs showed femoral head necrosis in the 5 patients with femoral head dislocations, but not in the other 3 patients. We have seen few patients with this injury pattern, which makes us unable to detect significant differences between the patients associated with femoral head dislocation and those without femoral head dislocation. But by considering the results of our study and those reported in the literature, we believe that for patients with ipsilateral acetabular and femoral neck fractures without hip dislocation, satisfactory results could be expected after ORIF. But for those cases associated with hip dislocation, alternative methods such as acute THR as primary treatment are worthy of consideration.

Colonization Pressure Adjusted by Degree of Environmental Contamination: a Better Indicator for Predicting Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Acquisition American Journal of Infection Control. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21600671 Colonization pressure has been confirmed as an important risk factor for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquisition among inpatients, but their precise relationship has not been well investigated. Because MRSA carriers can disperse MRSA into their immediate environment with different abilities, the relationship among colonization pressure, the degree of MRSA contamination in environment surrounding MRSA carriers, and MRSA transmission should be explored to facilitate efficient implementation of infection control measures.

Production of Feruloyl Esterase from Aspergillus Niger by Solid-State Fermentation on Different Carbon Sources Enzyme Research. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21603274 A mixture of wheat bran with maize bran as a carbon source and addition of (NH(4))SO(4) as nitrogen source was found to significantly increase production of feruloyl esterase (FAE) enzyme compared with wheat bran as a sole carbon and nitrogen source. The optimal conditions in conical flasks were carbon source (30â€‰g) to water 1â€‰:â€‰1, maize bran to wheat bran 1â€‰:â€‰2, (NH(4))SO(4) 1.2â€‰g and MgSO(4) 70â€‰mg. Under these conditions, FAE activity was 7.68â€‰mU/g. The FAE activity on the mixed carbon sources showed, high activity against the plant cell walls contained in the cultures.

Transcatheter Closure of Perimembranous Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD) with VSD Occluder: Early and Mid-term Results Heart and Vessels. May, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21618026 Results of perimembranous ventricular septal defects (pmVSD) transcatheter closure have been reported in the literature, mostly with the Amplatzer VSD device (muscular or eccentric) (AGA Medical Corp., Golden Valley, MN, USA). However, the data of percutaneous closure of pmVSD with VSD occluder (VSD-O) made in China are still limited. We sought to analyze the safety, efficacy, and follow-up results of percutaneous closure of pmVSD with VSD-O made in China. Seventy-eight patients underwent percutaneous closure of pmVSD at our institution between February 2005 and June 2007. A VSD device made in china (Huayishengjie Medical Corp., Beijing, China) was used in all subjects. The mean age at closure was 11Â years (range 2.5-44Â years). The attempt to place the device was successful in 74 patients (94.9%). The median device size used was 8Â mm (range 5-16Â mm). No deaths occurred. Total occlusion rate was 62.8% at completion of the procedure, rising to 87.2% at discharge and 99% during the follow-up. A total of eight early complications occurred (10.3%), but in all subjects these were transient. The median follow-up was 32Â months. The most significant complication was complete atrioventricular block (cAVB) in the early phase (five subjects, 6.4%) and during the follow-up (one subject, 1.3%), and there was no need for pacemaker implantation in six subjects. Logistic regression analysis showed that the only variable significantly associated with the occurrence of this complication was age at the time of the procedure (pÂ =Â 0.025; OR 0.22). All subjects experiencing this problem were

Folate-functionalized Unimolecular Micelles Based on a Degradable Amphiphilic Dendrimer-like Star Polymer for Cancer Cell-targeted Drug Delivery Biomacromolecules. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21619062 A folate-functionalized degradable amphiphilic dendrimer-like star polymer (FA-DLSP) with a well-defined poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) star polymer core and six hydrophilic polyester dendrons based on 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl) propionic acid was successfully synthesized to be used as a nanoscale carrier for cancer cell-targeted drug delivery. This FA-DLSP hybrid formed unimolecular micelles in the aqueous solution with a mean particle size of ca. 15 nm as determined by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. To study the feasibility of FA-DLSP micelles as a potential nanocarrier for targeted drug delivery, we encapsulated a hydrophobic anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX), in the hydrophobic core, and the loading content was determined by UV-vis analysis to be 4 wt %. The DOX-loaded FA-DLSP micelles demonstrated a sustained release of DOX due to the hydrophobic interaction between the polymer core and the drug molecules. The hydrolytic degradation in vitro was monitored by weight loss and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to gain insight into the degradation mechanism of the FA-DLSP micelles. It was found that the degradation was pH-dependent and started from the hydrophilic shell gradually to the hydrophobic core. Flow cytometry and confocal microscope studies revealed that the cellular binding of the FA-DLSP hybrid against human KB cells with overexpressed folate-receptors was about twice that of the neat DLSP (without FA). The in vitro cellular cytotoxicity indicated that the FA-DLSP micelles (without DOX) had good biocompatibility with KB cells, whereas DOX-loaded micelles exhibited a similar degree of cytotoxicity against KB cells as that of free DOX. These results clearly showed that the FA-DLSP unimolecular micelles could be a promising nanosize anticancer drug carrier with excellent targeting property.

Clinicopathologic Correlations Between Human Papillomavirus 16 Infection and Beclin 1 Expression in Human Cervical Cancer International Journal of Gynecological Pathology : Official Journal of the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21623196 Our earlier study showed that the autophagy gene Beclin 1 could affect cell proliferation in a cervical cancer HeLa cell line. In this study, we examined Beclin 1 protein expression in 81 specimens of cervical squamous carcinoma by immunohistochemistry. Meanwhile, we detected E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus 16 in these tissues by polymerase chain reaction. Beclin 1 expression significantly decreased in samples of malignant cervical cancer tissues than in those of normal or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia tissues. The expression of Beclin 1 was associated with pelvic lymph node metastasis and histological grade, but did not correlate with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, age, depth of cervical infiltration, tumor size, and gross type of cervical lesion. The expression of Beclin 1 was not obviously correlated with E6 and E7 genes statistically. Therefore, decreased expression of Beclin 1 may be related to tumorigenesis and the development of cervical cancer, but is not significantly relevant with human papillomavirus 16 infection.

Alterations of Emotion, Cognition and Firing Activity of the Basolateral Nucleus of the Amygdala After Partial Bilateral Lesions of the Nigrostriatal Pathway in Rats Brain Research Bulletin. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21624440 Although increasing evidence indicates that psychiatric symptoms are crucial characteristic of the early stage of Parkinson's disease (PD) and precede motor impairments, the neuronal firing activity of the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) in the psychiatric symptom of PD and the involved mechanism are still unclear. In the present study, we examined the changes in emotional and cognitive tests not focused on motor fluency and firing activity of projection neurons in the BLA rats with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) injected bilaterally into dorsal striatum, and the effects of apomorphine and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) on these changes. Injection of 6-OHDA (10.5 Î¼g) into the dorsal striatum produced 18-22% and 26-30% loss of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra pars compacta of rats, respectively. The striatal lesions induced anxiety-like responses in the rats but did not result in depressive-like behavior or cognitive impairments. In the lesioned rats, the firing rate of BLA projection neurons decreased significantly compared with sham-operated rats, and the firing pattern of BLA projection neurons was not changed. No significant differences were observed either in behaviors or firing activity of BLA projection neurons by further ibotenic acid lesions of the mPFC in the lesioned rats. Systemic administration of cumulative apomorphine (10-160 Î¼g/kg) inhibited the firing rate of BLA projection neurons in sham-operated, 6-OHDA-lesioned and combined 6-OHDA- and mPFC-lesioned rats, but the latter needed more apomorphine stimulation. These data suggest that the anxiety in early stage of PD is possibly related to the decrease in firing activity of BLA projection neurons, which may be regulated by the activation of dopamine receptor in the mPFC.

New Insight into the Antifibrotic Effects of Praziquantel on Mice in Infection with Schistosoma Japonicum PloS One. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21629648 Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease infecting more than 200 million people in the world. Although chemotherapy targeting on killing schistosomes is one of the main strategies in the disease control, there are few effective ways of dealing with liver fibrosis caused by the parasite infection in the chronic and advanced stages of schistosomiasis. For this reason, new strategies and prospective drugs, which exert antifibrotic effects, are urgently required.

Effects of the Removal of Cytoplasm on the Development of Early Cloned Bovine Embryos Animal Reproduction Science. Jun, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21632190 Oocyte cytoplasm plays a prominent role in cloned embryonic development. To investigate the influence of oocyte cytoplasmic amount on cloned embryo development, we generated bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos containing high (30-40% of the cytoplasm was removed), medium (15-25% of the cytoplasm was removed) and low (

An Easy Way to Apply Orthodontic Extraction for Impacted Lower Third Molar Compressing to the Inferior Alveolar Nerve Journal of Cranio-maxillo-facial Surgery : Official Publication of the European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Jun, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21641229 PURPOSE: To study the results of an easy orthodontic extraction method for impacted lower third molar removal which had roots compressing to the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty patients were divided into two groups according to their desire. Orthodontic traction group (n=20) had brackets or mini bone screws on the antagonist maxillary molars as anchorage for orthodontic traction from 3 to 10 weeks until the roots' tip was away from the IAN, the tooth was then removed. Traditional extraction group (n=20) had the tooth removed immediately by the same surgeon. Post-operative results were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: All 20 patients in the orthodontic extraction group had their lower impacted third molar removed easily without lower lip numbness after surgery, while 5 patients in the traditional extraction group had transient IAN injury and went away 1 week later. There were no anchorage teeth and adjacent mandibular second molar loose or displacement. CONCLUSION: Application of orthodontic brackets or mini bone screws on the antagonist maxillary molars is an easy way for orthodontic extraction of impacted lower third molar with roots' tip compressed to the IAN. It is an effective way to avoid IAN injury during tooth extraction.

Effects of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Its Treatment on Cardiovascular Risk in CAD Patients Respiratory Medicine. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21646006 This study, in optimally treated CAD patients with newly diagnosed OSA, focused on (1) The relationships between OSA and serum biomarkers of four potential pathways of cardiovascular injury in OSA: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), endothelin-1 (ET-1), N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and fibrinogen; and (2) The effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on these markers. 151 Chinese patients with proven CAD and standard medication were enrolled. After polysomnography, patients were classified into four groups according to apnea-hypopnea index (AHI): no OSA (nÂ =Â 25); mild OSA (nÂ =Â 50); moderate OSA (nÂ =Â 43); severe OSA (nÂ =Â 33). Morning levels of hs-CRP, ET-1, NT-proBNP and fibrinogen were assayed and repeated in severe OSA patients after 3-months CPAP treatment. Hs-CRP was greater in patients with severe OSA than those with no OSA or mild OSA (PÂ =Â 0.001, PÂ =Â 0.003; respectively). After adjustment for confounders, the hs-CRP levels correlated most strongly with AHI and oxygen desturation index (ODI) (rÂ =Â 0.439, PÂ

Differential Expression of the Wnt/Î²-catenin Pathway in the Genital Tubercle (GT) of Fetal Male Rat Following Maternal Exposure to Di-n-butyl Phthalate (DBP) Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21657945 Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is one of the most abundantly produced endocrine disruptors that leaches out from polyvinyl chloride plastics and can cause hypospadias in male rats during maternal exposure. The objective of this study was to first explore the roles of Wnt/Î²-catenin pathway in the fetal rat genital tubercle (GT) following in-utero exposure to DBP. Timed-pregnant rats were given DBP by gastric intubation at a dose of 750â€‰mg/kg body weight (bw)/day from gestation day (GD) 14 to GD18 to establish a rat model of hypospadias. On GD19, genital tubercle down-regulation of Î²-catenin, Phospho-GSK-3Î², and up-regulation of GSK-3Î² (glycogen synthase kinase-3Î²), NFÎºB in fetal male rats was observed by western blot analysis. Î²-catenin was located in the urethral plate epithelium (UPE). Immunochemistry showed that the relative expression of Î²-catenin decreased in the DBP-treated fetal rat GT compared to the normal control. These findings, for the first time, indicate that DBP may affect the development of GT by down-regulating the Wnt/Î²-catenin pathway in fetal male rats.

Antioxidant Treatment with Quercetin Ameliorates Erectile Dysfunction in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rats Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21664865 Oxidative stress is demonstrated to be involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of erectile dysfunction (ED). Quercetin, a potent bioflavonoid, has been reported to have the antioxidant role. In the present study, we examined the effect of quercetin on ED and oxidative stress in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats with a single intravenous injection of STZ. The diabetic rats were then randomized to diabetic group and quercetin therapy groups which were treated with quercetin at different doses of 5, 20 and 50mg/kg per day respectively. At the end of the 8th week, erectile function was assessed by measuring the rise in intracavernous pressure (ICP) following cavernous nerve electrostimulation. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, thiobarbituric acid-reacting substance (TBARS) and nitrite and nitrate (NOx) levels were measured in cavernosum tissue. Endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) expression was determined using Western blot method. ICP in diabetic rats was significantly decreased than that in controls. After treatment with quercetin at the doses of 20 and 50mg/kg, ICP was significantly increased compared to that in untreated diabetic rats. Decreased levels of SOD activity, NOx and eNOS expression, as well as elevated levels of TBARS were found in diabetic group compared with control group. Treatment with 20 and 50mg/kg quercetin improved SOD activity, NOx and TBARS levels in corpus cavernosum of diabetic rats. Decreased expression of eNOS in diabetic rats was only ameliorated by 50mg/kg quercetin treatment. Quercetin could ameliorate ED in diabetic rats by inhibiting oxidative stress.

A Survey of the Cellular Responses in Pseudomonas Putida KT2440 Growing in Sterilized Soil by Microarray Analysis FEMS Microbiology Ecology. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21671961 Genome-wide scanning of gene expression by microarray techniques was successfully performed on RNA extracted from sterilized soil inoculated with Pseudomonas putida KT2440/pSL1, which contains a chloroaromatic degrading plasmid, in the presence or absence of 3-chlorobenzoic acid (3CB). The genes showing significant changes in their expression in both the triplicate-microarray analysis using amplified RNA and the single-microarray analysis using unamplified RNA were investigated. Pathway analysis revealed that the benzoate degradation pathway underwent the most significant changes following treatment with 3CB. Analysis based on categorization of differentially expressed genes against 3CB revealed new findings about the cellular responses of the bacteria to 3CB. Genes specifically involved in the transport of 3CB were upregulated, including a K(+)/H(+) antiporter complex, a universal stress protein, two cytochrome P450 proteins and an efflux transporter. The downregulated expression of several genes involved in carbon metabolism and the genes belonging to a prophage in the presence of 3CB was observed. This study demonstrated the applicability of the method of soil RNA extraction for microarray analysis of gene expression in bacteria growing in sterilized soil.

Synthesis of Quinazolin-4(3H)-ones Via Pd(II)-catalyzed Intramolecular C(sp2)-H Carboxamidation of N-arylamidines The Journal of Organic Chemistry. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21675775 An efficient synthesis of quinazolin-4(3H)-ones from N-arylamidines, through palladium-catalyzed intramolecular C(sp(2))-H carboxamidation, has been developed. The reaction, carried out in the presence of 1.0 equiv of CuO as oxidant under atmospheric pressure of CO, provides diversified 2-aryl(alkyl)quinazolin-4(3H)-ones in reasonable to good yields from N-arylamidines, which are readily derived from anilines and nitriles. Compared with existing approaches to quinazolin-4(3H)-ones, the current strategy features atom-economy and step-efficiency.

Bariatric Surgery Reduces Visceral Adipose Inflammation and Improves Endothelial Function in Type 2 Diabetic Mice Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21680898 Bariatric surgery is emerging as an effective method to alleviate a multitude of medical conditions associated with morbid obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, little is known about the effects and mechanisms of bariatric surgery on visceral fat inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetes. We hypothesize that bariatric surgery ameliorates interferon-Î³-mediated adipose tissue inflammation/oxidative stress and improves endothelial function in type 2 diabetic mice.

Direct Conversion of Bio-ethanol to Isobutene on Nanosized Zn(x)Zr(y)O(z) Mixed Oxides with Balanced Acid-base Sites Journal of the American Chemical Society. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21682296 We report the design and synthesis of nanosized Zn(x)Zr(y)O(z) mixed oxides for direct and high-yield conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene (~83%). ZnO is addded to ZrO(2) to selectively passivate zirconia's strong Lewis acidic sites and weaken BrÃ¶nsted acidic sites, while simultaneously introducing basicity. As a result, the undesired reactions of bio-ethanol dehydration and acetone polymerization/coking are suppressed. Instead, a surface basic site-catalyzed ethanol dehydrogenation to acetaldehyde, acetaldehyde to acetone conversion via a complex pathway including aldol-condensation/dehydrogenation, and a BrÃ¶nsted acidic site-catalyzed acetone-to-isobutene reaction pathway dominates on the nanosized Zn(x)Zr(y)O(z) mixed oxide catalyst, leading to a highly selective process for direct conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene.

Affinity Hydrogels for Controlled Protein Release Using Nucleic Acid Aptamers and Complementary Oligonucleotides Biomaterials. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21684002 Biomaterials for the precise control of protein release are important to the development of new strategies for treating human diseases. This study aimed to fundamentally understand aptamer--protein dissociation triggered by complementary oligonucleotides, and to apply this understanding to develop affinity hydrogels for controlled protein release. The results showed that the oligonucleotide tails of the aptamers played a critical role in inducing intermolecular hybridization and triggering aptamer--protein dissociation. In addition, the attachment of the oligonucleotide tails to the aptamers and the increase of hybridizing length could produce a synergistic effect on the dissociation of bound proteins from their aptamers. More importantly, pegylated complementary oligonucleotides could successfully trigger protein release from the aptamer-functionalized hydrogels at multiple time points. Based on these results, it is believed that aptamer-functionalized hydrogels and complementary oligonucleotides hold great potential of controlling the release of protein drugs to treat human diseases.

Surface-mediated Four-wave Mixing of Nanostructures with Counterpropagating Surface Plasmon Polaritons Optics Letters. Jun, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21686016 We demonstrate that four-wave mixing (FWM) signals from individual Si nanoparticles can be generated by the surface fields of traveling surface plasmon polariton modes. We have chosen a counterpropagating excitation scheme in which the nanoparticle is exposed only to surface excitation fields and not to direct laser illumination. We show that background-free, surface-mediated FWM of nanoparticles can be acquired, and that the resulting nonlinear radiation is coherent.

Selective Hydrogenation of Trans,trans-muconic Acid to Adipic Acid over a Titania-supported Rhenium Catalyst ChemSusChem. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21688400

[Comparative Study of Intertrochanteric Fractures Treated with Proximal Femur Locking Compress Plate in Aged] Zhongguo Gu Shang = China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. May, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21688530 To compare the clinic outcomes of dynamic hip screw (DHS), intramedullary fixation (IF) and proximal femur locking plate (PF-LCP) in the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures in the elderly patients.

Computational Systems Biology: Integration of Sequence, Structure, Network, and Dynamics BMC Systems Biology. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21689468 A report of the 4nd International Conference on Computational Systems Biology, 9-11 September 2010, Suzhou, China.

Support Vector Machine Prediction of Enzyme Function with Conjoint Triad Feature and Hierarchical Context BMC Systems Biology. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21689481 Enzymes are known as the largest class of proteins and their functions are usually annotated by the Enzyme Commission (EC), which uses a hierarchy structure, i.e., four numbers separated by periods, to classify the function of enzymes. Automatically categorizing enzyme into the EC hierarchy is crucial to understand its specific molecular mechanism.

Spectral Clustering on Multiple Manifolds IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks / a Publication of the IEEE Neural Networks Council. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21690009 Spectral clustering (SC) is a large family of grouping methods that partition data using eigenvectors of an affinity matrix derived from the data. Though SC methods have been successfully applied to a large number of challenging clustering scenarios, it is noteworthy that they will fail when there are significant intersections among different clusters. In this paper, based on the analysis that SC methods are able to work well when the affinity values of the points belonging to different clusters are relatively low, we propose a new method, called spectral multi-manifold clustering (SMMC), which is able to handle intersections. In our model, the data are assumed to lie on or close to multiple smooth low-dimensional manifolds, where some data manifolds are separated but some are intersecting. Then, local geometric information of the sampled data is incorporated to construct a suitable affinity matrix. Finally, spectral method is applied to this affinity matrix to group the data. Extensive experiments on synthetic as well as real datasets demonstrate the promising performance of SMMC.

Nematocidal Flavone-C-glycosides Against the Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne Incognita) from Arisaema Erubescens Tubers Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21694672 A screening of several Chinese medicinal herbs for nematicidal properties showed that Arisaema erubescens (Wall.) Schott tubers possessed significant nematicidal activity against the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita). From the ethanol extract, two nematicidal flavone-C-glycosides were isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation. The compounds were identified as schaftoside and isoschaftoside on the basis of their phytochemical and spectral data. Schaftoside and isoschaftoside possessed strong nematicidal activity against M. incognita (LC(50) = 114.66 Î¼g/mL and 323.09 Î¼g/mL, respectively) while the crude extract of A. erubescens exhibited nematicidal activity against the root-knot nematode with a LC(50) value of 258.11 Î¼g/mL.

Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization on Plant Extended Chromatin DNA Fibers for Single-copy and Repetitive DNA Sequences Plant Cell Reports. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21695528 The compactness of plant chromosomes and the structure of the plant cell wall and cytoplasm provide a great obstacle to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for single-copy or low-copy DNA sequences. Consequently, many new methods for improving spatial resolution via chromosomal stretching have been employed to overcome this technical challenge. In this article, a technique for extracting cell-wall free nuclei at mitotic interphase, then using these nuclei to prepare extended DNA fibers (EDFs) by the method of a receding interface, whereby slide-mounted chromatin produces EDFs in concert with gravity-assisted buffer flow, was adopted as a result of the low frequency of EDF damage produced by this procedure. To examine the quality of these EDFs, we used single-copy gene encoding S-locus receptor kinase and multi-copy 5S rDNA (ribosomal DNA) as probes. The resulting EDFs proved suitable for high-resolution FISH mapping for repetitive DNA sequences, and the localization of a single-copy locus.

Does the Aminopeptidase a Have Prognostic and Diagnostic Value in Chagas Disease and Other Dilated Cardiomyopathies? Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21697726 Chagas disease (CD), which is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a major cause of heart failure in Latin America. We investigated if plasma activity of one of the enzymes being part of the renin-angiotensin system, aminopeptidase A (APA), has diagnostic and prognostic potency in patients with CD and dilated cardiomyopathies (DCMs) due to other causes. Blood samples were taken from 94 patients with CD, 46 patients with DCM, and 34 healthy control subjects. Plasma APA activity was determined by fluorometry assays. The average follow-up time was 39 months; by the end of study, 33 patients had died and another 13 received heart transplant. There was no significant alteration in plasma APA activity in the patients with CD or DCM, as compared with that in controls. The Pearson correlation of echocardiographic data with plasma APA activity in patients with CD and DCM did not reveal any significant correlation with left-ventricular ejection fraction or other echocardiographic parameters. APA activity was unable to predict mortality or the need for heart transplant. Detection of APA activity in plasma may not prove suitable for prognosis in patients with heart failure and is unable to screen or diagnose asymptomatic patients with CD for early therapy.

Coherent Magnetic Semiconductor Nanodot Arrays Nanoscale Research Letters. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21711627 ABSTRACT: In searching appropriate candidates of magnetic semiconductors compatible with mainstream Si technology for future spintronic devices, extensive attention has been focused on Mn-doped Ge magnetic semiconductors. Up to now, lack of reliable methods to obtain high-quality MnGe nanostructures with a desired shape and a good controllability has been a barrier to make these materials practically applicable for spintronic devices. Here, we report, for the first time, an innovative growth approach to produce self-assembled and coherent magnetic MnGe nanodot arrays with an excellent reproducibility. Magnetotransport experiments reveal that the nanodot arrays possess giant magneto-resistance associated with geometrical effects. The discovery of the MnGe nanodot arrays paves the way towards next-generation high-density magnetic memories and spintronic devices with low-power dissipation.

Preparation of Cyclodextrin Chiral Stationary Phases by Organic Soluble Catalytic 'click' Chemistry Nature Protocols. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21720308 We describe an effective and simple protocol that uses click chemistry to attach native Î²-cyclodextrin (Î²-CD) to silica particles, resulting in a chiral stationary phase (CCNCSP) that can be used for the enantioseparation of chiral drugs by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Starting from Î²-CD, the CCNCSP is prepared in several steps: (i) reaction of Î²-CD with 1-(p-toluenesulfonyl)-imidazole to afford mono-6-toluenesulfonyl-Î²-CD; (ii) azidolysis of mono-6-toluenesulfonyl-Î²-CD in dimethylformamide to give mono-6-azido-Î²-CD (N(3)-CD); (iii) reaction of cuprous iodide with triphenylphosphine to form an organic soluble catalyst CuI(PPh(3)); (iv) preparation of alkynyl-modified silica particles; and (v) click chemistry immobilization of N(3)-CD onto alkynyl-modified silica to afford the desired chiral stationary phase. Synthesis of the stationary phase and column packing takes âˆ¼1 week.

Cyclin T2: a Novel MiR-15a Target Gene Involved in Early Spermatogenesis FEBS Letters. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21740905 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are posttranscriptional modulators of gene expression that play important roles in various biological processes. Spermatogenesis is a highly regulated process in which diploid spermatogonia eventually differentiate into haploid spermatozoa. In this study, we identified four differentially expressed miRNAs between two premeiotic male germ cells, made predictions about their putative targets, and confirmed cyclin T2 (Ccnt2) as a direct target of miR-15a. We also report that miR-15a inhibited muscle differentiation at least in part by targeting Ccnt2, which represents a novel interaction. Subsequently, miR-15a and Ccnt2 were profiled in developing mice testes to observe their inverse correlations in the postnatal 3-week period to understand their roles in spermatogenesis.

Genome Sequence of Mycoplasma Ovipneumoniae Strain SC01 Journal of Bacteriology. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21742877 Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is associated with chronic nonprogressive pneumonia in both sheep and goats. Studies concerning its molecular pathogenesis, genetic analysis, and vaccine development have been hindered due to limited genomic information. Here, we announce the first complete genome sequence of this organism.

Remote Multi-color Excitation Using Femtosecond Propagating Surface Plasmon Polaritons in Gold Films Optics Express. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21747501 We demonstrate dual-color nonlinear excitation of quantum dots positioned onto a gold film at distances up to 40 Î¼m away from a micrometer sized focused laser spot. We attribute the observed remote nonlinear signal to the excitation of two independent surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes excited at the laser spot in the gold film, which subsequently propagate in a collinear fashion to a distant site and provide the surface field required for nonlinear excitation of the target. This scheme decouples the illuminating photon flux from surface plasmon mediated nonlinear excitation of the target, which provides more control of unwanted heating effects at the target site and represents an attractive approach for surface-mediated femtosecond nonlinear examinations of molecules.

3,3'-Dinitro-4,4'-bipyridine Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online. May, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21754493 In the title compound, C(10)H(6)N(4)O(4), the pyridine rings are oriented at a dihedral angle of 67.8â€…(1)Â°. The O-atom pairs are trans, each displaced by a similar distance [average = 0.2331â€…(2)â€…Ã…] out of the attached pyridine ring plane. In the crystal, inter-molecular C-Hâ‹¯O and C-Hâ‹¯N inter-actions link the mol-ecules into a three-dimensional network.

Oxidative DNA Damage Induced by a Copper(II)-1,10-phenanthroline-L-serine Complex in the Presence of Rutin Chemistry & Biodiversity. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21766454 The capacity of the ternary complex copper(II)-1,10-phenanthroline-L-serine ([Cu-Phen-Ser]) to induce double-strand scission of DNA was explored by agarose-gel electrophoresis. It was found that the complex exhibited remarkable activity to damage DNA in the presence of rutin. Analysis of the UV and fluorescence spectra clearly demonstrated that the complex was bound to DNA by intercalation. Further, the occurrence of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage, after the treatment of DNA by the complex in presence of rutin was evidenced by an electrochemical method. Finally, the mechanism of oxidative damage to double-stranded DNA by the [Cu-Phen-Ser] complex in the presence of rutin was discussed.

Proteomic Study on Sodium Selenite-induced Apoptosis of Human Cervical Cancer HeLa Cells Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology : Organ of the Society for Minerals and Trace Elements (GMS). Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21767938 Sodium selenite can induce the apoptosis of cancer cells, however its mechanism has seldom been studied via proteomics. In this paper, human cervical cancer HeLa cells were investigated by MTT assay and morphological observation to get appropriate selenite concentrations for proteomic study. Results showed that selenite at concentrations larger than 10 Î¼mol/L significantly inhibited the viability of HeLa cells. 40 Î¼mol/L selenite was in the appropriate range for proteomic study. After 24 h treatment with 40 Î¼mol/L selenite, total proteins were extracted from the cells and applied to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE). Those proteins with their expression levels altered at least 2-fold comparing to the control were picked up for protein identification via MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and further confirmed by Western blot analysis. About 1000 spots were detected by the software in each 2DE gel, among which 13 differentially expressed proteins were identified by mass spectrometry and most of them are relevant to oxidative stress, such as peroxiredoxins, superoxide dismutase, quinolinate phosphoribosyl transferase, and D-dopachrome tautomerase. Meanwhile, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential were also detected by flow cytometry and laser confocal scanning microscope. An increase in ROS generation and a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential were detected in the selenite-treated cells compared with the control, which are consistent with the down-expression of antioxidative proteins in proteomics. Those results indicate that selenite induces the apoptosis of HeLa cells via ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway. The present study also implies the potentiality of selenium in cervical cancer treatment.

Effects of Chronic, Systemic Treatment with the Dopamine Receptor Agonist R-apomorphine in Partially Lesioned Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease: an Electrophysiological Study of Substantia Nigra Dopamine Neurons The Chinese Journal of Physiology. Apr, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21789890 Previous studies have suggested that R-apomorphine (R-APO), a non-selective dopamine (DA) receptor agonist, has neuroprotective effects in the experimental models of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we investigated the effects of chronic, systemic treatment with R-APO in the firing activity of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) DA neurons in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) partially lesioned rats. In the 6-OHDA-lesioned rats treated with vehicle, injection of 6-OHDA (20.1 microg) into the striatum produced a partial lesion causing 41% loss of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-ir) neurons in the SNc. In the partially lesioned rats, chronic, systemic treatment of R-APO (10 mg/kg/day, s.c., 11 days) attenuated loss of TH-ir neurons in the SNc. The partial lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway and R-APO treatment did not change the firing rate and firing pattern of DA neurons in the SNc of rats. In contrast, the R-APO treatment increased the number of spontaneously active DA neurons of the SNc in the partially lesioned rats, while the lesion decreased the number of spontaneously active DA neurons. In addition, the chronic R-APO treatment decreased the responsiveness of the DA neurons to intravenously administrated R-APO in the partially lesioned rats. These results indicate that chronic, systemic R-APO treatment has the neuroprotective effect, and reverses the decrease in the number of spontaneously active DA neurons in the SNc whereas the treatment induces a reduction in the sensitivity of DA receptors in the SNc to R-APO stimulation in this model.

Cardioprotective Effect of Liposomal Prostaglandin E1 on a Porcine Model of Myocardial Infarction Reperfusion No-reflow Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21796804 To evaluate whether liposomal prostaglandin E1 (lipo-PGE1) can decrease reperfusion no-reflow in a catheter-based porcine model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Rigorous Assessment and Integration of the Sequence and Structure Based Features to Predict Hot Spots BMC Bioinformatics. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21798070 Systematic mutagenesis studies have shown that only a few interface residues termed hot spots contribute significantly to the binding free energy of protein-protein interactions. Therefore, hot spots prediction becomes increasingly important for well understanding the essence of proteins interactions and helping narrow down the search space for drug design. Currently many computational methods have been developed by proposing different features. However comparative assessment of these features and furthermore effective and accurate methods are still in pressing need.

Comparative MRNA and MicroRNA Expression Profiling of Three Genitourinary Cancers Reveals Common Hallmarks and Cancer-specific Molecular Events PloS One. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21799901 Genome-wide gene expression profile using deep sequencing technologies can drive the discovery of cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Such efforts are often limited to profiling the expression signature of either mRNA or microRNA (miRNA) in a single type of cancer.

Mapping a Region of Hepatitis C Virus E2 That is Responsible for Escape from Neutralizing Antibodies and a Core CD81-binding Region That Does Not Tolerate Neutralization Escape Mutations Journal of Virology. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21813602 Understanding the interaction between broadly neutralizing antibodies and their epitopes provides a basis for the rational design of a preventive hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine. CBH-2, HC-11, and HC-1 are representatives of antibodies to overlapping epitopes on E2 that mediate neutralization by blocking virus binding to CD81. To obtain insights into escape mechanisms, infectious cell culture virus, 2a HCVcc, was propagated under increasing concentrations of a neutralizing antibody to isolate escape mutants. Three escape patterns were observed with these antibodies. First, CBH-2 escape mutants that contained mutations at D431G or A439E, which did not compromise viral fitness, were isolated. Second, under the selective pressure of HC-11, escape mutations progressed from a single L438F substitution at a low antibody concentration to double substitutions, L438F and N434D or L438F and T435A, at higher antibody concentrations. Escape from HC-11 was associated with a loss of viral fitness. An HCV pseudoparticle (HCVpp) containing the L438F mutation bound to CD81 half as efficiently as did wild-type (wt) HCVpp. Third, for HC-1, the antibody at a critical concentration completely suppressed viral replication and generated no escape mutants. Epitope mapping revealed contact residues for CBH-2 and HC-11 in two regions of the E2 glycoprotein, amino acids (aa) 425 to 443 and aa 529 to 535. Interestingly, contact residues for HC-1 were identified only in the region encompassing aa 529 to 535 and not in aa 425 to 443. Taken together, these findings point to a region of variability, aa 425 to 443, that is responsible primarily for viral escape from neutralization, with or without compromising viral fitness. Moreover, the region aa 529 to 535 is a core CD81 binding region that does not tolerate neutralization escape mutations.

Palladium-catalyzed Intramolecular C(sp2)-H Amidination by Isonitrile Insertion Provides Direct Access to 4-aminoquinazolines from N-arylamidines Organic Letters. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21819077 An efficient method for the synthesis of 4-amino-2-aryl(alkyl)quinazolines from readily available N-arylamidines and isonitriles via palladium-catalyzed intramolecular aryl C-H amidination by isonitrile insertion has been developed.

Frequent Mutations of Chromatin Remodeling Genes in Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder Nature Genetics. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21822268 Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is the most common type of bladder cancer. Here we sequenced the exomes of nine individuals with TCC and screened all the somatically mutated genes in a prevalence set of 88 additional individuals with TCC with different tumor stages and grades. In our study, we discovered a variety of genes previously unknown to be mutated in TCC. Notably, we identified genetic aberrations of the chromatin remodeling genes (UTX, MLL-MLL3, CREBBP-EP300, NCOR1, ARID1A and CHD6) in 59% of our 97 subjects with TCC. Of these genes, we showed UTX to be altered substantially more frequently in tumors of low stages and grades, highlighting its potential role in the classification and diagnosis of bladder cancer. Our results provide an overview of the genetic basis of TCC and suggest that aberration of chromatin regulation might be a hallmark of bladder cancer.

Specifically Colorimetric Recognition of Calcium, Strontium, and Barium Ions Using 2-mercaptosuccinic Acid-functionalized Gold Nanoparticles and Its Use in Reliable Detection of Calcium Ion in Water The Analyst. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21829822 A colorimetric probe based on 2-mercaptosuccinic acid-functionalized gold nanoparticles has been developed to exhibit selectivity towards Ca(2+), Sr(2+), and Ba(2+) ions over other metallic cations under specified conditions and finds its practical application in detecting Ca(2+) levels in water.

Diaqua-bis-(4-carb-oxy-2-ethyl-1H-imidazole-5-carboxyl-ato-ÎºN,O)manganese(II) N,N-dimethyl-formamide Disolvate Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21836838 In the title compound, [Mn(C(7)H(7)N(2)O(4))(2)(H(2)O)(2)]Â·2C(3)H(7)NO, the central Mn(II) ion, located on an inversion center, is hexa-coordinated by four O atoms from two water mol-ecules and two carboxyl-ate groups, and two N atoms from two 4-carb-oxy-2-ethyl-1H-imidazole-5-carboxyl-ate anions in a slightly distorted octa-hedral environment. The complex mol-ecules and solvent mol-ecules are connected via N-Hâ‹¯O and O-Hâ‹¯O hydrogen bonds into a two-dimensional polymeric structure parallel to (001).

Diaqua-bis-(4-carb-oxy-2-ethyl-1H-imidazole-5-carboxyl-ato-ÎºN,O)cadmium Dihydrate Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21836881 The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Cd(C(7)H(7)N(2)O(4))(2)(H(2)O)(2)]Â·2H(2)O, consists of one Cd(II) ion, one 4-carb-oxy-2-ethyl-1H-imidazole-5-carboxyl-ate anion, one coordinated water mol-ecule and one lattice water mol-ecule. The Cd(II) ion lies on a twofold axis, and is hexa-coordinated by four O atoms from water mol-ecules and carboxyl-ate groups and two N atoms from two imidazole rings, in a distorted octa-hedral arrangement. An extensive framework of N-Hâ‹¯O and O-Hâ‹¯O hydrogen bonds with the participation of coordinated and free water mol-ecules is found in the crystal structure, which contributes to the formation of a three-dimensional structure.

Laparoscopically Assisted Anorectal Pull-through for High Imperforate Anus in Infants: Intermediate Results Journal of Pediatric Surgery. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21843727 The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and postoperative anal function in infants with congenital high imperforate anus treated with laparoscopically assisted anorectal pull-through (LAARP).

Predictive Value of D-dimer Test for Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism at Hospital Discharge in Patients with Acute Pulmonary Embolism Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21847593 D-dimer can be used to exclude acute pulmonary embolism (PE) for its high negative predictive value (NPV). Also, it is a predictor of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) after anticoagulation withdrawal. The aim of the present study was to assess the predictive value of D-dimer for recurrent VTE when tested at hospital discharge. Plasma D-dimer levels were repeatedly measured at hospital discharge in 204 consecutive patients with the first episode of acute pulmonary embolism. Patients were categorized to two groups by D-dimer levels at hospital discharge and followed up at 3, 6, and 12Â months and yearly thereafter. The primary end point was symptomatic, recurrent fatal or nonfatal VTE. D-dimer levels were persistently abnormal in 66 patients (32%). After 31Â±19Â months follow-up, patients with persistently abnormal D-dimer level levels showed a higher rate of of recurrent VTE (14 patients, 21%) compared to those with D-dimer regression (8 patients, 6%) (PÂ =Â 0.001). At the multivariate analysis, after adjustment for other relevant factors, persistently abnormal D-dimer level levels were an independent predictor of recurrent VTE in all subjects investigated, (hazard ratio, 4.10; 95% CI, 1.61-10.39; PÂ =Â 0.003), especially in those with unprovoked PE (hazard ratio, 4.61; 95% CI, 1.85-11.49; PÂ =Â 0.001). The negative predictive value of D-dimer was 94.2 and 92.9% in all subjects or those with unprovoked PE, respectively. Persistently abnormal D-dimer level levels at hospital discharge have a high negative predictive value for recurrence in patients with acute pulmonary embolism, especially in subjects with an unprovoked previous event.

Dual Microfluidic Perifusion Networks for Concurrent Islet Perifusion and Optical Imaging Biomedical Microdevices. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21850483 This study explores a new class of duplex microfluidic device which utilizes a dual perifusion network to simultaneously perform live-cell optical imaging of physiological activities and study insulin release kinetics on two islet populations. This device also incorporates on-chip staggered herringbone mixers (SHMs) to increase mixing efficiency and facilitate the generation of user-defined chemical gradients. Mouse islets are used to simultaneously measure dynamic insulin release, changes in mitochondrial potentials, and calcium influx in response to insulin secretagogues (glucose and tolbutamide), and show a high signal-to-noise ratio and spatiotemporal resolution of all measured parameters for both perifusion chambers. This system has many potential applications for studying Î²-cell physiology and pathophysiology, as well as for therapeutic drug screening. This dual perifusion device is not limited to islet studies and could easily be applied to other tissues and cells without major modifications.

Graphene Flash Memory ACS Nano. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21854056 Graphene's single atomic layer of sp(2) carbon has recently garnered much attention for its potential use in electronic applications. Here, we report a memory application for graphene, which we call graphene flash memory (GFM). GFM has the potential to exceed the performance of current flash memory technology by utilizing the intrinsic properties of graphene, such as high density of states, high work function, and low dimensionality. To this end, we have grown large-area graphene sheets by chemical vapor deposition and integrated them into a floating gate structure. GFM displays a wide memory window of âˆ¼6 V at significantly low program/erase voltages of Â±7 V. GFM also shows a long retention time of more than 10 years at room temperature. Additionally, simulations suggest that GFM suffers very little from cell-to-cell interference, potentially enabling scaling down far beyond current state-of-the-art flash memory devices.

Changes in the Inositol Lipid Signal System and Effects on the Secretion of TNF-Î± by Macrophages in Severely Scalded Mice Burns : Journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21855216 In order to study the mechanism of abnormal macrophage (MÏ•) function in pro-inflammatory cytokine changes after burn, the inositol lipid signal system and its role in tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-Î±) secretion by peritoneal MÏ•s was observed in severely scalded mice.

Deconvoluting Subensemble Chemical Reaction Kinetics of Platinum-sulfur Ligand Exchange Detected with Single-molecule Fluorescence Microscopy Inorganic Chemistry. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21863905 The subensemble kinetics of a platinum-sulfur covalent chemical reaction at the solution/surface interface of a model industrial catalyst support was examined using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy (SMFM) and was found to exhibit biexponential first-order kinetic behavior. The observed kinetics was a convolution of the observation probability and chemical reaction rate. These results suggest that deconvolution strategies may be broadly important for obtaining accurate chemical reaction kinetics with SMFM.

[Feasibility of Peptide Mass Fingerprinting for Differential Diagnosis of IgA and Non-IgA Nephropathy] Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao = Journal of Southern Medical University. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21868311 To investigate the feasibility of peptide mass fingerprinting for non-invasive differential diagnosis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) from the non-IgA nephropathy (IgAN).?

A Pilot Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Paroxetine Augmented with Risperidone, Valproate, Buspirone, Trazodone, or Thyroid Hormone in Adult Chinese Patients with Treatment-resistant Major Depression Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21869688 To compare the efficacy and safety of augmenting paroxetine with risperidone, buspirone, valproate, trazodone, or thyroid hormone in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), 225 patients with retrospectively and/or prospectively identified stage II TRD were randomly assigned to receive an 8-week treatment of paroxetine 20 mg/d augmented with risperidone 2 mg/d (n = 45), sodium valproate 600 mg/d (n = 39), buspirone 30 mg/d (n = 46), trazodone 100 mg/d (n = 47), or thyroid hormone 80 mg/d (n = 48). The primary outcome was the remission rate defined as the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score of 7 or less at the end of study. Secondary outcomes included remission rate based on the Self-rating Depression Scale score of 50 or less at the end of study, response rate based on 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total score of 50% improvement or greater from baseline, and the change in scores of Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale, the Short Form 36 Health Survey, and the Life Satisfaction Rating Scale. The remission rates were 26.7% for risperidone, 48.7% for valproate, 32.6% for buspirone, 42.6% for trazodone, and 37.5% for thyroid hormone. There was no statistical significance among treatment arms in remission rates, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events. Risperidone, valproate, buspirone, trazodone, or thyroid hormone augmentation to paroxetine 20 mg/d was effective and well tolerated in Chinese patients with TRD. Large-sample studies are warranted to support or refute these findings.

[Experimental Studies on the Early Treatment of Soft Tissue Explosion Injury by Vacuum-assisted Closure] Zhongguo Gu Shang = China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21870402 To investigate the effect on early treatment with vacuum-assisted closure(VAC) to wound healing of acute explosion injury in pigs, and provide a new way for early treatment of battle wounds.

The Basic Helix-loop-helix Transcription Factor Family in the Pea Aphid, Acyrthosiphon Pisum Journal of Insect Science (Online). 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21870970 The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins play essential roles in a wide range of developmental processes in higher organisms. bHLH family members have been identified in over 20 organisms, including fruit fly, zebrafish, and human. This study identified 54 bHLH family members in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), genome. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that they belong to 37 bHLH families with 21, 13, 9, 1, 9, and 1 members in group A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively. Through in-group phylogenetic analyses, all of the identified A. pisum bHLH members were assigned into their correspondent bHLH families with confidence, among which 51 were defined according to phylogenetic analyses with orthologs from Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae), and 3 of them were defined according to phylogenetic analyses with orthologs from Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Analyses on genomic coding regions revealed that the number and average length of introns in A. pisum bHLH motifs are higher than those in other insects. The present study provides useful background information for future studies on structure and function of bHLH proteins in the regulation of A. pisum development.

The Higher Barrier of Darunavir and Tipranavir Resistance for HIV-1 Protease Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21871444 Darunavir and tipranavir are two inhibitors that are active against multi-drug resistant (MDR) HIV-1 protease variants. In this study, the invitro inhibitory efficacy was tested against a MDR HIV-1 protease variant, MDR 769 82T, containing the drug resistance mutations of 46L/54V/82T/84V/90M. Crystallographic and enzymatic studies were performed to examine the mechanism of resistance and the relative maintenance of potency. The key findings are as follows: (i) The MDR protease exhibits decreased susceptibility to all nine HIV-1 protease inhibitors approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), among which darunavir and tipranavir are the most potent; (ii) the threonine 82 mutation on the protease greatly enhances drug resistance by altering the hydrophobicity of the binding pocket; (iii) darunavir or tipranavir binding facilitates closure of the wide-open flaps of the MDR protease; and (iv) the remaining potency of tipranavir may be preserved by stabilizing the flaps in the inhibitor-protease complex while darunavir maintains its potency by preserving protein main chain hydrogen bonds with the flexible P2 group. These results could provide new insights into drug design strategies to overcome multi-drug resistance of HIV-1 protease variants.

Discovery of Diagnosis Pattern of Coronary Heart Disease with Qi Deficiency Syndrome by the T-test-based Adaboost Algorithm Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21876710 Coronary heart disease (CHD) is still the leading cause of death for adults worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a history of 1000 years fighting against the disease and provides a complementary and alternative treatment to it. Syndrome is the core of TCM diagnosis and it is traditionally diagnosed based on macroscopic symptoms as well as tongue and pulse recognitions of patients. Establishment of the diagnosis method in the microcosmic level is an urgent and major problem in TCM. The aim of this study was to establish characteristic diagnosis pattern for CHD with Qi deficiency syndrome (QDS). Thirty-four biological parameters were detected in 52 patients having unstable angina (UA) with or without QDS. Then, we presented a novel data mining method, t-test-based Adaboost algorithm, to establish highest prediction accuracy with the least number of biological parameters for UA with QDS. We gained a pattern composed of five biological parameters that distinguishes UA with QDS patients from non-QDS patients. The diagnosis accuracy of the patterns could reach 84.5% based on a 3-fold cross validation technique. Moreover, we included 85 UA cases collected from hospitals located in the north and south of China to further verify the association between the pattern and QDS. The classification accuracy is 83.5%, which keeps consistent with the accuracy obtained by the cross-validation technique. The association between a symptom and the five biological parameters was established by the data mining method and it reached an accuracy of âˆ¼80%. These results showed that the t-test-based Adaboost algorithm might be a powerful technique for diagnosing syndrome in TCM in the context of CHD.

Carbon Nanotubes Grown in Situ on Graphene Nanosheets As Superior Anodes for Li-ion Batteries Nanoscale. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21879120 Graphene and carbon nanotubes are intriguing alternative anode materials for lithium ion batteries. The prevention of graphene restacking and facilitation of lithium diffusion into CNTs with large aspect ratio are highly desirable for the performance enhancements including capacity, cycliability and rate capability. In this work, we demonstrated that a multilayered graphene-CNT hybrid nanostructure was able to hold such merits. GNS were separated and stabilized by CNTs grown in situ on GNS surface. The length of CNTs was found to be a key factor to the electrochemical performances. The GNS-CNT composite with the shortest CNT decoration displayed highly reversible capacities of 573 mAh g(-1) at a small current of 0.2C and 520 mAh g(-1) at a large current of 2C. The growth and lithium storage mechanism for graphene-CNT composite was also proposed.

Noninvasive Electroanatomic Mapping of Human Ventricular Arrhythmias with Electrocardiographic Imaging Science Translational Medicine. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21885406 The rapid heartbeat of ventricular tachycardia (VT) can lead to sudden cardiac death and is a major health issue worldwide. Efforts to identify patients at risk, determine mechanisms of VT, and effectively prevent and treat VT through a mechanism-based approach would all be facilitated by continuous, noninvasive imaging of the arrhythmia over the entire heart. Here, we present noninvasive real-time images of human ventricular arrhythmias using electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI). Our results reveal diverse activation patterns, mechanisms, and sites of initiation of human VT. The spatial resolution of ECGI is superior to that of the routinely used 12-lead electrocardiogram, which provides only global information, and ECGI has distinct advantages over the currently used method of mapping with invasive catheter-applied electrodes. The spatial resolution of this method and its ability to image electrical activation sequences over the entire ventricular surfaces in a single heartbeat allowed us to determine VT initiation sites and continuation pathways, as well as VT relationships to ventricular substrates, including anatomical scars and abnormal electrophysiological substrate. Thus, ECGI can map the VT activation sequence and identify the location and depth of VT origin in individual patients, allowing personalized treatment of patients with ventricular arrhythmias.

Assessment of Nanomaterial Cytotoxicity with SOLiD Sequencing-based MicroRNA Expression Profiling Biomaterials. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21889204 The cytotoxicity of nanomaterials has become a major concern in the field of nanotechnology. The key challenge is the lack of reliable methods to examine the overall cellular effects of nanomaterials. Here, a new method is developed to assess the cytological effects of nanomaterial basing on miRNA expression profiling. The SOLiD sequencing is used to acquire the miRNAs expression profiling in NIH/3T3 cells after exposure to Fe(2)O(3) NPs, CdTe QDs and MW-CNTs, respectively. The systematic analysis of miRNAs expression profiling is established by taking account of all miRNAs into their regulatory networks. By affecting the output of targeted mRNAs, miRNAs widely regulated the KEGG pathways and GO biological processes in nanomaterial treated cells. Therefore, the miRNA expression profiling can well reflect the characteristic of nanomaterials, and the method not only provide more evidences to assess biocompatibility of nanomaterials and but also clues to discover new biological effects of nanomaterials.

Tbx20 Transcription Factor is a Downstream Mediator for Bone Morphogenetic Protein-10 in Regulating Cardiac Ventricular Wall Development and Function The Journal of Biological Chemistry. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21890625 Bone morphogenetic protein 10 (BMP10) belongs to the TGFÎ²-superfamily. Previously, we had demonstrated that BMP10 is a key regulator for ventricular chamber formation, growth, and maturation. Ablation of BMP10 leads to hypoplastic ventricular wall formation, and elevated levels of BMP10 are associated with abnormal ventricular trabeculation/compaction and wall maturation. However, the molecular mechanism(s) by which BMP10 regulates ventricle wall growth and maturation is still largely unknown. In this study, we sought to identify the specific transcriptional network that is potentially mediated by BMP10. We analyzed and compared the gene expression profiles between Î±-myosin heavy chain (Î±MHC)-BMP10 transgenic hearts and nontransgenic littermate controls using Affymetrix mouse exon arrays. T-box 20 (Tbx20), a cardiac transcription factor, was significantly up-regulated in Î±MHC-BMP10 transgenic hearts, which was validated by quantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization. Ablation of BMP10 reduced Tbx20 expression specifically in the BMP10-expressing region of the developing ventricle. In vitro promoter analysis demonstrated that BMP10 was able to induce Tbx20 promoter activity through a conserved Smad binding site in the Tbx20 promoter proximal region. Furthermore, overexpression of Tbx20 in myocardium led to dilated cardiomyopathy that exhibited ventricular hypertrabeculation and an abnormal muscular septum, which phenocopied genetically modified mice with elevated BMP10 levels. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the BMP10-Tbx20 signaling cascade is important for ventricular wall development and maturation.

Nanopore-based Detection of Circulating MicroRNAs in Lung Cancer Patients Nature Nanotechnology. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21892163 MicroRNAs are short RNA molecules that regulate gene expression, and have been investigated as potential biomarkers because their expression levels are correlated with various diseases. However, detecting microRNAs in the bloodstream remains difficult because current methods are not sufficiently selective or sensitive. Here, we show that a nanopore sensor based on the Î±-haemolysin protein can selectively detect microRNAs at the single molecular level in plasma samples from lung cancer patients without the need for labels or amplification of the microRNA. The sensor, which uses a programmable oligonucleotide probe to generate a target-specific signature signal, can quantify subpicomolar levels of cancer-associated microRNAs and can distinguish single-nucleotide differences between microRNA family members. This approach is potentially useful for quantitative microRNA detection, the discovery of disease markers and non-invasive early diagnosis of cancer.

Do All the Protic Ionic Liquids Exist As Molecular Aggregates in the Gas Phase? Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21897972 According to an EI-MS study of 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidium-based protic ionic liquids (PILs), it has been concluded that not all PILs exist as molecular aggregates in the gas phase. The detection of both ions of m/z 115.0 and m/z 116.0 for the 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidinium trifluoromethylsulfonate (TMGS) protic ionic liquid indicates that both the molecular and ionic aggregates co-exist in the gas phase, which is to say that the TMGS may also evaporate via the ionic aggregates just like aprotic ionic liquids. Furthermore, investigation on triethylamine-based and 1-methylimidazole-based PILs confirmed that the gas phase structure of PILs depends on both the acidity and basicity of the corresponding acid and base.

Plasma MicroRNAs As Novel Biomarkers for Early Detection of Lung Cancer International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21904633 A diagnosis of lung cancer at its early stages is vital for improving the survival rate of patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a family of 19- to 25-nucleotide non-coding small RNAs, are frequently dysregulated in lung cancer. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of circulating miRNAs for early detection of lung cancer. We searched the published literature for the miRNA microarray data of primary lung cancer and selected 15 miRNAs that were most frequently up-regulated in lung cancer tissues. Total plasma RNA including miRNAs was isolated, polyadenylated and reverse-transcribed into cDNAs. The levels of miRNAs were determined by real-time RT-PCR in 74 lung cancer patients and 68 age-matched cancer-free controls. We found that the levels of miR-155, miR-197, and miR-182 in the plasma of lung cancer including stage I patients were significantly elevated compared with controls (P

A B3LYP and MP2(full) Theoretical Investigation into Explosive Sensitivity Upon the Formation of the Molecule-cation Interaction Between the Nitro Group of 3,4-dinitropyrazole and H(+), Li (+), Na (+), Be (2+) or Mg (2+) Journal of Molecular Modeling. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21904813 The explosive sensitivity upon the formation of molecule-cation interaction between the nitro group of 3,4-dinitropyrazole (DNP) and H(+), Li(+), Na(+), Be(2+) or Mg(2+) has been investigated using the B3LYP and MP2(full) methods with the 6-311++G** and 6-311++G(2df,2p) basis sets. The bond dissociation energy (BDE) of the C3-N7 trigger bond has also been discussed for the DNP monomer and the corresponding complex. The interaction between the oxygen atom of nitro group and H(+) in DNPâ€¦H(+) is partly covalent in nature. The molecule-cation interaction and bond dissociation energy of the C3-N7 trigger bond follow the order of DNPâ€¦Be(2+) > DNPâ€¦Mg(2+) > DNPâ€¦Li(+) > DNPâ€¦Na(+). Except for DNPâ€¦H(+), the increment of the trigger bond dissociation energy in comparison with the DNP monomer correlates well with the molecule-cation interaction energy, natural charge of the nitro group, electron density Ï (BCP(C3-N7)), delocalization energy E ((2)) and NBO charge transfer. The analyses of atoms in molecules (AIM), natural bond orbital (NBO) and electron density shifts have shown that the electron density of the nitro group shifts toward the C3-N7 trigger bond upon the formation of the molecule-cation interaction. Thus, the trigger bond is strengthened and the sensitivity of DNP is reduced.

[Evaluation of Efficacy of the Anticoagulation and Thrombolysis for Deep Venous Thrombosis Via Local Vein Approach and Peripheral Vein Approach] Zhonghua Wai Ke Za Zhi [Chinese Journal of Surgery]. Jun, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21914299 To investigate the efficacy of anticoagulation and thrombolysis for deep venous thrombosis via local vein approach and peripheral vein approach to guide clinical treatment.

The Effect of Zinc Addition on the Oxidation State of Cobalt in Co/ZrO2 Catalysts ChemSusChem. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21919212 The effect of zinc promotion on the oxidation state of cobalt in Co/ZrO(2) catalysts was investigated and correlated with the activity and selectivity for ethanol steam reforming (ESR). Catalysts were synthesized by applying incipient wetness impregnation and characterized by using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Higher ethanol conversion and lower CH(4) selectivity are observed for the Co/ZrO(2) catalyst promoted with Zn as compared to the Co/ZrO(2) catalyst alone. Addition of Zn inhibits the oxidation of metallic cobalt (Co(0) ) particles and results in a higher ratio of Co(0) /Co(2+) in the Zn-promoted Co/ZrO(2) catalyst. These results suggest that metallic cobalt (Co(0) ) is more active than Co(2+) in the ethanol conversion through dehydrogenation and that Co(2+) may play a role in the CH(4) formation. TPR measurements, on the other hand, reveal that Zn addition inhibits the reduction of Co(2+) and Co(3+) , which would lead to the false conclusion that oxidized Co is required to reduce the CH(4) formation. Therefore, TPR measurements may not be appropriate to correlate the degree of metal reducibility (in this case Co(0)) with the catalyst activity for reactions, such as ESR, where oxidizing conditions exist.

Sub-2Î¼m Porous Silica Materials for Enhanced Separation Performance in Liquid Chromatography Journal of Chromatography. A. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21925665 Fully or partially sub-2Î¼m porous silica materials have garnered strong interests as column packing materials in separation and analytical technologies due to the promise of rapid separation, enhanced efficiency and separation resolution. Silica support materials of different morphology and sub-2Î¼m size have been developed to improve separation performances in liquid chromatography (LC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The current review highlights the recent development of sub-2Î¼m fully/partially porous silica materials and the demonstrations of their enhanced performance in achiral and chiral chromatography.

Differential Gene Expression Between Wild-type and Gulo-deficient Mice Supplied with Vitamin C Genetics and Molecular Biology. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21931508 The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that hepatic vitamin C (VC) levels in VC deficient mice rescued with high doses of VC supplements still do not reach the optimal levels present in wild-type mice. For this, we used a mouse scurvy model (sfx) in which the L-gulonolactone oxidase gene (Gulo) is deleted. Six age- (6 weeks old) and gender- (female) matched wild-type (WT) and sfx mice (rescued by administering 500 mg of VC/L) were used as the control (WT) and treatment (MT) groups (n = 3 for each group), respectively. Total hepatic RNA was used in triplicate microarray assays for each group. EDGE software was used to identify differentially expressed genes and transcriptomic analysis was used to assess the potential genetic regulation of Gulo gene expression. Hepatic VC concentrations in MT mice were significantly lower than in WT mice, even though there were no morphological differences between the two groups. In MT mice, 269 differentially expressed transcripts were detected (â‰¥ twice the difference between MT and WT mice), including 107 up-regulated and 162 down-regulated genes. These differentially expressed genes included stress-related and exclusively/predominantly hepatocyte genes. Transcriptomic analysis identified a major locus on chromosome 18 that regulates Gulo expression. Since three relevant oxidative genes are located within the critical region of this locus we suspect that they are involved in the down-regulation of oxidative activity in sfx mice.

Fragment-based Prediction of Skin Sensitization Using Recursive Partitioning Journal of Computer-aided Molecular Design. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21932057 Skin sensitization is an important toxic endpoint in the risk assessment of chemicals. In this paper, structure-activity relationships analysis was performed on the skin sensitization potential of 357 compounds with local lymph node assay data. Structural fragments were extracted by GASTON (GrAph/Sequence/Tree extractiON) from the training set. Eight fragments with accuracy significantly higher than 0.73 (p

Value of Ultrasound Elastography in Detecting Small Breast Tumors Chinese Medical Journal. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21933573 Detecting small breast tumors is difficult for conventional ultrasound. The goal of this study was to assess the value of ultrasound elastography in characterizing small breast tumors and to compare its sensitivity, specificity and accuracy with conventional ultrasound.

Endovascular Repair of a Tuberculous Aneurysm of Descending Thoracic Aorta Chinese Medical Journal. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21933632 Tuberculous aortic aneurysm (TBAA) is an extremely rare clinical event with life-threatening implication. Management for this condition is challenging and its therapeutic option has not been yet established. A few recent reports described endovascular repair rather than open surgery as the method for treatment. Although this remains controversial, endovascular exclusion has been gaining acceptance for some surgeons. We present a case of TBAA who was treated by endovascular stent grafting for a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm with simultaneous anti-tuberculous medication. The outcome was favorable.

BisGMA/TEGDMA Dental Composite Containing High Aspect-ratio Hydroxyapatite Nanofibers Dental Materials : Official Publication of the Academy of Dental Materials. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21937098 The objectives of this study are to investigate the properties of high aspect-ratio hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanofibers and the reinforcing effect of such fibers on bisphenol A glycidyl methacrylate (BisGMA)/triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) dental resins (without silica microparticle filler) and dental composites (with silica microparticle filler) with various mass fractions (loading rates).

Sn@CNT Nanostructures Rooted in Graphene with High and Fast Li-storage Capacities ACS Nano. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21939228 Development of materials with carefully crafted nanostructures has been an important strategy for the next-generation lithium-ion batteries to achieve higher capacity, longer cycle life, and better rate capability. Graphene-based and Sn-based anode materials are promising anodes with higher capacities than graphite; however, most of them exhibit fast capacity fading at prolonged cycling and poor rate capability. This paper reports a hierarchical Sn@CNT nanostructure rooted in graphene, which exhibits larger than theoretical reversible capacities of 1160-982 mAh/g in 100 cycles at 100 mA/g and excellent rate capability (828 mAh/g at 1000 mA/g and 594 mAh/g at 5000 mA/g). The excellent electrochemical performances compared to graphene/Sn-based anodes have been attributed to the efficient prevention of graphene agglomeration by Sn@CNT decoration and the increased electrochemical activities of Sn by CNT shell protection and GNS support.

An Aboriginal Australian Genome Reveals Separate Human Dispersals into Asia Science (New York, N.Y.). Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21940856 We present an Aboriginal Australian genomic sequence obtained from a 100-year-old lock of hair donated by an Aboriginal man from southern Western Australia in the early 20th century. We detect no evidence of European admixture and estimate contamination levels to be below 0.5%. We show that Aboriginal Australians are descendants of an early human dispersal into eastern Asia, possibly 62,000 to 75,000 years ago. This dispersal is separate from the one that gave rise to modern Asians 25,000 to 38,000 years ago. We also find evidence of gene flow between populations of the two dispersal waves prior to the divergence of Native Americans from modern Asian ancestors. Our findings support the hypothesis that present-day Aboriginal Australians descend from the earliest humans to occupy Australia, likely representing one of the oldest continuous populations outside Africa.

Assembly of Colloidal Nanoparticles Directed by the Microstructures of Polycrystalline Ice ACS Nano. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21942743 We show that the microstructures of polycrystalline ice can serve as a confining template for one-dimensional assembly of colloidal nanoparticles. Upon simply freezing an aqueous colloid, the nanoparticles are excluded from ice grains and form chains in the ice veins. The nanoparticle chains are transferable and can be strengthened by polymer encapsulation. After coating with polyaniline shells, simple sedimentation is used to remove large aggregates, enriching single-line chains of 40 nm gold nanoparticles with a total length of several micrometers. When gold nanorods were used, they formed one-dimensional aggregates with specific end-to-end conformation, indicating the confining effects of the nanoscale ice veins at the final stage of freezing. The unbranched and ultralong plasmonic chains are of importance for future study of plasmonic coupling and development of plasmonic waveguides.

Decreased Expression of Dual-specificity Phosphatase 9 is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma BMC Cancer. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21943117 The molecular mechanisms involved in the development and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to analyze the expression of dual-specificity phosphatase 9 (DUSP-9) and determine its clinical significance in human ccRCCs.

Custom-molded Foot-orthosis Intervention and Multisegment Medial Foot Kinematics During Walking Journal of Athletic Training. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21944067 Foot-orthosis (FO) intervention to prevent and treat numerous lower extremity injuries is widely accepted clinically. However, the results of quantitative gait analyses have been equivocal. The foot models used, participants receiving intervention, and orthoses used might contribute to the variability.

Oral Sildenafil Treatment for Eisenmenger Syndrome: a Prospective, Open-label, Multicentre Study Heart (British Cardiac Society). Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21948962 Although sildenafil has been shown to be safe and effective in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and PAH related to connective tissue disease, its effects in Eisenmenger syndrome are less clear.

Controllable Formation and TEM Spatial Visualization of Cross-linked Gold Nanoparticle Spherical Aggregates Nanoscale. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21952917 Gold nanoparticles (NPs) were assembled and cross-linked into spherical aggregates by colloidal emulsion evaporation and ligand exchanging. The optical absorption, conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and bright field (BF) TEM tomography confirm that the cross-linking of the pre-condensed aggregates generates high stability and compactness.

Association of Elevated NTproBNP with Recurrent Thromboembolic Events After Acute Pulmonary Embolism Thrombosis Research. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21955395 INTRODUCTION: N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NTproBNP) is a predictor of adverse short-term clinical outcomes in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE), but its long-term prognostic value remains largely undefined. The aim of this study was to assess the value of plasma NTproBNP with regard to recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: NTproBNP levels were measured in 224 consecutive patients with the first episode of acute pulmonary embolism occurring from January 2005 through October 2010. Patients were categorized into two groups by NTproBNP reference range. Follow-ups were performed at 3, 6, and 12months and yearly thereafter. The primary end point was symptomatic, recurrent fatal or nonfatal VTE. RESULTS: NTproBNP was elevated in 158 (70.5%) patients and not elevated in 66 (29.5%) patients. After a mean follow-up period of 31.0Â±19.4months, patients with elevated NTproBNP showed an increased risk of recurrent VTE (20 patients, 12.7%) compared to those without elevated NTproBNP (only 1 patient, 1.5%) (P=0.009). Of the 7 deaths related to pulmonary embolism, 6 occurred in patients with elevated NTproBNP compared to patients with normal NTproBNP (1 of 7 deaths). In a multivariate analysis stratified by oral anticoagulant treatment duration, elevated NTproBNP was an independent predictor of recurrent VTE (hazard ratio, 9.32; P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated NTproBNP is associated with recurrent VTE in acute pulmonary embolism patients.

Hepatocellular Necrosis, Apoptosis, and Proliferation After Transcatheter Arterial Embolization or Chemoembolization in a Standardized Rabbit Model Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology : JVIR. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21959058 To evaluate the effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization versus transcatheter arterial embolization on hepatocellular damage, apoptosis, proliferation, and proinflammatory response in a rabbit VX2 tumor model.

Classification of 5-HT(1A) Receptor Agonists and Antagonists Using GA-SVM Method Acta Pharmacologica Sinica. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21963891 To construct a reliable computational model for the classification of agonists and antagonists of 5-HT(1A) receptor.

Fast Synthesis of 1,3-DAG by LecitaseÂ® Ultra-catalyzed Esterification in Solvent-free System European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology : EJLST. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21966255 LecitaseÂ® Ultra, a phospholipase, was explored as an effective biocatalyst for direct esterification of glycerol with oleic acid to produce 1,3-DAG. Experiments were carried out in batch mode, and optimal reaction conditions were evaluated. In comparison with several organic solvent mediums, the solvent-free system was found to be more beneficial for this esterification reaction, which was further studied to investigate the reaction conditions including oleic acid/glycerol mole ratio, temperature, initial water content, enzyme load, and operating time. The results showed that LecitaseÂ® Ultra catalyzed a fast synthesis of 1,3-DAG by direct esterification in a solvent-free medium. Under the optimal reaction conditions, a short reaction time 1.5 h was found to achieve the fatty acid esterification efficiency of 80.3 Â± 1.2% and 1,3-DAG content of 54.8 Â± 1.6 wt% (lipid layer of reaction mixture mass). The reusability of LecitaseÂ® Ultra was evaluated via recycling the excess glycerol layer in the reaction system. DAG in the upper lipid layer of reaction mixture was purified by molecular distillation and the 1,3-DAG-enriched oil with a purity of about 75 wt% was obtained.Practical applications: The new LecitaseÂ® Ultra catalyzed process for production of 1,3-DAG from glycerol and oleic acid described in this study provides several advantages over conventional methods including short reaction time, the absence of a solvents and a high product yield.

Mitigation of Ionizing Radiation-induced Bone Marrow Suppression by P38 Inhibition and G-CSF Administration Journal of Radiation Research. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21971035 p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38) has been shown to be activated in hematopoietic stem and progenitors cells after exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) and its activation has been implicated in bone marrow (BM) suppression under various pathological conditions. Therefore, in the present study we investigated whether inhibition of p38 activity alone with SB203580 (SB, a specific p38 inhibitor) or in combination with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) can mitigate total body irradiation (TBI)-induced BM damage and lethality. Our results showed that p38 inhibition with SB had no significant effect on the 30-day survival rates of the mice exposed to 7.2 Gy TBI when it was used alone but increased the survival of the mice when it was combined with G-CSF. This combined effect may be attributable to a better preservation or stimulation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, because BM cells from SB and G-CSF-treated mice produced more colony forming units-granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) and 4-week cobblestone area forming cells (CAFCs) than the cells from either SB or G-CSF-treated mice after TBI in a colony forming cell assay and a CAFC assay, respectively. These findings suggest that the combined therapy with SB and G-GSF is more effective in mitigating TBI-induced acute BM injury than either agent alone.

A Novel Vaccine Delivery System: Biodegradable Nanoparticles in Thermosensitive Hydrogel Growth Factors (Chur, Switzerland). Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21981422 In this work, a novel vaccine delivery system, biodegradable nanoparticles (NPs) in thermosensitive hydrogel, was investigated. Human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-loaded NPs (bFGF-NPs) were prepared, and then bFGF-NPs were incorporated into thermosensitive hydrogel to form bFGF-NPs in a hydrogel composite (bFGF-NPs/hydrogel). bFGF-NPs/hydrogel was an injectable sol at ambient temperature, but was converted into a non-flowing gel at body temperature. The in vitro release profile showed that bFGF could be released from bFGF-NPs or bFGF-NPs/hydrogel at an extended period, but the release rate of bFGF-NPs/hydrogel was much lower. In vivo experiments suggested that immunogenicity of bFGF improved significantly after being incorporated into the NPs/hydrogel composite, and strong humoral immunity was maintained for longer than 12 weeks. Furthermore, an in vivo protective anti-tumor immunity assay indicated that immunization with bFGF-NPs/hydrogel could induce significant suppression of the growth and metastases of tumors. Thus, the NPs/hydrogel composite may have great potential application as a novel vaccine delivery system.

Skin-specifically Transgenic Expression of Biologically Active Human Cytoxic T-lymphocyte Associated Antigen4-Immunoglobulin (hCTLA4Ig) in Mice Using Lentiviral Vector Transgenic Research. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21983813 Xenogeneic skin, especially porcine skin, has already been used to cover large wounds in clinic practice of wound care. Our previous data showed that transgenic expression of human cytoxic T-lymphocyte associated antigen4-immunoglobulin (hCTLA4Ig) in murine skin graft remarkably prolonged its survival in xenogeneic burn wounds without extensive immunosuppression in recipients, suggesting that transgenic hCTLA4Ig expression in skin graft may be an effective and safe method to prolong its survival in xenogeneic wounds for coverage. Lentiviral transgenesis provides an extremely efficient and cost-effective method to produce transgenic animals. However, tissue-targeted transgenic expression of biologically functional protein by lentiviral transgenesis is rarely reported. In this work, a recombinant lentiviral vector (LV), named FKCW in this article, was constructed by inserting a skin-specific hCTLA4Ig expression cassette consisting of keratin 14 (K14) promoter, hCTLA4Ig coding sequence and an intronic fragment. Its efficacy for transgenesis and skin-specific expression of bio-active hCTLA4Ig protein was tested using mice as models. The LV FKCW was readily to be packaged and concentrated to high titres (1.287-6.254Â Ã—Â 10(9)Â TU/ml) by conventional lentivirus package system. Using eggs collected from only five mated females having been subjected to conventional super-ovulation treatment, 8 hCTLA4Ig transgenic founder mice were generated with the concentrated FKCW vector, and transgenic founder per injected and transferred egg was 6.3%, which was nearly 9-fold higher than that for DNA micro-injection with a similar transgene construct in our previous work. The lentiviral transgenic hCTLA4Ig exhibited strictly skin-specific expression at a level comparable to or even slightly higher than that of transgenic hCTLA4Ig delivered by micro-injection in a similar cassette. Lentiviral transgenic hCTLA4Ig protein remarkably suppressed human lymphocyte proliferation in vitro to a degree comparable to that of commercially purchased purified hCTLA4Ig protein with defined activity at similar concentrations. Besides, lentiviral hCTLA4Ig transgenic mouse skin grafted into rat burn wounds exhibited remarkably extended survival compared to wild-type skin of the same strain (13.8Â Â±Â 3.8 vs. 6.8Â Â±Â 3.0Â days), indicating that lentiviral transgenic hCTLA4Ig did inhibit immune rejection against xenogeneic skin graft in vivo. These results laid down the foundation to further efficiently generate transgenic pigs skin-specifically expressing bio-active hCTLA4Ig by lentiviral transgenesis, and provided a demonstration that transgenic animals with tissue-targeted expression of biologically functional protein can be efficiently produced using LV.

Risk Factors Related to Aneurysmal Rebleeding World Neurosurgery. Sep-Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21986427 Rebleeding from ruptured intracranial aneurysms is a major cause of death and disability. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of rebleeding and the risk factors related to rebleeding before early aneurysm repair.

Sleeve Gastrectomy Prevents Lipoprotein Receptor-1 Expression in Aortas of Obese Rats World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21990956 To investigate the effects of sleeve gastrectomy on adipose tissue infiltration and lectin-like oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) expression in rat aortas.

Chemical Composition and Structure of Peritubular and Intertubular Human Dentine Revisited Archives of Oral Biology. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21996490 OBJECTIVE: Currently there is still a debate about whether peritubular dentine (PTD) is non-collageneous or collageneous tissue. The chemical composition and structure of human PTD and intertubular dentine (ITD) was re-visited in this study. DESIGN: The dentine tubular region including ITD and PTD prepared from human third molars was in situ detected by means of micro-Raman spectroscopy (Î¼Rs) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). RESULTS: From the Î¼Rs study, it was found that the mineral/matrix ratios (phosphate vs. CH(2)) in PTD were âˆ¼3 times of those in ITD. For the mineral, the differences between PTD and ITD were small, but still detectable. For the organic matrix, the intensity ratios of amide III to CH(2) in ITD were âˆ¼1.5 times of those in PTD, indicating the structural differences. In addition, there was a higher proline/hydroxyproline content in ITD than that in PTD. However, the overall Raman peak contour in the amide regions (I & III) was similar, indicating collagen might still exist in both the ITD and PTD. An in situ AFM observation of the dentinal tubular region during EDTA etching confirmed that dentine collagen ran across from the ITD into the PTD. CONCLUSION: A phenomenon similar to that observed in the dentine-enamel junction is proposed to explain the above results. It is demonstrated that the Î¼Rs-AFM approach can be used to provide an insight into the structure of small dental tissues at the micron or sub-micron scale.

Rapid Dynamics of Contrast Responses in the Cat Primary Visual Cortex PloS One. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 21998655 The visual information we receive during natural vision changes rapidly and continuously. The visual system must adapt to the spatiotemporal contents of the environment in order to efficiently process the dynamic signals. However, neuronal responses to luminance contrast are usually measured using drifting or stationary gratings presented for a prolonged duration. Since motion in our visual field is continuous, the signals received by the visual system contain an abundance of transient components in the contrast domain. Here using a modified reverse correlation method, we studied the properties of responses of neurons in the cat primary visual cortex to different contrasts of grating stimuli presented statically and transiently for 40 ms, and showed that neurons can effectively discriminate the rapidly changing contrasts. The change in the contrast response function (CRF) over time mainly consisted of an increment in contrast gain (CRF shifts to left) in the developing phase of temporal responses and a decrement in response gain (CRF shifts downward) in the decay phase. When the distribution range of stimulus contrasts was increased, neurons demonstrated decrement in contrast gain and response gain. Our results suggest that contrast gain control (contrast adaptation) and response gain control mechanisms are well established during the first tens of milliseconds after stimulus onset and may cooperatively mediate the rapid dynamic responses of visual cortical neurons to the continuously changing contrast. This fast contrast adaptation may play a role in detecting contrast contours in the context of visual scenes that are varying rapidly.

Involvement of a Helix-loop-helix Transcription Factor CHC-1 in CO(2)-mediated Conidiation Suppression in Neurospora Crassa Fungal Genetics and Biology : FG & B. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22001287 The morphological switch from vegetative growth to conidiation in filamentous fungi is highly regulated, but the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms is limited. In this study, by screening a set of knock-out mutants corresponding to 103 transcription factor encoding genes in Neurospora crassa, a mutant was found to produce abundant conidia in race tubes in which conidiation in the wild-type strain was suppressed. The corresponding gene NCU00749 encodes a protein containing a helix-loop-helix DNA binding region. Unlike enhanced conidiation in ras-1 and sod-1 mutants, which was completely suppressed by antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine, enhanced conidiation in the NCU00749 mutant was only slightly affected by N-acetyl cysteine. When grown on slants, the NCU00749 deletion mutant exhibited earlier conidial formation than the wild-type strain, and this was more evident at a higher (5%) CO(2) concentration. Therefore, we named NCU00749 as conidiation at high carbon dioxide-1 (chc-1). Genes that are highly expressed during conidial development, eas, con-6, con-8 and con-10, were transcribed at a higher rate in the chc-1 deletion mutant than the wild-type strain in response to conidiation induction. To determine the mechanisms by which CHC-1 regulates conidiation, we conducted a RNA sequencing analysis and found that 404 genes exhibited â‰¥ 2 fold changes in transcription in response to chc-1 deletion. Among them, fluffy and ada-6, two transcription factor genes that positively regulate conidiation in N. crassa, and rca-1, whose homolog flbD in Aspergillus nidulans is essential for conidiation, were upregulated in the chc-1 deletion mutant. Results of RNA sequencing also suggest that signal transduction via the cAMP and the MAK-2 mediated signal pathways, and ROS generation and removal, mechanisms known to regulate conidiation, are not involved in chc-1 mediated control of conidiation. In addition, chc-1 also influences expression of genes involved in other important biological processes besides conidiation such as carbon metabolism, sphingolipid synthesis, cell wall synthesis, and calcium signaling.

Upregulation of IRS-1 Expression in Goto-Kakizaki Rats Following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery: Resolution of Type 2 Diabetes? The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22001674 Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an endocrine disorder that is rapidly growing in prevalence within China and throughout the world. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery, widely used in the treatment of obesity, has been recognized as an effective and long-term treatment for T2DM in recent years. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for glycemic control remain unclear. This study was designed to investigate the roles of insulin receptor substrates (IRSs) in glucose tolerance and insulin resistance following RYGB surgery. Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, a model of T2DM, were randomly allocated into three groups: RYGB surgery, sham surgery, and control (10 animals/group). Wistar rats were also used as non-diabetic control. Daily food intake, body weight, glucose and insulin were measured pre- and post-operatively. Insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) and insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS-2) content, the main subtypes of IRSs, were measured in skeletal muscle, adipose tissue and liver using western immunoblot analyses on postoperative day 28. Following surgery, RYGB-treated rats showed markedly improved oral glucose tolerance, as judged by lower peak and area-under-the-curve glucose values (p < 0.01 vs. GK or GK sham). Improved insulin resistance was also observed in RYGB-treated rats. Western immunoblot analyses showed that IRS-1 and its phosphorylation levels were significantly increased in skeletal muscle and adipose tissues in RYGB group (p < 0.01 vs. GK or GK sham), whereas IRS-2 levels were downregulated in liver. These findings suggest that improvements in glucose tolerance and insulin resistance following RYGB surgery are associated with upregulation of IRS-1.

Affinity Maturation to Improve Human Monoclonal Antibody Neutralization Potency and Breadth Against Hepatitis C Virus The Journal of Biological Chemistry. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22002064 A potent neutralizing antibody to a conserved hepatitis C virus (HCV) epitope might overcome its extreme variability, allowing immunotherapy. The human monoclonal antibody HC-1 recognizes a conformational epitope on the HCV E2 glycoprotein. Previous studies showed that HC-1 neutralizes most HCV genotypes but has modest potency. To improve neutralization, we affinity-matured HC-1 by constructing a library of yeast-displayed HC-1 single chain Fv (scFv) mutants, using for selection an E2 antigen from one of the poorly neutralized HCVpp. We developed an approach by parallel mutagenesis of the heavy chain variable (VH) and Îº-chain variable (Vk) genes separately, then combining the optimized VH and Vk mutants. This resulted in the generation of HC-1-related scFv variants exhibiting improved affinities. The best scFv variant had a 92-fold improved affinity. After conversion to IgG1, some of the antibodies exhibited a 30-fold improvement in neutralization activity. Both surface plasmon resonance and solution kinetic exclusion analysis showed that the increase in affinity was largely due to a lowering of the dissociation rate constant, Koff. Neutralization against a panel of HCV pseudoparticles and infectious 2a HCV virus improved with the affinity-matured IgG1 antibodies. Interestingly, some of these antibodies neutralized a viral isolate that was not neutralized by wild-type HC-1. Moreover, propagating 2a HCVcc under the selective pressure of WT HC-1 or affinity-matured HC-1 antibodies yielded no viral escape mutants and, with the affinity-matured IgG1, needed 100-fold less antibody to achieve complete virus elimination. Taken together, these findings suggest that affinity-matured HC-1 antibodies are excellent candidates for therapeutic development.

Inhibition of P38 MAPK Attenuates Ionizing Radiation-induced Hematopoietic Cell Senescence and Residual Bone Marrow Injury Radiation Research. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22014293 Exposure to a moderate or high total-body dose of radiation induces not only acute bone marrow suppression but also residual (or long-term) bone marrow injury. The induction of residual bone marrow injury is primarily attributed to the induction of hematopoietic cell senescence by ionizing radiation. However, the mechanisms underlying radiation-induced hematopoietic cell senescence are not known and thus were investigated in the present study. Using a well-established long-term bone marrow cell culture system, we found that radiation induced hematopoietic cell senescence at least in part via activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38). This suggestion is supported by the finding that exposure to radiation selectively activated p38 in bone marrow hematopoietic cells. The activation was associated with a significant reduction in hematopoietic cell clonogenic function, an increased expression of p16(INK4a) (p16), and an elevated senescence-associated Î²-galactosidase (SA-Î²-gal) activity. All these changes were attenuated by p38 inhibition with a specific p38 inhibitor, SB203580 (SB). Selective activation of p38 was also observed in bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) after mice were exposed to a sublethal total-body dose (6.5 Gy) of radiation. Treatment of the irradiated mice with SB after total-body irradiation (TBI) increased the frequencies of HSCs and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) in their bone marrow and the clonogenic functions of the irradiated HSCs and HPCs. These findings suggest that activation of p38 plays a role in mediating radiation-induced hematopoietic cell senescence and residual bone marrow suppression.

FoxM1 Promotes Î²-catenin Nuclear Localization and Controls Wnt Target-gene Expression and Glioma Tumorigenesis Cancer Cell. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22014570 Wnt/Î²-catenin signaling is essential for stem cell regulation and tumorigenesis, but its molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we report that FoxM1 is a downstream component of Wnt signaling and is critical for Î²-catenin transcriptional function in tumor cells. Wnt3a increases the level and nuclear translocation of FoxM1, which binds directly to Î²-catenin and enhances Î²-catenin nuclear localization and transcriptional activity. Genetic deletion of FoxM1 in immortalized neural stem cells abolishes Î²-catenin nuclear localization. FoxM1 mutations that disrupt the FoxM1-Î²-catenin interaction or FoxM1 nuclear import prevent Î²-catenin nuclear accumulation in tumor cells. FoxM1-Î²-catenin interaction controls Wnt target gene expression, is required for glioma formation, and represents a mechanism for canonical Wnt signaling during tumorigenesis.

The Electrophysiological Cardiac Ventricular Substrate in Patients After Myocardial Infarction: Noninvasive Characterization with Electrocardiographic Imaging Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22018301 The aim of this study was to noninvasively image the electrophysiological (EP) substrate of human ventricles after myocardial infarction and define its characteristics.

A Highly Efficient Graphene Oxide Absorber for Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 Lasers Nanotechnology. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22019939 We demonstrated that graphene oxide material could be used as a highly efficient saturable absorber for the Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 laser. A novel and low-cost graphene oxide (GO) absorber was fabricated by a vertical evaporation technique and high viscosity of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) aqueous solution. A piece of GO/PVA absorber, a piece of round quartz, and an output coupler mirror were combined to be a sandwich structure passive component. Using such a structure, 104 ns pulses and 1.22 W average output power were obtained with the maximum pulse energy at 2 ÂµJ and a slope efficiency of 17%.

Improving Accuracy of Protein-protein Interaction Prediction by Considering the Converse Problem for Sequence Representation BMC Bioinformatics. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22024143 With the development of genome-sequencing technologies, protein sequences are readily obtained by translating the measured mRNAs. Therefore predicting protein-protein interactions from the sequences is of great demand. The reason lies in the fact that identifying protein-protein interactions is becoming a bottleneck for eventually understanding the functions of proteins, especially for those organisms barely characterized. Although a few methods have been proposed, the converse problem, if the features used extract sufficient and unbiased information from protein sequences, is almost untouched.

Construction and Evaluation of a Multistage Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Subunit Vaccine Candidate Mtb10.4-HspX Vaccine. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22024175 To search for more effective vaccines to enhance the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and to control or even eradicate Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) in all stages of infection including the persister bacteria, antigens of Mtb10.4 (Rv0288) expressed in replicating bacilli and HspX (also called Acr, Hsp16.3, Rv2031c) highly expressed in dormant bacilli were fused together to construct a multistage fusion protein Mtb10.4-HspX (MH for short) without affinity tag with potential advantage for clinical use. The human T-cell responses to MH were evaluated for its immunogenicity. Furthermore, MH was emulsified in an adjuvant composed of N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-dioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA) and mycobacterial cord factor trehalose-6,6-dimycolate (TDM) to construct subunit vaccine, whose immunogenicity and potency to boost BCG primed immunity against M. tuberculosis infection were evaluated in mice. The results showed that the fusion protein MH without affinity tag was stably produced in Escherichia coli and was successfully purified by chromatography. MH was strongly recognized by human T cells from TB patients and persons latently infected with M. tuberculosis. In conclusion, MH in adjuvant DDA-TDM generated strong antigen-specific humoral and cell-mediated immunity, and had the capability to enhance BCG-primed immunity and the protective efficacy against M. tuberculosis in mice. These findings suggest that MH in DDA-TDM have the potential to be a good multistage tuberculosis vaccine candidate.

A New Eudesmane Sesquiterpene Glucoside from Liriope Muscari Fibrous Roots Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22031065 The screening of several Chinese medicinal herbs for nematocidal properties showed that the ethanol extract of Liriope muscari fibrous roots possessed significant nematocidal activity against the pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus). From the ethanol extract, a new constituent (1,4-epoxy-cis-eudesm-6-O-Î²-D-glucopyranoside) and three known glycosides [1Î²,6Î±-dihydroxy-cis-eudesm-3-ene-6-O-Î²-D-glucopyranoside (liriopeoside A), 1Î²,6Î²-dihydroxy-cis-eudesm-3-ene-6-O-Î²-D-glucopyranoside, and 1Î±,6Î²-dihydroxy-5,10-bis-epi-eudesm-4(15)-ene-6-O-Î² D-glucopyranoside] were isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation. The structures were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR and MS techniques. 1,4-Epoxy-cis-eudesm-6-O-Î²-D-glucopyranoside possessed moderate nemato-cidal activity against B. xylophilus with a LC(50 )value of 339.76 Î¼g/mL, while liriopeoside A (LC(50) = 82.84 Î¼g/mL) and 1Î²,6Î²-dihydroxy-cis-eudesm-3-ene-6-O-Î²-D-glucopyranoside (LC(50) = 153.39 Î¼g/mL) also exhibited nematocidal activity against B. xylophilus. The crude extract of L. muscari fibrous roots exhibited nematocidal activity against the pine wood nematode with a LC(50) value of 182.56 Î¼g/mL.

Meeting Report: ACB-2011 Shanghai - "biotechnology for Better Life" Biotechnology Journal. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22069092

Hemodynamic Effects and Safety of Pulmonary Angiography in Chinese Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Chinese Medical Journal. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22088513 Pulmonary angiography is widely performed in pulmonary hypertension patients, but its immediate effects on right heart hemodynamics and safety are not well known. The objective of this study was to investigate the right heart hemodynamic effects and safety of pulmonary angiography in Chinese patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Intraoperative Ultrasound Assistance in the Resection of Small, Deep-seated, or Ill-defined Intracerebral Lesions Chinese Medical Journal. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22088526 Intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) has been increasingly used as a guiding tool during neurosurgical procedures. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the potential application of intraoperative ultrasound assisted surgery in the resection of small, deep-seated, or ill-defined lesions.

Chiral Transformation: from Single Nanowire to Double Helix Journal of the American Chemical Society. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22091894 We report a new type of water-soluble ultrathin Au-Ag alloy nanowire (NW), which exhibits unprecedented behavior in a colloidal solution. Upon growth of a thin metal (Pd, Pt, or Au) layer, the NW winds around itself to give a metallic double helix. We propose that the winding originates from the chirality within the as-synthesized Au-Ag NWs, which were induced to untwist upon metal deposition.

[Short-term Efficacy Comparison of Laparoscopic-assisted Versus Open Distal Gastrectomy] Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. Jul, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22093785 To compare the short-term efficacy of laparoscopic-assisted verus open distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

Multifocal Intraparenchymal Langerhans' Cell Histiocytosis Concomitant With an Arachnoid Cyst in a Child: Case Report and Review of the Literature Journal of Child Neurology. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22094914 Langerhans' cell histiocytosis is a disease usually found in children and characterized by idiopathic proliferation of histiocytes in the reticuloendothelial system. Intracranial Langerhans' cell histiocytosis presenting as multifocal intraparenchymal lesions is very rare. In this article, the authors report on a 4-year-old boy diagnosed with multifocal intraparenchymal Langerhans' cell histiocytosis concomitant with an arachnoid cyst. After a series of laboratory examinations, the right frontal mass was surgically excised. Histological examinations confirmed the diagnosis of intracranial Langerhans' cell histiocytosis. The patient's intracranial hypertension symptoms were alleviated, and the remaining foci were treated by Langerhans' cell histiocytosis-directed standard chemotherapy. At the 8-month follow-up visit, no recurrence of the excised lesion was found, and no change in the size of other lesions was seen. Supratentorial intracerebral lesions with mass effect and enhancement have rarely been described; in this report, the histological features of and therapeutic options for such a case are discussed.

A Genome-wide Survey on Basic Helix-loop-helix Transcription Factors in Giant Panda PloS One. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22096504 The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a critically endangered mammalian species. Studies on functions of regulatory proteins involved in developmental processes would facilitate understanding of specific behavior in giant panda. The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins play essential roles in a wide range of developmental processes in higher organisms. bHLH family members have been identified in over 20 organisms, including fruit fly, zebrafish, mouse and human. Our present study identified 107 bHLH family members being encoded in giant panda genome. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that they belong to 44 bHLH families with 46, 25, 15, 4, 11 and 3 members in group A, B, C, D, E and F, respectively, while the remaining 3 members were assigned into "orphan". Compared to mouse, the giant panda does not encode seven bHLH proteins namely Beta3a, Mesp2, Sclerax, S-Myc, Hes5 (or Hes6), EBF4 and Orphan 1. These results provide useful background information for future studies on structure and function of bHLH proteins in the regulation of giant panda development.

[Experimental Study on Metabonomics of Coronary Heart Disease Myocardlal Ischemia of Blood Stasis Syndrome Based on the NOESY Pulse NMR] Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi Zhongguo Zhongxiyi Jiehe Zazhi = Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine / Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Hui, Zhongguo Zhong Yi Yan Jiu Yuan Zhu Ban. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22097206 To study changes of serum metabolite profiles in Ameriod ring induced coronary heart disease (CHD) chronic myocardial ischemia (CMI) mini-pigs by NMR.

Kernel-based Data Fusion Improves the Drug-protein Interaction Prediction Computational Biology and Chemistry. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22099632 Proteins are involved in almost every action of every organism by interacting with other small molecules including drugs. Computationally predicting the drug-protein interactions is particularly important in speeding up the process of developing novel drugs. To borrow the information from existing drug-protein interactions, we need to define the similarity among proteins and the similarity among drugs. Usually these similarities are defined based on one single data source and many methods have been proposed. However, the availability of many genomic and chemogenomic data sources allows us to integrate these useful data sources to improve the predictions. Thus a great challenge is how to integrate these heterogeneous data sources. Here, we propose a kernel-based method to predict drug-protein interactions by integrating multiple types of data. Specially, we collect drug pharmacological and therapeutic effects, drug chemical structures, and protein genomic information to characterize the drug-target interactions, then integrate them by a kernel function within a support vector machine (SVM)-based predictor. With this data fusion technology, we establish the drug-protein interactions from a collections of data sources. Our new method is validated on four classes of drug target proteins, including enzymes, ion channels (ICs), G-protein couple receptors (GPCRs), and nuclear receptors (NRs). We find that every single data source is predictive and integration of different data sources allows the improvement of accuracy, i.e., data integration can uncover more experimentally observed drug-target interactions upon the same levels of false positive rate than single data source based methods. The functional annotation analysis indicates that our new predictions are worthy of future experimental validation. In conclusion, our new method can efficiently integrate diverse data sources, and will promote the further research in drug discovery.

Design and Synthesis of Dual-ligand Modified Chitosan As a Liver Targeting Vector Journal of Materials Science. Materials in Medicine. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22105225 Vector plays an important role in hepatic targeted drug delivery system. In this study, a novel material as a liver targeting vector, dual-ligand modified chitosan (GCGA) composed of chitosan (CTS), glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) and lactobionic acid (LA), was designed and synthesized by an orthogonal experiment with two-step synthesis under mild conditions. The synthesized final product was characterized and confirmed by FTIR and (1)H-NMR spectroscopy, and DS of GA and LA in CTS were measured to be 13.77 and 16.74Â mol% using (1)H-NMR, respectively. The cytotoxicity of CTS and GCGA was concentration dependent which was inverse proportion to the cell viability by MTT assay using L929 cell line, and inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) was 0.2Â mg/ml for GCGA. The in vitro targeting efficiency and the in vitro cellular uptake were investigated. Compared with CTS NPs and GA-CTS NPs, GCGA NPs showed good cell specificity to BEL-7402 cells via the dual-ligand-receptor-mediated recognition, leading to a higher affinity to BEL-7402 cells. The results suggested that GCGA described here has the potential to be used as an effective vector for hepatic targeted drug therapy.

Electric-field Controlled Ferromagnetism in MnGe Magnetic Quantum Dots Nano Reviews. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22110869 Electric-field control of ferromagnetism in magnetic semiconductors at room temperature has been actively pursued as one of the important approaches to realize practical spintronics and non-volatile logic devices. While Mn-doped III-V semiconductors were considered as potential candidates for achieving this controllability, the search for an ideal material with high Curie temperature (T(c)>300 K) and controllable ferromagnetism at room temperature has continued for nearly a decade. Among various dilute magnetic semiconductors (DMSs), materials derived from group IV elements such as Si and Ge are the ideal candidates for such materials due to their excellent compatibility with the conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Here, we review recent reports on the development of high-Curie temperature Mn(0.05)Ge(0.95) quantum dots (QDs) and successfully demonstrate electric-field control of ferromagnetism in the Mn(0.05)Ge(0.95) quantum dots up to 300 K. Upon the application of gate-bias to a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor, the ferromagnetism of the channel layer (i.e. the Mn(0.05)Ge(0.95) quantum dots) was modulated as a function of the hole concentration. Finally, a theoretical model based upon the formation of magnetic polarons has been proposed to explain the observed field controlled ferromagnetism.

Engineering "Hot" Nanoparticles for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering by Embedding Reporter Molecules in Metal Layers Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany). Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22125121 Ag is deposited on the surface of Au nanoparticles functionalized with 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA). Exceptionally strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals are observed from the resulting colloid. Using SERS as a tool, evidence is obtained for the embedding of MBA inside the nanoscale metal layer.

Variation in Sequences and MRNA Expression Levels of Inhibin Subunits Î± (INHA) and Î²A (INHBA) Genes Between Prolific and Nonprolific Goat Breeds Molecular Reproduction and Development. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22128068

Genomic Sequence Analysis of Granulovirus Isolated from the Tobacco Cutworm, Spodoptera Litura PloS One. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22132235 Spodoptera litura is a noctuid moth that is considered an agricultural pest. The larvae feed on a wide range of plants and have been recorded on plants from 40 plant families (mostly dicotyledons). It is a major pest of many crops. To better understand Spodoptera litura granulovirus (SpliGV), the nucleotide sequence of the SpliGV DNA genome was determined and analyzed.

Blockade of MGluR5 Reverses Abnormal Firing of Subthalamic Nucleus Neurons in 6-hydroxydopamine Partially Lesioned Rats The Chinese Journal of Physiology. Oct, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22135908 Activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluRs) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) results in burst-firing activity of STN neurons, which is similar to that observed in Parkinson's disease (PD). We examined the effects of chronic and systemic treatment with 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP), a selective mGluR5 antagonist, in firing activity of STN neurons in partially lesioned rats by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). In 6-OHDA-lesioned rats treated with vehicle, injection of 6-OHDA (4 microg) into the medial forebrain bundle produced a partial lesion causing 36% loss of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-ir) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). The 6-OHDA lesion in vehicle-treated rats showed an increasing firing rate and a more irregular firing pattern of STN neurons. Whereas chronic, systemic treatment of MPEP (3 mg/kg/day, 14 days) produced neuroprotecive effects on the TH-ir neurons and normalized the hyperactive firing activity of STN neurons in 6-OHDA partially lesioned rats. These data demonstrate that partial lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway increases firing activity of STN neurons in the rat, and chronic, systemic MPEP treatment has the neuroprotective effect and reverses the abnormal firing activity of STN neurons, suggesting that MPEP has an important implication for the treatment of PD.

Highly Efficient Tm:YAG Ceramic Laser Resonantly Pumped at 1617 Nm Optics Letters. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22139217 We report on a highly efficient polycrystalline Tm:YAG ceramic laser in-band pumped by an Er:YAG laser at 1617 nm. Lasing characteristics of 4.0 and 6.0 at.%Tm(3+)-doped YAG ceramics were investigated and compared. With an output coupler of 10% transmission, a maximum output power of 7.3 W was obtained at 2015 nm under 12.8 W of incident pump power, corresponding to a slope efficiency with respect to incident pump power of 62.3%.

A Systematic Analysis on DNA Methylation and the Expression of Both MRNA and MicroRNA in Bladder Cancer PloS One. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22140553 DNA methylation aberration and microRNA (miRNA) deregulation have been observed in many types of cancers. A systematic study of methylome and transcriptome in bladder urothelial carcinoma has never been reported.

Carbon Monoxide Inhibits Fas Activating Antibody-induced Apoptosis in Endothelial Cells Medical Gas Research. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22146483 ABSTRACT:

Structural Evolution of GeMn/Ge Superlattices Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy Under Different Growth Conditions Nanoscale Research Letters. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22151995 ABSTRACT: GeMn/Ge epitaxial 'superlattices' grown by molecular beam epitaxy with different growth conditions have been systematically investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It is revealed that periodic arrays of GeMn nanodots can be formed on Ge and GaAs substrates at low temperature (approximately 70degreesC) due to the matched lattice constants of Ge (5.656 A) and GaAs (5.653 A), while a periodic Ge/GeMn superlattice grown on Si showed disordered GeMn nanodots with a large amount of stacking faults, which can be explained by the fact that Ge and Si have a large lattice mismatch. Moreover, by varying growth conditions, the GeMn/Ge superlattices can be manipulated from having disordered GeMn nanodots to ordered coherent nanodots and then to ordered nanocolumns.

[Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization Study of Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Cryptic Chromosome Rearrangements] Zhonghua Yi Xue Yi Chuan Xue Za Zhi = Zhonghua Yixue Yichuanxue Zazhi = Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22161107 To detect specific chromosome rearrangements in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) using interphase-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

Effects of Matrine on Proliferation and Apoptosis in Gallbladder Carcinoma Cells (GBC-SD) Phytotherapy Research : PTR. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22162124 Although matrine, a primary active component of dried Sophora flavescens root (ku shen), is known to induce apoptosis in a variety of tumor cells in vitro, the molecular mechanism of such apoptosis remains elusive. This analysis of the cell cycle and apoptosis in matrine-treated human gallbladder carcinoma cells (GBC-SD) showed that matrine can indeed inhibit cell proliferation and induce G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. An additional western blot analysis of matrine-treated cells also showed caspase-3 and Bcl-2 activation, as well as cyclinE down-regulation. Overall, the results indicate that matrine perturbs gallbladder cancer cell progression during the G1 phase by down-regulating cyclinE and induces apoptosis by decreasing the expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and increasing expression of the proapoptotic protein Bax. Copyright Â© 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Neutralizing Antibody Response to Hepatitis C Virus Viruses. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22163337 A critical first step in a "rational vaccine design" approach for hepatitis C virus (HCV) is to identify the most relevant mechanisms of immune protection. Emerging evidence provides support for a protective role of virus neutralizing antibodies, and the ability of the B cell response to modify the course of acute HCV infection. This has been made possible by the development of in vitro cell culture models, based on HCV retroviral pseudotype particles expressing E1E2 and infectious cell culture-derived HCV virions, and small animal models that are robust tools in studies of antibody-mediated virus neutralization. This review is focused on the immunogenic determinants on the E2 glycoprotein mediating virus neutralization and the pathways in which the virus is able to escape from immune containment. Encouraging findings from recent studies provide support for the existence of broadly neutralization antibodies that are not associated with virus escape. The identification of conserved epitopes mediating virus neutralization that are not associated with virus escape will facilitate the design of a vaccine immunogen capable of eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies against this highly diverse virus.

[Effects of Excreted/secreted Antigens of Toxoplasma Gondii on CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ T Cells and NK Cells of Melanoma-bearing Mice] Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za Zhi = Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control. Jun, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22164498 To explore the effects of excreted/secreted antigens (ESA) of Toxoplasma gondii on CD4+CD25+ Foxp3+ T cells and NK cells of melanoma-bearing mice, as well as the tumor growth.

Quantification of Increased Cellularity During Inflammatory Demyelination Brain : a Journal of Neurology. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22171354 Multiple sclerosis is characterized by inflammatory demyelination and irreversible axonal injury leading to permanent neurological disabilities. Diffusion tensor imaging demonstrates an improved capability over standard magnetic resonance imaging to differentiate axon from myelin pathologies. However, the increased cellularity and vasogenic oedema associated with inflammation cannot be detected or separated from axon/myelin injury by diffusion tensor imaging, limiting its clinical applications. A novel diffusion basis spectrum imaging, capable of characterizing water diffusion properties associated with axon/myelin injury and inflammation, was developed to quantitatively reveal white matter pathologies in central nervous system disorders. Tissue phantoms made of normal fixed mouse trigeminal nerves juxtaposed with and without gel were employed to demonstrate the feasibility of diffusion basis spectrum imaging to quantify baseline cellularity in the absence and presence of vasogenic oedema. Following the phantom studies, in vivo diffusion basis spectrum imaging and diffusion tensor imaging with immunohistochemistry validation were performed on the corpus callosum of cuprizone treated mice. Results demonstrate that in vivo diffusion basis spectrum imaging can effectively separate the confounding effects of increased cellularity and/or grey matter contamination, allowing successful detection of immunohistochemistry confirmed axonal injury and/or demyelination in middle and rostral corpus callosum that were missed by diffusion tensor imaging. In addition, diffusion basis spectrum imaging-derived cellularity strongly correlated with numbers of cell nuclei determined using immunohistochemistry. Our findings suggest that diffusion basis spectrum imaging has great potential to provide non-invasive biomarkers for neuroinflammation, axonal injury and demyelination coexisting in multiple sclerosis.

Viscoelastic Transition and Yield Strain of the Folded Protein PloS One. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22174767 For proteins, the mechanical properties of the folded state are directly related to function, which generally entails conformational motion. Through sub-Angstrom resolution measurements of the AC mechanical susceptibility of a globular protein we describe a new fundamental materials property of the folded state. For increasing amplitude of the forcing, there is a reversible transition from elastic to viscoelastic response. At fixed frequency, the amplitude of the deformation is piecewise linear in the force, with different slopes in the elastic and viscoelastic regimes. Effectively, the protein softens beyond a yield point defined by this transition. We propose that ligand induced conformational changes generally operate in this viscoelastic regime, and that this is a universal property of the folded state.

In Vitro Effects of Aqueous Extracts of Astragalus Membranaceus and Scutellaria Baicalensis GEORGI on Toxoplasma Gondii Parasitology Research. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22179265 Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that infects animals and humans worldwide. The standard treatment for toxoplasmosis is limiting due to toxic adverse effects, thus there is a need to identify new drugs that are less toxic. Both Astragalus membranaceus and Scutellaria baicalensis GEORGI are popular traditional Chinese herbs widely used for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases in Asia, and we have previously demonstrated that water extracts of A. membranaceus (AmE) and S. baicalensis GEORGI (SbE) have good efficacy in controlling T. gondii replication in mouse models. This study was designed to further evaluate their effects against developing tachyzoites of the RH strain of T. gondii in HeLa cell cultures. AmE, SbE, and TMP-SMX (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) were added into the wells containing both HeLa cells and replicating T. gondii of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing RH tachyzoites. The proliferation and morphous of the tachyzoites were observed, the fluorescence intensity expressed as the fluorescence gray scale value was measured, and the living tachyzoites were counted at different culture times after treatment. The results showed that, compared to untreated controls, parasites treated with either AmE or SbE had significantly decreased intracellular replication at 72, 96, and 120Â h after treatment (Pâ€‰

Immobilization of Gene Vectors on Bisphosphonate-mediated Gene-eluting Metal Stents Using Antibody for Localized Gene Delivery Journal of Controlled Release : Official Journal of the Controlled Release Society. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22195832

Novel PH-sensitive Zwitterionic Poly(amino Acid) Derivatives for Drug Delivery Journal of Controlled Release : Official Journal of the Controlled Release Society. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22195952

Bis[2-(benzyl-idene-amino)-phen-yl] Disulfide Acta Crystallographica. Section E, Structure Reports Online. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22199858 In the title mol-ecule, C(26)H(20)N(2)S(2), the two benzene rings connected by a disulfide chain form a dihedral angle of 84.9â€…(1)Â°, and the two benzene rings in the two benzyl-idene-amino-phenyl fragments form dihedral angles of 34.4â€…(1) and 32.8â€…(1)Â°. The crystal structure exhibits weak inter-molecular C-Hâ‹¯S hydrogen bonds, which link the mol-ecules into chains along [101].

[Efficacy of Gadobenate Dimeglumine Vs Gadopentetate Dimeglumine in Contrast- Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Diagnosis of Solitary Brain Metastases] Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao = Journal of Southern Medical University. Dec, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22200693 To compare gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA) and gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd-DTPA) for their efficacy as contrast agents in contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnosis of solitary brain metastases (SBM).

Bacterial Niche-specific Genome Expansion is Coupled with Highly Frequent Gene Disruptions in Deep-sea Sediments PloS One. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22216192 The complexity and dynamics of microbial metagenomes may be evaluated by genome size, gene duplication and the disruption rate between lineages. In this study, we pyrosequenced the metagenomes of microbes obtained from the brine and sediment of a deep-sea brine pool in the Red Sea to explore the possible genomic adaptations of the microbes in response to environmental changes. The microbes from the brine and sediments (both surface and deep layers) of the Atlantis II Deep brine pool had similar communities whereas the effective genome size varied from 7.4 Mb in the brine to more than 9 Mb in the sediment. This genome expansion in the sediment samples was due to gene duplication as evidenced by enrichment of the homologs. The duplicated genes were highly disrupted, on average by 47.6% and 70% for the surface and deep layers of the Atlantis II Deep sediment samples, respectively. The disruptive effects appeared to be mainly due to point mutations and frameshifts. In contrast, the homologs from the Atlantis II Deep brine sample were highly conserved and they maintained relatively small copy numbers. Likely, the adaptation of the microbes in the sediments was coupled with pseudogenizations and possibly functional diversifications of the paralogs in the expanded genomes. The maintenance of the pseudogenes in the large genomes is discussed.

Supramolecular Micellar Nanoaggregates Based on a Novel Chitosan/vitamin E Succinate Copolymer for Paclitaxel Selective Delivery International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22228999 Nowadays, many cytotoxic anticancer drugs exhibit low solubility and poor tumor selectivity, which means that the drug formulation is very important. For example, in the case of paclitaxel (PTX), Cremophor EL(Â®) (BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany) needs to be used as a solubilizer in its clinical formulation (Taxol(Â®), Bristol-Myers Squibb, New York, NY), although it can cause serious side effects. Nanomicellar systems are promising carriers to resolve the above problems, and the polymer chosen is the key element.

The Validation of Complete Fourier Direct MR Method for Diffusion MRI Via Biological and Numerical Phantoms Conference Proceedings : ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Conference. Aug, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22255156 The equations of the Complete Fourier Direct (CFD) MR model are explicitly derived for diffusion weighted NMR experiments. The CFD-MR theory is validated by comparing a biological phantom constructed from nerve bundles and agar gel with its numerical implementation. The displacement integral distribution function estimated from the experimental data is in high agreement with the numerical phantom. CFD-MR's ability to estimate accurately and fully spin diffusion properties demonstrated here, provides the experimental validation of the theoretical CFD-MR model.

Periostin and Osteopontin Are Overexpressed in Chronically Inflamed Sinuses International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology. Mar, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22287326 In chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), the inflammation leads to a proliferative response in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Periostin and osteopontin are 2 ECM proteins which have received attention for their roles in tissue remodeling in inflammatory diseases of the upper and lower airways. Transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFÎ²1) is an inflammatory cytokine that has been implicated in fibrotic conditions affecting virtually every organ. In this study we seek to evaluate the differential expression of periostin, osteopontin, and TGFÎ²1 in the ethmoid sinus and nasal floor of patients with CRS. Furthermore, we seek to determine if a correlation exists between their differential expression in the nose and sinuses of patients with CRS.

Comparison of Flexural Properties and Surface Roughness of Nanohybrid and Microhybrid Dental Composites General Dentistry. Sep, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22313818 Recently introduced nanohybrid dental composites have promised a smoother surface finish and strength, comparable to that of microhybrid composites. This study compared the mechanical properties and surface finish of nanohybrid and microhybrid composites by measuring the flexural strength and modulus (four-point bend) and surface roughness after polishing (using atomic force microscopy) of six commercial dental composites (three nanohybrid, three microhybrid). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to qualitatively characterize filler morphology and size. The flexural strength and modulus were significantly higher among the microhybrid composites, while the nanohybrid composites exhibited significantly lower surface roughness. SEM characterization revealed differences in filler particle size and shape that could affect the flexural properties and surface roughness. Composites containing spherical filler particles exhibited higher flexural properties and lower roughness values compared to composites with irregular fillers. These results did not support the premise that nanohybrid composites offer similar mechanical properties to microhybrids in addition to a better surface finish.

[Preliminary Study on Variations and Neural Generators of Error-related Negativity in First Episode Schizophrenics] Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22333055 To explore the variations and their activated brain areas of error-related negativity (ERN) in first episode schizophrenics.

[Fine-needle Aspiration Cytology of Thyroid Nodules: a Clinical Evaluation] Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi = Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. Nov, 2011 | Pubmed ID: 22335973 To investigate the clinical application of fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of thyroid nodules.

P38 MAPK Regulates Calcium Signal-mediated Lipid Accumulation Through Changing VDR Expression in Primary Preadipocytes of Mice Molecular Biology Reports. Mar, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 21701827 In the present study we have examined whether p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) signal pathway interacts with calcium signal on lipid accumulation in primary preadipocytes of mice. The primary preadipocytes were treated with p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580, blockers and excitomotors of calcium channel for 24Â h, respectively. Intracellular triglyceride (TG) content was measured by triglyceride kit and lipid accumulation was determined by Oil Red O staining. Meanwhile, the mRNA expressions of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPARÎ³) gene, fatty acid synthetase (FAS) gene, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene, vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and extracellular Ca(2+)-sensing receptor (CaSR) gene were analyzed with real-time PCR. The protein content and phosphorylation of VDR and p38 were tested with Western Blotting. The data showed that intracellular TG content and the mRNA expression levels of PPARÎ³, FAS, LPL in N group and L group as well as FAS, LPL in C group were increased significantly (PÂ

A Dynamic Hybrid Framework for Constrained Evolutionary Optimization IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics. Part B, Cybernetics : a Publication of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 21824851 Based on our previous work, this paper presents a dynamic hybrid framework, called DyHF, for solving constrained optimization problems. This framework consists of two major steps: global search model and local search model. In the global and local search models, differential evolution serves as the search engine, and Pareto dominance used in multiobjective optimization is employed to compare the individuals in the population. Unlike other existing methods, the above two steps are executed dynamically according to the feasibility proportion of the current population in this paper, with the purpose of reasonably distributing the computational resource for the global and local search during the evolution. The performance of DyHF is tested on 22 benchmark test functions. The experimental results clearly show that the overall performance of DyHF is highly competitive with that of a number of state-of-the-art approaches from the literature.

NFBD1/MDC1 is a Protein of Oncogenic Potential in Human Cervical Cancer Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 21853275 A large nuclear protein of 2089 amino acids, NFBD1/MDC1 has recently been implicated in tumorigenesis and tumor growth. In this study, we investigated its expression in cervical cancers and explored its function using gene knockdown approaches. We report here that NFBD1 expression is substantial increased in 24 of 39 cases (61.5%) of cervical cancer tissues at the mRNA level and in 35 of 60 cases (58.3%) at the protein level compared with the case matched normal tissues. Tumors with higher grade of malignancy tend to have higher levels of NFBD1 expression. By infecting cells with retroviruses expressing NFBD1 shRNA, we successfully knocked down NFBD1 expression in cervical cancer cell lines HeLa, SiHa, and CaSki. NFBD1 knockdown cells display significant growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest, higher apoptotic rate, and enhanced sensitivity to adriamycin. Furthermore, NFBD1 knockdown also inhibits the growth of HeLa cells in nude mice. Western blot analyses further revealed that NFBD1 knockdown induced Bax, Puma, and Noxa while down-regulating Bcl-2; it also up-regulated cytochrome C and activated caspases 3 and 9. Therefore, the function of NFBD1 may be involved in the CDC25C-CyclinB1/CDC2 pathway at the G2/M checkpoint, and the cytochrome C/caspase 3 apoptotic pathway. Since expression of NFBD1 seems to be related to the oncogenic potential of cervical cancer, and suppression of its expression can inhibit cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo, NFBD1 may be a potential therapeutic target in human cervical cancer.

Crystal Structure of the Extracellular Domain of Human Myelin Protein Zero Proteins. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 21971831

SNP Rs2470152 in CYP19 is Correlated to Aromatase Activity in Chinese Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Patients Molecular Medicine Reports. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 21972004 CYP19 encodes aromatase, a key enzyme essential for estrogen biosynthesis. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2470152 in CYP19 is associated with serum estradiol (E2) level and the E2/T (estradiol/testosterone) ratio. A caseâ€‘control study including 661 individuals [364 polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients and 297 controls] was conducted to assess the association of SNP rs2470152 with PCOS. The subjects were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Hormone levels were analyzed among various genotypes. The genotypic distributions of rs2470152 did not differ in PCOS patients when compared to the controls. However, differences in the E2/T ratio were detected, exhibiting a lower ratio in the heterozygous TC genotype in PCOS patients (p=0.01036) and controls (p=0.000). Testosterone levels also differed between the three genotypes of PCOS patients (p=0.00625), with a higher level in the TC genotype. Therefore, rs2470152 in CYP19 was not a major etiological factor for PCOS; however, the heterozygous TC genotype may inhibit aromatase activity, resulting in hyperandrogenism, particularly in PCOS patients.

Fusion of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Esophageal Carcinoma Cells Inhibits the Tumorigenicity of Esophageal Carcinoma Cells International Journal of Oncology. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22002183 Prior studies on the biology and therapeutic application of human stem cells in human malignancies have reported mixed results. Some evidence shows the use of stem cell transplantation is an important tool in the treatment of several hematologic and non-hematologic malignancies while some others suggest both human stem cells and mature stromal cells can contribute to the development and growth of human malignancies. Aiming to provide more evidence on this controversial issue, we investigated the effect of cell fusion of mesenchymal stem cells with esophageal carcinoma cells on tumorigenesis. Results suggest that artificial fusion of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells with esophageal carcinoma cells resulted in hybrids with declined cell growth, increased apoptosis and suppressed tumorigenicity. The comparison of gene expression profiles of human mesenchymal stem cells, esophageal carcinoma cells and hybrids indicated that fusion induced activation of apoptosis. Furthermore, the expression of DUSP6/MKP3 in MAPK pathway increased strikingly and the exogenous overexpression confirmed the growth suppression. Our results demonstrate fusion of human mesenchymal stem cells with esophageal carcinoma cells induced apoptosis and benign transdifferentiation rather than reprogramming to cancer stem cells.

Improved Degree of Conversion of Model Self-etching Adhesives Through Their Interaction with Dentine Journal of Dentistry. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22024375 To investigate the correlation of the chemical interaction between model self-etching adhesives and dentine with the degree of conversion (DC) of the adhesives.

A Large Sample Volume Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Probe for in Situ Investigations with Constant Flow of Reactants Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22025270 A large-sample-volume constant-flow magic angle sample spinning (CF-MAS) NMR probe is reported for in situ studies of the reaction dynamics, stable intermediates/transition states, and mechanisms of catalytic reactions. In our approach, the reactants are introduced into the catalyst bed using a fixed tube at one end of the MAS rotor while a second fixed tube, linked to a vacuum pump, is attached at the other end of the rotor. The pressure difference between both ends of the catalyst bed inside the sample cell space forces the reactants flowing through the catalyst bed, which improves the diffusion of the reactants and products. This design allows the use of a large sample volume for enhanced sensitivity and thus permitting in situ(13)C CF-MAS studies at natural abundance. As an example of application, we show that reactants, products and reaction transition states associated with the 2-butanol dehydration reaction over a mesoporous silicalite supported heteropoly acid catalyst (HPA/meso-silicalite-1) can all be detected in a single (13)C CF-MAS NMR spectrum at natural abundance. Coke products can also be detected at natural (13)C abundance and under the stopped flow condition. Furthermore, (1)H CF-MAS NMR is used to identify the surface functional groups of HPA/meso-silicalite-1 under the condition of in situ drying. We also show that the reaction dynamics of 2-butanol dehydration using HPA/meso-silicalite-1 as a catalyst can be explored using (1)H CF-MAS NMR.

The Effect of Hydroxyapatite Presence on the Degree of Conversion and Polymerization Rate in a Model Self-etching Adhesive Dental Materials : Official Publication of the Academy of Dental Materials. Mar, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22032933 The effect of hydroxyapatite (HAp) content on photopolymerization of a model self-etching adhesive was studied by using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR/FT-IR) spectroscopy.

Synthesis and Herbicidal Activities of Novel 3-(substituted Benzyloxy or Phenoxy)-6-methyl-4-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)pyridazine Derivatives Pest Management Science. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22076665 4-(3-Trifluoromethylphenyl)pyridazine represents a new series of compounds with bleaching and herbicidal activities.

Cell Adhesion on an Artificial Extracellular Matrix Using Aptamer-functionalized PEG Hydrogels Biomaterials. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22079002 The development of an artificial extracellular matrix (ECM) is important to regenerative medicine because the ECM plays complex and dynamic roles in the regulation of cell behavior. In this study, nucleic acid aptamers were applied to functionalize hydrogels for mimicking the adhesion sites of the ECM. The results showed that nucleic acid aptamers could be incorporated into polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels via free radical polymerization. The incorporation of the aptamers produced only a moderate effect on the mechanical properties of the PEG hydrogels. Importantly, the results also showed that the aptamers effectively induced cell type-specific adhesion to the PEG hydrogels without affecting cell viability. The cell adhesion was a function of the aptamer concentration, the spacer length and the cell seeding time. In addition, cell adhesion to the aptamer-functionalized hydrogel could be attenuated by means of aptamer inactivation in a physiological condition. Thus, aptamer-functionalized hydrogels are promising biomaterials for the development of artificial ECMs.

RROP2(186-533): a Novel Peptide Antigen for Detection of IgM Antibodies Against Toxoplasma Gondii Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22085219 Toxoplasma gondii infections are prevalent in a wide range of mammalian hosts including humans. Infection in pregnant women may cause the transmission of parasite to the fetus that makes serious problems. IgM antibodies against Toxoplasma (Toxo-IgM) have been believed to be significant indicators for both recently acquired and congenital toxoplasmosis. So far, however, there has not been any recognized protein of T. gondii that specifically reacts to IgM antibodies. Here, an antigen exclusively for detection of IgM antibodies screened by two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry has been reported. The study identified 13 Toxoplasma proteins probed by IgG antibodies and one (rhpotry protein 2 [ROP2]) by IgM antibodies with human sera of Toxo-IgM(-)-IgG(+) and -IgM(+)-IgG(-), respectively, which had been prescreened by Toxo-IgM and -IgG commercial kits from the suspected cases. Following cloning, expression, and purification of the fragment of ROP2(186-533), an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with rROP2(186-533) to measure IgM and IgG antibodies was developed. As a result, 100%(48/48) of sera with Toxo-IgM(+)-IgG(-)showed positive Toxo-IgM but none of them (0%) showed positive Toxo-IgG when rROP2(186-533) was used as antigen. Neither Toxo-IgG nor Toxo-IgM antibodies were found when tested with 59 sera of Toxo-IgM(-)-IgG(+). These results indicate that rROP2(186-533) could be used as an antigen that specifically capture Toxo-IgM antibodies and may have a high potential in the serological diagnosis of both acute acquired and congenital toxoplasmosis.

Cloning and MRNA Expression Levels of GDF9, BMP15, and BMPR1B Genes in Prolific and Non-prolific Goat Breeds Molecular Reproduction and Development. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22102530

Polymeric Graphitic Carbon Nitride As a Heterogeneous Organocatalyst: from Photochemistry to Multipurpose Catalysis to Sustainable Chemistry Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English). Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22109976 Polymeric graphitic carbon nitride materials (for simplicity: g-C(3)N(4)) have attracted much attention in recent years because of their similarity to graphene. They are composed of C, N, and some minor H content only. In contrast to graphenes, g-C(3)N(4) is a medium-bandgap semiconductor and in that role an effective photocatalyst and chemical catalyst for a broad variety of reactions. In this Review, we describe the "polymer chemistry" of this structure, how band positions and bandgap can be varied by doping and copolymerization, and how the organic solid can be textured to make it an effective heterogenous catalyst. g-C(3)N(4) and its modifications have a high thermal and chemical stability and can catalyze a number of "dream reactions", such as photochemical splitting of water, mild and selective oxidation reactions, and--as a coactive catalytic support--superactive hydrogenation reactions. As carbon nitride is metal-free as such, it also tolerates functional groups and is therefore suited for multipurpose applications in biomass conversion and sustainable chemistry.

Loperamide, an Antidiarrhea Drug, Has Antitumor Activity by Inducing Cell Apoptosis Pharmacological Research : the Official Journal of the Italian Pharmacological Society. Mar, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22119769 Loperamide, an antidiarrhea drug, is a peripheral opiate agonist. Some other opiate agonists have been shown to promote cell apoptosis. In this research, we studied the apoptosis-inducing and cytotoxic activities of loperamide. MTT assay was used to determine its cytotoxicity on nine established human tumor cell lines. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Hypodiploid cells and cell cycles were analyzed by propidium iodide (PI) staining, while early apoptotic cells were detected by annexin V-FITC/PI staining. It was found that loperamide could inhibit the proliferation of the tested tumor cell lines. The IC(50) values for SMMC7721, MCF7, SPC-A1, SKOV3-DDP, H460, HepG2, SGC7901, U2OS, and ACHN cells were 24.2Â±2.1Î¼M, 23.6Â±2.5Î¼M, 25.9Â±3.1Î¼M, 27.1Â±2.5Î¼M, 41.4Â±2.1Î¼M, 23.7Â±1.3Î¼M, 35.4Â±3.5Î¼M, 11.8Â±2.8Î¼M, and 28.5Â±3.4Î¼M, respectively. Loperamide was more effective to the human osteosarcoma U2OS cells with an IC(50) value of 11.8Â±2.8Î¼M. Meanwhile, it could induce cell apoptosis and cause G2/M-phase cell cycle arrest. The apoptotic cells could be found when treating with loperamide for 6h and most of them belonged to early apoptosis. In loperamide-treated cells, activation of caspase-3 was found, namely that caspase-3 was involved in the loperamide-induced apoptosis. The results of these studies indicate that loperamide is a potential antitumor agent. To our knowledge, this is the first report on antitumor activity of loperamide.

Frequent Mutations of Genes Encoding Ubiquitin-mediated Proteolysis Pathway Components in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Nature Genetics. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22138691 We sequenced whole exomes of ten clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) and performed a screen of âˆ¼1,100 genes in 88 additional ccRCCs, from which we discovered 12 previously unidentified genes mutated at elevated frequencies in ccRCC. Notably, we detected frequent mutations in the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathway (UMPP), and alterations in the UMPP were significantly associated with overexpression of HIF1Î± and HIF2Î± in the tumors (P = 0.01 and 0.04, respectively). Our findings highlight the potential contribution of UMPP to ccRCC tumorigenesis through the activation of the hypoxia regulatory network.

Revelation of Topological Surface States in Bi(2)se(3) Thin Films by in Situ Al Passivation ACS Nano. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22147687 Topological insulators (TIs) are extraordinary materials that possess massless, Dirac-like topological surface states in which backscattering is prohibited due to the strong spin-orbit coupling. However, there have been reports on degradation of topological surface states in ambient conditions, which presents a great challenge for probing the original topological surface states after TI materials are prepared. Here, we show that in situ Al passivation inside a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) chamber could inhibit the degradation process and reveal the pristine topological surface states. Dual evidence from Shubnikov-de Hass (SdH) oscillations and weak antilocalization (WAL) effect, originated from the Ï€ Berry phase, suggests that the helically spin-polarized surface states are well preserved by the proposed in situ Al passivation. In contrast, we show the degradation of surface states for the unpassivated control samples, in which the 2D carrier density is increased 39.2% due to ambient n-doping, the SdH oscillations are completely absent, and a large deviation from WAL is observed.

Probing Biomolecular Interactions with Dual Polarization Interferometry: Real-time and Label-free Coralyne Detection by Use of Homoadenine DNA Oligonucleotide Analytical Chemistry. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22148232 We incorporated the specific recognition of adenine-rich singled-stranded DNA (ssDNA) into dual polarization interferometry (DPI) measurements for direct, selective, and sensitive detection of the small molecule coralyne, and we simultaneously employed the real-time and label-free technique for detailed investigation of the interaction between coralyne and adenine-rich ssDNA. Data from UV-visible spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and DNA melting firmly confirmed that 48-mer homoadenine ssDNA oligonucleotide (A(48)) had highly specific recognition for coralyne, whereas 48-mer homothymine ssDNA oligonucleotide (T(48)) as the control had no such recognition. The immobilization of ssDNA (A(48) or T(48)) on a silicon oxynitride chip could be achieved through a preadsorbed poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) layer. Mass, thickness, and refractive index (RI) changes resolved by DPI during the whole process of ssDNA immobilization suggested that most ssDNA molecules were likely to lie on the PEI surface mainly in the form of a flat monolayer and insert themselves partly into the PEI layer. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of mass, thickness, and RI changes in A(48)/PEI layer upon addition of different concentrations of coralyne revealed that A(48) most likely underwent a conformational change from single-stranded to double-stranded structure. By evaluation of the binding curves from changes in mass, the association rate constant (k(a)), dissociation rate constant (k(d)), and association constant (K(A)) between coralyne and A(48) were determined to be 4.95 Ã— 10(3) M(-1) s(-1), 0.031 s(-1), and 1.6 Ã— 10(5) M(-1), respectively. Good linear correlations between coralyne concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 12 Î¼M and three parameters (mass, thickness, and RI) resolved by the response to coralyne binding were obtained. The detection limits were 0.22 Î¼M for mass calibration, 0.14 Î¼M for thickness calibration, and 0.32 Î¼M for RI calibration. The high selectivity of the biosensor to coralyne at the A(48)/PEI interface was successfully confirmed by using the other two interfaces (T(48)/PEI and PEI) and three typical intercalators (ethidium bromide, daunomycin, and methylene blue). It is expected that the biosensing platform may be extended to simultaneously detect and characterize the interactions of a variety of target molecules with functional DNA molecules with high sensitivity.

Acetic Acid-induced Programmed Cell Death and Release of Volatile Organic Compounds in Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Plant Physiology and Biochemistry : PPB / SociÃ©tÃ© FranÃ§aise De Physiologie VÃ©gÃ©tale. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22153255 Acetic acid widely spreads in atmosphere, aquatic ecosystems containing residues and anoxic soil. It can inhibit aquatic plant germination and growth, and even cause programmed cell death (PCD) of yeast. In the present study, biochemical and physiological responses of the model unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were examined after acetic acid stress. H(2)O(2) burst was found in C. reinhardtii after acetic acid stress at pH 5.0 for 10 min. The photosynthetic pigments were degraded, gross photosynthesis and respiration were disappeared gradually, and DNA fragmentation was also detected. Those results indicated that C. reinhardtii cells underwent a PCD but not a necrotic, accidental cell death event. It was noticed that C. reinhardtii cells in PCD released abundant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) upon acetic acid stress. Therefore, we analyzed the VOCs and tested their effects on other normal cells. The treatment of C. reinhardtii cultures with VOCs reduced the cell density and increased antioxidant enzyme activity. Therefore, a function of VOCs as infochemicals involved in cell-to-cell communication at the conditions of applied stress is suggested.

Synthesis of the Pyridinyl Analogues of Dibenzylideneacetone (pyr-dba) Via an Improved Claisen-Schmidt Condensation, Displaying Diverse Biological Activities As Curcumin Analogues Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22179573 An efficient and easy procedure to synthesize the pyridinyl analogues of dibenzylideneacetone (pyr-dba) was developed by the condensation of substituted nicotinaldehyde and acetone in the presence of K(2)CO(3) in toluene-EtOH-H(2)O solvent system. Structurally diverse pyr-dba, including quinolinyl dba, can be prepared conveniently in moderate to excellent yields under mild conditions with this method. The resulting pyr-dba functioned as the enone analogs of curcumin and efficiently inhibited the activation of NF-ÎºB and the growth of colorectal carcinoma HCT116 p53+/+ cells as well as the HIV-1 IN-LEDGF/p75 interaction.

Estradiol Directly Attenuates Sodium Currents and Depolarizing Afterpotentials in Isolated Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Neurons Brain Research. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22209345 The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuron is the pivotal control center in a tightly regulated reproductive axis. The release of GnRH controls estradiol production by the ovary, and estradiol acts at the hypothalamus to regulate GnRH release. However, the mechanisms of estradiol feedback are just beginning to be understood. We have previously shown that estradiol administered to the female mouse modulates sodium currents in fluorescently-labeled GnRH neurons. In the current studies, estradiol (1nM) was applied directly, for 16-24h, to hypothalamic cultures from young or aged female ovariectomized mice. The direct application of estradiol modulated a tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium current in isolated GnRH neurons from both young and aged animals. Estradiol, and the specific estrogen receptor-Î² agonist DPN, decreased current amplitude measured in the morning (AM), but had no effect on afternoon currents. These compounds also decreased the rise and decay slope of the current response, increased the width of the current, and increased action potential width in AM recordings. In addition, estradiol decreased the amplitude of the depolarizing afterpotential (DAP); this effect was not time-of-day dependent. The ER-Î² agonist DPN did not mimic the effect of estradiol on DAPs, and the modulation of DAPs by estradiol was no longer present in cells from postreproductive animals. These results indicate that estradiol can affect the physiology of GnRH neurons via multiple pathways that are differentially regulated during the transition to reproductive senescence, suggesting that estradiol regulation of GnRH neuronal output is modulated during the aging process.

Water-dispersible, Uniform Nanospheres by Heating-enabled Micellization of Amphiphilic Block Copolymers in Polar Solvents Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22211314 Uniform nanospheres with tunable size down to 30 nm were prepared simply by heating amphiphilic block copolymers in polar solvents. Unlike reverse micelles prepared in nonpolar, oily solvents, these nanospheres have a hydrophilic surface, giving them good dispersibility in water. Furthermore, they are present as individual, separated, rigid particles upon casting from the solution other than continuous thin films of merged micelles cast from micellar solution in nonpolar solvents. These nanospheres were generated by a heating-enabled micellization process in which the affinity between the solvent and the polymer chains as well as the segmental mobility of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks was enhanced, triggering the micellization of the glassy copolymers in polar solvents. This heating-enabled micellization produces purely well-defined nanospheres without interference of other morphologies. The micelle sizes and corona thickness are tunable mainly by changing the lengths of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic blocks, respectively. The heating-enabled micellization route for the preparation of polymeric nanospheres is extremely simple, and is particularly advantageous in producing rigid, micellar nanospheres from block copolymers with long glassy, hydrophobic blocks which are otherwise difficult to prepare with high efficiency and purity. Furthermore, encapsulation of hydrophobic molecules (e.g., dyes) into micelle cores could be integrated into the heating-enabled micellization, leading to a simple and effective process for dye-labeled nanoparticles and drug carriers.

Estimating Population Divergence Time and Phylogeny from Single-nucleotide Polymorphisms Data with Outgroup Ascertainment Bias Molecular Ecology. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22211450 The inference of population divergence times and branching patterns is of fundamental importance in many population genetic analyses. Many methods have been developed for estimating population divergence times, and recently, there has been particular attention towards genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) data. However, most SNP data have been affected by an ascertainment bias caused by the SNP selection and discovery protocols. Here, we present a modification of an existing maximum likelihood method that will allow approximately unbiased inferences when ascertainment is based on a set of outgroup populations. We also present a method for estimating trees from the asymmetric dissimilarity measures arising from pairwise divergence time estimation in population genetics. We evaluate the methods by simulations and by applying them to a large SNP data set of seven East Asian populations.

Ionic Liquids with Metal Chelate Anions Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22215209 A series of stable (air, water stable and with good thermal stability) and hydrophobic ionic liquids based upon metal chelate anions were synthesized, which were shown to be effective, mild, and easy to recycle catalysts at the same time stable solvents for the oxidation of cyclohexene.

Systematic Prevention of Bubble Formation and Accumulation for Long-term Culture of Pancreatic Islet Cells in Microfluidic Device Biomedical Microdevices. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22252566 Reliable long-term cell culture in microfluidic system is limited by air bubble formation and accumulation. In this study, we developed a bubble removal system capable of both trapping and discharging air bubbles in a consistent and reliable manner. Combined with PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) hydrophilic surface treatment and vacuum filling, a microfluidic perifusion system equipped with the bubble trap was successfully applied for long-term culture of mouse pancreatic islets with no bubble formation and no flow interruption. In addition to demonstrating normal cell viability and islet morphology, post-cultured islets exhibited normal insulin secretion kinetics, intracellular calcium signaling, and changes in mitochondrial potentials in response to glucose challenge. This design could be easily adapted by other microfluidic systems due to its simple design, ease of fabrication, and portability.

Serotonin-mediated Modulation of Na+/K+ Pump Current in Rat Hippocampal CA1 Pyramidal Neurons BMC Neuroscience. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22257758 ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate whether serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) can modulate Na+/K+ pump in rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. RESULTS: 5-HT (0.1, 1 mM) showed Na+/K+ pump current (Ip) densities of 0.40+/-0.04, 0.34+/-0.03 pA/pF contrast to 0.63+/-0.04 pA/pF of the control of 0.5 mM strophanthidin (Str), demonstrating 5-HT-induced inhibition of Ip in a dose-dependent manner in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. The effect was partly attenuated by ondasetron, a 5-HT3 receptor (5-HT3R) antagonist, not by WAY100635, a 5-HT1AR antagonist, while 1-(3-Chlorophenyl) biguanide hydrochloride (m-CPBG), a 5-HT3R specific agonist, mimicked the effect of 5-HT on Ip. CONCLUSION: 5-HT inhibits neuronal Na+/K+ pump activity via 5-HT3R in rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. This discloses novel mechanisms for the function of 5-HT in learning and memory, which may be a useful target to benefit these patients with cognitive disorder.

Inhibition of P38 MAPK Activity Promotes Ex Vivo Expansion of Human Cord Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cells Annals of Hematology. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22258328 Ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) depends on HSC self-renewing proliferation and functional maintenance, which can be negatively affected by HSC differentiation, apoptosis, and senescence. Therefore, inhibition of HSC senescence may promote HSC expansion. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38) on the expansion of human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) CD133(+) cells because activation of p38 has been implicated in the induction of HSC senescence under various physiological and pathological conditions. Our results showed that ex vivo expansion of hUCB CD133(+) cells activated p38, which was abrogated by the p38 specific inhibitor SB203580 (SB). Inhibition of p38 activity with SB promoted the expansion of CD133(+) cells and CD133(+)CD38(-) cells. In addition, hUCB CD133(+) cells expanded in the presence of SB for 7Â days showed about threefold increase in the clonogenic function of HSCs and engraftment in non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice after transplantation compared to the input cells. In contrast, the cells expanded without SB exhibited a significant reduction in these HSC functions. The enhancement of ex vivo expansion of hUCB HSCs is primarily attributable to SB-mediated inhibition of HSC senescence. In addition, inhibition of HSC apoptosis and upregulation of CXCR4 may also contribute to the enhancement. However, p38 inhibition had no significant effect on HSC differentiation and proliferation. These findings suggest that inhibition of p38 activation may represent a novel strategy to promote ex vivo expansion of hUCB HSCs.

Elevated Admission Microalbuminuria Predicts Poor Myocardial Blood Flow and 6-Month Mortality in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Clinical Cardiology. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22262165 BACKGROUND: Microalbuminuria (MA) is considered a major risk factor predisposing to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by MA have been well described. However, data regarding admission MA and coronary and myocardial flow are scant. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of admission MA on coronary blood flow and prognosis in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary PCI. HYPOTHESIS: Did elevated admission microalbuminuria predict poor myocardial blood flow and 6-month mortality in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention? METHODS: A total of 247 patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI within 12 hours after symptom onset were studied. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to admission urinary albumin extraction rate (UAER): (1) an MA group (UAER 20-200 Âµg/min), and (2) a normoalbuminuria (NA) group (UAER < 20 Âµg/min). RESULTS: Microalbuminuria was observed in 108 patients. Univariate analyses showed statistical differences between the NA and MA groups in serum creatine level, plasma glucose level, and peak creatine kinase level on presentation. Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grades (TFGs) 0-2 in the MA group were more frequent (9.4% vs 21.2%, P < 0.05) than in the NA group, and corrected TIMI frame count was higher (23.9 Â± 18.5 vs 29.8 Â± 23.5, P < 0.05). Admission MA was an independent predictor of poor myocardial perfusion (adjusted relative risk: 3.14, 95% confidence interval: 0.99-6.78) and a higher rate of 6-month mortality in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI (adjusted relative risk: 1.58, 95% confidence interval: 0.74-3.39). CONCLUSIONS: Admission MA levels are associated with impaired myocardial flow and poor prognosis in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI. Â© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.

Down-Regulation of Pm4CL1 Gene Expression in E. Coli Model by Antisense MRNA Biochemical Genetics. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22273846 The coumarate:coenzyme A ligase 1 gene (4CL1) was isolated from secondary developing xylem tissues of Pinus massoniana Lamb (Pm4CL1). The Pm4CL1 gene was inserted into a pQE30 expression vector in both sense and antisense orientations to form a pQE30-4CL1-anti4CL1. The expression level of the Pm4CL1 gene in Escherichia coli cells was inhibited by the antisense mRNA of the Pm4CL1 gene. The results of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the average mRNA and protein expression levels of the Pm4CL1 gene in E. coli cells were decreased by 43 and 46%, respectively. These results are an important basis for further investigation.

Chemical Characterization of Etched Dentin in Non-Carious Cervical Lesions The Journal of Adhesive Dentistry. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22282761 Purpose: Bonding to non-carious cervical lesion (NCCL) sclerotic dentin that involves acid etching continues to be a challenging problem due to its altered chemical structure. In the present study, the objective was to investigate the chemical response of NCCL sclerotic dentin to the different acid etching times. Materials and Methods: Extracted human premolars affected with NCCLs were selected, and a cavity matching the natural lesion with respect to size and location was prepared on the lingual surface of each tooth to serve as the control. The dentin surfaces were treated for 15 s and 30 s using 37% phosphoric acid and then analyzed by Raman microspectroscopic mapping/imaging. Results: NCCL dentin substrates had dramatic effects on the chemical profile of dentin demineralization. The spectral comparison showed that the demineralized layer generated by the acid treatment was highly irregular in terms of depth and mineral component retained, especially when NCCL sclerotic dentin was etched for 15 s. When the etching time was increased to 30 s, the demineralization of NCCL sclerotic dentin was more effective and comparable to the nonsclerotic control that was treated for 15 s. Different etching times affected the depth, degree, and profile of the dentin demineralization. Conclusion: The shorter etching time (ie, 15 s) might not be adequate for NCCL sclerotic dentin. However, the longer etching time (ie, 30 s) would induce much deeper demineralized dentin for nonsclerotic substrates. Thus, although extended etching times can be used to remove the hypermineralized layer, further studies are required to analyze the impact this might have on the dentin bonding.

AT1 Receptor Blockade Delays Postlactational Mammary Gland Involution: a Novel Role for the Renin Angiotensin System The FASEB Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22286690 Angiotensin II (AngII), the main effector peptide of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), participates in multiple biological processes, including cell growth, apoptosis, and tissue remodeling. Since AngII activates, in different cell types, signal transducing pathways that are critical for mammary gland postlactational regression, we investigated the role of the RAS during this process. We found that exogenous administration of AngII in mammary glands of lactating Balb/c mice induced epithelium apoptosis [2.9Â±0.5% (control) vs. 9.6Â±1.1% (AngII); P < 0.001] and activation of the proapoptotic factor STAT3, an effect inhibited by irbesartan, an AT(1) receptor blocker. Subsequently, we studied the expression kinetics of RAS components during involution. We found that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) mRNA expression peaked 6 h after weaning (5.7-fold; P

Cu-Catalyzed Oxidative C(sp(2))-H Cycloetherification of O-Arylphenols for the Preparation of Dibenzofurans Organic Letters. Jan, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22288878 A new process involving copper-catalyzed aerobic C(sp(2))-H activation, followed by cycloetherification, has been developed. This reaction serves as a direct method for the preparation of multisubstituted dibenzofurans starting with o-arylphenols. The presence of a strong para-electron-withdrawing group (e.g., NO(2)) on the phenol is essential for the success of the reaction.

Lentiviral Transgenic MicroRNA-Based ShRNA Suppressed Mouse Cytochromosome P450 3A (CYP3A) Expression in a Dose-Dependent and Inheritable Manner PloS One. 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22291988 Cytochomosome P450 enzymes (CYP) are heme-containing monooxygenases responsible for oxidative metabolism of many exogenous and endogenous compounds including drugs. The species difference of CYP limits the extent to which data obtained from animals can be translated to humans in pharmacodynamics or pharmacokinetics studies. Transgenic expression of human CYP in animals lacking or with largely reduced endogenous CYP counterparts is recognized as an ideal strategy to correct CYP species difference. CYP3A is the most abundant CYP subfamily both in human and mammals. In this study, we designed a microRNA-based shRNA (miR-shRNA) simultaneously targeting four members of mouse CYP3A subfamily (CYP3A11, CYP3A16, CYP3A41 and CYP3A44), and transgenic mice expressing the designed miR-shRNA were generated by lentiviral transgenesis. Results showed that the CYP3A expression level in transgenic mice was markedly reduced compared to that in wild type or unrelated miR-shRNA transgenic mice, and was inversely correlated to the miR-shRNA expression level. The CYP3A expression levels in transgenic offspring of different generations were also remarkably lower compared to those of controls, and moreover the inhibition rate of CYP3A expression remained comparable over generations. The ratio of the targeted CYP3A transcriptional levels was comparable between knockdown and control mice of the same gender as detected by RT-PCR DGGE analysis. These data suggested that transgenic miR-shRNA suppressed CYP3A expression in a dose-dependent and inheritable manner, and transcriptional levels of the targeted CYP3As were suppressed to a similar extent. The observed knockdown efficacy was further confirmed by enzymatic activity analysis, and data showed that CYP3A activities in transgenic mice were markedly reduced compared to those in wild-type or unrelated miR-shRNA transgenic controls (1.11Â±0.71 vs 5.85Â±1.74, 5.9Â±2.4; P

Islet Preconditioning Via Multimodal Microfluidic Modulation of Intermittent Hypoxia Analytical Chemistry. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22296179 Simultaneous stimulation of ex vivo pancreatic islets with dynamic oxygen and glucose is a critical technique for studying how hypoxia alters glucose-stimulated response, especially in transplant environments. Standard techniques using a hypoxic chamber cannot provide both oxygen and glucose modulations, while monitoring stimulus-secretion coupling factors in real-time. Using novel microfluidic device with integrated glucose and oxygen modulations, we quantified hypoxic impairment of islet response by calcium influx, mitochondrial potentials, and insulin secretion. Glucose-induced calcium response magnitude and phase were suppressed by hypoxia, while mitochondrial hyperpolarization and insulin secretion decreased in coordination. More importantly, hypoxic response was improved by preconditioning islets to intermittent hypoxia (IH, 1 min/1 min 5-21% cycling for 1 h), translating to improved insulin secretion. Moreover, blocking mitochondrial K(ATP) channels removed preconditioning benefits of IH, similar to mechanisms in preconditioned cardiomyocytes. Additionally, the multimodal device can be applied to a variety of dynamic oxygen-metabolic studies in other ex vivo tissues.

A Novel Sulfonamide Agent, MPSP-001, Exhibits Potent Activity Against Human Cancer Cells in Vitro Through Disruption of Microtubule Acta Pharmacologica Sinica. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22301862 Aim:To evaluate the anti-cancer effects of a new sulfonamide derivative, 2-(N-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-methoxyphenylsulfonamido)-N-hydroxypropanamide (MPSP-001).Methods:Human cancer cell lines (HepG2, THP-1, K562, HGC-27, SKOV3, PANC-1, SW480, Kba, HeLa, A549, MDA-MB-453, and MCF-7) were examined. The cytotoxicity of MPSP-001 was evaluated using the WST-8 assay. Cell cycle distribution was examined with flow cytometry. Mitotic spindle formation was detected using immunofluorescence microscopy. Apoptosis-related proteins were examined with Western blot using specific phosphorylated protein antibodies. Competitive tubulin-binding assay was performed to test whether the compound competitively bound to the colchicine site. Molecular docking was performed to explore the possible binding conformation.Results:MPSP-001 potently inhibited the growth of the 12 different types of human cancer cells with the IC(50) values ranging from 1.9 to 15.7Â Î¼mol/L. The compound exerted potent inhibition on the drug-resistant Kb/VCR and MCF-7/ADR cells, as on Kba and MCF-7 cells. In HeLa, HGC-27, A549, and other cells, the compound (5Â Î¼mol/L) caused cell cycle arrest at the G(2)/M phase, and subsequently induced cell apoptosis. In Hela cells, it prevented the mitotic spindle formation. Furthermore, the compound dose-dependently inhibited polymerization of tubulin in vitro, and directly bound to the colchicine-site of Î²-tubulin. Molecular docking predicted that the compound may form two hydrogen bonds to the binding pocket. The compound showed synergistic effects with colchicine and taxol in blocking mitosis of HeLa cells.Conclusion:MPSP-001 shows a broad-spectrum of anti-tumor efficacy in vitro and represents a novel structure with anti-microtubule activity.

Improvement in T-Staging of Rectal Carcinoma: Using a NovelÂ Endorectal Ultrasonography Technique with SterileÂ Coupling Gel Filling the Rectum Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22305079 Our purpose was to study the accuracy of using endorectal ultrasonography (ERUS) with sterile coupling gels filling the rectum in the preoperative T-staging of rectal carcinoma. A total of 189 patients with confirmed rectal carcinoma were recruited. All underwent ERUS and surgery within the week following sonography. EURS was performed by introducing sterile coupling gel into the rectum. Two radiologists looked at the images at the same time and agreed upon staging. Rectal carcinoma was staged from Tis to T4. The accuracy of T-staging by ERUS was 89.95%. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for ERUS at different stages were calculated. For early stage (Tis and T1), these values were 93.62%, 97.89%, 93.62% and 97.89%, respectively. ERUS filling with sterile coupling gel in the rectum overcomes the pressure effect from a water bath and the restriction caused by tumor stenosis, thus, greatly improving the accuracy of T-staging. The examination is real-time, safe and inexpensive.

"One-stop-shop" Cardiac MRI at 3.0T for the Detection of Coronary Artery Disease International Journal of Cardiology. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22305773

Content Determination of Benzyl Glucosinolate and Anti-cancer Activity of Its Hydrolysis Product in Carica Papaya L Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine. Mar, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22305790 To determine the content of benzyl glucosinolate (BG) in the pulp and the seed and investigate the anti-cancer activity of its hydrolysis product in Carica papaya L.

Dual Polarisation Interferometry for Real-time, Label-free Detection of Interaction of Mercury(ii) with Mercury-specific Oligonucleotides Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22310380 A real-time, label-free dual polarisation interferometry technique was used to investigate the interaction of Hg(2+) with a 21-mer T-rich oligonucleotide and further construct a Hg(2+) biosensor based on thymine-Hg(2+)-thymine coordination chemistry.

Gate-Controlled Surface Conduction in Na-Doped Bi(2)Te(3) Topological Insulator Nanoplates Nano Letters. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22313251 Exploring exciting and exotic physics, scientists are pursuing practical device applications for topological insulators. The Dirac-like surface states in topological insulators are protected by the time-reversal symmetry, which naturally forbids backscattering events during the carrier transport process, and therefore offers promising applications in dissipationless spintronic devices. Although considerable efforts have been devoted to controlling their surface conduction, limited work has been focused on tuning surface states and bulk carriers in Bi(2)Te(3) nanostructures by external field. Here we report gate-tunable surface conduction in Na-doped Bi(2)Te(3) topological insulator nanoplates. Significantly, by applying external gate voltages, such topological insulators can be tuned from p-type to n-type. Our results render a promise in finding novel topological insulators with enhanced surface states.

Surface-dominated Conduction in a 6 Nm-thick Bi2Se3 Thin Film Nano Letters. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22316380 We report a direct observation of surface dominated conduction in an intrinsic Bi2Se3 thin film with a thickness of 6 quintuple layers (QLs) grown on lattice-matched CdS (0001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations from the topological surface states suggest that the Fermi level falls inside the bulk band gap and is 53 Â± 5 meV above the Dirac point, in agreement with 70 Â± 20 meV obtained from scanning tunneling spectroscopies (STS). Our results demonstrate a great potential of producing genuine topological insulator devices using Dirac Fermions of the surface states, when the film thickness is pushed to nano-meter range.

Murine CD8(+)T Cell Cytotoxicity Against Schistosomula Induced by Inoculation of Schistosomal 22.6/26GST Coupled Sepharose 4B Beads Vaccine. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22326902 Schistosomasis is a world-wide parasitic disease. Although chemotherapy is the main treatment method for schistosomasis currently, it cannot prevent schistosome reinfection. Up to now no effective vaccine is available to prevent schistosomiasis. Dendritic cells (DCs) are one of the key players in the cellular immune response and play an important role in antigen presentation as antigen-presenting cells. Here we reported a novel large particulate antigen, in which Sepharose 4B beads were coated with Sj22.6/26GST. Our results showed that this particulate antigen could be cross-presented by DCs to CD8(+)T cells. Furthermore, CD8(+)T cells stimulated by particulate antigen directly exerted cytotoxicity against Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula. We also demonstrated that S. japonicum schistosomula acquired the MHC class I molecules from host blood serum and presented the molecules at the larval surface. While it may help them escape from the host immune surveillance, these MHC I-antigen complexes presented on the surface render schistosomula the potential targets of the CD8(+)T cell cytotoxicity induced by particulate antigen-based vaccine. Finally we evaluated the protective immunity of this particulate vaccine in a mouse infection challenge model. Our data clearly showed that the particulate vaccine induced a partial reduction in both worm burdens and egg loads. Taken together, these results suggest that this large particulate vaccine could be a potential vaccine for the prevention of schistosome infection.

Molecular Characterization, Polymorphism and Association of Porcine MYST2 Gene Molecular Biology Reports. Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22327654 MYST histone acetyltransferase 2 (MYST2) is an important reproduction related gene. In this study, we cloned the full-length cDNA sequence of porcine MYST2 gene through the rapid amplification of cDNA ends method. The porcine MYST2 gene encodes a protein of 611 amino acids which shares high homology with the MYST2 of six species: cattle (99%), rabbit (99%), human (99%), rat (99%), mouse (99%) and chicken (98%).The open reading frame of this gene is structured in 15 exons and 14 introns as revealed by computer-assisted analysis. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the porcine MYST2 gene has a closer genetic distance with the MYST2 gene of cattle. PCR-RFLP was established to detect the GU373686:c.2872GÂ >Â A substitution of porcine MYST2 gene mRNA and association of this mutation with litter size traits was assessed in Large White (nÂ =Â 200) and Landrace (nÂ =Â 200) pig populations. Results demonstrated that this polymorphic locus was significantly associated with the litter size of all parities in Large White sows and Landrace sows. These data serve as a foundation for further insight into this porcine gene.

Dual-functional Click-triazole: a Metal Chelator and Immobilization Linker for the Construction of a Heterogeneous Palladium Catalyst and Its Application for the Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22331347 A novel SBA-15 supported catalyst PdL(n)@SBA-15 containing a 2-pyridyl-1,2,3-triazole ligand framework was prepared via a "click" route, in which the click-triazole acted as both a stable linker and a good chelator. The catalyst was characterized and applied for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols, and the product was obtained in up to 98% yield.

Regioselective and Stereospecific Cross-Coupling of Primary Allylic Amines with Boronic Acids and Boronates Through Palladium-Catalyzed Cï£¿N Bond Cleavage Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English). Feb, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22334495 The NH(2) group serves as an effective leaving group in the palladium-catalyzed regioselective and stereospecific title reaction. The reaction works well with aryl- and alkenylboronic acids and aryl-, alkenyl-, allyl-, and benzylboronates, and complete transfer of chirality has been achieved when using Î±-chiral primary allylic amines as the allylic electrophiles.

The Distribution of Carbonate in Enamel and Its Correlation with Structure and Mechanical Properties Journal of Materials Science. Dec, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 25221352 The correlation of carbonate content with enamel microstructure (chemical and crystal structure) and mechanical properties was evaluated via linear mapping analyses using Raman microspectroscopy and nanoindentation. Mappings started at the outer enamel surface and ended in the inner enamel near the dentin-enamel junction (DEJ) in lingual and buccal cervical and cuspal regions. The carbonate peak intensity at 1070 cm(-1) gradually increased from outer to inner enamel. Moreover, the phosphate peak width, as measured by the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the peak at 960 cm(-1), also increased, going from ~9 cm(-1) in outer enamel to ~13 cm(-1) in enamel adjacent to the DEJ, indicating a decrease in the degree of crystallinity of hydroxyapatite from outer to inner enamel. In contrast, Young's modulus decreased from 119±12 to 80±19 GPa across outer to inner enamel with a concomitant decrease in enamel hardness from 5.9±1.4 to 3.5±1.3 GPa. There were also significant correlations between carbonate content and associated crystallinity with mechanical properties. As carbonate content increased, there was an associated decrease in crystallinity and both of these changes correlated with decreased modulus and hardness. Collectively, these results suggest that enamel carbonate content and the associated change in the crystal structure of hydroxyapatite, i.e. degree of crystallinity, may have a direct effect on enamel mechanical properties. The combination of Raman microspectroscopy and nanoindentation proved to be an effective approach for evaluating the microstructure of enamel and its associated properties.

Journal of Proteome Research. Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23827011

The Response of Juxtacellular Labeled GABA Interneurons in the Basolateral Amygdaloid Nucleus Anterior Part to 5-HT₂A/₂C Receptor Activation is Decreased in Rats with 6-hydroxydopamine Lesions Neuropharmacology. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23827319 Here we report that juxtacellular labeled GABA interneurons in the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus anterior part (BLA) of rats with 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) showed a more burst-firing pattern, while having no change in the firing rate. In sham-operated and the lesioned rats, systemic administration of 5-HT(2A/2C) receptor agonist DOI produced excitation, inhibition and unchanged in the firing rate of the interneurons, and the mean response of DOI was excitatory. However, cumulative dose producing excitation in the lesioned rats was higher than that of sham-operated rats. The local administration of DOI in the BLA also produced three types of responses in two groups of rats. Furthermore, the local administration of DOI excited the interneurons in sham-operated rats, whereas the mean firing rate of the interneurons in the lesioned rats was not affected at the same dose. The excitatory effect of the majority of the interneurons after systemic and local administration of DOI was not reversed by the selective 5-HT(2C) receptor antagonist SB242084, and the inhibitory effect of DOI in all the interneurons examined was reversed by GABA(A) receptor antagonist picrotoxinin. The SNc lesion in rats did not change the density of GAD67/5-HT(2A) receptor co-expressing neurons in the BLA. These results indicate that the SNc lesion changes the firing activity of BLA GABA interneurons. Moreover, DOI regulated the firing activity of the interneurons mainly through activation of 5-HT(2A) receptor, and the lesion led to a decreased response of the interneurons to DOI, which attributes to dysfunction of 5-HT(2A) receptor on these interneurons.

Interleukin-6 is Overexpressed and Augments Invasiveness of Human Glioma Stem Cells in Vitro Clinical & Experimental Metastasis. Jul, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23832741 In the present study, we carried out a series of assays to investigate the expression of interleukin-6 in glioma stem cells and its role in glioma stem cells invasion. Glioma stem cells from eight surgical glioma specimens were cultured and identified. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunoassay were used to measure and compare the expression levels of interleukin-6 in glioma stem cells and matched primary glioma cells. Subsequently, neutralizing antibody against interleukin-6 or exogenous interleukin-6 was used in a Matrigel-invasion assay and effects of interleukin-6 on glioma stem cells invasiveness was then determined. The results revealed that interleukin-6 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly higher in glioma stem cells than in primary glioma cells from the same tumor. However, its expression levels were not apparently higher in glioma stem cells from grade IV gliomas than from grade III gliomas. In Matrigel-invasion assay, glioma stem cells invasiveness markedly decreased after interleukin-6 was blocked with neutralizing antibody, but significantly increased when exogenous interleukin-6 was added. Additionally, the similar effects of interleukin-6 were also found on primary glioma cells invasiveness. Our results suggest that glioma stem cells are likely to be the major tumor source of immunosuppressive cytokines interleukin-6 and thereby play a crucial role in determining glioma malignancy, immunosuppression and immune evasion. Furthermore, interleukin-6 can significantly augment glioma stem cells invasiveness in vitro, suggesting a potential target in future therapy for glioma stem cells rather than for their derivatives.

Risk Factors for Infectious Diseases in Backyard Poultry Farms in the Poyang Lake Area, China PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23840680 Emergence and transmission of infectious diseases have an enormous impact on the poultry industry and present a serious threat to the health of humans and wild birds. Noncommercial poultry operations, such as backyard poultry facilities in China, are potential sources of virus exchange between commercial poultry and wild birds. It is particularly critical in wetland areas where backyard poultry have close contact with commercial poultry and migratory birds, therefore increasing the risk of contracting infectious diseases. To evaluate the transmission risks, a cross-sectional study was undertaken in the Poyang Lake area, China, involving 309 residents in the backyard poultry farms in three counties (Region A, B, and C) of Jiangxi Province. We examined the backyard poultry population, poultry species, presence of poultry deaths from infectious diseases, food sources, and biosecurity practices. Region B ranked highest for biosecurity while region C ranked lowest. The risks of infectious diseases were assessed by adjusted odds ratio based on multivariate logistic regression analysis. Potential risk factors in the three regions of the study site were compared. In Region A, significant factor was contact of poultry with wild birds (OR: 6.573, 95% CI: 2.148-20.115, P=0.001). In Region B, the most significant factor was contact of poultry with neighboring backyard waterfowls (OR: 3.967, 95% CI: 1.555-10.122, P=0.004). In Region C, significant factors were poultry purchase from local live bird markets (OR: 3.740, 95% CI: 1.243-11.255, P=0.019), and contact of poultry with wild birds (OR: 3.379, 95% CI: 1.058-10.791, P=0.040). In summary, backyard poultry was significantly affected by neighboring commercial poultry and close contact with wild birds. The results are expected to improve our understanding of the transmission risks of infectious diseases in a typical backyard poultry environment in rural China, and address the need to improve local farming practices and take preventive measures.

Effects of Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses on Ocular Surface After Sub-Bowman's Keratomileusis Current Eye Research. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23841585 To evaluate the efficacy of silicone hydrogel contact lenses on ocular surface after Sub-Bowman Keratomileusis (SBK).

Evaluation of Plasma Treatment Effects on Improving Adhesive-dentin Bonding by Using the Same Tooth Controls and Varying Cross-sectional Surface Areas European Journal of Oral Sciences. Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23841788 The objective of this study was to evaluate and verify the effectiveness of plasma treatment for improving adhesive-dentin interfacial bonding by performing microtensile bond-strength (μTBS) testing using the same-tooth controls and varying cross-sectional surface areas. Extracted unerupted human third molars were used after removal of the crowns to expose the dentin surface. One half of each dentin surface was treated with a non-thermal argon plasma brush, whilst the other was shielded with glass slide and used as an untreated control. Adper Single Bond Plus adhesive and Filtek Z250 dental composite were then applied as directed. The teeth thus prepared were further cut into micro-bar specimens, with cross-sectional sizes of 1 × 1 mm², 1 × 2 mm², and 1 × 3 mm², for μTBS testing. The test results showed that plasma-treated specimens gave substantially stronger adhesive-dentin bonding than their corresponding same-tooth controls. Compared with their untreated controls, plasma treatment gave statistically significant higher bonding strength for specimens with a cross-sectional area of 1 × 1 mm² and 1 × 2 mm², with mean increases of 30.8% and 45.1%, respectively. Interface examination using optical and electron microscopy verified that plasma treatment improved the quality of the adhesive-dentin interface by reducing defects/voids and increasing the resin tag length in dentin tubules.

Overlapping Community Detection in Complex Networks Using Symmetric Binary Matrix Factorization Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics. Jun, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23848725 Discovering overlapping community structures is a crucial step to understanding the structure and dynamics of many networks. In this paper we develop a symmetric binary matrix factorization model to identify overlapping communities. Our model allows us not only to assign community memberships explicitly to nodes, but also to distinguish outliers from overlapping nodes. In addition, we propose a modified partition density to evaluate the quality of community structures. We use this to determine the most appropriate number of communities. We evaluate our methods using both synthetic benchmarks and real-world networks, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach.

Porous Starch Extracted from Chinese Rice Wine Vinasse: Characterization and Adsorption Properties International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23850681 Chinese rice wine vinasse (the fermentation residue after removal of the crude wine or beer) contains 20-30% residual native starch. These starches are partly hydrolyzed by amylase and glucoamylase during rice wine fermentation, indicating that it is a potential source of porous starch, which is a value-added material. In the present study, morphological, short-range order, crystalline, and thermal studies were determined to characterize the structural and chemical properties of vinasse starch. The results showed that vinasse starch granule had a rough and porous shape and was much more ordered than native starch. Vinasse starch also could tolerate a higher temperature than native starch. The water and oil adsorptive capacities of vinasse starch were 1.89 and 4.14 times higher than that of native rice starch. These results suggest that vinasse is an effective and economical source of porous starch for using as adsorbent.

Avastin Exhibits Therapeutic Effects on Collagen-induced Arthritis in Rat Model Inflammation. Dec, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23851616 Avastin is the monoclonal antibody for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This study aimed to investigate therapeutic effect of Avastin on type II collagen-induced arthritis. Type II chicken collagen was injected into the tails of Wistar rats, and 60 modeled female rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 20): Avastin group, Etanercept group, and control group. Arthritis index and joint pad thickness were scored, and the pathology of back metapedes was analyzed. The results showed that compared to control group, the arthritis index, target-to-non-target ratio, synovial pathological injury index, serum levels of VEGF and tumor necrosis factor alpha, and VEGF staining were decreased significantly 14 days after Avastin or Etanercept treatment, but there were no significant differences between Avastin group and Etanercept group. These data provide evidence that Avastin exhibits similar effects to Etanercept to relieve rheumatoid arthritis in rat model and suggest that Avastin is a promising therapeutic agent for rheumatoid arthritis.

[An Analysis of Resistance of Nosocomial Infection Pathogens Isolated from 13 Teaching Hospitals in 2011] Zhonghua Nei Ke Za Zhi [Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine]. Mar, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23856111 To investigate the pathogen profile of nosocomial infection in China, and to survey the susceptibility rates of these pathogens to the clinical common antibiotics.

Milnacipran Combined with Pregabalin in Fibromyalgia: a Randomized, Open-label Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Adding Milnacipran in Patients with Incomplete Response to Pregabalin Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease. Jun, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23858335 To evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of adding milnacipran to pregabalin in patients with fibromyalgia who have experienced an incomplete response to pregabalin.

Phase II Trial of Temozolomide Plus Concurrent Whole-brain Radiation Followed by TNV Regimen As Adjuvant Therapy for Patients with Newly Diagnosed Primary CNS Lymphoma Neurology India. May-Jun, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23860145 Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is an aggressive extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma limited to the CNS. Treatment of PCNSL with high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)-based chemotherapy and whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is associated with high rates of relapse and severe treatment-related neurotoxicity.

The Next Step in Controlling HBV in China BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.). 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23861426

QSYQ Attenuates Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis Induced Heart Remodeling Rats Through Different Subtypes of NADPH-Oxidase Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23861715 We aim to investigate the therapeutic effects of QSYQ, a drug of heart failure (HF) in clinical practice in China, on a rat heart failure (HF) model. 3 groups were divided: HF model group (LAD ligation), QSYQ group (LAD ligation and treated with QSYQ), and sham-operated group. After 4 weeks, rats were sacrificed for cardiac injury measurements. Rats with HF showed obvious histological changes including necrosis and inflammation foci, elevated ventricular remodeling markers levels(matrix metalloproteinases-2, MMP-2), deregulated ejection fraction (EF) value, increased formation of oxidative stress (Malondialdehyde, MDA), and up-regulated levels of apoptotic cells (caspase-3, p53 and tunnel) in myocardial tissue. Treatment of QSYQ improved cardiac remodeling through counter-acting those events. The improvement of QSYQ was accompanied with a restoration of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) and NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) pathways in different patterns. Administration of QSYQ could attenuate LAD-induced HF, and AngII-NOX2-ROS-MMPs pathway seemed to be the critical potential targets for QSYQ to reduce the remodeling. Moreover, NOX4 was another key targets to inhibit the p53 and Caspase3, thus to reduce the hypertrophy and apoptosis, and eventually provide a synergetic cardiac protective effect.

Enhancing Isoprenoid Production Through Systematically Assembling and Modulating Efflux Pumps in Escherichia Coli Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23864262 Enhancement of the cellular exportation of heterologous compounds is an important aspect to improve the product yield in microbial cell factory. Efflux pumps can expel various intra- or extra-cellular substances out of microbial hosts and increase the cellular tolerance. Thus in this study, by using the hydrophobic sesquiterpene (amorphadiene) and diterpene (kaurene) as two model compounds, we attempted to improve isoprenoid production through systematically engineering the efflux pumps in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The pleiotropic resistant pumps, AcrAB-TolC, MdtEF-TolC from E. coli and heterologous MexAB-OprM pump from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, were overexpressed, assembled, and finely modulated. We found that overexpression of AcrB and TolC components can effectively enhance the specific yield of amorphadiene and kaurene, e.g., 31 and 37 % improvement for amorphadiene compared with control, respectively. The heterologous MexB component can enhance kaurene production with 70 % improvement which is more effective than TolC and AcrB. The results suggest that the three components of tripartite efflux pumps play varied effect to enhance isoprenoid production. Considering the highly organized structure of efflux pumps and importance of components interaction, various component combinations were constructed and the copy number of key components AcrB and TolC was finely modulated as well. The results exhibit that the combination TolC and TolC and AcrB improved the specific yield of amorphadiene with 118 %, and AcrA and TolC and AcrB improved that of kaurene with 104 %. This study indicates that assembling and finely modulating efflux pumps is an effective strategy to improve the production of heterologous compounds in E. coli.

Physicochemical, Pharmacologic, and in Vitro Cellular Effects of Loading Collagen Membranes with Zoledronic Acid The International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants. Jul-Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23869361 There is a need for improved methods of reducing peri-implant bone loss. This study evaluated the structural, drug loading, drug release, and in vitro characteristics of collagen membranes impregnated with zoledronic acid (ZA).

A Novel High-pressure Precipitation Tandem Homogenization Technology for Drug Nanocrystals Production - a Case Study with Ursodeoxycholic Acid Pharmaceutical Development and Technology. Jul, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23869484 Abstract To overcome the limitations of the conventional particle size reduction technologies, a novel combinative particle size reduction method for the effective production of homogeneous nanosuspensions was investigated. Ursodeoxycholic acid, a poorly soluble drug representative, was tried to prepare nanosuspension by homogenization technology and high-pressure precipitation tandem homogenization technology. It was shown that the combinative approach could significantly improve the particle size reduction effectiveness over conventional homogenization approach. The Box-Behnken design analysis for process optimization revealed that the acceptable UDCA-NS was obtained wherein the optimal values of A, B, C and D were 10%, 500 bar, 0.125 and 600 bar, respectively. SEM results demonstrated that no significant aggregation or crystals growth could be observed in the freeze-dried UDCA nanocrystals. The DSC and XRD results showed that UDCA remained in a crystalline state. Dissolution velocities of the freeze-dried UDCA-NS powder were distinctly superior compared to those of the crude powder and physical mixture. The high-pressure precipitation tandem homogenization technology can be a good choice for nanosuspension preparation of poorly soluble UDCA, due to high efficiency of particle size reduction.

Effects on Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Secretion by Distal Ileal Administration of Nutrients Obesity Surgery. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23873128 The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of nutrients (glucose, fat, and amino acid) on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion by the L cell in the distal ileum and insulin level in peripheral blood.

The Dysfunction of CD4(+)CD25(+) Regulatory T Cells Contributes to the Abortion of Mice Caused by Toxoplasma Gondii Excreted-secreted Antigens in Early Pregnancy PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23874852 Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic intracellular parasite that is highly prevalent in human and warm-blooded animals throughout the world, leading to potentially severe congenital infections. Although the abortion caused by T. gondii is believed to be dependent on the timing of maternal infection during pregnancy, the mechanism remains unclear. This study was focused on the effects of T. gondii excreted-secreted antigens on pregnant outcomes and CD4(+)CD25(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells at different stages of pregnancy. The results showed that in mice the frequency and suppressive function of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory cells were diminished after injection of T. gondii excreted-secreted antigens at early and intermediate stages of pregnancy. The abortion caused by T. gondii excreted-secreted antigens at early pregnancy could be partly prevented by adoptively transferring of CD4(+)CD25(+) cells from the mice injected with T. gondii excreted-secreted antigens at late pregnancy, but not from the mice with the same treatment at early pregnancy. Furthermore, T. gondii excreted-secreted antigens induced apoptosis of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory cells of mice in early and intermediate stages of pregnancy by down-regulating their Bcl-2 expressions and Bcl-2/Bax ratio. This study provides new insights into the mechanism that T. gondii infection is the high risk factor for abortion in early pregnancy.

Clinical Features and Surgical Procedures of Intradural-epidural and Epidural Cervical Dumbbell Tumors Chinese Medical Journal. Jul, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23876919

[Risk Factors for Hypertension and Impact of Postoperative Hypertension on Medium Survival After Heart Transplantation] Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi. Mar, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23879946 To access the prevalence and risk factors for hypertension after heart transplantation (HT), and the impact of post-transplant hypertension on medium-term survival among HT patients.

Spatio-temporal Analysis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Based on Differential Expression Networks Scientific Reports. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23881262 T2DM is complex in its dynamical dependence on multiple tissues, disease states, and factors' interactions. However, most existing work devoted to characterizing its pathophysiology from one static tissue, individual factors, or single state. Here we perform a spatio-temporal analysis on T2DM by developing a new form of molecular network, i.e. 'differential expression network' (DEN), which can reflect phenotype differences at network level. Static DENs show that three tissues (white adipose, skeletal muscle, and liver) all suffer from severe inflammation and perturbed metabolism, among which metabolic functions are seriously affected in liver. Dynamical analysis on DENs reveals metabolic function changes in adipose and liver are consistent with insulin resistance (IR) deterioration. Close investigation on IR pathway identifies 'disease interactions', revealing that IR deterioration is earlier than that on SlC2A4 in adipose and muscle. Our analysis also provides evidence that rising of insulin secretion is the root cause of IR in diabetes.

Direct Measurement of Friction of a Fluctuating Contact Line Physical Review Letters. Jul, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23889421 We report a direct measurement of the friction coefficient of a fluctuating (and slipping) contact line using a thin vertical glass fiber of diameter d with one end glued onto a cantilever beam and the other end touching a liquid-air interface. By measuring the broadening of the resonant peak of the cantilever system with varying liquid viscosity η, we find the friction coefficient of the contact line has a universal form, ξ(c)≃0.8πdη, independent of the liquid-solid contact angle. The obtained scaling law is further supported by the numerical simulation based on the phase field model under the generalized Navier boundary conditions.

Reduced HIV-1 Integrase Flexibility As a Mechanism for Raltegravir Resistance Journal of Structural Biology. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23891838 HIV-1 integrase is an essential enzyme necessary for the replication of the HIV virus as it catalyzes the insertion of the viral genome into the host chromosome. Raltegravir was the first integrase inhibitor approved by the FDA for antiretroviral treatment. HIV patients on raltegravir containing regimens often develop drug resistance mutations at residue 140 and 148 in the catalytic 140's loop resulting in a 5-10 fold decrease in susceptibility to raltegravir. Obtaining crystallographic structure information on the Q148H/R, G140S/A primary and secondary mutations has been elusive. Using 10ns molecular dynamics simulations, we present a detailed analysis of the structural changes induced by these mutations. The formation frequency of a transient helix in the catalytic 140's loop is increased and the length of this helix is extended from 3-residues to 4 in the mutants relative to the wild type. This helix causes reduced flexibility in the protein active site and therefore serves as a gating mechanism restricting the access of raltegravir to the integrase binding pocket. These results suggest that resistance to raltegravir occurs through a common mechanism of altering the formation frequency of transient secondary structures such as α2 and β5 in addition to the conformational changes in the 140's loop therefore decreasing the flexibility of the HIV-1 integrase protein. The reduced integrase flexibility serves as a mechanism of resistance to raltegravir.

Recombinant Human Sonic Hedgehog Protein Regulates the Expression of ZO-1 and Occludin by Activating Angiopoietin-1 in Stroke Damage PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23894369 This study examines the regulating effect of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) on the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in cerebral ischemia. By employing permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) model, we find that Shh significantly decreases brain edema and preserves BBB permeability. Moreover, Shh increases zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin and angiopiotetin-1 (Ang-1) expression in the ischemic penumbra. Blockage of Shh with cyclopamine abolishes the effects of Shh on brain edema, BBB permeability and ZO-1, occludin, Ang-1 expression. Primary brain microvessel endothelial cells (BMECs) and astrocytes were pre-treated with Shh, cyclopamine, Ang-1-neutralizing antibody, and subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Results show that the Ang-1 protein level in the culture medium of Shh-treated astrocytes is significantly higher. Shh also increased ZO-1, occludin and Ang-1 expression in BMECs, while cyclopamine and Ang-1-neutralizing antibody inhibited the effects of Shh on the ZO-1 and occludin expression, respectively. This study suggests that, under ischemic insults, Shh triggers Ang-1 production predominantly in astrocytes, and the secreted Ang-1 acts on BMECs, thereby upregulating ZO-1 and occludin to repair the tight junction and ameliorate the brain edema and BBB leakage.

Immune Responses in Mice Vaccinated with a Suicidal DNA Vaccine Expressing the Hemagglutinin Glycoprotein from the Peste Des Petits Ruminants Virus Journal of Virological Methods. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23896018 Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), an acute and highly contagious disease, affects sheep, goats, and some small ruminants. The hemagglutinin (H) glycoprotein of the PPR virus (PPRV) is considered important for inducing protective immune responses. In this study, a suicidal DNA vaccine based on the Semliki Forest virus (SFV) replicon was constructed and tested for its ability to induce immunogenicity in a mouse model. For this, the H gene of PPRV was cloned and inserted into pSCA1, an SFV replicon vector. The resultant plasmid named pSCA1-H was then transfected into BHK-21 cells following which the antigenicity of the expressed protein was confirmed by Western blotting and immunofluorescence. The pSCA1-H plasmid was then injected intramuscularly into BALB/c mice thrice at 2-week intervals. To evaluate the immunogenicity of pSCA1-H, specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies against PPRV-H were measured using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a microneutralization test, respectively. Cell-mediated immune responses were also examined using a lymphocyte proliferation assay. The results showed that pSCA1-H could express the H protein in BHK-21 cells. Specific antibodies, neutralizing antibodies, and lymphocyte proliferation responses were all induced in mice. Thus, this suicidal DNA vaccine could be a promising new approach for vaccine development against PPR.

[Effects of Different Tillage and Fertilization Modes on the Soil Physical and Chemical Properties and Crop Yield Under Winter Wheat/spring Corn Rotation on Dryland of East Gansu, Northwest China] Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao = The Journal of Applied Ecology / Zhongguo Sheng Tai Xue Xue Hui, Zhongguo Ke Xue Yuan Shenyang Ying Yong Sheng Tai Yan Jiu Suo Zhu Ban. Apr, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23898658 Based on the 7-year field experiment on the dryland of east Gansu of Northwest China in 2005-2011, this paper analyzed the variations of soil moisture content, bulk density, and nutrients content at harvest time of winter wheat and of the grain yield under no-tillage and conventional tillage and five fertilization modes, and approached the effects of different tillage and fertilization modes on the soil water storage and conservation, soil fertility, and grain yield under winter wheat/ spring corn rotation. In 2011, the soil moisture content in 0-200 cm layer and the soil bulk density and soil organic matter and available nitrogen and phosphorus contents in 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm layers under different fertilization modes were higher under no-tillage than under conventional tillage. Under the same tillage modes, the contents of soil organic matter and available nitrogen and available phosphorus were higher under the combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers, as compared with other fertilization modes. The soil available potassium content under different tillage and fertilization modes decreased with years. The grain yield under conventional tillage was higher than that under no-tillage. Under the same tillage modes, the grain yield was the highest under the combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers, and the lowest under no fertilization. In sum, no-tillage had the superiority than conventional tillage in improving the soil water storage and conservation and soil fertility, and the combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers under conventional tillage could obtain the best grain yield.

L-Proline: an Efficient N,O-bidentate Ligand for Copper-catalyzed Aerobic Oxidation of Primary and Secondary Benzylic Alcohols at Room Temperature Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23900280 A novel and highly practical copper-catalyzed aerobic alcohol oxidation system with L-proline as the ligand at room temperature has been developed. A wide range of primary and secondary benzylic alcohols tested have been smoothly transformed into corresponding aldehydes and ketones with high yields and selectivities.

Overexpression of E2F3 Promotes Proliferation of Functional Human β Cells Without Induction of Apoptosis Cell Cycle (Georgetown, Tex.). Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23907129 The mechanisms that control proliferation, or lack thereof, in adult human β cells are poorly understood. Controlled induction of proliferation could dramatically expand the clinical application of islet cell transplantation and represents an important component of regenerative approaches to a functional cure of diabetes. Adult human β cells are particularly resistant to common proliferative targets and often dedifferentiate during proliferation. Here we show that expression of the transcription factor E2F3 has a role in regulating β-cell quiescence and proliferation. We found human islets have virtually no expression of the pro-proliferative G 1/S transcription factors E2F1-3, but an abundance of inhibitory E2Fs 4-6. In proliferative human insulinomas, inhibitory E2Fs were absent, while E2F3 is expressed. Using this pattern as a "roadmap" for proliferation, we demonstrated that ectopic expression of nuclear E2F3 induced significant expansion of insulin-positive cells in both rat and human islets. These cells did not undergo apoptosis and retained their glucose-responsive insulin secretion, showing the ability to reverse diabetes in mice. Our results suggest that E2F4-6 may help maintain quiescence in human β cells and identify E2F3 as a novel target to induce proliferation of functional β cells. Refinement of this approach may increase the islets available for cell-based therapies and research and could provide important cues for understanding in vivo proliferation of β cells.

Accuracy Evaluation of a New Three-dimensional Reproduction Method of Edentulous Dental Casts, and Wax Occlusion Rims with Jaw Relation International Journal of Oral Science. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23907676 The article introduces a new method for three-dimensional reproduction of edentulous dental casts, and wax occlusion rims with jaw relation by using a commercial high-speed line laser scanner and reverse engineering software and evaluates the method's accuracy in vitro. The method comprises three main steps: (i) acquisition of the three-dimensional stereolithography data of maxillary and mandibular edentulous dental casts and wax occlusion rims; (ii) acquisition of the three-dimensional stereolithography data of jaw relations; and (iii) registration of these data with the reverse engineering software and completing reconstruction. To evaluate the accuracy of this method, dental casts and wax occlusion rims of 10 edentulous patients were used. The lengths of eight lines between common anatomic landmarks were measured directly on the casts and occlusion rims by using a vernier caliper and on the three-dimensional computerized images by using the software measurement tool. The direct data were considered as the true values. The paired-samples t-test was used for statistical analysis. The mean differences between the direct and the computerized measurements were mostly less than 0.04 mm and were not significant (P>0.05). Statistical significance among 10 patients was assessed using one-way analysis of variance (P

Hydroxyapatite Induces Spontaneous Polymerization of Model Self-etch Dental Adhesives Materials Science & Engineering. C, Materials for Biological Applications. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23910263 The objective of this study is to report for the first time the spontaneous polymerization phenomenon of self-etch dental adhesives induced by hydroxylapatite (HAp). Model self-etch adhesives were prepared by using a monomer mixture of bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] phosphate (2MP) with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The initiator system consisted of camphorquinone (CQ, 0.022 mmol/g) and ethyl 4-dimethylaminobenzoate (4E, 0.022-0.088 mmol/g). HAp (2-8 wt.%) was added to the neat model adhesive. In a dark environment, the polymerization was monitored in-situ using ATR/FT-IR, and the mechanical properties of the polymerized adhesives were evaluated using nanoindentation technique. Results indicated that spontaneous polymerization was not observed in the absence of HAp. However, as different amounts of HAp were incorporated into the adhesives, spontaneous polymerization was induced. Higher HAp content led to higher degree of conversion (DC), higher rate of polymerization (RP) and shorter induction period (IP). In addition, higher 4E content also elevated DC and RP and reduced IP of the adhesives. Nanoindentation result suggested that the Young's modulus of the polymerized adhesives showed similar dependence on HAp and 4E contents. In summary, interaction with HAp could induce spontaneous polymerization of the model self-etch adhesives. This result provides important information for understanding the initiation mechanism of the self-etch adhesives, and may be of clinical significance to strengthen the adhesive/dentin interface based on the finding.

Tetramethylpyrazine Inhibits Osteosarcoma Cell Proliferation Via Downregulation of NF-κB in Vitro and in Vivo Molecular Medicine Reports. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23912183 Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) is an effective component of the traditional Chinese medicine Chuanxiong, which has been reported to have beneficial effects in various types of cancer. However, the activity and mechanism of action of TMP in osteosarcoma (OS) have not been elucidated to date. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of TMP on OS and its underlying mechanism of action. OS cells were treated with various concentrations of TMP for 48 h. BALB/c nude mice with OS were treated with an intraperitoneal injection of TMP at a dose of 100 mg/kg every other day for 28 days. Cell proliferation was evaluated using an MTT assay. Cell cycle and apoptosis were measured using flow cytometry. The protein expression of nuclear and cytosolic nuclear factor‑κB (NF-κB) p65, BCL‑2 and cyclin D1 was measured using western blot analysis. TMP inhibited the proliferation of OS cells (MG-63, SAOS-2 and U2OS) in a dose‑dependent manner. Additionally, TMP significantly induced apoptosis and G0/G1 arrest in MG-63 OS cells (P

Analysis of Nine Compounds from Alpinia Oxyphylla Fruit at Different Harvest Time Using UFLC-MS/MS and an Extraction Method Optimized by Orthogonal Design Chemistry Central Journal. Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23915886 The dried fruit of Alpinia oxyphylla Miq have been widely used as an herbal medicine for the treatment of diarrhea and enuresis in China. Medicinal chemistry studies revealed that the tepenes, diphenylheptanes and flavones were the main components. Therefore, these three kinds of components should be chosen as the bioactive marker compounds for the quality control of A. oxyphylla fruits. Moreover, multiple active components has been widely recognized to be a more feasible method for the quality control of herbal medicines. This study firstly provided a better method for comprehensive quality control of A. oxyphylla fruits. Meanwhile, the different harvest time was also evaluated.

Multicondition Optimization and Experimental Measurements of a Double-Blade Centrifugal Pump Impeller Journal of Fluids Engineering. Jan, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23917426 In order to improve internal unsteady flow in a double-blade centrifugal pump (DBCP), this study used major geometric parameters of the original design as the initial values, heads at three conditions (i.e., 80% design flow rate, 100% design flow rate, and 120% design flow rate) as the constraints conditions, and the maximum of weighted average efficiency at the three conditions as the objective function. An adaptive simulated annealing algorithm was selected to solve the energy performance calculation model and the supertransitive approximation method was applied to fix optimal weight factors of individual objectives. On the basis of hydraulic performance optimization, three-condition automatic computational fluid dynamics (CFD) optimization of impeller meridional plane for the DBCP was realized by means of Isight software integrated Pro/E, Gambit, and Fluent software. The shroud arc radii R0 and R1, shroud angle T1, hub arc radius R2, and hub angle T2 on the meridional plane were selected as the design variables and the maximum of weighted average hydraulic efficiency at the three conditions was chosen as the objective function. Performance characteristic test and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements of internal flow in the DBCP were conducted. Performance characteristic test results show that the weighted average efficiency of the impeller after the three-condition optimization has increased by 1.46% than that of original design. PIV measurements results show that vortex or recirculation phenomena in the impeller are distinctly improved under the three conditions.

Use of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Agonists to Improve Islet Graft Performance Current Diabetes Reports. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23925432 Human islet transplantation is an effective and promising therapy for type I diabetes. However, long-term insulin independence is both difficult to achieve and inconsistent. De novo or early administration of incretin-based drugs is being explored for improving islet engraftment. In addition to its glucose-dependent insulinotropic effects, incretins also lower postprandial glucose excursion by inhibiting glucagon secretion, delaying gastric emptying, and can protect beta-cell function. Incretin therapy has so far proven clinically safe and tolerable with little hypoglycemic risk. The present review aims to highlight the new frontiers in research involving incretins from both in vitro and in vivo animal studies in the field of islet transplant. It also provides an overview of the current clinical status of incretin usage in islet transplantation in the management of type I diabetes.

REPO4 (RE = La, Nd, Eu) Affinity Nanorods Modified on a MALDI Plate for Rapid Capture of Target Peptides from Complex Biosamples Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23938370 A novel affinity MALDI target plate modified with rare-earth phosphate nanorods for rapid, direct and selective capture of phosphopeptides from complex biosamples.

Comparative Messenger RNA Expression of FSHβ, LHβ, FSHR, LHR, and ERβ in High and Low Prolific Goat Breeds Animal Biotechnology. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23947667 Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) have a central role in follicle growth and maturation, but no clear differences between breeds with different ovulation rates have been found. Therefore, this study investigated mRNA expression of FSHβ, LHβ, FSH receptor (FSHR), LH receptor (LHR), and estrogen receptor-β (ERβ) genes in prolific Lezhi black (LB) goats and nonprolific Tibetan (TB) goats by real-time PCR. Follicles and pituitaries were recovered from goats at 12-24 h after onset of estrus. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that the expression levels of FSHβ and LHβ mRNA were significantly higher (p < 0.01) in pituitary of LB than in TB does, but the expression levels of FSHR and LHR mRNA in follicle of TB were greater (p < 0.05). Expression level of follicular ER β was not different between the two breeds. Data provide evidence that the greater ovulation rate in the LB goat as compared to the TB breed is associated with a greater gonadotropin expression during follicular phase.

Letter to the Editor: Hand-Schuller-Christain Disease Associated with Symptomatic Septum Pellucidum Cyst in an Adult with a 10-year Follow-up World Neurosurgery. Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23948651

Inhibition of Both EGFR and IGF1R Sensitized Prostate Cancer Cells to Radiation by Synergistic Suppression of DNA Homologous Recombination Repair PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23950876 Reduced sensitivity of prostate cancer (PC) cells to radiation therapy poses a significant challenge in the clinic. Activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R), and crosstalk between these two signaling pathways have been implicated in the development of radiation resistance in PC. This study assessed the effects of targeting both receptors on the regulation of radio-sensitivity in PC cells. Specific inhibitors of EGFR and IGF1R, Erlotinib and AG1024, as well as siRNA targeting EGFR and IGF1R, were used to radio-sensitize PC cells. Our results showed that co-inhibiting both receptors significantly dampened cellular growth and DNA damage repair, and increased radio-sensitivity in PC cells. These effects were carried out through synergistic inhibition of homologous recombination-directed DNA repair (HRR), but not via inhibition of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Furthermore, the compromised HRR capacity was caused by reduced phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) and its subsequent interaction with Rad51. The synergistic effect of the EGFR and IGF1R inhibitors was also confirmed in nude mouse xenograft assay. This is the first study testing co-inhibiting EGFR and IGF1R signaling in the context of radio-sensitivity in PC and it may provide a promising adjuvant therapeutic approach to improve the outcome of PC patients to radiation treatment.

Challenge of Coronary Artery Calcium by 64-multidetector Computed Tomography International Journal of Cardiology. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23953260

Continuing Efficacy of Milnacipran Following Long-term Treatment in Fibromyalgia: a Randomized Trial Arthritis Research & Therapy. Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23953493 Previous studies of long-term treatment response in fibromyalgia and other chronic pain states have generally been limited to approximately a year, leaving questions about the longer-term durability of response. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate continuing efficacy of milnacipran by characterizing changes in pain and other fibromyalgia symptoms after discontinuing long-term treatment. The mean length of milnacipran treatment at time of randomized withdrawal was 36.1 months from initial exposure to milnacipran (range, 17.9 to 54.4 months).

Solution-Grown Organic Single-Crystalline P-n Junctions with Ambipolar Charge Transport Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.). Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23956037 Organic single-crystalline p-n junctions are grown from mixed solutions. First, C60 crystals (n-type) form and, subsequently, C8-BTBT crystals (p-type) nucleate heterogeneously on the C60 crystals. Both crystals continue to grow simultaneously into single-crystalline p-n junctions that exhibit ambipolar charge transport characteristics. This work provides a platform to study organic single-crystalline p-n junctions.

Shape-controlled Synthesis of Hollow Silica Colloids Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23957469 In this work, hollow silica colloids with different shapes, such as pseudocubes, ellipsoids, capsules, and peanuts, have been synthesized through the following process: silica coating on the surface of hematite colloidal particles with different shapes (pseudocubes, ellipsoids, capsules, and peanuts) and the sequential acid dissolution of the hematite cores. The as-obtained hollow silica colloids with different shapes have uniform sizes, shapes, and shells.

Differential Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood T cells from Patients with Psoriasis, Lichen Planus, And atopic Dermatitis Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23958114 Psoriasis, lichen planus (LP), and atopic dermatitis (AD) are common chronic inflammatory skin diseases mediated by immune responses.

A Novel Human Enterovirus Recombinant from a Child with Diarrhea Archives of Virology. Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23959204 Recombination is a well-known phenomenon for enteroviruses. In the present study, a novel recombinant HEV-B strain (ChZJ-1) was found in a 2-year-old child with diarrhea in Zhenjiang, China. The whole genome of ChZJ-1 was determined. Recombination and phylogenetic analysis revealed that ChZJ-1 might have been produced by recombination between coxsackievirus B5 and echovirus 18.

Hepatic Parenchymal Changes Following Transcatheter Embolization and Chemoembolization in a Rabbit Tumor Model PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23967098 To compare the effects of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) on liver function, hepatic damage, and hepatic fibrogenesis in a rabbit tumor model.

Subunit Vaccine Consisting of Multi-stage Antigens Has High Protective Efficacy Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection in Mice PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23967337 To search for more effective tuberculosis (TB) subunit vaccines, antigens expressed in different growth stages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), such as RpfE (Rv2450c) produced in the stage of resuscitation, Mtb10.4 (Rv0288), Mtb8.4 (Rv1174c), ESAT6 (Rv3875), Ag85B (Rv1886c) mainly secreted by replicating bacilli, and HspX (Rv2031c) highly expressed in dormant bacilli, were selected to construct six fusion proteins: ESAT6-Ag85B-MPT64190-198-Mtb8.4 (EAMM), Mtb10.4-HspX (MH), ESAT6-Mtb8.4, Mtb10.4-Ag85B, ESAT6-Ag85B, and ESAT6-RpfE. The six fusion proteins were separately emulsified in an adjuvant composed of N,N'-dimethyl-N, N'-dioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA), polyribocytidylic acid (poly I:C) and gelatin to construct subunit vaccines, and their protective effects against M. tuberculosis infection were evaluated in C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, the boosting effects of EAMM and MH in the adjuvant of DDA plus trehalose 6,6'-dimycolate (TDM) on BCG-induced immunity were also evaluated. It was found that the six proteins were stably produced in E. coli and successfully purified by chromatography. Among them, EAMM presented the most effective protection against M. tuberculosis. Interestingly, the mice that received EAMM+MH had significantly lower bacterial counts in the lungs and spleens than the single protein vaccinated groups, and had the same effect as those that received BCG. In addition, EAMM and MH could improve BCG-primed protective efficacy against M. tuberculosis infection in mice. In conclusion, the combination of EAMM and MH containing antigens from both replicating and dormant stages of the bacilli could induce robust immunity against M. tuberculosis infection in mice and may serve as promising subunit vaccine candidate.

BreakTrans: Uncovering the Genomic Architecture of Gene Fusions Genome Biology. Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23972288 Producing gene fusions through genomic structural rearrangements is a major mechanism for tumor evolution. Therefore, accurately detecting gene fusions and the originating rearrangements is of great importance for personalized cancer diagnosis and targeted therapy. We present a tool, BreakTrans, that systematically maps predicted gene fusions to structural rearrangements. Thus, BreakTrans not only validates both types of predictions, but also provides mechanistic interpretations. BreakTrans effectively validates known fusions and discovers novel events in a breast cancer cell line. Applying BreakTrans to 43 breast cancer samples in The Cancer Genome Atlas identifies 90 genomically validated gene fusions. BreakTrans is available at http://bioinformatics.mdanderson.org/main/BreakTrans.

MiR-335 Suppresses Migration and Invasion by Targeting ROCK1 in Osteosarcoma Cells Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. Dec, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23975506 Accumulating evidence has shown that microRNAs are involved in multiple processes in cancer development and progression. Recently, miR-335 has been identified as a tumor-suppressing microRNA in many human cancers. However, the specific function of miR-335 in osteosarcoma is unclear at this point. In this study, we found that the expression of miR-335 in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines was much lower than that in normal control, respectively, and the downregulated miR-335 was significantly associated with lymph-node metastasis. Transfection of miR-335 mimics could significantly inhibit the cell migration and invasion in MG-63 and U2OS osteosarcoma cell lines. Moreover, we also showed that ROCK1 was negatively regulated by miR-335 at the posttranscriptional level, via a specific target site within the 3'UTR by luciferase reporter assay. The expression of ROCK1 was inversely correlated with miR-335 expression in osteosarcoma tissues, and knockdown of ROCK1 by siRNA-inhibited osteosarcoma cells migration and invasion resembling that of miR-335 overexpression. Thus, our findings suggest that miR-335 acts as tumor suppressor by targeting the ROCK1 gene and inhibiting osteosarcoma cells migration and invasion. The findings of this study contribute to current understanding of the functions of miR-335 in osteosarcoma.

Process Optimization and Evaluation of Novel Baicalin Solid Nanocrystals International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23976849 The objective of this study was to prepare baicalin solid nanocrystals (BCN-SNS) to enhance oral bioavailability of baicalin. A Box-Behnken design approach was used for process optimization. The physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetics of the optimal BCN-SNS were investigated. Multiple linear regression analysis for process optimization revealed that the fine BCN-SNS was obtained wherein the optimal values of homogenization pressure (bar), homogenization cycles (cycles), amount of TPGS to drug (w/w), and amount of MCCS to drug (w/w) were 850 bar, 25 cycles, 10%, and 10%, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy results indicated that no significant aggregation or crystal growth could be observed in the redispersed freeze-dried BCN-SNS. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction results showed that BCN remained in a crystalline state. Dissolution velocity of the freeze-dried BCN-SNS powder was distinctly superior compared to those of the crude powder and physical mixture. The bioavailability of BCN in rats was increased remarkably after oral administration of BCN-SNS (P < 0.05), compared with those of BCN or the physical mixture. The SNS might be a good choice for oral administration of poorly soluble BCN, due to an improvement of the bioavailability and dissolution velocity of BCN-SNS.

Dehydroepiandrosterone Induces Ovarian and Uterine Hyperfibrosis in Female Rats Human Reproduction (Oxford, England). Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23980058 Do dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)-treated rats with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) demonstrate a high level of fibrosis in ovarian and uterine tissues?

[Significance of Serum MMP-3, TIMP-1, and Monocyte CD147 in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients of Damp-heat Bi-syndrome and of Cold-damp Bi-syndrome] Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi Zhongguo Zhongxiyi Jiehe Zazhi = Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine / Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Hui, Zhongguo Zhong Yi Yan Jiu Yuan Zhu Ban. Jun, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23980356 To explore the clinical significance of serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), and monocyte CD147 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients of damp-heat Bi-syndrome (DHBS) and of cold-damp Bi-syndrome (CDBS).

Neovascularization in the Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque is Not Associated with Inflammatory Cell Aggregation Chinese Medical Journal. Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23981615 Monocytes and macrophages in atherosclerotic plaque lead to plaque instability. The aim of the study was to determine if plaque neovascularization led to inflammation.

Plumbagin Induces the Apoptosis of Human Tongue Carcinoma Cells Through the Mitochondria-mediated Pathway Medical Science Monitor Basic Research. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23982457 Plumbagin, a quinonoid constituent isolated from the root of Plumbago zeylanica L., has been proven to possess anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. However, its anti-tumor properties for human tongue carcinoma have not been reported. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect and the underlying mechanism of plumbagin on the growth of human tongue carcinoma cells.

Functional Characterization of Autographa Californica Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus ORF43 and Phenotypic Changes of ORF43-knockout Mutant Journal of Microbiology (Seoul, Korea). Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23990304 ORF43 (ac43) of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) is a highly conserved baculovirus gene of unknown function. To investigate the role of ac43 in the baculovirus lifecycle, we constructed an ac43-deleted mutant AcMNPV, Ac43KO. After transfection into Spodoptera frugiperda cells, Ac43KO produced polyhedra much larger in size than those of wild-type AcMNPV. Interestingly, some of the nucleocapsids were singly enveloped in the polyhedrin matrix while the nucleocapsids of AcMNPV are known to be multiply enveloped. Furthermore, Ac43KO led to a defect in the transcription and expression of polyhedrin, which resulted in reduced occlusion body production. However, Ac43KO did not affect production of budded virus as there was no remarkable difference in budded virus titer. These results suggest that ac43 plays an important role in the expression of polyhedrin, the morphogenesis of occlusion body, and the assembly of virions occluded in occlusion bodies.

[Expression of Carbonic Anhydrase II in Cultured Rat Osteoclasts After Stress Stimulation] Hua Xi Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi = Huaxi Kouqiang Yixue Zazhi = West China Journal of Stomatology. Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23991587 To test expression of carbonic anhydrase II (Ca II) mRNA in osteoclasts which were applied with fluid shear stress.

[Clinical and Experimental Characteristics of 20 Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Complex Variant of T(8; 21)] Zhongguo Shi Yan Xue Ye Xue Za Zhi / Zhongguo Bing Li Sheng Li Xue Hui = Journal of Experimental Hematology / Chinese Association of Pathophysiology. Jul, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23998566 This study was aimed to summarize and analyze the morphology, immunophenotype, cytogenetics, molecular biology (MICM), tyrosine kinase (TK) gene mutations and clinical features of acute myeloid leukemia(AML) with complex variant of t(8;21). A retrospective study was performed for 20 AML patients with complex variant of t(8;21) in our hospital from January 1994 to April 2012, including analysis of clinical feature, immunophenotype, chromosome karyotype, treatment regimen, as well as the overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). Mutations of C-KIT, FLT3-ITD, FLT3-TKD and JAK2V617F were detected by genomic DNA PCR and the sequencing was per-formed in 13 AML patients with complex variant of t(8;21). The results showed that (1) the incidence of 20 AML patietns with complex variant of t(8; 21) was 2.4% of total t(8; 21) AML patients. In 20 AML patients with complex variant of t(8;21), 1 case was M1, 17 cases were M2, 2 cases were M4; 10 cases were myeloid phenotype and the other 3 were myeloid plus lymphoid phenotype. There were 16 kinds of cytogenetics additional involvement of chromosomal breakpoints: lp22, 1p32, 2q35, 2q14, 3p25, 5q13, 6p22, 7q21, llq11, 1lq13, 12q14, 12q24, 12p12, 14q32, 15p13, 20q12. (2) C-KIT aberrations were detected in 30.8% cases, all mutated in exon 17 (mutkit 17), only 1 case had JAK2V617F mutation. The result of FLT3 mutation screenings in AML patients with complex variant of t(8; 21) was negative. Of 5 patients with gene mutations, 1 patient (20%) achieved complete remission (CR), the median RFS and median OS time were 6.5 months and 8.9 months respectively. Of the 8 patients without gene mutations, 6 patietns (75%) achieved CR; the median RFS and median OS time were 26.6 months and 27.7 months respectively. It is concluded that the AML patients with complex variant of t(8;21) shows typical features of t(8;21) AML, but the existence of the tyrosine kinase-related gene mutation has important implications on remission rate and long-term survival of patients treated by induction chemotherapy.

Diversity of Pathogens Responsible for Acute Diarrheal Disease in China Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 23999081

Optical Absorption and Spectral Photoconductivity in α-(Fe₁-xCrx)₂O₃ Solid-solution Thin Films Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24002907 Hematite, α-Fe2O3, is an attractive narrow gap oxide for consideration as an efficient visible light photocatalyst, with significant potential for band gap engineering via doping. We examine optical absorption in α-(Fe1-xCrx)2O3 epitaxial films and explain the observed excitations, and the nature of the band gap dependence on x, through first-principles calculations. The calculated and measured optical band gap becomes smaller than that of bulk α-Fe2O3 and reaches a minimum as the Cr cation fraction increases to 50%. The lowest energy transitions in the mixed-metal alloys involve electron excitation from occupied Cr 3d orbitals to unoccupied Fe 3d orbitals, and they result in a measurable photocurrent. The onset of α-Fe2O3 photoconductivity can be reduced by nearly 0.5 eV (to 1.60 eV) through addition of Cr.

[Effects of Fluence and Scanning Velocity on the Ablation Efficiency of Dentin and Enamel by Femtosecond Laser] Zhonghua Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi = Zhonghua Kouqiang Yixue Zazhi = Chinese Journal of Stomatology. May, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24004627 To measure the effect of laser fluence and scanning velocity on ablation efficiency of enamel and dentin.

SUMO-specific Protease 2 Suppresses Cell Migration and Invasion Through Inhibiting the Expression of MMP13 in Bladder Cancer Cells Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry : International Journal of Experimental Cellular Physiology, Biochemistry, and Pharmacology. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24008762 SUMO-specific protease 2 (SENP2) is a de-SUMOylation protease family member which has an indispensable role in the regulation of NF-κB transcriptional activation and Wnt signaling. However, whether SENP2 plays a role in tumor metastasis is completely unknown.

Improved Synthesis of Capuramycin and Its Analogues Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany). Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24014478 Capuramycin and its congeners are considered to be important lead molecules for the development of a new drug for multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections. Extensive structure-activity relationship studies of capuramycin to improve the efficacy have been limited because of difficulties in selectively chemically modifying the desired position(s) of the natural product with biologically interesting functional groups. We have developed efficient syntheses of capuramycin and its analogues by using new protecting groups, derived from the chiral (chloro-4-methoxyphenyl)(chlorophenyl)methanols, for the uridine ureido nitrogen and primary alcohol. The chiral nonracemic (2,6-dichloro-4-methoxyphenyl)(2,4-dichlorophenyl)methanol derivative is a useful reagent to resolve rac-3-amino-1,3-dihydro-5-phenyl-2H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one, the (S)-configuration isomer of which plays a significant role in improving the mycobactericidal activity of capuramycin.

[Dosimetric Comparison of Treatment Plans of Pancreatic Carcinoma Treated with Body Gamma Knife and Tomotherapy] Zhongguo Yi Liao Qi Xie Za Zhi = Chinese Journal of Medical Instrumentation. May, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24015625 Fourteen patients with pancreatic carcinoma were selected. Two treatment plans were designed for each patient, including gamma knife and Tomotherapy. The dose characteristics were evaluated by DVH and were compared. The results showed that the gamma knife plan had the higher maximal and mean target dose than Tomotherapy. Body gamma knife can increase the target dose significantly, and decrease the OAR dose. Tomotherapy had excellent dose-target conformality, and it can control doses of duodenum and stomach easily, but it had larger low dose region.

A Concise Construction of Polycyclic Quinolines Via Annulation of ω-Cyano-1-alkynes with Diaryliodonium Salts Organic Letters. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24015723 A concise construction of polycyclic quinolines via intramolecular [2 + 2 + 2] annulation of ω-cyano-1-alkynes with diaryliodonium salts was realized. The process produced polycyclic quinolines in high yields with readily available staring materials and was tolerated with halogen substituents.

Programmable Hydrogels for the Controlled Release of Therapeutic Nucleic Acid Aptamers Via Reversible DNA Hybridization Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24018965 Reversible DNA hybridization can be used as a new mechanism to control the sustained and triggered release of therapeutic oligonucleotides from hydrogels.

Manipulating Surface-related Ferromagnetism in Modulation-doped Topological Insulators Nano Letters. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24020459 A new class of devices based on topological insulators (TI) can be achieved by the direct engineering of the time-reversal-symmetry (TRS) protected surface states. In the meantime, a variety of interesting phenomena are also expected when additional ferromagnetism is introduced to the original topological order. In this Letter, we report the magnetic responses from the magnetically modulation-doped (BizSb1-z)2Te3/Crx(BiySb1-y)2Te3 bilayer films. By electrically tuning the Fermi level across the Dirac point, we show that the top TI surface carriers can effectively mediate the magnetic impurities and generate robust ferromagnetic order. More importantly, such surface magneto-electric effects can be either enhanced or suppressed, depending on the magnetic interaction range inside the TI heterostructures. The manipulation of surface-related ferromagnetism realized in our modulation-doped TI device is important for the realization of TRS-breaking topological physics, and it may also lead to new applications of TI-based multifunctional heterostructures.

Combination of SiRNA-directed Kras Oncogene Silencing and Arsenic-induced Apoptosis Using a Nanomedicine Strategy for the Effective Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer Nanomedicine : Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24028894 The synergetic inhibitory effects on human pancreatic cancer by nanoparticle-mediated siRNA and arsenic therapy were investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(l-lysine) were prepared to form siRNA-complexed polyplex and poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(dl-lactide) were prepared to form arsenic-encapsulated vesicle, respectively. Down-regulation of the mutant Kras gene by siRNA caused defective abilities of proliferation, clonal formation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, as well as cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase, which substantially enhanced the apoptosis-inducing effect of arsenic administration. Consequently, co-administration of the two nanomedicines encapsulating siRNA or arsenic showed ideal tumor growth inhibition both in vitro and in vivo as a result of synergistic effect of the siRNA-directed Kras oncogene silencing and arsenic-induced cell apoptosis. These results suggest that the combination of mutant Kras gene silencing and arsenic therapy using nanoparticle-mediated delivery strategy is promising for pancreatic cancer treatment.

MIR106B and MIR93 Prevent Removal of Bacteria From Epithelial Cells by Disrupting ATG16L1-Mediated Autophagy Gastroenterology. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24036151 Variants in genes that regulate autophagy have been associated with Crohn's disease (CD). Defects in autophagy-mediated removal of pathogenic microbes could contribute to the pathogenesis of CD. We investigated the role of the microRNAs (miRs) MIR106B and MIR93 in induction of autophagy and bacterial clearance in human cell lines and the correlation between MIR106B and autophagy-related gene 16L1 (ATG16L1) expression in tissues from patients with CD.

Ossification of Subperiosteal Hematoma: the Potential of Periosteal Osteogenesis in Cranioplasty The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24036735 Subperiosteal hematoma is the accumulation of blood between the periosteum and the skull, which commonly occurs in the neonatal period but rarely in other ages. Subperiosteal hematoma can be self-absorbed in most cases and occasionally may cause ossification.

Hypertriglyceridemic Waist Might Be an Alternative to Metabolic Syndrome for Predicting Future Diabetes Mellitus PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24039903 In some cross-sectional studies, hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) has been recommended as an alternative to metabolic syndrome (MetS) for screening individuals at high risk for diabetes mellitus (DM). However, little information is about the predictive power of HTGW for future DM. The aims of the study were to assess the DM predictive power of HTGW compared with MetS based on the follow-up data over 15 years collected from a general Chinese population.

An Abdominal Desmoid-type Fibromatosis Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. Aug, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24040620

Multiscaled Exploration of Coupled Folding and Binding of an Intrinsically Disordered Molecular Recognition Element in Measles Virus Nucleoprotein Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24043820 Numerous relatively short regions within intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) serve as molecular recognition elements (MoREs). They fold into ordered structures upon binding to their partner molecules. Currently, there is still a lack of in-depth understanding of how coupled binding and folding occurs in MoREs. Here, we quantified the unbound ensembles of the α-MoRE within the intrinsically disordered C-terminal domain of the measles virus nucleoprotein. We developed a multiscaled approach by combining a physics-based and an atomic hybrid model to decipher the mechanism by which the α-MoRE interacts with the X domain of the measles virus phosphoprotein. Our multiscaled approach led to remarkable qualitative and quantitative agreements between the theoretical predictions and experimental results (e.g., chemical shifts). We found that the free α-MoRE rapidly interconverts between multiple discrete partially helical conformations and the unfolded state, in accordance with the experimental observations. We quantified the underlying global folding-binding landscape. This leads to a synergistic mechanism in which the recognition event proceeds via (minor) conformational selection, followed by (major) induced folding. We also provided evidence that the α-MoRE is a compact molten globule-like IDP and behaves as a downhill folder in the induced folding process. We further provided a theoretical explanation for the inherent connections between "downhill folding," "molten globule," and "intrinsic disorder" in IDP-related systems. Particularly, we proposed that binding and unbinding of IDPs proceed in a stepwise way through a "kinetic divide-and-conquer" strategy that confers them high specificity without high affinity.

Synthesis of Glycyrrhetinic Acid-modified Chitosan 5-fluorouracil Nanoparticles and Its Inhibition of Liver Cancer Characteristics in Vitro and in Vivo Marine Drugs. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24048270 Nanoparticle drug delivery (NDDS) is a novel system in which the drugs are delivered to the site of action by small particles in the nanometer range. Natural or synthetic polymers are used as vectors in NDDS, as they provide targeted, sustained release and biodegradability. Here, we used the chitosan and hepatoma cell-specific binding molecule, glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), to synthesize glycyrrhetinic acid-modified chitosan (GA-CTS). The synthetic product was confirmed by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR). By combining GA-CTS and 5-FU (5-fluorouracil), we obtained a GA-CTS/5-FU nanoparticle, with a particle size of 217.2 nm, a drug loading of 1.56% and a polydispersity index of 0.003. The GA-CTS/5-FU nanoparticle provided a sustained release system comprising three distinct phases of quick, steady and slow release. We demonstrated that the nanoparticle accumulated in the liver. In vitro data indicated that it had a dose- and time-dependent anti-cancer effect. The effective drug exposure time against hepatic cancer cells was increased in comparison with that observed with 5-FU. Additionally, GA-CTS/5-FU significantly inhibited the growth of drug-resistant hepatoma, which may compensate for the drug-resistance of 5-FU. In vivo studies on an orthotropic liver cancer mouse model demonstrated that GA-CTS/5-FU significantly inhibited tumor growth, resulting in increased survival time.

Enzymatic Hydrolysis Preparation of Mono-O-lauroylsucrose Via a Mono-O-lauroylraffinose Intermediate Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24050752 1'-O-Lauroylsucrose and 6'-O-lauroylsucrose were formed through hydrolysis of the C-6″ galactose group of 1'-O-lauroylraffinose and 6'-O-lauroylraffinose, respectively, in the presence of α-galactosidase. The enzymatic hydrolysis of 1'-O-lauroylraffinose and 6'-O-lauroylraffinose is discussed in detail. Acetic acid-sodium acetate was chosen as the buffer solution of the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction. The optimum conditions for the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction were as follows: buffer solution, pH 3.8; enzymatic time, 48 h; and enzymatic temperature, 37 °C. Under the optimal process conditions, the efficiency of α-galactosidase was ca. 82.6%. The isomers were fully compared in solubility, hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) values, critical micelle concentration (CMC), and thermal stability. The results showed that all lauroylsucrose isomers have similar solubilities in polar solvent, HLB values, CMC values, and thermal stabilities.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and MicroRNAs-An Ever-growing Partnership Archives of Medical Research. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24051036 Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a debilitating condition with progressive remodeling of the pulmonary resistance vessels. PAH is characterized by multifocal, polyclonal lesions inhabited by cells that underwent phenotypic transition, resulting in altered cell proliferation and contractility, ultimately resulting in increased vascular resistance. Diagnosis of PAH is confounded by the fact that it is largely asymptomatic in the initial stages. In fact, idiopathic PAH patients >65 years of age cannot be diagnosed hemodynamically due to high pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. This highlights the need for defining more robust molecular biomarkers for PAH diagnosis and progression. Recent studies have indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression, play a discrete role in vascular inflammation and in the etiology of cardiovascular pathologies inclusive of PAH and can potentially serve as diagnostic biomarkers. However, a cohesive understanding of global miRNA-mediated molecular events that control pulmonary vasculature plasticity is lacking which, if addressed systematically, can lead to detailed elucidation of the downstream cellular pathways that are affected by activation/silencing of silenced cognate transcripts. In turn, this can lead to not only robust biomarkers, but also to novel therapeutic strategies targeting more upstream regulators than the existing ones targeting more downstream effectors. The current review aims to provide a summary understanding of PAH, its associated pathophysiology, current knowledge of the role of miRNAs in PAH, and identifies grey areas that need further research for successful bench-to-bedside transition of these exciting new discoveries.

Differences Between Generalized Q-Sampling Imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging in the Preoperative Visualization of the Nerve Fiber Tracts Within Peritumoral Edema in Brain Neurosurgery. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24056318 Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography enables the in vivo visualization of white matter tracts inside normal brain tissue, which provides the neurosurgeon important information to plan tumor resections. However, DTI is associated with restrictions in the resolution of crossing fibers, in the vicinity of the tumor or in edema. We find that generalized q-sampling imaging (GQI) can overcome these difficulties and is advantageous over DTI for the tractography of the fiber bundle in peritumoral edema.

Characterization of a Novel Medicago Sativa NAC Transcription Factor Gene Involved in Response to Drought Stress Molecular Biology Reports. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24057250 Relying on the regulation of transcription factors, plants resist to various abiotic and biotic stresses. NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, CUC2) are one of the largest families of plant-specific transcription factors and known to play important roles in plant development and response to environmental stresses. A new NAC gene was cloned on the basis of 503 bp EST fragment from the SSH cDNA library of Medicago sativa. It was 1,115 bp including an 816 bp ORF and encodes 271 amino acids. A highly conserved region is located from the 7th amino acid to the 315th amino acid in its N-terminal domain. The NAC protein is subcellularly localized in the nucleus of onion epidemical cells and possible functions as a transcription factor. The relative quantitative real-time RT-PCR was performed at different stress time. The results revealed that the transcription expression of NAC gene could be induced by drought, high salinity and ABA. The transgenic Arabidopsis with NAC gene has the drought tolerance better than the wild-type.

Nanoscale-phase-separated Pd-Rh Boxes Synthesized Via Metal Migration: an Archetype for Studying Lattice Strain and Composition Effects in Electrocatalysis Journal of the American Chemical Society. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24060505 Developing syntheses of more sophisticated nanostructures comprising late transition metals broadens the tools to rationally design suitable heterogeneous catalysts for chemical transformations. Herein, we report a synthesis of Pd-Rh nanoboxes by controlling the migration of metals in a core-shell nanoparticle. The Pd-Rh nanobox structure is a grid-like arrangement of two distinct metal phases, and the surfaces of these boxes are {100} dominant Pd and Rh. The catalytic behaviors of the particles were examined in electrochemistry to investigate strain effects arising from this structure. It was found that the trends in activity of model fuel cell reactions cannot be explained solely by the surface composition. The lattice strain emerging from the nanoscale separation of metal phases at the surface also plays an important role.

[Treatment Strategy and Prognosis Analysis in Children with Type I( Esophageal Atresia] Zhonghua Wei Chang Wai Ke Za Zhi = Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24061994 To analyze the postoperative short-term and long-term outcomes in the management of type I( esophageal atresia, and to explore the ideal operative strategy.

[Characterization of Stability of Polypeptides and Glycoproteins by Capillary Electrophoresis] Se Pu = Chinese Journal of Chromatography / Zhongguo Hua Xue Hui. Jun, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24063193 A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method was developed for the stability characterization of polypeptides and glycoproteins. Angiotensin II (Ang II), phytagglutinin (PHA), bovine thrombin (B-Thr), human thrombin (H-Thr) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were used as polypeptide and glycoprotein mode molecules. The parameters affecting the analysis efficiency for Ang II, such as sample concentration, running buffer, pH and ionic strength of sample solution were optimized, as for the glycoprotein, capillary conditions, charge state of sample, running buffer and applied voltage were optimized. It showed that the Ang II was stable when kept in borate buffer (0.02 mol/L pH 7.4) at 4 degrees C for 48 h. The four glycoproteins were quite stable in borate buffer (0.2 mol/L pH 7.4) at 20, 4, -20 degrees C for 48 h, and also kept stable at - 20 degrees C when deposited over one week and less than four weeks. HRP was the only one that kept stable when deposited over two weeks and less than four weeks. This method is effective, rapid, simple and low-cost and can be widely used for the stability characterization of polypeptides and glycoproteins.

Stable Platinum Nanoparticles on Specific MgAl2O4 Spinel Facets at High Temperatures in Oxidizing Atmospheres Nature Communications. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24064958 The development of thermally stable, nanometer-sized precious metal-based catalysts remains a daunting challenge. Such materials, especially those based on the use of costly platinum metal, are essential and, to date, non-replaceable for a large number of industrially important catalytic processes. Here we report a well-defined cuboctahedral MgAl2O4 spinel support material that is capable of stabilizing platinum particles in the range of 1-3 nm on its relatively abundant {111} facets during extremely severe aging at 800 °C in air for 1 week. The aged catalysts retain platinum dispersions of 15.9% with catalytic activities for methanol oxidation being ~80% of that of fresh ones, whereas a conventional Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalyst is severely sintered and nearly inactive. We reveal the origin of the markedly superior ability of spinel {111} facets, resulting from strong interactions between spinel surface oxygens and epitaxial platinum {111} facets, inspiring the rational design of anti-sintering supported platinum group catalysts.

MicroRNA Expression Profile of Mouse Lung Infected with 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24066118 MicroRNAs have been implicated in the regulation of gene expression of various biological processes in a post-transcriptional manner under physiological and pathological conditions including host responses to viral infections. The 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus is an emerging reassortant strain of swine, human and bird influenza virus that can cause mild to severe illness and even death. To further understand the molecular pathogenesis of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, we profiled cellular microRNAs of lungs from BALB/c mice infected with wild-type 2009 pandemic influenza virus A/Beijing/501/2009 (H1N1) (hereafter referred to as BJ501) and mouse-adapted influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1) (hereafter referred to as PR8) for comparison. Microarray analysis showed both the influenza virus BJ501 and PR8 infection induced strain- and temporal-specific microRNA expression patterns and that their infection caused a group of common and distinct differentially expressed microRNAs. Characteristically, more differentially expressed microRNAs were aroused on day 5 post infection than on day 2 and more up-regulated differentially expressed microRNAs were provoked than the down-regulated for both strains of influenza virus. Finally, 47 differentially expressed microRNAs were obtained for the infection of both strains of H1N1 influenza virus with 29 for influenza virus BJ501 and 43 for PR8. Among them, 15 microRNAs had no reported function, while 32 including miR-155 and miR-233 are known to play important roles in cancer, immunity and antiviral activity. Pathway enrichment analyses of the predicted targets revealed that the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathway was the key cellular pathway associated with the differentially expressed miRNAs during influenza virus PR8 or BJ501 infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report of microRNA expression profiles of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus in a mouse model, and our findings might offer novel therapy targets for influenza virus infection.

Drug Repositioning Framework by Incorporating Functional Information IET Systems Biology. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24067419 As a shortcut for drug development, drug repositioning draws more and more attention in pharmaceutical industry to identify new indications for marketed drugs or drugs failed in late clinical trial phase. At the same time, the abundant high-throughput data pushes the computationally repositioning drugs a hot topic in the area of systems biology. Here, the authors propose a general framework for repositioning drug by incorporating various functional information. The framework starts with the identification of differentially expressed gene sets under disease state and drug treatment. Then the disease and drug are associated by the overlap of these two gene sets via biological function. The authors provide two strategies to assess the functional overlap. In the first strategy, functional relevance are evaluated by leveraging genes' lethality information to reveal drug's potential of curing diseases. In the second strategy, biological process perturbation profiles are identified by mapping differentially expressed genes into pathways and gene ontology (GO) terms. Their associations are assessed and used to rank drugs' potential of curing diseases. The preliminary results on prostate cancer demonstrate that our new framework improves the drug repositioning efficiency and various function information could complement each other. Importantly, the new framework will enhance the biological interpretation and rationale of drug repositioning and provide insights into drug action mechanisms.

Diazoxide, a KATP Channel Opener, Prevents Ischemia?Reperfusion Injury in Rodent Pancreatic Islets Cell Transplantation. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24070013 Diazoxide (DZ) is a pharmacological opener of ATP?sensitive K⁺channels and has been used for mimicking ischemic preconditioning and shows protection against ischemic damage. Here, we investigated whether Diazoxide supplementation to University of Wisconsin (UW) solution has cellular protection during islet isolation and improved in vivo islet transplant outcomes in a rodent ischemia model.

[Advance in Studies on NGR Peptide Modified Liposome and Its Anti-tumor Performance] Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi = Zhongguo Zhongyao Zazhi = China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica. Jul, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24079222 Aspargine-glycine-arginine (NGR)-containing peptides are targeted peptides which can be integrated with CD13 receptors on tumor vascular endothelial cells. NGR peptides are connected to liposomes to obtain NGR peptide-modified liposomes. By intravenous injection of these liposomes, NGR peptides can be combined with CD13 receptors on tumor vascular endothelial cells, position liposomes in tumor tissues, and concentrate drug in liposomes in tumor, so as to enhance the antitumor effect. The article starts with NGR peptides, summarizes definition of NGR, NGR peptide-modified liposomes, strengths and weaknesses of NGR peptide-modified liposomes in antitumor and the latest study orientation of NGR peptide-modified liposomes, and looks into the future of studies on NGR peptide-modified liposomes.

Interplay Between Different Magnetisms in Cr-Doped Topological Insulators ACS Nano. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24079601 Breaking the time-reversal-symmetry of topological insulators through magnetic doping has led to exotic physical discoveries. Here, we report the gate-dependent magneto-transport measurements on the Cr-doped (BixSb1-x)2Te3 thin films. With effective top-gate modulations, we demonstrate the presence of both the hole-mediated RKKY coupling and carrier-independent van Vleck magnetism in the magnetic TI systems. Most importantly, by varying the Cr doping concentrations from 2% to 20%, we unveil the interplay between the two magnetic orders and establish the valid approach to either enhance or suppress each individual contribution. The electric-field-controlled ferromagnetisms identified in the Cr-doped TI materials will serve as the fundamental step to further explore the TRS-breaking TI systems, and it may also help to expand the functionality of TI-based device for spintronics applications.

Effect of Soluble Inducible Costimulator Level and Its Polymorphisms on Age-Related Macular Degeneration DNA and Cell Biology. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24083358 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly population. Evidence has shown that the human immune system may play critical roles in this disease. Inducible costimulator (ICOS) promotes T-cell activation, differentiation, and T:B-cell interactions. The aim of the study was to understand the effect of ICOS on the development of AMD from genetic polymorphism perspective and serum level perspective. Two ICOS polymorphisms, rs10183087A/C and rs10932037C/T, were tested in 223 AMD cases and 262 healthy controls. The serum level of soluble ICOS (sICOS) was compared among subjects with different genotypes, as well as between AMD patients and controls. Data showed that prevalence of rs10183087CC genotype was significantly increased in AMD than in controls (p=0.001). Function analysis revealed that subjects carrying rs10183087CC genotype had higher serum levels of sICOS than those with AA or AC genotypes (p

Microfluidic Array with Integrated Oxygenation Control for Real-Time Live-Cell Imaging: Effect of Hypoxia on Physiology of Microencapsulated Pancreatic Islets Analytical Chemistry. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24083835 In this report, we present a novel microfluidic islet array based on a hydrodynamic trapping principle. The lab-on-a-chip studies with live-cell multiparametric imaging allow understanding of physiological and pathophysiological changes of microencapsulated islets under hypoxic conditions. Using this microfluidic array and imaging analysis techniques, we demonstrate that hypoxia impairs the function of microencapsulated islets at single islet level, showing a heterogeneous pattern reflected in intracellular calcium signaling, mitochondrial energetic, and redox activity. Our approach demonstrates an improvement over conventional hypoxia chambers that is able to rapidly equilibrate to true hypoxia levels through the integration of dynamic oxygenation. This work demonstrates the feasibility of array-based cellular analysis and opens up new modality to conduct informative analysis and cell-based screening for microencapsulated pancreatic islets.

3D Super-Resolution Imaging with Blinking Quantum Dots Nano Letters. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24093439 Quantum dots are promising candidates for single molecule imaging due to their exceptional photophysical properties, including their intense brightness and resistance to photobleaching. They are also notorious for their blinking. Here we report a novel way to take advantage of quantum dot blinking to develop an imaging technique in three-dimensions with nanometric resolution. We first applied this method to simulated images of quantum dots and then to quantum dots immobilized on microspheres. We achieved imaging resolutions (fwhm) of 8-17 nm in the x-y plane and 58 nm (on coverslip) or 81 nm (deep in solution) in the z-direction, approximately 3-7 times better than what has been achieved previously with quantum dots. This approach was applied to resolve the 3D distribution of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) molecules at, and inside of, the plasma membrane of resting basal breast cancer cells.

Catalytic Allylation of Stabilized Phosphonium Ylides with Primary Allylic Amines The Journal of Organic Chemistry. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24093555 A range of ketone-stabilized phosphonium ylides were allylated with high regioselectivity by primary allylic amines in the presence of 5 mol % Pd(PPh3)4 and 10 mol % B(OH)3, and subsequent one-pot Wittig olefination gave structurally diverse α,β-unsaturated ketones in good to excellent overall yields with excellent E selectivity. The one-pot allylation/olefination reaction was extended to ester- and nitrile-stabilized phosphonium ylides by replacing B(OH)3 with TsOH, and the corresponding α,β-unsaturated esters and nitriles were obtained in moderate overall yields.

Reversible Insulator-metal Transition of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Interface for Nonvolatile Memory Scientific Reports. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24100438 We report a new type of memory device based on insulating LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) hetero-interface. The microstructures of the LAO/STO interface are characterized by Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, which reveals the element intermixing at the interface. The inhomogeneous element distribution may result in carrier localization, which is responsible for the insulating state. The insulating state of such interface can be converted to metallic state by light illumination and the metallic state maintains after light off due to giant persistent photoconductivity (PPC) effect. The on/off ratio between the PPC and the initial dark conductance is as large as 10(5). The metallic state also can be converted back to insulating state by applying gate voltage. Reversible and reproducible resistive switching makes LAO/STO interface promising as a nonvolatile memory. Our results deepen the understanding of PPC phenomenon in LAO/STO, and pave the way for the development of all-oxide electronics integrating information storage devices.

Network Biomarkers Reveal Dysfunctional Gene Regulations During Disease Progression The FEBS Journal. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24107168 Extensive studies have been conducted on gene biomarkers by exploring the increasingly accumulated gene expression and sequence data generated from high-throughput technology. Here, we briefly report on the state-of-the-art research and application of biomarkers from single genes (i.e. gene biomarkers) to gene sets (i.e. group or set biomarkers), gene networks (i.e. network biomarkers) and dynamical gene networks (i.e. dynamical network biomarkers). In particular, differential and dynamical network biomarkers are used as representative examples to demonstrate their effectiveness in both detecting early signals for complex diseases and revealing essential mechanisms on disease initiation and progression at a network level.

Upregulation of TRPC1 Contributes to Contractile Function in Isoproterenol-induced Hypertrophic Myocardium of Rat Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry : International Journal of Experimental Cellular Physiology, Biochemistry, and Pharmacology. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24107839 Aims: The transient receptor potential canonical channel 1 (TRPC1) is a crucial component of the stretch-activated ion channels (SACs). The objective of this research was to demonstrate the contribution of TRPC1 in maintaining cardiac contractile function in the hypertrophic myocardium. Methods: Hypertrophic rat hearts were induced by injecting isoproterenol intraperitoneally, and the expressions of TRPC1/3/6 and Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger 1 (NCX1) proteins were analyzed by Western blot. The intracellular calcium images, the action potential of myocardium, the length-dependent contractile force of ventricle muscle and the cardiac output of isolated heart were investigated. Results: The expression of TRPC1 was increased in the hypertrophic myocardium. After being stretched, the ascendant amplitude of the increase in the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) in the hypertrophic myocardium was higher than that in the normal myocardium. The increase of the APD50 and the amplitude of the membrane potential depolarization were more significant in the hypertrophic myocardium after the activation of SACs. When the heart preparations were perfused with Tyrode's solution, there was no difference in the cardiac systolic function between the cardiac hypertrophy group and the control group. Gadolinium, a SACs blocker, reduced the length-dependent contractile force and suppressed the ascending limb of the Frank-Starling curves in the hypertrophic heart. Conclusions: The upregulation of TRPC1 contributes to the contractile function in the hypertrophic myocardium by increasing [Ca(2+)]i through the SACs. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Integrated Proteomic and Metabolomic Analysis Reveals the NADH-mediated TCA Cycle and Energy Metabolism Disorders Based on a New Model of Chronic Progressive Heart Failure Molecular BioSystems. Dec, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24108264 Background: Despite major advances in the treatment of heart failure (HF), it remains the major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Experimental models of HF typically utilize acute myocardial infarction. However, the majority of clinical HFs occur gradually by a chronic progressive mechanism. Thus, more relevant models are required to aid identification, quantification, and characterization of HF, and its underlying mechanisms. Methods and findings: We developed a model of progressive chronic heart failure (CHF) in the mini-swine by placement of an ameroid constrictor on the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). This model demonstrated a steady decline in the cardiac function from 8 to 12 weeks, with a 50% reduction in the ejection fraction. Further, the proteomic, metabolomic and bioinformatic analyses of ischemic tissue and plasma revealed a significant alteration of the mitochondrial respiratory chain mediated by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), which resulted in down-regulation of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and insufficient energy supply to support cardiac contractility and relaxation. Furthermore, significant changes in apolipoprotein A-I, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and very LDL (VLDL) in plasma indicated that lipid metabolism disorders occurred in mini-swines with myocardial ischemia via glycerolipid metabolism. Conclusions: We describe a stable and easily reproducible CHF model using an ameroid constrictor placed on the LAD. We found that the NADH-mediated tricarboxylic acid cycle and energy metabolism disorders are key pathophysiological mechanisms underlying CHF. These data will provide potential biomarkers for monitoring the therapeutic intervention of CHF.

DNA Gold Nanoparticle Nanocomposite Films for Chemiresistive Vapor Sensing Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24111781 Chemiresistive vapor sensors combining functionalized gold nanoparticles and single-stranded DNA oligomers are investigated to enhance specificity in chemical sensing. Sensors are made by depositing DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles onto microfabricated electrodes using four distinct sequences. Sensor performance is evaluated for response to relative humidity and exposure to vapor analytes including ethanol, methanol, hexane, dimethyl methylphosphonate, and toluene under different relative humidity. It is found that sensors display a nonmonotonic resistance change toward increasing humidity due to the combined effects of hydration induced swelling and ionic conduction. Responses to vapor analytes show sequence-dependent patterns as well as a strong influence of humidity. Overall, the findings are encouraging for using DNA oligomers to enhance specificity in chemical sensing.

Effect of Transcatheter Intraarterial Therapies on the Distribution of Doxorubicin in Liver Cancer in a Rabbit Model PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24116106 Transcatheter intraarterial techniques can effectively deliver chemotherapeutic agents to tumor and improve the efficacy of chemotherapy. The present study is designed to evaluate the effect of transcatheter intraarterial techniques on the distribution of doxorubicin in relation to blood vessels in liver cancer.

A Protective Role of Sulforaphane on Alveolar Epithelial Cells Exposed to Cigarette Smoke Extract Experimental Lung Research. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24117145 ABSTRACT Background: Sulforaphane (SFN) is an excellent antioxidant agent, few of the studies focus on the possible protective role of SFN from cigarette smoke-induced injury on alveolar epithelial cells. Objectives: the aim of the study is to observe the possible protective role of SFN, as well as the function of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in the process. Methods: MTT assay was used to evaluate cell viability after cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and/or SFN exposure, cell cycle was analyzed using flow cytometry, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was detected by staining with fluorescent indicator 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA), finally both real-time quantitative RT-PCR and western blot were employed to observe mRNA and protein levels of IGFBP-3. Results: SFN could restore the viability of A549 cells, attenuate G1 block of the cell cycle, and significantly reduce the proportion of sub-G1 cells; at the same time, CSE-induced accumulation of intracellular ROS was decreased by SFN. Interestingly, high expression of IGFBP-3 was found at both transcriptional and translational levels, however by pre-incubation with SFN, the expression of IGFBP-3 was not stimulated by CSE exposure. Conclusions: SFN can antagonize CSE-induced growth arrest of alveolar epithelial cells and IGFBP-3 probably plays an important role in the process.

[Preliminary Evaluation of Clinical Effect of Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacture Zirconia Crown] Zhonghua Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi = Zhonghua Kouqiang Yixue Zazhi = Chinese Journal of Stomatology. Jun, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24120005 To evaluate clinical effects of computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) milled zirconia crown in three aspects: aesthetic, contact wear and fracture.

Adsorptive Removal of Cr(vi) from Wastewater by α-FeOOH Hierarchical Structure: Kinetics, Equilibrium and Thermodynamics Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24126698 A novel hollow urchin-like α-FeOOH hierarchical structure was fabricated via a one-pot hydrothermal procedure without using any templates, surfactants or organic raw materials. An inside-out amorphous ripening mechanism was proposed to unravel its structural evolution. The kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamics of its adsorptive removal of Cr(vi) from wastewater were comprehensively investigated. It was found that the adsorption process can be depicted using a pseudo-second-order model, and a high adsorption capacity of 58.97 mg g(-1) was obtained from the equilibrium adsorption isotherm. Also, the thermodynamic parameters (i.e., enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy) at different temperatures were acquired to reveal a spontaneous adsorption process, with both physical and chemical characteristics.

Ligand Modifications to Reduce the Relative Resistance of Multi-drug Resistant HIV-1 Protease Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry. Dec, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24128815 Proper proteolytic processing of the HIV-1 Gag/Pol polyprotein is required for HIV infection and viral replication. This feature has made HIV-1 protease an attractive target for antiretroviral drug design for the treatment of HIV-1 infected patients. To examine the role of the P1 and P1'positions of the substrate in inhibitory efficacy of multi-drug resistant HIV-1 protease 769 (MDR 769), we performed a series of structure-function studies. Using the original CA/p2 cleavage site sequence, we generated heptapeptides containing one reduced peptide bond with an L to F and A to F double mutation at P1 and P1' (F-r-F), and an A to F at P1' (L-r-F) resulting in P1/P1' modified ligands. Here, we present an analysis of co-crystal structures of CA/p2 F-r-F, and CA/p2 L-r-F in complex with MDR 769. To examine conformational changes in the complex structure, molecular dynamic (MD) simulations were performed with MDR769-ligand complexes. MD trajectories show the isobutyl group of both the lopinavir analog and the CA/p2 L-r-F substrate cause a conformational change of in the active site of MDR 769. IC50 measurements suggest the non identical P1/P1' ligands (CA/p2 L-r-F and lopinavir analog) are more effective against MDR proteases as opposed to identical P1/P1'ligands. Our results suggest that a non identical P1/P1'composition may be more favorable for the inhibition of MDR 769 as they induce conformational changes in the active site of the enzyme resulting in disruption of the two-fold symmetry of the protease, thus, stabilizing the inhibitor in the active site.

A Case Report of an Ectopic Clival Growth Hormone Adenoma Associated with an Empty Sella and a Review of the Literature Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. Sep, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24129005

Habitat Association and Conservation Implications of Endangered Francois' Langur (Trachypithecus Francoisi) PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24130730 Francois' langur (Trachypithecus francoisi) is an endangered primate and endemic to the limestone forests of the tropical and subtropical zone of northern Vietnam and South-west China with a population of about 2,000 individuals. Conservation efforts are hampered by limited knowledge of habitat preference in its main distribution area. We surveyed the distribution of Francois' langur and modeled the relationship between the probability of use and habitat features in Mayanghe National Nature Reserve, Guizhou, China. The main objectives of this study were to provide quantitative information on habitat preference, estimating the availability of suitable habitat, and providing management guidelines for the effective conservation of this species. By comparing 92 used locations with habitat available in the reserve, we found that Francois' langur was mainly distributed along valleys and proportionally, used bamboo forests and mixed conifer-broadleaf forests more than their availability, whereas they tended to avoid shrubby areas and coniferous forests. The langur tended to occur at sites with lower elevation, steeper slope, higher tree canopy density, and a close distance to roads and water. The habitat occupancy probability was best modeled by vegetation type, vegetation coverage, elevation, slope degree, distances to nearest water, paved road, and farmland edge. The suitable habitat in this reserve concentrated in valleys and accounted for about 25% of the total reserve area. Our results showed that Francois' langur was not only restricted at the landscapes level at the regions with karst topography, limestone cliffs, and caves, but it also showed habitat preference at the local scale. Therefore, the protection and restoration of the langur preferred habitats such as mixed conifer-broadleaf forests are important and urgent for the conservation of this declining species.

Membranes with Highly Ordered Straight Nanopores by Selective Swelling of Fast Perpendicularly Aligned Block Copolymers ACS Nano. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24131365 Membranes with uniform, straight nanopores have important applications in diverse fields, but their application is limited by the lack of efficient producing methods with high controllability. In this work, we reported on an extremely simple and efficient strategy to produce such well-defined membranes. We demonstrated that neutral solvents were capable of annealing amphiphilic block copolymer (BCP) films of polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) with thicknesses up to 600 nm to the perpendicular orientation within 1 min. Annealing in neutral solvents was also effective to the perpendicular alignment of block copolymers with very high molecular weights, e.g., 362 000 Da. Remarkably, simply by immersing the annealed BCP films in hot ethanol followed by drying in air, the originally dense BCP films were nondestructively converted into porous membranes containing highly ordered, straight nanopores traversing the entire thickness of the membrane (up to 1.1 μm). Grazing incident small-angle X-ray spectroscopy confirmed the hexagonal ordering of the nanopores over large areas. We found that the overflow of P2VP chains from their reservoir P2VP cylinders and the deformation of the PS matrix in the swelling process contributed to the transformation of the solid P2VP cylinders to empty straight pores. The pore diameters can be tuned by either changing the swelling temperatures or depositing thin layers of metal oxides on the preformed membranes via atomic layer deposition with a subnanometer accuracy. To demonstrate the application of the obtained porous membranes, we used them as templates and produced centimeter-scale arrays of aligned nanotubes of metal oxides with finely tunable wall thicknesses.

A Novel and Quick Method to Avoid H2O2 Interference on COD Measurement in Fenton System by Na2SO3 Reduction and O2 Oxidation Water Science and Technology : a Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24135101 Hydrogen peroxide interference on chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurement has been a big problem in the application of the Fenton process. However, there is no simple and effective method available to address this problem, although several methods have been reported in the literature. In this study, a new method has been developed based on Na2SO3 reduction and O2 oxidation, which has easy operation and short time requirement. Na2SO3 reduction was used to remove H2O2 in water samples, which was independent of pH in the investigated range of 2.50-11.95. Residual Na2SO3 was removed by subsequent O2 oxidation, and effects of initial solution pH, ferric ion dosage, and stirring speed were explored. Solution pH below 3.0 and stirring speed of 700 rev min(-1) could ensure a sufficiently high oxidation rate for Na2SO3 with ferric ion higher than 0.469 mM. This new method was proven to be effective in the matrix of Fenton treating real landfill leachate. Meanwhile, the procedure for this method in other applications was proposed in detail. To the best of our knowledge, this newly developed method is the most simple and effective way to avoid H2O2 interference on COD analysis.

Study on Association Between Spatial Distribution of Metal Mines and Disease Mortality: a Case Study in Suxian District, South China International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24135822 Metal mines release toxic substances into the environment and can therefore negatively impact the health of residents in nearby regions. This paper sought to investigate whether there was excess disease mortality in populations in the vicinity of the mining area in Suxian District, South China. The spatial distribution of metal mining and related activities from 1985 to 2012, which was derived from remote sensing imagery, was overlapped with disease mortality data. Three hotspot areas with high disease mortality were identified around the Shizhuyuan mine sites, i.e., the Dengjiatang metal smelting sites, and the Xianxichong mine sites. Disease mortality decreased with the distance to the mining and smelting areas. Population exposure to pollution was estimated on the basis of distance from town of residence to pollution source. The risk of dying according to disease mortality rates was analyzed within 7-25 km buffers. The results suggested that there was a close relationship between the risk of disease mortality and proximity to the Suxian District mining industries. These associations were dependent on the type and scale of mining activities, the area influenced by mining and so on.

Designing DNA Interstrand Lock for Locus-specific Methylation Detection in a Nanopore Scientific Reports. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24135881 DNA methylation is an important epigenetic regulation of gene transcription. Locus-specific DNA methylation can be used as biomarkers in various diseases including cancer. Many methods have been developed for genome-wide methylation analysis, but molecular diagnotics needs simple tools to determine methylation states at individual CpG sites in a gene fragment. In this report, we utilized the nanopore single-molecule sensor to investigate a base-pair specific metal ion/nucleic acids interaction, and explored its potential application in locus-specific DNA methylation analysis. We identified that divalent Mercury ion (Hg(2+)) can selectively bind a uracil-thymine mismatch (U-T) in a dsDNA. The Hg(2+) binding creates a reversible interstrand lock, called MercuLock, which enhances the hybridization strength by two orders of magnitude. Such MercuLock cannot be formed in a 5-methylcytosine-thymine mismatch (mC-T). By nanopore detection of dsDNA stability, single bases of uracil and 5-methylcytosine can be distinguished. Since uracil is converted from cytosine by bisulfite treatment, cytosine and 5'-methylcytosine can be discriminated. We have demonstrated the methylation analysis of multiple CpGs in a p16 gene CpG island. This single-molecule assay may have potential in detection of epigenetic cancer biomarkers in biofluids, with an ultimate goal for early diagnosis of cancer.

Chemical Poisoning-related Injury in China Lancet. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24139119

MicroRNA-224 is Involved in the Regulation of Mouse Cumulus Expansion by Targeting Ptx3 Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24145127 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are indicated to regulate ovarian development in a cell- or stage-specific manner. Our previous study showed that miR-224 is involved in TGF-β1-mediated follicular granulosa cell (GC) growth and estradiol (E2) production during the transition from the preantral to early antral stage by targeting Smad4. In this study, miR-224 was found to target pentraxin 3 (Ptx3), a gene critical for cumulus expansion during ovulation. In addition, PTX3 was up-regulated in mouse mural GCs and cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) by TGF-β1 treatment, which was partially mediated by miR-224. The effect of miR-224 during ovulation was further examined in vitro and in vivo by construction of an adenovirus-mediated expression vector for miR-224 (Ad-miR-224). In vitro studies demonstrated that miR-224 could perturb cumulus expansion in EGF-stimulated COCs by decreasing PTX3 secretion. In vivo studies also showed that injection of Ad-miR-224 into ovarian bursa decreased PTX3 expression and disrupted ovulation, which led to a decreased number of implantation sites and offspring being born. These results indicate that miR-224 may affect ovulation and subsequent embryo development by targeting Ptx3, suggesting potential roles for miRNAs in offering new treatments for ovulation disorder-associated infertility, or, conversely, designing new contraceptives.

Mast Cells Modulate Acute Toxoplasmosis in Murine Models PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24146978 The role of mast cells (MCs) in Toxoplasma gondii infection is poorly known. Kunming outbred mice were infected intraperitoneally with RH strain T. gondii, either treated with compound 48/80 (C48/80, MC activator) or disodium cromoglycate (DSCG, MC inhibitor). Compared with infected controls, infected mice treated with C48/80 exhibited significantly increased inflammation in the liver (P

Small Mammal Community Succession on the Beach of Dongting Lake, China, After the Three Gorges Project Integrative Zoology. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24148252 The Three Gorges Project (TGP) may have affected the population structure and distribution of plant and animal communities. However, few studies have analyzed the effect of this project on small mammal communities. Therefore, this paper compares the small mammal communities inhabiting the beaches of Dongting Lake using field investigations spanning a 20-year period, both before and after TGP implementation. Snap traps were used throughout the census. The results indicated that the TGP caused major changes to the structure of the small mammal community at a lake downstream of the dam. First, species abundance on the beaches increased after the project was started. Apodemus agrarius and Rattus norvegicus, which rarely inhabited the beach before the TGP, became abundant (with marked population growth) once water was impounded by the Three Gorges Reservoir. Second, dominant species concentration indices exhibited a stepwise decline, indicating that the community structure changed from a single dominant species to a more diverse species mix after TGP implementation. Third, the regulation of water discharge release by the TGP might have caused an increase in the species diversity of the animal community on the beaches. A significant difference in diversity indices was obtained before and after the TGP operation. Similarity indices also indicated a gradual increase in species numbers. Hence, a long-term project should be established to monitor the population fluctuations of Microtus fortis, A. agrarius, and R. norvegicus to safeguard against population outbreaks (similar to the Yangtze vole outbreak in 2007), which could cause crop damage to adjacent farmland, in addition to documenting the succession process of the small mammal community inhabiting the beaches of Dongting Lake.

A Novel Algorithm Based on Visual Saliency Attention for Localization and Segmentation in Rapidly-stained Leukocyte Images Micron (Oxford, England : 1993). Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24148877 In this paper, we propose a fast hierarchical framework of leukocyte localization and segmentation in rapidly-stained leukocyte images (RSLI) with complex backgrounds and varying illumination. The proposed framework contains two main steps. First, a nucleus saliency model based on average absolute difference is built, which locates each leukocyte precisely while effectively removes dyeing impurities and erythrocyte fragments. Secondly, two different schemes are presented for segmenting the nuclei and cytoplasm respectively. As for nuclei segmentation, to solve the overlap problem between leukocytes, we extract the nucleus lobes first and further group them. The lobes extraction is realized by the histogram-based contrast map and watershed segmentation, taking into account the saliency and similarity of nucleus color. Meanwhile, as for cytoplasm segmentation, to extract the blurry contour of the cytoplasm under instable illumination, we propose a cytoplasm enhancement based on tri-modal histogram specification, which specifically improves the contrast of cytoplasm while maintaining others. Then, the contour of cytoplasm is quickly obtained by extraction based on parameter-controlled adaptive attention window. Furthermore, the contour is corrected by concave points matching in order to solve the overlap between leukocytes and impurities. The experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed nucleus saliency model, which achieves average localization accuracy with F1-measure greater than 95%. In addition, the comparison of single leukocyte segmentation accuracy and running time has demonstrated that the proposed segmentation scheme outperforms the former approaches in RSLI.

Interconnected Tin Disulfide Nanosheets Grown on Graphene for Li-Ion Storage and Photocatalytic Applications ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24156609 Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheet-supported SnS2 nanosheets are prepared by a one-step microwave-assisted technique. These SnS2 nanosheets are linked with each other and dispersed uniformly on RGO surface. The SnS2-RGO sheet-on-sheet nanostructure exhibits good electrochemical performances as an anode material for lithium ion batteries. It shows larger-than-theoretical reversible capacities at 0.1 C and excellent high-rate capability at 1 C and 5 C. The composite is also for the first time identified as an excellent visible light-driven catalyst of rhodamine B and phenol with high degradation efficiencies. The removal rates of rhodamine B and phenol are 100 and 83.2%, respectively, for the SnS2-RGO composite, whereas these values are only 64.8 and 51.5% for pristine SnS2 after the same irradiation times. The outstanding electrochemical or photocatalytic performances of the composite have been attributed to the complementary effect of RGO and SnS2 in the perfect sheet-on-sheet composition nanostructure.

Demonstration of Surface Transport in a Hybrid Bi2Se3/Bi2Te3 Heterostructure Scientific Reports. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24162440 In spite of much work on topological insulators (TIs), systematic experiments for TI/TI heterostructures remain absent. We grow a high quality heterostructure containing single quintuple layer (QL) of Bi2Se3 on 19 QLs of Bi2Te3 and compare its transport properties with 20 QLs Bi2Se3 and 20 QLs Bi2Te3. All three films are grown on insulating sapphire (0001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) provides direct evidence that the surface state of 1 QL Bi2Se3/19 QLs Bi2Te3 heterostructure is similar to the surface state of the 20 QLs Bi2Se3 and different with that of the 20 QLs Bi2Te3. In ex situ transport measurements, the observed linear magnetoresistance (MR) and weak antilocalization (WAL) of the hybrid heterostructure are similar to that of the pure Bi2Se3 film and not the Bi2Te3 film. This suggests that the single Bi2Se3 layer on top of 19 QLs Bi2Te3 dominates its transport properties.

Treatment of Long-term Complications After Primary Surgery for Congenital Choledochal Cysts The American Surgeon. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24165263

Molecular Characterization of Msp2/p44 of Anaplasma Phagocytophilum Isolated from Infected Patients and Haemaphysalis Longicornis in Laizhou Bay, Shandong Province, China PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24167608 Molecular characterization of the MSP2/P44 protein of Anaplasma phagocytophilum may determine not only if the bacterium is capable of invading hosts but also whether it generates antigenic variation for the purpose of escaping the host immune response, resulting in various pathologic injuries and serious clinical outcomes. Chinese anaplasmosis patients usually present with serious manifestations, and the fatality rate is as high as 26.5%. In this study, we amplified, cloned and sequenced the msp2/p44 genes of three Chinese A. phagocytophilum isolates from Laizhou Bay, Shandong Province, where human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) patients present severe clinical manifestations, and analyzed their genetic characterization and structural features. We also compared them with the HZ and Webster A. phagocytophilum strains. The sequences for both strains are available in GenBank. Analyses indicated that Chinese A. phagocytophilum isolates were significantly different from the HZ and Webster strains in terms of nucleotide sequences, amino acid sequences and protein secondary and tertiary structures. Moreover, the number of immunologic B-cell epitopes (19) of the MSP2 protein of the Chinese isolates was higher than that of the A. phagocytophilum strains HZ (16) and Webster (9). This genetic diversity of the MSP2/P44 protein of Chinese A. phagocytophilum isolates might be relevant and might have serious clinical outcomes. This observation could provide a clue to further understand the pathogenesis of Chinese A. phagocytophilum.

The Theta-related Firing Activity of Parvalbumin-positive Neurons in the Medial Septum-diagonal Band of Broca Complex and Their Response to 5-HT1A Receptor Stimulation in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease Hippocampus. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24174292 The parvalbumin (PV)-positive neurons in the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca complex (MS-DB) play an important role in the generation of hippocampal theta rhythm involved in cognitive functions. These neurons in this region express a high density of 5-HT1A receptors which regulate the neuronal activity and consequently affect the theta rhythm. In this study, we examined changes in the theta-related firing activity of PV-positive neurons in the MS-DB, their response to 5-HT1A receptor stimulation and the corresponding hippocampal theta rhythm, and the density of PV-postitive neurons and their co-localization with 5-HT1A receptors in rats with 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). The lesion of the SNc decreased the rhythmically bursting activity of PV-positive neurons and the peak frequency of hippocampal theta rhythm. Systemic administration of 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT (0.5-128 µg/kg, i.v.) inhibited the firing rate of PV-positive neurons and disrupted rhythmically bursting activity of the neurons and the theta rhythm in sham-operated and the lesioned rats, respectively. The cumulative doses producing inhibition and disruption in the lesioned rats were higher than that of sham-operated rats. Furthermore, local application of 8-OH-DPAT (0.005 μg) in the MS-DB also inhibited the firing rate of PV-positive neurons and disrupted their rhythmically bursting activity in sham-operated rats, while having no effect on PV-positive neurons in the lesioned rats. The lesion of the SNc decreased the density of PV-postive neurons in the MS-DB, and percentage of PV-positive neurons expressing 5-HT1A receptors. These results indicate that the lesion of the SNc leads to suppression of PV-positive neurons in the MS-DB and hippocampal theta rhythm. Furthermore, the lesion decreases the response of these neurons to 5-HT1A receptor stimulation, which attributes to dysfunction and/or down-regulation of 5-HT1A receptor expression on these neurons. These changes may be involved in cognitive impairments of Parkinson's disease. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Intracranial Choriocarcinoma Occurrence in Males: Two Cases and a Review of the Literature Oncology Letters. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24179518 Choriocarcinomas generally develop in females. Non-gestational choriocarcinoma in males is extremely rare. The present study describes two cases of young males who were diagnosed with intracranial choriocarcinoma. One case was of an aggressive choriocarcinoma with multiple metastases to the brain, but with an unidentified origin. The patient was admitted in the terminal stage of the cancer. Although a tumor resection was performed, the condition of the patient rapidly deteriorated and chemotherapy was not recommended. The patient succumbed nine days after the surgery. The second case was of a primary ventricular choriocarcinoma. The patient was hospitalized for acute hydrocephalus caused by a mass that was located in the ventricle. Following a tumor resection, the patient underwent a course of whole-brain and spinal radiotherapy. The patient was followed up for more than half a year and remained in a good condition. The present study describes the two cases and a comprehensive review of the literature that was performed to identify similar studies that document choriocarcinomas in males.

Glycyrrhetinic Acid-modified Chitosan Nanoparticles Enhanced the Effect of 5-fluorouracil in Murine Liver Cancer Model Via Regulatory T-cells Drug Design, Development and Therapy. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24187487 Modified chitosan nanoparticles are a promising platform for drug, such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), gene, and vaccine delivery. Here, we used chitosan and hepatoma cell-specific binding molecule glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) to synthesize glycyrrhetinic acid-modified chitosan (GA-CTS). The synthetic product was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance. By combining GA-CTS and 5-FU, we obtained a GA-CTS/5-FU nanoparticle, with a particle size of 193.7 nm, drug loading of 1.56%, and a polydispersity index of 0.003. The GA-CTS/5-FU nanoparticle provided a sustained-release system comprising three distinct phases of quick, steady, and slow release. In vitro data indicated that it had a dose- and time-dependent anticancer effect. The effective drug exposure time against hepatic cancer cells was increased in comparison with that observed with 5-FU. In vivo studies on an orthotropic liver cancer mouse model demonstrated that GA-CTS/5-FU significantly inhibited cancer cell proliferation, resulting in increased survival time. The antitumor mechanisms for GA-CTS/5-FU nanoparticle were possibly associated with an increased expression of regulatory T-cells, decreased expression of cytotoxic T-cell and natural killer cells, and reduced levels of interleukin-2 and interferon gamma.

Effective Key Parameter Determination for an Automatic Approach to Land Cover Classification Based on Multispectral Remote Sensing Imagery PloS One. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24204582 The classification of land cover based on satellite data is important for many areas of scientific research. Unfortunately, some traditional land cover classification methods (e.g. known as supervised classification) are very labor-intensive and subjective because of the required human involvement. Jiang et al. proposed a simple but robust method for land cover classification using a prior classification map and a current multispectral remote sensing image. This new method has proven to be a suitable classification method; however, its drawback is that it is a semi-automatic method because the key parameters cannot be selected automatically. In this study, we propose an approach in which the two key parameters are chosen automatically. The proposed method consists primarily of the following three interdependent parts: the selection procedure for the pure-pixel training-sample dataset, the method to determine the key parameters, and the optimal combination model. In this study, the proposed approach employs both overall accuracy and their Kappa Coefficients (KC), and Time-Consumings (TC, unit: second) in order to select the two key parameters automatically instead of using a test-decision, which avoids subjective bias. A case study of Weichang District of Hebei Province, China, using Landsat-5/TM data of 2010 with 30 m spatial resolution and prior classification map of 2005 recognised as relatively precise data, was conducted to test the performance of this method. The experimental results show that the methodology determining the key parameters uses the portfolio optimisation model and increases the degree of automation of Jiang et al.'s classification method, which may have a wide scope of scientific application.

Adaptation of Intertidal Biofilm Communities is Driven by Metal Ion and Oxidative Stresses Scientific Reports. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24212283 Marine organisms in intertidal zones are subjected to periodical fluctuations and wave activities. To understand how microbes in intertidal biofilms adapt to the stresses, the microbial metagenomes of biofilms from intertidal and subtidal zones were compared. The genes responsible for resistance to metal ion and oxidative stresses were enriched in both 6-day and 12-day intertidal biofilms, including genes associated with secondary metabolism, inorganic ion transport and metabolism, signal transduction and extracellular polymeric substance metabolism. In addition, these genes were more enriched in 12-day than 6-day intertidal biofilms. We hypothesize that a complex signaling network is used for stress tolerance and propose a model illustrating the relationships between these functions and environmental metal ion concentrations and oxidative stresses. These findings show that bacteria use diverse mechanisms to adapt to intertidal zones and indicate that the community structures of intertidal biofilms are modulated by metal ion and oxidative stresses.

Knockdown of TrkA in Cumulus Oocyte Complexes (COCs) Inhibits EGF-induced Cumulus Expansion by Down-regulation of IL-6 Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. Nov, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24215827 Tyrosine kinase receptor A (TrkA), the high-affinity receptor of nerve growth factor (NGF), is known to play key roles in ovarian follicular development, such as assembly of early follicles and follicular ovulation. However, little is known about the roles of TrkA in cumulus oocyte complex (COC) expansion. In this study, we found that TrkA was abundant in large antral follicles and knockdown of TrkA in COCs attenuated epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced COC expansion and further decreased the ovulation rate. The effect of TrkA on COC expansion was not mediated through downstream EGF effectors, phosphorylation of extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) or drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic protein (SMAD), or through up-regulation of COC expansion-related transcripts such as prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (Ptgs2), hyaluronan synthase 2 (Has2), TNF-induced protein 6 (Tnfaip6) or pentraxin 3 (Ptx3). However, pharmacological blockade of TrkA transducing activity (K252α) in COCs decreased the mRNA expression and protein secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6), identified from mRNA microarray of K252α-treated COCs. Meanwhile, knockdown of IL-6 attenuated EGF-induced COC expansion. In addition, IL-6 rescued the inhibitory effect of K252α on EGF-induced cumulus expansion. Therefore, IL-6 may act as a new potential cumulus expansion-related transcript, which may be involved in the integration of TrkA and EGF signaling in affecting COC expansion. Here, we provide mechanistic insights into the roles of TrkA in EGF-induced cumulus expansion. Understanding potential cross-points between TrkA and EGF affecting cumulus expansion will help in the discovery of new therapeutic targets in ovulation-related diseases.

Association of Metabolic Syndrome with Inflammation in Chinese Adults with Different Kidney Function Biomedical and Environmental Sciences : BES. Oct, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24215879

Computational Systems Biology in the Big Data Era BMC Systems Biology. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24564834 A report of the 6th IEEE International Conference on Systems Biology (IEEE ISB2012), 18-20 August, Xi'an, China.

Identification of Mutated Core Cancer Modules by Integrating Somatic Mutation, Copy Number Variation, and Gene Expression Data BMC Systems Biology. 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24565034 Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer is an important step for the effective diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. With the huge volume of data from the large-scale cancer genomics projects, an open challenge is to distinguish driver mutations, pathways, and gene sets (or core modules) that contribute to cancer formation and progression from random passengers which accumulate in somatic cells but do not contribute to tumorigenesis. Due to mutational heterogeneity, current analyses are often restricted to known pathways and functional modules for enrichment of somatic mutations. Therefore, discovery of new pathways and functional modules is a pressing need.

Evaluation of the Accuracy of a Common Regional Registration Method for Three-dimensional Reconstruction of Edentulous Jaw Relation by a 7-axis Three-dimensional Measuring System Bio-medical Materials and Engineering. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24212023 This study was to design a method to quantitatively evaluate three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction accuracy of spatial relationship of dental models based on a 7-axis contact 3D measuring system, and to evaluate the accuracy of a common regional registration method for edentulous jaw relation reconstruction. 3D surface data of edentulous dental casts with 10 positioning cylinders and wax occlusion rims of five patients were obtained using a dental scanner. The jaw relation was reconstructed using the common regional registration in the Geomagic software. Measurements were obtained for line length, vertical distance and horizontal distance between centric points from two sources with upper jaw model base plane as a reference plane. The statistical description of measurement data was done. x ± s of line length, vertical distance and horizontal distance between the center points of each data set were 0.107 ± 0.354, 0.076 ± 0.576 and 0.108 ± 0.530 mm, respectively. Data was analyzed using the paired samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance. Paired t-test results of each patient and one-way analysis of variance for the five patients showed no significant differences (P>0.05). Using the Faro Edge system and standardized positioning cylinders, quantitative evaluation of the 3D reconstruction accuracy of edentulous jaw relation was workable. And results of common regional registration method met clinical requirements.

Seven Functional Polymorphisms in the CETP Gene and Myocardial Infarction Risk: a Meta-analysis and Meta-regression PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24533069 This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the relationships between seven functional polymorphisms in the CETP gene and myocardial infarction (MI) risk.

A Generalized Topological Entropy for Analyzing the Complexity of DNA Sequences PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24533097 Topological entropy is one of the most difficult entropies to be used to analyze the DNA sequences, due to the finite sample and high-dimensionality problems. In order to overcome these problems, a generalized topological entropy is introduced. The relationship between the topological entropy and the generalized topological entropy is compared, which shows the topological entropy is a special case of the generalized entropy. As an application the generalized topological entropy in introns, exons and promoter regions was computed, respectively. The results indicate that the entropy of introns is higher than that of exons, and the entropy of the exons is higher than that of the promoter regions for each chromosome, which suggest that DNA sequence of the promoter regions is more regular than the exons and introns.

[Fracture Reliability of Zirconia All-ceramic Crown According to Zirconia Coping Design] Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao. Yi Xue Ban = Journal of Peking University. Health Sciences. Feb, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24535352 To study the fracture resistance and characteristics of the bi-layer zirconia all ceramic crowns according to the zirconia coping design using various experimental methods and to compare the results of the in vitro test with the clinical evaluation.

[Evaluation of Measurement Accuracy of Three Facial Scanners Based on Different Scanning Principles] Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao. Yi Xue Ban = Journal of Peking University. Health Sciences. Feb, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24535353 To evaluate and compare the measurement accuracy of three facial scanners, based on different scanning principles: line laser, structured light and stereophotography.

Downregulated RASD1 and Upregulated MiR-375 Are Involved in Protective Effects of Calycosin on Cerebral Ischemia/reperfusion Rats Journal of the Neurological Sciences. Apr, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24548484 Isoflavone calycosin is a typical phytoestrogen extracted from Chinese medical herb Radix Astragali. It has been reported that estrogens could provide neuroprotective effects, and dietary intake of phytoestrogens could reduce stroke injury in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) animal models. In the present study, we investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of calycosin on middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced in male rats by MCAO, neurological deficits and brain edema was evaluated after 24h of reperfusion. The results shown calycosin significantly reduced the infarcted volume and the brain water content, and improved the neurological deficit. To provide insight into the functions of estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated signaling pathway in neuroprotection by calycosin, the expression of miR-375, ER-α, RASD1 (Dexamethasone-induced Ras-related protein 1) and Bcl-2 was determined by RT-PCR or western blot assay. Calycosin exhibited a downregulation of RASD1, and an upregulation of ER-α, miR-375 and Bcl-2. Our finding illustrated that calycosin had been shown neuroprotective effects in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion rats, and the molecular mechanisms may correlate with the positive feedback between ER-α and miR-375, along with the regulation of downstream targets.

Single Molecule FRET Reveals Pore Size and Opening Mechanism of a Mechano-sensitive Ion Channel ELife. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24550255 The mechanosensitive channel of large conductance, which serves as a model system for mechanosensitive channels, has previously been crystallized in the closed form, but not in the open form. Ensemble measurements and electrophysiological sieving experiments show that the open-diameter of the channel pore is >25 Å, but the exact size and whether the conformational change follows a helix-tilt or barrel-stave model are unclear. Here we report measurements of the distance changes on liposome-reconstituted MscL transmembrane α-helices, using a 'virtual sorting' single-molecule fluorescence energy transfer. We observed directly that the channel opens via the helix-tilt model and the open pore reaches 2.8 nm in diameter. In addition, based on the measurements, we developed a molecular dynamics model of the channel structure in the open state which confirms our direct observations. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01834.001.

DanQi Pill Protects Against Heart Failure Through the Arachidonic Acid Metabolism Pathway by Attenuating Different Cyclooxygenases and Leukotrienes B4 BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24555740 Chinese herbal formulae are composed of complex components and produce comprehensive pharmacological effects. Unlike chemical drugs that have only one clear single target, the components of Chinese herbal formulae have multiple channels and targets. How to discover the pharmacological targets of Chinese herbal formulae and their underlying molecular mechanism are still under investigation.

Factors for Postoperative Gallstone Occurrence in Patients with Gastric Cancer: a Meta-analysis Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24568511 To evaluate risk factors for gallstones after gastrectomy.

Roux-en-Y Esophagojejunostomy Reduces Serum and Aortic Inflammatory Biomarkers in Type 2 Diabetic Rats Obesity Surgery. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24573962 Recent studies have shown the reduction in serum inflammatory biomarkers by bariatric surgery. However, few studies have reported its effects on local vascular inflammation. We have investigated the effects of Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy on both serum and aortic tissue inflammation biomarkers in type 2 diabetic rats.

Diversity and Distribution of Eukaryotic Microbes in and Around a Brine Pool Adjacent to the Thuwal Cold Seeps in the Red Sea Frontiers in Microbiology. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24575081 A hypoxic/suboxic brine pool at a depth of about 850 m was discovered near the Thuwal cold seeps in the Red Sea. Filled with high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, such a brine pool might limit the spread of eukaryotic organisms. Here, we compared the communities of the eukaryotic microbes in a microbial mat, sediments and water samples distributed in 7 sites within and adjacent to the brine pool. Taxonomic classification of the pyrosequenced 18S rRNA amplicon reads showed that fungi highly similar to the species identified along the Arabic coast were almost ubiquitous in the water and sediment samples, supporting their wide distribution in various environments. The microbial mat displayed the highest species diversity and contained grazers and a considerable percentage of unclassified species. Phylogeny-based methods revealed novel lineages representing a majority of the reads from the interface between the sea water and brine pool. Phylogenetic relationships with more reference sequences suggest that the lineages were affiliated with novel Alveolata and Euglenozoa inhabiting the interface where chemosynthetic prokaryotes are highly proliferative due to the strong chemocline and halocline. The brine sediments harbored abundant species highly similar to invertebrate gregarine parasites identified in different oxygen-depleted sediments. Therefore, the present findings support the uniqueness of some microbial eukaryotic groups in this cold seep brine system.

Toxoplasma Gondii Inhibits Apoptosis Via a Novel STAT3-miR-17-92-Bim Pathway in Macrophages Cellular Signalling. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24583285 In order to accomplish their life cycles, intracellular pathogens, including the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii, subvert the innate apoptotic response of infected host cells. However, the precise mechanisms of parasite interference with the apoptotic pathway remain unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. Using T. gondii strain TgCtwh3, which was isolated from felids and possesses the predominant genotype China 1 (ToxoDB(#)9) in China, we analyzed the miRNA expression profile of human macrophages challenged with TgCtwh3. The results showed that miR-17-92 miRNA expression was significantly increased and Bim was decreased in TgCtwh3-infected cells. Database analysis of miR-17-92 miRNAs revealed the potential binding sites in the 3'UTR of Bim, one of the crucial effectors of pro-apoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the promoter of the miR-17-92 gene cluster which encodes miRNAs was transactivated through the promoter binding of the STAT3 following TgCtwh3 infection. Taken together, we describe a novel STAT3-miR-17-92-Bim pathway, thus providing a mechanistic explanation for inhibition of apoptosis of host cells following Toxoplasma infection.

An Atypical Winter Outbreak of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Associated with Human Enterovirus 71, 2010 BMC Infectious Diseases. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24589030 To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and pathogenic molecular characteristics of an hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) outbreak caused by enterovirus 71 in Linyi City, Shandong Province, China during November 30 to December 28, 2010.

Expression of Denitrification Genes in Response to a Waterlogging Event in a Fluvisol and Its Relationship with Large Nitrous Oxide Pulses FEMS Microbiology Ecology. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24592962 The contributions of large N2 O pulses following waterlogging to the annual cumulative N2 O productions were significant in a Fluvisol. To uncover the mechanisms underlying these large N2 O pulses, a Fluvisol sampled from an agricultural field in Japan was subjected to waterlogging during incubation. Larger N2 O emissions were observed in intact soil cores when compared to emissions from sieved soils, indicating the importance of soil properties. The most important factor controlling the magnitude of the N2 O pulses after waterlogging was the soil moisture prior to waterlogging. The major pathway for N2 O production was denitrification. Quantitative PCR and quantitative RT-PCR analyses showed that the denitrification genes (nirS, nirK, and nosZ) correlated with N2 O emissions at the mRNA level but not at the DNA level. The change in denitrification gene mRNA levels was more prominent in the 0- to 1-cm soil compared with the 1- to 3-cm soil. Water-soluble and hot-water-soluble carbon contents also showed the highest amount in the 0- to 1-cm soil. These indicate that there was a strong variation in soil microbial properties over very small changes in soil depth, and this variation is important in determining the magnitude of N2 O emissions.

Type VII Collagen is Enriched in the Enamel Organic Matrix Associated with the Dentin-enamel Junction of Mature Human Teeth Bone. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24594343 The inner enamel region of erupted teeth is known to exhibit higher fracture toughness and crack growth resistance than bulk phase enamel. However, an explanation for this behavior has been hampered by the lack of compositional information for the residual enamel organic matrix. Since enamel-forming ameloblasts are known to express type VII collagen and type VII collagen null mice display abnormal amelogenesis, the aim of this study was to determine whether type VII collagen is a component of the enamel organic matrix at the dentin-enamel junction (DEJ) of mature human teeth. Immunofluorescent confocal microscopy of demineralized tooth sections localized type VII collagen to the organic matrix surrounding individual enamel rods near the DEJ. Morphologically, immunoreactive type VII collagen helical-bundles resembled the gnarled-pattern of enamel rods detected by Coomassie Blue staining. Western blotting of whole crown or enamel matrix extracts also identified characteristic Mr=280 and 230 kDa type VII dimeric forms, which resolved into 75 and 25 kDa bands upon reduction. As expected, the collagenous domain of type VII collagen was resistant to pepsin digestion, but was susceptible to purified bacterial collagenase. These results demonstrate the inner enamel organic matrix in mature teeth contains macromolecular type VII collagen. Based on its physical association with the DEJ and its well-appreciated capacity to complex with other collagens, we hypothesize that enamel embedded type VII collagen fibrils may contribute not only to the structural resilience of enamel, but may also play a role in bonding enamel to dentin.

Optimal Eukaryotic 18S and Universal 16S/18S Ribosomal RNA Primers and Their Application in a Study of Symbiosis PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24594623 Eukaryotic 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene primers that feature a wide coverage are critical in detecting the composition of eukaryotic microscopic organisms in ecosystems. Here, we predicted 18S rRNA primers based on consecutive conserved sites and evaluated their coverage efficiency and scope of application to different eukaryotic groups. After evaluation, eight of them were considered as qualified 18S primers based on coverage rate. Next, we examined common conserved regions in prokaryotic 16S and eukaryotic 18S rRNA sequences to design 16S/18S universal primers. Three 16S/18S candidate primers, U515, U1390 and U1492, were then considered to be suitable for simultaneous amplification of the rRNA sequences in three domains. Eukaryotic 18S and prokaryotic 16S rRNA genes in a sponge were amplified simultaneously using universal primers U515 and U1390, and the subsequent sorting of pyrosequenced reads revealed some distinctive communities in different parts of the sample. The real difference in biodiversity between prokaryotic and eukaryotic symbionts could be discerned as the dissimilarity between OTUs was increased from 0.005 to 0.1. A network of the communities in external and internal parts of the sponge illustrated the co-variation of some unique microbes in certain parts of the sponge, suggesting that the universal primers are useful in simultaneous detection of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities.

Isolation and Identification of Quercetin Degrading Bacteria from Human Fecal Microbes PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24594786 Quercetin has a wide range of biological properties. The gut microflora can often modulate its biological activity and their potential health effects. There still is a lack of information about gut bacteria involving in this process. The strains of gut microbes from human feces that can transform quercetin were isolated and identified by in vitro fermentation. The results showed that Escherichia coli, Stretococcus lutetiensis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Weissella confusa, Enterococcus gilvus, Clostridium perfringens and Bacteroides fragilis have the various ability of degrading quercetin. Among them, C. perfringens and B. fragilis were discovered to have the strongest ability of degrading quercetin. Additionally, quercetin can't inhibit the growth of C. perfringens. In conclusion, many species of gut microbiota can degrade quercetin, but their ability are different.

Failure Modes and Fracture Origins of Porcelain Veneers on Bilayer Dental Crowns The International Journal of Prosthodontics. Mar-Apr, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24596912 The aims of this study were to determine the fracture origins and crack paths in the porcelain of clinically failed bilayer ceramic restorations and to reveal the correlation between the porcelain failures and material properties. Three clinically failed crowns of each material (bilayer zirconia crowns, galvano-ceramic crowns, and porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns) were collected and underwent failure analysis. The fractures found in porcelain veneers showed several characteristics including wear, Hertzian cone crack, chipping off, and delamination. The results indicated that the fracture origins and features of the porcelain in bilayer ceramic restorations might be affected by the rigidity of core materials and thickness of copings.

Genome-wide Microarray Analysis Identifies a Potential Role for Striatal Retrograde Endocannabinoid Signaling in the Pathogenesis of Experimental L-DOPA-induced Dyskinesia Synapse (New York, N.Y.). Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24599755 l-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) is the most widely used drug for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately, chronic administration of this dopamine precursor causes L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID), which is a debilitating complication whose pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we compared gene expression profiles of sensorimotor striatum tissue derived from LID and non-LID 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats treated with L-DOPA. Total RNA was amplified, transcribed and hybridized to Agilent Whole Rat Genome Oligo Microarray chips. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR was conducted to validate the microarray data. We detected 382 upregulated genes and 115 downregulated genes in LID rats when compared with that of non-LID subjects with Significance Analysis for Microarrays software. The differentially expressed genes were mainly associated with postsynaptic cell membranes, synapses, and neurotransmitter receptors. Gene Set Analysis (GSA) software was used to identify differentially expressed gene ontology (GO) categories and pathways. The GSA found that "long-term depression" and "retrograde endocannabinoid signaling" pathways were downregulated, whereas a set of lipid metabolism-related GO categories and pathways were upregulated in LID rats compared with non-LID controls. Our study provides further experimental evidence to support the direct correlation between abnormal striatal synaptic plasticity and the induction of LID, and it suggests that the dysfunction of the retrograde endocannabinoid signaling system, a lipid-based neuromodulatory system, and the relevant alteration of the related lipid metabolism processes might play an important role in the pathogenesis of LID.

[Curative Effect of Pemetrexed on the Treatment of Relapsed Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma] Zhonghua Xue Ye Xue Za Zhi = Zhonghua Xueyexue Zazhi. Jan, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24602732 To explore the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed in the treatment of relapsed primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL).

Development of Serum Parameters Panels for the Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer International Journal of Cancer. Journal International Du Cancer. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24615168 Early detection of pancreatic cancer is promising for improving clinical outcome; however, no effective biomarker has yet been identified. Here, we detected 61 clinical serum parameters in 200 healthy controls (Ctrls), 163 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients and 109 benign pancreatitis patients (Benign) in the training group. A metropolis algorithm with Monte Carlo simulation was used for identifying parameter panels. Sera from 183 Ctrl, 129 PDAC and 95 Benign individuals were used for cross-validation. Samples from 77 breast, 72 cervical, 101 colorectal, 138 gastric, 108 prostate and 132 lung cancer patients were collected for evaluating cancer selectivity. A panel consisting of carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9, albumin (ALB), C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-8 had the highest diagnostic value for discriminating between PDAC and Ctrl. The sensitivity (SN) was 99.39% for all-stage, 96.10% for early-stage and 98.80% for advanced-stage PDAC at 90% specificity (SP). In the validation group, the sensitivities were 93.80, 93.10 and 94.40%, respectively, at 90% SP. This panel also identified 80.52% of the breast cancer, 66.67% cervical cancer, 86.14% colorectal cancer, 89.86% gastric cancer, 71.30% prostate cancer and 93.85% lung cancer samples as non-PDAC. The panel consisting of CA19-9, carbon dioxide, CRP and IL-6 panel had the highest diagnostic value for discriminating between PDAC and Benign. The SN was 74.23% for all-stage, 75.30% for early-stage and 74.40% for advanced-stage PDAC at 90% SP. In the validation group, the sensitivities were 72.10, 76.10 and 67.20%, respectively, at 90% SP. Our parameter panels may aid in the early detection of PDAC to improve clinical outcome.

Red Cell Distribution Width Predicts Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Acute Pulmonary Embolism in a Long-term Follow-up Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine : CCLM / FESCC. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24615489

Calycosin Suppresses Breast Cancer Cell Growth Via ERβ-dependent Regulation of IGF-1R, P38 MAPK and PI3K/Akt Pathways PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24618835 We previously reported that calycosin, a natural phytoestrogen structurally similar to estrogen, successfully triggered apoptosis of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer cell line, MCF-7. To better understand the antitumor activities of calycosin against breast cancer, besides MCF-7 cells, another ER-positive cell line T-47D was analyzed here, with ER-negative cell lines (MDA-231, MDA-435) as control. Notably, calycosin led to inhibited cell proliferation and apoptosis only in ER-positive cells, particularly in MCF-7 cells, whereas no such effect was observed in ER-negative cells. Then we investigated whether regulation of ERβ, a subtype of ER, contributed to calycosin-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells. The results showed that incubation of calycosin resulted in enhanced expression ERβ in MCF-7 and T-47D cells, rather than MDA-231 and MDA-435 cells. Moreover, with the upregulation of ERβ, successive changes in downstream signaling pathways were found, including inactivation of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), then stimulation of p38 MAPK and suppression of the serine/threonine kinase (Akt), and finally poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) cleavage. However, the other two members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), were not consequently regulated by downregulated IGF-1R, indicating ERK 1/2 and JNK pathways were not necessary to allow proliferation inhibition by calycosin. Taken together, our results indicate that calycosin tends to inhibit growth and induce apoptosis in ER-positive breast cancer cells, which is mediated by ERβ-induced inhibition of IGF-1R, along with the selective regulation of MAPK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathways.

Total Body Irradiation Causes Long-term Mouse BM Injury Via Induction of HSC Premature Senescence in an Ink4a- and Arf-independent Manner Blood. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24622326 Exposure to total body irradiation (TBI) induces not only acute hematopoietic radiation syndrome but also long-term or residual bone marrow (BM) injury. This residual BM injury is mainly attributed to permanent damage to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), including impaired self-renewal, decreased long-term repopulating capacity, and myeloid skewing. These HSC defects were associated with significant increases in production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), expression of p16(Ink4a) (p16) and Arf mRNA, and senescence-associated β-galacotosidase (SA-β-gal) activity, but not with telomere shortening or increased apoptosis, suggesting that TBI induces residual BM injury via induction of HSC premature senescence. This suggestion is supported by the finding that SA-β-gal(+) HSC-enriched LSK cells showed more pronounced defects in clonogenic activity in vitro and long-term engraftment after transplantation than SA-β-gal(-) LSK cells isolated from irradiated mice. However, genetic deletion of p16 and/or Arf had no effect on TBI-induced residual BM suppression and HSC senescence, because HSCs from irradiated p16 and/or Arf knockout (KO) mice exhibited changes similar to those seen in HSCs from wild-type mice after exposure to TBI. These findings provide important new insights into the mechanism by which TBI causes long-term BM suppression (eg, via induction of premature senescence of HSCs in a p16-Arf-independent manner).

Functionalizing Single Crystals: Incorporation of Nanoparticles Inside Gel-grown Calcite Crystals Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English). Apr, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24623683 Synthetic single crystals are usually homogeneous solids. Biogenic single crystals, however, can incorporate biomacromolecules and become inhomogeneous solids so that their properties are also extrinsically regulated by the incorporated materials. The discrepancy between the properties of synthetic and biogenic single crystals leads to the idea to modify the internal structure of synthetic crystals to achieve nonintrinsic properties by incorporation of foreign material. Intrinsically colorless and diamagnetic calcite single crystals are turned into colored and paramagnetic solids, through incorporation of Au and Fe3O4 nanoparticles without significantly disrupting the crystalline lattice of calcite. The crystals incorporate the nanoparticles and gel fibers when grown in agarose gel media containing the nanoparticles, whereas the solution-grown crystals do not. As such, our work extends the long-history gel method for crystallization into a platform to functionalize single-crystalline materials.

Identification of the Proteins Related to SET-mediated Hepatic Cytotoxicity of Trichloroethylene by Proteomic Analysis Toxicology Letters. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24631019 Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an effective solvent for a variety of organic materials. Since the wide use of TCE as industrial degreasing of metals, adhesive paint and polyvinyl chloride production, TCE has turned into an environmental and occupational toxicant. Exposure to TCE could cause severe hepatotoxicity; however, the toxic mechanisms of TCE remain poorly understood. Recently, we reported that SET protein mediated TCE-induced cytotoxicity in L-02 cells. Here, we further identified the proteins related to SET-mediated hepatic cytotoxicity of TCE using the techniques of DIGE (differential gel electrophoresis) and MALDI-TOF-MS/MS. Among the 20 differential proteins identified, 8 were found to be modulated by SET in TCE-induced cytotoxicity and three of them (cofilin-1, peroxiredoxin-2 and S100-A11) were validated by Western-blot analysis. The functional analysis revealed that most of the identified SET-modulated proteins are apoptosis-associated proteins. These data indicated that these proteins may be involved in SET-mediated hepatic cytotoxicity of TCE in L-02 cells.

In vivo Monitoring of Neural Stem Cells After Transplantation in Acute Cerebral Infarction with Dual-modal MR Imaging and Optical Imaging Biomaterials. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24631249 Stem cell therapies are promising strategies for the treatment of stroke. However, their clinical translation has not been fully realized due, in part, to insufficient ability to track stem cell migration and survival longitudinally over long periods of time in vivo. In this work, we synthesized a new class of manometer-sized cationic polymersomes loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and quantum dots for in vivo dual-modal imaging of stem cells. The results demonstrated that the synthesized cationic polymersomes can act as an effective and safety carrier to transfer image labels into neural stem cells, upon which the distribution and migration of grafted stem cells could be monitored by MR imaging up to 6 weeks and by fluorescence imaging within 4 weeks in the context of ischaemic brain injury. Cationic polymersomes hold great promise in the longitudinal monitoring of transplanted stem cells by using dual-modal MRI and optical imaging.

The Relationship Between Frequency Dependence of Action Potential Duration and the Expression of TRPC3 in Rabbit Ventricular Myocardium Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry : International Journal of Experimental Cellular Physiology, Biochemistry, and Pharmacology. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24642929 Background/Aims: Cardiac action potential duration (APD) is regulated by heart rate, leading to the trans-membrane movement of inorganic ions. Whether the alteration of heart rate can affect the expression of transient receptor potential canonical channels (TRPCs), further studies should be made. We investigated the changes of APD at different stimulus frequencies and their influences on the expression of TRPCs in rabbit ventricular myocardium. Methods: Monophasic action potential (MAP) was recorded by contact electrode technique in different programmed stimulus frequencies on rabbit ventricular epicardium in vivo, and the expression of TRPCs was detected using RT-PCR and Western blot. Results: At the frequency range of 4.5-7.5 Hz, APD gradually shortened with the increase of stimulus frequency, showing the property of significant frequency dependence in rabbit ventricular myocardium in vivo. Compared with 4.5 Hz group, TRPC3 mRNA and protein expression increased in 6 Hz and 7.5 Hz groups by way of frequency dependence. Both amiodarone (AM) and neferine (Nef) could prolongate APD and showed characters of frequency independence at the designed frequency. In contrast with 4.5 Hz control group, it was Nef treatment group rather than AM treatment group that could obviously increase the expression of TRPC3 mRNA and protein. Conclusions: At the frequency range of 4.5-7.5 Hz, frequency-dependent shortening of APD was associated with the expression of TRPC3. AM and Nef exhibited frequency-independent lengthening of the APD. Nef may prolong APD via the increasement of TRPC3. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Neurocognitive Improvement After Carotid Artery Stenting in Patients with Chronic Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion: a Prospective, Controlled, Single-center Study Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24643000 Symptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion with hemodynamic impairment remains a dismal disease when untreated. In this prospective, single-center, controlled study, we investigated the feasibility, safety, and long-term outcome of stenting by endovascular recanalization for patients with chronic ICA occlusion. Forty patients with symptomatic chronically occluded ICA were assigned to receive endovascular recanalization (group A, n = 18) or conservative management (group B, n = 22). The primary end point was 100% complete recanalization of the primary occlusion at 60 minutes, and secondary end points were improvement in neurologic function and cognitive function. Patients in the 2 groups were comparable in demographic and baseline characteristics. Successful recanalization was achieved in 88.9% (16 of 18) of patients with the restoration of Thrombolysis in Myocardial Ischemia/Thrombolysis in Cerebral Ischemia 2 or 3 flow. There was no procedural or new cerebral ischemic event. Improvement in brain perfusion was observed in 12 (12 of 18, 75%) patients on single-photon emission computed tomography. Improvement in neurologic function defined as a reduction of ≥4 points on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at 6 months was observed in group A (baseline, 6.83 ± 3.01 vs 6 months, 2.61 ± 1.20; P < .01) and group B (baseline, 6.05 ± 2.75 vs 6 months, 4.77 ± 1.69; P < .05). A significant difference in NIHSS scores was noted between group A and B at 1, 3, and 6 months (P < .05 or .001). Improvement in cognitive function defined as an increase of ≥8 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was observed in group A at 3 and 6 months (baseline, 14.67 ± 3.56 vs 3 months, 24.17 ± 3.55 and 6 months, 24.72 ± 2.85; P < .01). Significant improvement in MoCA was also observed in group B (P < .01). Furthermore, a significant difference in MoCA scores was noted between group A and B at 1, 3, and 6 months (P < .05 or .001). Endovascular recanalization is feasible and safe for patients with symptomatic chronic carotid artery occlusion. Successful carotid artery stenting can improve neurological function and global cognitive function than nonrevascularization.

Genome-wide Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of Family-1 UDP Glycosyltransferases in Maize (Zea Mays) Planta. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24647682 Family-1 UDP glycosyltransferases (UGTs) from plants transfer sugar moieties from activated sugar donors to a wide range of small molecules, and control many metabolic processes during plant growth and development. Here, we report a genome-wide analysis of maize that identified 147 Family-1 glycosyltransferases based on their conserved PSPG motifs. Phylogenetic analysis of these genes with 18 Arabidopsis UGTs and two rice UGTs clustered them into 17 groups (A-Q). The patterns of intron gain/loss events, as well as their positions within UGTs from the same group, further aided elucidation of their divergence and evolutionary relationships between UGTs. Expression analysis of the maize UGT genes using both online microarray data and quantitative real-time PCR verification indicates that UGT genes are widely expressed in various tissues and likely play important roles in plant growth and development. Our study provides useful information on the Family-1 UGTs in maize, and will facilitate their further characterization to better understand their functions.

Four-layer Tin-carbon Nanotube Yolk-shell Materials for High-performance Lithium-ion Batteries ChemSusChem. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24648261 All high-capacity anodes for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, such as those based on tin (Sn) and silicon (Si), suffer from large volume changes during cycling with lithium ions, and their high capacities can be only achieved in the first few cycles. We design and synthesize a unique four-layer yolk-shell tin-carbon (Sn-C) nanotube array to address this problem. The shape and size of the exterior Sn nanotube@carbon core-shell layer, the encapsulated interior Sn nanowire@carbon nanotube core-shell layer, and the filling level of each layer can be all controlled by adjusting the experimental conditions. Such a nanostructure has not been reported for any metal or metal oxide-based material. Owing to the special design of the electrode structure, the four-layer hierarchical structure demonstrates excellent Li-ion storage properties in terms of high capacity, long cycle life, and high rate performance.

Programming Nanopore Ion Flow for Encoded Multiplex MicroRNA Detection ACS Nano. Apr, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24654890 Many efforts are being made in translating the nanopore into an ultrasensitive single-molecule platform for various genetic and epigenetic detections. However, compared with current approaches including PCR, the low throughput limits the nanopore applications in biological research and clinical settings, which usually requires simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers for accurate disease diagnostics. Herein we report a barcode probe approach for multiple nucleic acid detection in one nanopore. Instead of directly identifying different targets in a nanopore, we designed a series of barcode probes to encode different targets. When the probe is bound with the target, the barcode group polyethylene glycol attached on the probe through click chemistry can specifically modulate nanopore ion flow. The resulting signature serves as a marker for the encoded target. Therefore counting different signatures in a current recording allows simultaneous analysis of multiple targets in one nanopore. The principle of this approach was verified by using a panel of cancer-derived microRNAs as the target, a type of biomarker for cancer detection.

Identification of Novel Knockout and Up-regulated Targets for Improving Isoprenoid Production in E. Coli Biotechnology Letters. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24658737 Discovery of novel potential genetic targets to increase the supply of isoprenoid precursors, isopentyl/dimethylallyl diphosphate, is of importance for microbial production of isoprenoids. Here, to improve isoprenoid precursor supply, a flux distribution comparison analysis, based on the genome-scale model, was utilized to simultaneously predict the knockout, down- and up-regulated targets in Escherichia coli. 51 targets were in silico discovered. All knockout and up-regulated targets were experimentally tested to enhance lycopene production. Five knockout targets (deoB, yhfw, yahI, pta and eutD) and four up-regulated targets (ompN, ompE, ndk and cmk) led to 10-45% increases of lycopene yield, respectively, which had not been uncovered in previous studies. When engineering of the five most significant targets gdhA, eutD, tpiA, ompE and ompN, were combined the lycopene titer improved by 174% in shake-flask and 81% in bioreactor fermentations with a maximum yield of 454 mg l(-1).

The Quantitative and Functional Changes of NK Cells in Mice Infected with Angiostrongylus Cantonensis Parasitology Research. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24667973 Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a neurotropic parasite which can cause injury to central nervous system and eosinophilic meningitis to human. Natural killer (NK) cells are specialized innate lymphocytes important in early defense against pathogens as in a variety of intracellular bacterial, viral, and protozoan infections. However, the number and function of NK cells in extracellular parasitic infection of A. cantonensis are unclear. In this study, on A. cantonensis infected mice which may mimic the human's infection, we found that the percentage of splenic NK cells and the absolute number of peripheral blood NK cells were decreased at 21-day post infection compared with that of controls. When administrating with albendazole treatment at early stage of the infection, the changes of NK cells could be avoided. Further analysis confirmed that the reduction of NK cells was due to their apoptosis manifested as increased expressions of annexin V and activated caspase-3 after 16-day post infection. Moreover, both activated and inhibitory receptors such as CD16, CD69, NKG2D, and Ly49a on NK cells were down-regulated after 16-day post infection. Interestingly, NK cells isolated from mice of 21-day post infection showed enhanced IFN-γ production when stimulated with IL-12 for 24 h and cytotoxicity to YAC-1 cells, as well as elevated CD107a expression. It is evident that NK cell population and its function were changed in A. cantonensis infected mice, suggesting their involvement in pathogenesis of the infection.

Even Mildly Elevated TSH is Associated with an Atherogenic Lipid Profile in Postmenopausal Women with Subclinical Hypothyroidism Endocrine Research. Mar, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24679183 Abstract Postmenopausal women, a population with increased risk of atherosclerosis, also have an appreciable risk of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH). The current study sought an association between serum thyrotropin (TSH), the biomarker of SCH and atherosclerosis lipid profile changes. A total of 45 postmenopausal women with SCH and 27 healthy women matched by age and body mass index were enrolled in this observational study. Serum lipid profiles and thyroid function were assessed. Compared with healthy controls, the serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-c and oxidized LDL (oxLDL) in SCH were increased by ∼22.8%, 29.6%, 30.5% and 23.2%, respectively. TSH was positively correlated with TC, LDL-c and oxLDL in all of the study subjects after adjusting for age and BMI. In particular, the positive correlation remained significant after adjusting for serum FT3 and FT4. When further stratified by TSH levels, both the subgroup of mildly elevated TSH (4.78-9.99 mU/L) and overtly elevated TSH (>10.00 mU/L) exhibited significantly higher serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-c and oxLDL compared to the normal TSH subgroup. Path analysis revealed that the total effects of TSH on TC (total effectsTC,TSH = 0.4323) included a significant direct effect (direct effectTC,TSH = 0.4932) and an indirect effect via an intermediary variable (FT3, FT4). Furthermore, TC exhibited a direct effect on LDL-c, as did LDL-c on oxLDL. In conclusion, even with a mild elevation of serum TSH, SCH is associated with atherogenic lipid profiles in postmenopausal women independent of thyroid hormones.

Letter Regarding Li Et Al. "prognostic Impact of Late Gadolinium Enhancement by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Non-ischaemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy" International Journal of Cardiology. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24680247

A Reduced Graphene Oxide Supported Cu(3)SnS(4) Composite As an Efficient Visible-light Photocatalyst Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003). May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24686717 In this study, a visible light responsive Cu3SnS4/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) photocatalyst has been synthesized by a facile one-step solvothermal method. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the Cu3SnS4/RGO composite under visible-light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) was evaluated by measuring the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and phenol. The results revealed that the Cu3SnS4 nanoplates dispersed uniformly on the RGO surface. The Cu3SnS4/RGO composite exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than pure Cu3SnS4. The enhancement in photocatalytic activity is likely to be due to the synergistic effect of an improved adsorptivity of pollutants, an enhanced visible light absorption and an effective charge separation. In addition, the Cu3SnS4/RGO photocatalyst was stable during the reaction and could be used repeatedly.

Supported Metal Catalysts for Alcohol/sugar Alcohol Steam Reforming Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003). Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24687117 Despite extensive studies on hydrogen production via steam reforming of alcohols and sugar alcohols, catalysts typically suffer a variety of issues from poor hydrogen selectivity to rapid deactivation. Here, we summarize recent advances in fundamental understanding of functionality and structure of catalysts for alcohol/sugar alcohol steam reforming, and provide perspectives on further development required to design highly efficient steam reforming catalysts.

Symbiotic Adaptation Drives Genome Streamlining of the Cyanobacterial Sponge Symbiont "Candidatus Synechococcus Spongiarum" MBio. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24692632 "Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum" is a cyanobacterial symbiont widely distributed in sponges, but its functions at the genome level remain unknown. Here, we obtained the draft genome (1.66 Mbp, 90% estimated genome recovery) of "Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum" strain SH4 inhabiting the Red Sea sponge Carteriospongia foliascens. Phylogenomic analysis revealed a high dissimilarity between SH4 and free-living cyanobacterial strains. Essential functions, such as photosynthesis, the citric acid cycle, and DNA replication, were detected in SH4. Eukaryoticlike domains that play important roles in sponge-symbiont interactions were identified exclusively in the symbiont. However, SH4 could not biosynthesize methionine and polyamines and had lost partial genes encoding low-molecular-weight peptides of the photosynthesis complex, antioxidant enzymes, DNA repair enzymes, and proteins involved in resistance to environmental toxins and in biosynthesis of capsular and extracellular polysaccharides. These genetic modifications imply that "Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum" SH4 represents a low-light-adapted cyanobacterial symbiont and has undergone genome streamlining to adapt to the sponge's mild intercellular environment. IMPORTANCE Although the diversity of sponge-associated microbes has been widely studied, genome-level research on sponge symbionts and their symbiotic mechanisms is rare because they are unculturable. "Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum" is a widely distributed uncultivated cyanobacterial sponge symbiont. The genome of this symbiont will help to characterize its evolutionary relationship and functional dissimilarity to closely related free-living cyanobacterial strains. Knowledge of its adaptive mechanism to the sponge host also depends on the genome-level research. The data presented here provided an alternative strategy to obtain the draft genome of "Ca. Synechococcus spongiarum" strain SH4 and provide insight into its evolutionary and functional features.

Ammonium-bearing Dinuclear Copper(II) Complex: a Highly Selective and Sensitive Colorimetric Probe for Pyrophosphate Organic Letters. Apr, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24694080 Two dinuclear copper complexes with and without ammonium moieties were synthesized. The complexes exhibited selective binding affinity to pyrophosphate in aqueous solution. The dinuclear copper complex, with ammonium arms, showed a ca. 527-fold enhancement in pyrophosphate binding affinity compared with its analogue without ammonium units.

The Characteristics and Prognostic Analysis in 213 Myeloid Malignancy Patients with Del(20q): a Report of a Single-center Case Series Cancer Genetics. Mar, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24699042 The clinical and hematological characteristics and the prognostic significance of del(20q) were investigated in a consecutive series of 213 myeloid malignancies. In the analyses, the cases were divided into three subgroups according to diagnosis or four subgroups according to cytogenetic data. Patients in the myeloproliferative neoplasms subgroup had high WBCs and platelet counts at initial diagnosis. The del(20q) occurred predominantly in older men. Sole del(20q) was observed most often in myelodysplastic syndromes, while del(20q) as a part of complex karyotypes was observed predominantly in acute myeloid leukemia. The most frequent additional abnormalities accompanying del(20q) were -5/del(5q), -7/del(7q) and +8; t(20;21)(q11;q11) and double del(20q) were two rare but recurrent abnormalities secondary to del(20q). In all types of diseases, patients with a sole del(20q) had a favorable prognosis. The presence of any additional abnormality with del(20q) had an unfavorable outcome. Patients with i(20q) had an unfavorable prognosis. Patients with the minor del(20q) clone had a better median survival than those with the major del(20q) clone.

Endothelial PFKFB3 Plays a Critical Role in Angiogenesis Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24700124 Vascular cells, particularly endothelial cells, adopt aerobic glycolysis to generate energy to support cellular functions. The effect of endothelial glycolysis on angiogenesis remains unclear. 6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2, 6-bisphosphatase, isoform 3 (PFKFB3) is a critical enzyme for endothelial glycolysis. By blocking or deleting PFKFB3 in endothelial cells, we investigated the influence of endothelial glycolysis on angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo.

Preparation of Uniform Magnetic Recoverable Catalyst Microspheres with Hierarchically Mesoporous Structure by Using Porous Polymer Microsphere Template Nanoscale Research Letters. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24708885 Merging nanoparticles with different functions into a single microsphere can exhibit profound impact on various applications. However, retaining the unique properties of each component after integration has proven to be a significant challenge. Our previous research demonstrated a facile method to incorporate magnetic nanoparticles into porous silica microspheres. Here, we report the fabrication of porous silica microspheres embedded with magnetic and gold nanoparticles as magnetic recoverable catalysts. The as-prepared multifunctional composite microspheres exhibit excellent magnetic and catalytic properties and a well-defined structure such as uniform size, high surface area, and large pore volume. As a result, the very little composite microspheres show high performance in catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol, special convenient magnetic separability, long life, and good reusability. The unique nanostructure makes the microspheres a novel stable and highly efficient catalyst system for various catalytic industry processes.

Significantly Decreased MRNA Levels of BDNF and MEK1 Genes in Treatment-resistant Depression Neuroreport. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24709918 The aim of the current study was to investigate whether the levels of mRNA expression of brain-derived neurotrophin factor (BDNF) and a related gene MEK1 were more obviously decreased in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). In total, 50 patients with major depressive disorder (including 26 with TRD and 24 with treatment-responsive depression) and 48 healthy controls were enrolled. BDNF and MEK1 mRNA levels in blood samples from all patients and controls were measured using reverse transcriptase-PCR. BDNF and MEK1 mRNA levels were significantly reduced in patients with major depressive disorder when compared with healthy controls (BDNF: P

Genetic Variation in the Major Mitotic Checkpoint Genes and Risk of Breast Cancer: a Multigenic Study on Cancer Susceptibility Tumour Biology : the Journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24711138 The mitotic checkpoint system is a mechanism essential for maintaining genomic stability and defects which have been linked to cancer development. We conducted this hospital-based case-control study to investigate whether genetic variants in three major spindle checkpoint genes (BUB3, MAD2L1, and BUB1) had any bearing on an individual risk of breast cancer (BC). A total of 462 incident BC patients and 529 cancer-free controls were enrolled in this study. Results showed that neither variants in BUB3 nor variants in MAD2L1 caused any significant effect on the risk of BC. However, the variant rs12623473 in BUB1 was significantly associated with increased BC risk with the odds ratio (OR) of 1.30 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.64) under the allelic model. The estimated population attributable risk of one copy of the risk allele for developing BC was 10.3 %. The bioinformatics analysis suggested that this variant may regulate the transcriptional ability of BUB1.

Universal Fuzzy Integral Sliding-Mode Controllers for Stochastic Nonlinear Systems IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics. Apr, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24718584 In this paper, the universal integral sliding-mode controller problem for the general stochastic nonlinear systems modeled by Itô type stochastic differential equations is investigated. One of the main contributions is that a novel dynamic integral sliding mode control (DISMC) scheme is developed for stochastic nonlinear systems based on their stochastic T-S fuzzy approximation models. The key advantage of the proposed DISMC scheme is that two very restrictive assumptions in most existing ISMC approaches to stochastic fuzzy systems have been removed. Based on the stochastic Lyapunov theory, it is shown that the closed-loop control system trajectories are kept on the integral sliding surface almost surely since the initial time, and moreover, the stochastic stability of the sliding motion can be guaranteed in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Another main contribution is that the results of universal fuzzy integral sliding-mode controllers for two classes of stochastic nonlinear systems, along with constructive procedures to obtain the universal fuzzy integral sliding-mode controllers, are provided, respectively. Simulation results from an inverted pendulum example are presented to illustrate the advantages and effectiveness of the proposed approaches.

Surface-up Constructed Tandem-inverted Bilayer Cyclodextrins for Enhanced Enantioseparation and Adsorption Journal of Chromatography. A. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24720902 A new generation of triazole-bridged bilayer cyclodextrins (CDs) chiral stationary phase (CSP) material was constructed via a surface-up 'click' approach. The synergistic effect of the tandem-inverted duplex CDs was evidenced by the superior enantioresolution ability toward selected chiral compounds and the enhanced adsorption ability toward hesperetin. The enantioselectivities of dansyl amino acids and aryl carboxylic acids were promoted by 10-20%, while the resolutions of some aryl carboxylic acids were significantly increased from 0 to 3.5 and beyond. Adsorption experiments of hesperetin reveal that the binding ability of the target bilayer CDCSP is nearly 2.8 times than that of the single layer CDCSP. The current work provides a simple and practical approach to design and synthesize novel functional materials with cooperative CD dimers on surfaces.

Endoscopic Versus Microscopic Transsphenoidal Pituitary Adenoma Surgery: a Meta-analysis World Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24721812 Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery has gradually come to be regarded as a preferred option in the treatment of pituitary adenomas because of its advantages of improved visualization and its minimal invasiveness. The aim of this study was to compare and evaluate the outcomes and complications of endoscopic and microscopic transsphenoidal surgery in the treatment of pituitary adenomas.

Natural Killer Cell Intrinsic Toll-like Receptor MyD88 Signaling Contributes to IL-12-dependent IFN-γ Production by Mice During Infection with Toxoplasma Gondii International Journal for Parasitology. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24727091 Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)-dependent IL-12 secretion by dendritic cells is critical for natural killer cell-mediated IFN-γ production and innate resistance to Toxoplasma gondii. Although MyD88(-/-) mice challenged with T. gondii have defective IL-12 responses and succumb to infection, administration of IL-12 to MyD88(-/-) mice fails to prevent acute mortality, suggesting that MyD88 may mediate signals within natural killer cells important for IL-12-dependent IFN-γ production and innate resistance to this parasite. In this study, we found that T. gondii antigens and IL-12 could synergistically trigger IFN-γ secretion by natural killer cells, which was dependent on toll-like receptor-MyD88 signaling. Further analysis showed that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase and NF-κB multiple pathways downstream of MyD88 contributed to IFN-γ production by natural killer cells. Moreover, the well-established toll-like receptor agonists, T. gondii profilin (Tgprofilin) and T. gondii heat shock protein 70 (TgHSP70) could evoke a similar IFN-γ secretory response in natural killer cells to that evoked by T. gondii antigens. In vivo adoptive transfer experiments showed that, upon challenge with T. gondii, NOD/SCID-β2 microglobulin null (NOD/SCID-β2m(-/-)) mice injected i.v. with MyD88(-/-) natural killer cells had reduced serum IFN-γ levels and increased splenic tachyzoite burdens compared with those injected i.v. with wild-type natural killer cells. Taken together, these findings demonstrate a critical role for natural killer cell intrinsic toll-like receptor-MyD88 signaling in IL-12-dependent early IFN-γ production and innate resistance to T. gondii.

[Computer Aided Design Method of Digital Individual Guide for Brachytherapy] Zhonghua Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi = Zhonghua Kouqiang Yixue Zazhi = Chinese Journal of Stomatology. Feb, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24731425

Toward Understanding the Dynamics of Microbial Communities in an Estuarine System PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24732211 Community assembly theories such as species sorting theory provide a framework for understanding the structures and dynamics of local communities. The effect of theoretical mechanisms can vary with the scales of observation and effects of specific environmental factors. Based on 16S rRNA gene tag pyrosequencing, different structures and temporal succession patterns were discovered between the surface sediments and bottom water microbial communities in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE). The microbial communities in the surface sediment samples were more diverse than those in the bottom water samples, and several genera were specific for the water or sediment communities. Moreover, water temperature was identified as the main variable driving community dynamics and the microbial communities in the sediment showed a greater temporal change. We speculate that nutrient-based species sorting and bacterial plasticity to the temperature contribute to the variations observed between sediment and water communities in the PRE. This study provides a more comprehensive understanding of the microbial community structures in a highly dynamic estuarine system and sheds light on the applicability of ecological theoretical mechanisms.

Retraction Note: Transcatheter Closure of Perimembranous Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD) with VSD Occluder: Early and Mid-term Results Heart and Vessels. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24736943

Cellular Extract Facilitates Nuclear Reprogramming by Altering DNA Methylation and Pluripotency Gene Expression Cellular Reprogramming. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24738992 The functional reprogramming of a differentiated cell to a pluripotent state presents potential beneficial applications in disease mechanisms and regenerative medicine. Epigenetic modifications enable differentiated cells to perpetuate molecular memory to retain their identity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the reprogramming modification of yak fibroblast cells that were permeabilized and incubated in the extracts of mesenchymal stem cells derived from mice adipose tissue [adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs)]. According to the results, the treatment of ADSC extracts promoted colony formation. Moreover, pluripotent gene expression was associated with the loss of repressive histone modifications and increased global demethylation. The genes Col1a1 and Col1a2, which are typically found in differentiated cells only, demonstrated decreased expression and increased methylation in the 5'-flanking regulatory regions. Moreover, yak fibroblast cells that were exposed to ADSC extracts resulted in significantly different eight-cell and blastocyst formation rates of cloned embryos compared with their untreated counterparts. This investigation provides the first evidence that nuclear reprogramming of yak fibroblast cells is modified after the ADSC extract treatment. This research also presents a methodology for studying the dedifferentiation of somatic cells that can potentially lead to an efficient way of reprogramming somatic cells toward a pluripotent state without genetic alteration.

An Outbreak of Aseptic Meningitis Caused by a Distinct Lineage of Coxsackievirus B5 in China International Journal of Infectious Diseases : IJID : Official Publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24747088 In 2009, an outbreak of aseptic meningitis caused by coxsackievirus B5 (CVB5) occurred in China. Epidemiological investigations of this outbreak revealed that the proportion of severe cases (14/43, 33%) was higher than in other outbreaks associated with CVB5 in China. Phylogenetic analysis of the entire VP1 sequences demonstrated that the CVB5 isolates from the severe cases form a distinct lineage belonging to genogroup E with the Shandong isolates of 2009. A substitution of serine (S) to asparagine (N) at amino acid 95 in the VP1 region may be a major virulence determinant for the virus. Our findings suggest that this new lineage of CVB5 is circulating in China. Further genetic studies are needed in order to gain a better insight into the genetic variability of CVB5 isolates and the relationship with pathogenicity.

Prevalence and Relative Risk Factors of Atrial Fibrillation in Male Coal Miners in North China International Journal of Cardiology. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24750718

MiR-22 Inhibits Osteosarcoma Cell Proliferation and Migration by Targeting HMGB1 and Inhibiting HMGB1-mediated Autophagy Tumour Biology : the Journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24752578 Acquisition of drug-resistant phenotypes is often associated with chemotherapy in osteosarcoma. Studies show that high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) plays an important role in facilitating autophagy and promotes drug resistance in osteosarcoma cells. In this study, we determined the targeting role of miR-22 to HMGB1 and the regulation of miR-22 on the HMGB1-mediated cell autophagy and on the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. Results demonstrated that miR-22 well paired with the 3'-UTR of HMGB1 downregulated the HMGB1 expression and blocked the HMGB1-mediated autophagy during chemotherapy in osteosarcoma cells in vitro. Further study showed that the blockage of autophagy by miR-22 inhibited the osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In summary, this study implied the negative regulation of miR-22 on the HMGB1-mediated autophagy in osteosarcoma cells.

Selection of Surgical Approaches Based on Semi-quantifying the Skull-base Invasion by Petroclival Meningiomas: a Review of 66 Cases Acta Neurochirurgica. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24752725 Petroclival meningiomas are still challenging for neurosurgeons. In the present study, we reviewed 66 petroclival meningiomas that underwent craniotomy to assess the surgical approaches for petroclival meningiomas based on semi-quantifying tumor extension to skull base and to evaluate the outcomes.

Effect of Addition of FSH, LH and Proteasome Inhibitor MG132 to in Vitro Maturation Medium on the Developmental Competence of Yak (Bos Grunniens) Oocytes Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology : RB&E. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24754924 The competence for embryonic development after IVF is low in the yak, therefore, we investigated the effects of supplementation of FSH, LH and the proteasome inhibitor MG132 in IVM media on yak oocyte competence for development after IVF.

Effects of Supplemental Copper on the Serum Lipid Profile, Meat Quality, and Carcass Composition of Goat Kids Biological Trace Element Research. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24756646 To evaluate the effects of copper (Cu) supplementation on the serum lipid profile, meat quality, and carcass composition of goat kids, thirty-five 3-4-month-old Jian Yang big-eared goat kids (BW 20.3±0.6 kg) were randomly assigned to one of seven dietary Cu treatments (n=5/treatment). The dietary Cu concentrations were: (1) control (no supplemental Cu), (2) 20 mg, (3) 40 mg, (4) 80 mg, (5) 160 mg, (6) 320 mg, and (7) 640 mg of supplemental Cu/kg dry matter (DM). Copper was supplemented as CuSO4.5H2O (25.2 % Cu). The goats were fed a high-concentrate basal diet with the different concentrations of supplemental Cu/kg DM for 96 days. The serum lipid profile was determined on day 51 and day 96. Meat quality and carcass composition of longissimus dorsi muscle were measured after the goats were slaughtered at 96 days. Serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) were not affected by treatment (P>0.18). No differences were observed in drip loss, cooking loss, a* (redness/greenness) and b* (yellowness/blueness) values (P>0.17); however, the 24-h pH value (linear; P=0.0009) and L* (brightness) value (linear; P=0.0128) decreased, and shear force increased (linear; P=0.0005) as Cu supplementation increased. The intramuscular fat (%) increased (linear; P=0.001) as supplemental Cu increased. No differences (P>0.21) in the moisture, crude protein, and ash (%) were observed. Results of this study indicate that supplemental Cu does not modify the serum lipid profile; however, it can impact intramuscular fat content and the meat quality of goat kids.

Combination of Carbon Nitride and Carbon Nanotubes: Synergistic Catalysts for Energy Conversion ChemSusChem. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24757098 Due to their versatile features and environmental friendliness, functionalized carbon materials show great potential in practical applications, especially in energy conversion. Developing carbon composites with properties that can be modulated by simply changing the ratio of the original materials is an intriguing synthetic strategy. Here, we took cyanamide and multiwalled carbon nanotubes as precursors and introduced a facile method to fabricate a series of graphitic carbon nitride/carbon nanotubes (g-C3 N4 /CNTs) composites. These composites demonstrated different practical applications with different weight ratios of the components, that is, they showed synergistic effects in optoelectronic conversion when g-C3 N4 was the main ingredient and in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) when CNTs dominated the composites. Our experiments indicated that the high electrical conductivity of carbon nanotubes promoted the transmission of the charges in both cases.

A Hydrothermal Synthesis of Pr3+ Doped Mesoporous TiO2 for UV Light Photocatalysis Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24757971 Pr3+ doped mesoporous TiO2 photocatalysts with a different molar ratio of Pr to Ti were prepared by a hydrothermal method using triblock copolymer as the template. The as-prepared samples were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectra, transmission electron microscopy and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The characterizations indicated all the samples had mesoporous structure and narrow pore size distribution. Pr3+ doping enlarged the surface area and decreased the crystallite size. The surface area of the samples varied from 136 to 170 m2/g, and the average crystallite size ranged between 5.04 and 7.60 nm. The effect of Pr3+ doping amount on the photocatalytic activity of mesoporous TiO2 was evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange under UV light irradiation. The results showed that the suitable amount of Pr3+ doped samples exhibited the higher photocatalytic activity than mesoporous TiO2. Among the samples, 1 at.% Pr3+ doped mesoporous TiO2 showed the highest photocatalytic activity.

Pyrosequencing Reveals the Microbial Communities in the Red Sea Sponge Carteriospongia Foliascens and Their Impressive Shifts in Abnormal Tissues Microbial Ecology. Oct, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24760170 Abnormality and disease in sponges have been widely reported, yet how sponge-associated microbes respond correspondingly remains inconclusive. Here, individuals of the sponge Carteriospongia foliascens under abnormal status were collected from the Rabigh Bay along the Red Sea coast. Microbial communities in both healthy and abnormal sponge tissues and adjacent seawater were compared to check the influences of these abnormalities on sponge-associated microbes. In healthy tissues, we revealed low microbial diversity with less than 100 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) per sample. Cyanobacteria, affiliated mainly with the sponge-specific species "Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum," were the dominant bacteria, followed by Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. Intraspecies dynamics of microbial communities in healthy tissues were observed among sponge individuals, and potential anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria were found. In comparison with healthy tissues and the adjacent seawater, abnormal tissues showed dramatic increase in microbial diversity and decrease in the abundance of sponge-specific microbial clusters. The dominated cyanobacterial species Candidatus Synechococcus spongiarum decreased and shifted to unspecific cyanobacterial clades. OTUs that showed high similarity to sequences derived from diseased corals, such as Leptolyngbya sp., were found to be abundant in abnormal tissues. Heterotrophic Planctomycetes were also specifically enriched in abnormal tissues. Overall, we revealed the microbial communities of the cyanobacteria-rich sponge, C. foliascens, and their impressive shifts under abnormality.

Guidelines Disconcordance in Acute Bipolar Depression: Data from the National Bipolar Mania Pathway Survey (BIPAS) in Mainland China PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24763748 With the recent attention to the importance of evidence-based medicine in psychiatry, a number of treatment guidelines have been published. This survey investigated prescribing pattern and predictors for guideline disconcordance in the acute treatment of bipolar depression across mainland China. Pharmacological treatments of 1078 patients with bipolar depression were examined. Guidelines disconcordance was determined by comparing the medication(s) patients were prescribed with the recommendation(s) in the guidelines of the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments. Predictors for guidelines discordance were analyzed with logistic regression. Of the 1078 patients, 50.2% patients were treated against treatment guidelines recommendations. The patients who were treated in general hospitals (OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.18-1.97), with a depressive episode (OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.27-2.19) and an older age at first onset (OR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.15-2.28) were more likely to receive guideline-disconcordant treatment than their counterparts. In contrast, the patients with current mental comorbidity, an older age at study entry, a longer duration of disease, and more frequent episodes in past year were less likely to receive guideline-disconcordant treatments than their counterparts with an OR of 0.43 (95% CI 0.24-0.77), 0.52 (95CI% 0.36-0.75), 0.48 (95% CI 0.36-0.65), and 0.50 (95% CI 0.38-0.64), respectively. Our finding suggested the disconcordance with treatment guidelines in patients with an acute bipolar depression is common under naturalistic conditions in mainland China, and the predicting factors correlated with guidelines disconcordance include both psychiatrist-specific (clinicians from general hospitals) and patient-specific features (a depressive episode at first onset, no current co-morbidity with mental disorders, a younger age at study entry, an older age at first onset, shorter duration of disease, and non-frequent episodes in past year).

Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels and Bipolar Disorder in Patients in Their First Depressive Episode: 3-year Prospective Longitudinal Study The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24764546 Early identification of patients with bipolar disorder during their first depressive episode is beneficial to the outcome of the disorder and treatment, but traditionally this has been a great challenge to clinicians. Recently, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder (MDD), but it is not clear whether BDNF levels can be used to predict bipolar disorder among patients in their first major depressive episode.

Is 0.15mmol/kg of Contrast Agent Effective for Delayed-enhancement Magnetic Resonance Imaging at 1.5T? International Journal of Cardiology. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24767753

Homogeneous Oxidation of Water by Iron Complexes with Macrocyclic Ligands Chemistry, an Asian Journal. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24777911 The activity of eleven separated iron complexes and nine in situ-generated iron complexes towards catalytic water oxidation have been examined in aqueous solutions with Ce(NH4)2(NO3)6 as the oxidant. Two iron complexes bearing tridentate and tetradentate macrocyclic ligands were found to be novel water oxidation catalysts. The one with tetradentate ligand exhibited a promising activity with a turnover number of 65 for oxygen evolution.

[2013 Annual Review of Capillary Electrophoresis Technology] Se Pu = Chinese Journal of Chromatography / Zhongguo Hua Xue Hui. Jan, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24783861 This paper reviews the capillary electrophoresis (CE) in 2013. Six international and two national conferences are included and the important reports are introduced briefly. Literatures searched from ISI Web of Science ranged in 2013. 1 . 1 - 2013. 12 . 7 are classified and introduced based on the biology and medicine applications as well as the use of detectors and the important analytical chemical journals.

Connective Tissue Disease-associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Chinese Patients The European Respiratory Journal. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24791829 We sought to investigate the characteristics, survival and risk factors for mortality in Chinese patients with connective tissue disease (CTD)-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (APAH) in modern therapy era.129 consecutive adult patients who visited one of three referral centres in China with a diagnosis of CTD-APAH confirmed by right heart catheterisation during the previous 5 years were enrolled. The end-point was all-cause death or data censoring.Systemic lupus erythematosus was the most common underlying CTD (49%) and systemic sclerosis just accounted for 6% in this cohort. The overall survival at 1 and 3 years was 92% and 80%, respectively. Pericardial effusion, a shorter 6-min walk distance, lower mixed venous oxygen saturation, higher pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and lower total cholesterol levels were all associated with a higher risk of death among the study population. Higher PVR and ALP were independent predictors of mortality.In conclusion, unlike in western patients, systemic lupus erythematosus is the most common underlying disease in Chinese patients with CTD-APAH. The survival of Chinese patients with CTD-APAH in the modern treatment era is similar to that in western countries. Elevated PVR and ALP are independent risk factors for poor outcomes.

Broadly Defining Lasing Wavelengths in Single Bandgap-graded Semiconductor Nanowires Nano Letters. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24798020 Designing lasing wavelengths and modes is essential to the practical applications of nanowire (NW) lasers. Here, according to the localized photoluminescence spectra, we first demonstrate the ability to define lasing wavelengths over a wide range (up to 119 nm) based on an individual bandgap-graded CdSSe NW by forward cutting the NW from CdSe to CdS end. Furthermore, free spectral range (FSR) and modes of the obtained lasers could be controlled by backward cutting the NW from CdS to CdSe end step-by-step. Interestingly, single-mode NW laser with predefined lasing wavelength is realized in short NWs because of the strong mode competition and increase in FSR. Finally, the gain properties of the bandgap-graded NWs are investigated. The combination of wavelength and mode selectivity in NW lasers may provide a new platform for the next generation of integrated optoelectronic devices.

Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass Chemical Society Reviews. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24801125 Increasing energy demand, especially in the transportation sector, and soaring CO2 emissions necessitate the exploitation of renewable sources of energy. Despite the large variety of new energy carriers, liquid hydrocarbon still appears to be the most attractive and feasible form of transportation fuel taking into account the energy density, stability and existing infrastructure. Biomass is an abundant, renewable source of energy; however, utilizing it in a cost-effective way is still a substantial challenge. Lignocellulose is composed of three major biopolymers, namely cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Fast pyrolysis of biomass is recognized as an efficient and feasible process to selectively convert lignocellulose into a liquid fuel-bio-oil. However bio-oil from fast pyrolysis contains a large amount of oxygen, distributed in hundreds of oxygenates. These oxygenates are the cause of many negative properties, such as low heating value, high corrosiveness, high viscosity, and instability; they also greatly limit the application of bio-oil particularly as transportation fuel. Hydrocarbons derived from biomass are most attractive because of their high energy density and compatibility with the existing infrastructure. Thus, converting lignocellulose into transportation fuels via catalytic fast pyrolysis has attracted much attention. Many studies related to catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass have been published. The main challenge of this process is the development of active and stable catalysts that can deal with a large variety of decomposition intermediates from lignocellulose. This review starts with the current understanding of the chemistry in fast pyrolysis of lignocellulose and focuses on the development of catalysts in catalytic fast pyrolysis. Recent progress in the experimental studies on catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass is also summarized with the emphasis on bio-oil yields and quality.

Apelin: a Potential Marker of Coronary Artery Stenosis and Atherosclerotic Plaque Stability in ACS Patients International Heart Journal. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24806385 Apelin was shown to play an important role in atherosclerosis in mice. However, the involvement of apelin in atherosclerosis in humans has not been investigated.

Combined NIR/MIR Analysis: a Novel Method for the Classification of Complex Substances Such As Illicium Verum Hook. F. and Its Adulterants Spectrochimica Acta. Part A, Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24813283 A novel combined near- and mid-infrared (NIR and MIR) spectroscopic method has been researched and developed for the analysis of complex substances such as the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Illicium verum Hook. F. (IVHF), and its noxious adulterant, Iuicium lanceolatum A.C. Smith (ILACS). Three types of spectral matrix were submitted for classification with the use of the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) method. The data were pretreated with either the successive projections algorithm (SPA) or the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) method. The SPA method performed somewhat better, principally because it required less spectral features for its pretreatment model. Thus, NIR or MIR matrix as well as the combined NIR/MIR one, were pretreated by the SPA method, and then analysed by LDA. This approach enabled the prediction and classification of the IVHF, ILACS and mixed samples. The MIR spectral data produced somewhat better classification rates than the NIR data. However, the best results were obtained from the combined NIR/MIR data matrix with 95-100% correct classifications for calibration, validation and prediction. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the three types of spectral data supported the results obtained with the LDA classification method.

Switching of Perpendicular Magnetization by Spin-orbit Torques in the Absence of External Magnetic Fields Nature Nanotechnology. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24813694 Magnetization switching by current-induced spin-orbit torques is of great interest due to its potential applications in ultralow-power memory and logic devices. The switching of ferromagnets with perpendicular magnetization is of particular technological relevance. However, in such materials, the presence of an in-plane external magnetic field is typically required to assist spin-orbit torque-driven switching and this is an obstacle for practical applications. Here, we report the switching of out-of-plane magnetized Ta/Co(20)Fe(60)B(20)/TaO(x) structures by spin-orbit torques driven by in-plane currents, without the need for any external magnetic fields. This is achieved by introducing a lateral structural asymmetry into our devices, which gives rise to a new field-like spin-orbit torque when in-plane current flows in these structures. The direction of the current-induced effective field corresponding to this field-like spin-orbit torque is out-of-plane, facilitating the switching of perpendicular magnets.

Diffusion Basis Spectrum Imaging Detects and Distinguishes Coexisting Subclinical Inflammation, Demyelination and Axonal Injury in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Mice NMR in Biomedicine. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24816651 Clinicopathological paradox has hampered significantly the effective assessment of the efficacy of therapeutic intervention for multiple sclerosis. Neuroimaging biomarkers of tissue injury could guide more effective treatment by accurately reflecting the underlying subclinical pathologies. Diffusion tensor imaging-derived directional diffusivity and anisotropy indices have been applied to characterize white matter disorders. However, these biomarkers are sometimes confounded by the complex pathologies seen in multiple sclerosis and its animal models. Recently, a novel technique of diffusion basis spectrum imaging has been developed to quantitatively assess axonal injury, demyelination and inflammation in a mouse model of inflammatory demyelination. Lenaldekar, which inhibits T-cell expansion in a non-cytolytic manner, has been shown to suppress relapses and preserve white matter integrity in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. In this study, relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis was induced through active immunization of SJL/J mice with a myelin proteolipid protein peptide. The therapeutic efficacy of Lenaldekar treatment was evaluated via daily clinical score, cross-sectional ex vivo diffusion basis spectrum imaging examination and histological analysis. Lenaldekar greatly reduced relapse severity and protected white matter integrity in these experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice. Diffusion basis spectrum imaging-derived axial diffusivity, radial diffusivity and restricted diffusion tensor fraction accurately reflected axonal injury, myelin integrity and inflammation-associated cellularity change, respectively. These results support the potential use of diffusion basis spectrum imaging as an effective outcome measure for preclinical drug evaluation.

Post-functionalization of Graphitic Carbon Nitrides by Grafting Organic Molecules: Toward C-H Bond Oxidation Using Atmospheric Oxygen Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24816768 Described here is the feasible modification of a graphitic carbon nitride polymer using Prato's reaction with in situ formed azomethine ylides. These novel carbon nitrides with designable organic functional groups, and tailorable surface and structure properties illustrated excellent performance in the selective oxidation of 3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-3-en-1-one using atmospheric oxygen.

Time-Course of the Effects of QSYQ in Promoting Heart Function in Ameroid Constrictor-Induced Myocardial Ischemia Pigs Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24817898 We aim to investigate the therapeutic effects of QSYQ on a pig myocardial ischemia (MI) model and to determine its mechanism of action. The MI model was induced by Ameroid constriction of the left anterior descending coronary (LAD) in Ba-Ma miniature pigs. Four groups were created: model group, digoxin group, QSYQ group, and sham-operated group. Heart function, Ang II, CGMP, TXB2, BNP, and cTnT were evaluated before (3 weeks after operation: 0 weeks) and at 2, 4, and 8 weeks after drug administration. After 8 weeks of administration, the pigs were sacrificed for cardiac injury measurements. Pigs with MI showed obvious histological changes, including BNP, cTnT, Ang II, CGRP, TXB2, and ET, deregulated heart function, and increased levels of apoptotic cells in myocardial tissue. Treatment with QSYQ improved cardiac remodeling by counteracting those events. The administration of QSYQ was accompanied by a restoration of heart function and of the levels of Ang II, CGRP, TXB2, ET BNP, and cTnT. In addition, QSYQ attenuated administration, reduced the apoptosis, and decreased the level of TNF- α and active caspase-3. In conclusion, administration of QSYQ could attenuate Ameroid constrictor induced myocardial ischemia, and TNF- α and active caspase-3 seemed to be the critical potential target of QSYQ.

[Engineering MEP Pathway in Escherichia Coli for Amorphadiene Production and Optimizing the Bioprocess Through Glucose Feeding Control] Sheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao = Chinese Journal of Biotechnology. Jan, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24818480 The pathway of 2-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) is the exclusive isoprenoid precursor biosynthetic pathway in Escherichia coli, with a higher theoretical yield than mevalonate (MVA) pathway. However, due to lack of information about the regulation of MEP pathway, only engineering MEP pathway in E. coli achieved limited improvement of heterologous isoprenoid production. We used exogenous MEP pathway genes to improve MEP pathway in E. coli and optimized the glucose feeding to release the potential of MEP pathway. The results demonstrate that co-expression of dxs2 from Streptomyces avermitilis and idi from Bacillus subtilis can increase amorphadiene production with 12.2-fold compared with the wild-type strain in shake flask fermentation. Then we established a high-cell density fermentation process for the engineered strain, and found that the phase from 24 to 72 h is important for product biosynthesis. The optimization of glucose feeding rate during 24 to 72 h significantly improved product accumulation, which was improved from 2.5 to 4.85 g/L, within the same process time. Considering the attenuation of strain metabolism after 72 h, this study further modulated the glucose feeding rate during exponential phase to control strain growth and the amorphadiene yield eventually reached to 6.1 g/L. These results provided useful information to develop engineered E. coli for isoprenoid production through MEP pathway engineering.

SchA-p85-FAK Complex Dictates Isoform-specific Activation of Akt2 and Subsequent PCBP1-mediated Post-transcriptional Regulation of TGFβ-mediated Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Human Lung Cancer Cell Line A549 Tumour Biology : the Journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24819169 A post-transcriptional pathway by which TGF-β modulates expression of specific proteins, Disabled-2 (Dab2) and Interleukin-like EMT Inducer (ILEI), inherent to epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in murine epithelial cells through Akt2-mediated phosphorylation of poly r(C) binding protein (PCBP1), has been previously elucidated. The aims of the current study were to determine if the same mechanism is operative in the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line, A549, and to delineate the underlying mechanism. Steady-state transcript and protein expression levels of Dab2 and ILEI were examined in A549 cells treated with TGF-β for up to 48 h. Induction of translational de-repression in this model was quantified by polysomal fractionation followed by qRT-PCR. The underlying mechanism of isoform-specific activation of Akt2 was elucidated through a combination of co-immunoprecipitation studies. TGF-β induced EMT in A549 cells concomitant with translational upregulation of Dab2 and ILEI proteins through isoform-specific activation of Akt2 followed by phosphorylation of PCBP1 at serine-43. Our experiments further elucidated that the adaptor protein SchA is phosphorylated at tyrosine residues following TGF-β treatment, which initiated a signaling cascade resulting in the sequential recruitment of p85 subunit of PI3K and focal adhesion kinase (FAK). The SchA-FAK-p85 complex subsequently selectively recruited and activated Akt2, not Akt1. Inhibition of the p85 subunit through phosphorylated 1257 peptide completely attenuated EMT in these cells. We have defined the underlying mechanism responsible for isoform-specific recruitment and activation of Akt2, not Akt1, during TGF-β-mediated EMT in A549 cells. Inhibition of the formation of this complex thus represents an important and novel therapeutic target in metastatic lung carcinoma.

Rational Design of Berberine-based FtsZ Inhibitors with Broad-spectrum Antibacterial Activity PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24824618 Inhibition of the functional activity of Filamenting temperature-sensitive mutant Z (FtsZ) protein, an essential and highly conserved bacterial cytokinesis protein, is a promising approach for the development of a new class of antibacterial agents. Berberine, a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid widely used in traditional Chinese and native American medicines for its antimicrobial properties, has been recently reported to inhibit FtsZ. Using a combination of in silico structure-based design and in vitro biological assays, 9-phenoxyalkyl berberine derivatives were identified as potent FtsZ inhibitors. Compared to the parent compound berberine, the derivatives showed a significant enhancement of antibacterial activity against clinically relevant bacteria, and an improved potency against the GTPase activity and polymerization of FtsZ. The most potent compound 2 strongly inhibited the proliferation of Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus and vancomycin-resistant E. faecium, with MIC values between 2 and 4 µg/mL, and was active against the Gram-negative E. coli and K. pneumoniae, with MIC values of 32 and 64 µg/mL respectively. The compound perturbed the formation of cytokinetic Z-ring in E. coli. Also, the compound interfered with in vitro polymerization of S. aureus FtsZ. Taken together, the chemical modification of berberine with 9-phenoxyalkyl substituent groups greatly improved the antibacterial activity via targeting FtsZ.

Predictors of Short-term Overactive Bladder Symptom Improvement After Transurethral Resection of Prostate in Men with Benign Prostatic Obstruction International Journal of Urology : Official Journal of the Japanese Urological Association. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24825248 To investigate the correlation of preoperative overactive bladder symptoms and urodynamic parameters to the improvement of overactive bladder symptoms after transurethral resection of the prostate.

Emergence and Prevalence of Non-H2S-producing Salmonella Enterica Serovar Senftenberg Isolates Belonging to Novel Sequence Type 1751 in China Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24829240 Salmonella enterica serovar Senftenberg is a common nontyphoidal Salmonella serotype which causes human Salmonella infections worldwide. In this study, 182 S. Senftenberg isolates, including 17 atypical non-hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-producing isolates, were detected in China from 2005 to 2011. The microbiological and genetic characteristics of the non-H2S-producing and selected H2S-producing isolates were determined by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) analysis. The phs operons were amplified and sequenced. The 17 non-H2S-producing and 36 H2S-producing isolates belonged to 7 sequence types (STs), including 3 new STs, ST1751, ST1757, and ST1758. Fourteen of the 17 non-H2S-producing isolates belonged to ST1751 and had very similar PFGE patterns. All 17 non-H2S-producing isolates had a nonsense mutation at position 1621 of phsA. H2S-producing and non-H2S-producing S. Senftenberg isolates were isolated from the same stool sample from three patients; isolates from the same patients displayed the same antimicrobial susceptibility, ST, and PFGE pattern but could be discriminated based on CRISPR spacers. Non-H2S-producing S. Senftenberg isolates belonging to ST1751 have been prevalent in Shanghai, China. It is possible that these emerging organisms will disseminate further, because they are difficult to detect. Thus, we should strengthen the surveillance for the spread of this atypical S. Senftenberg variant.

[Effects of Plastic Film Mulching and Rain Harvesting Modes on Chlorophyll Fluorescence Characteristics, Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Dryland Maize] Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao = The Journal of Applied Ecology / Zhongguo Sheng Tai Xue Xue Hui, Zhongguo Ke Xue Yuan Shenyang Ying Yong Sheng Tai Yan Jiu Suo Zhu Ban. Feb, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24830246 The differences on chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, yield and water use efficiency of dryland maize were compared among full plastic film mulching on double ridges and planting in catchment furrows (FFDRF), half plastic film mulching on double ridges and planting in catchment furrows (HFDRF), plastic film mulching on ridge and planting in film-side (FS), and flat planting with no plastic film mulching (NM) under field conditions in dry highland of Loess Plateau in 2007-2012. The results showed that fluorescence yield (Fo), the maximum fluorescence yield (Fm), light-adapted fluorescence yield when PS II reaction centers were totally open (F), light-adapted fluorescence yield when PS II reaction centers closed (Fm'), the maximal photochemical efficiency of PS II (Fv/Fm), the actual photochemical efficiency of PS II in the light (Phi PS II), the relative electron transport rate (ETR), photochemical quenching (qP) and non-photochemical quenching (qN) in maize leaves of FFDRF were higher than that of control (NM), and the value of 1-qP was lower than that of control, at 13:00, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters values of FFDRF was significantly higher than control, which were increased by 5.3%, 56.8%, 10.7%, 36.3%, 23.6%, 56.7%, 64.4%, 45.5%, 23.6% and -55.6%, respectively, compared with the control. Yield and water use efficiency of FFDRF were the highest in every year no matter dry year, normal year, humid year and hail disaster year. Average yield and water use efficiency of FFDRF were 12,650 kg x hm(-2) and 40.4 kg x mm(-1) x hm(-2) during 2007-2012, increased by 57.8% and 61.6% compared with the control, respectively, and also significantly higher compared with HFDRF and PS. Therefore, it was concluded that FFDRF had significantly increased the efficiency of light energy conversion and improved the production capacity of dryland maize.

Application of Response Surface Methodology to Optimise Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Volatile Compounds from Crocus Sativus Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. May, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24834501 Crocus sativus has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for a long time. The volatile compounds of C. sativus appear biologically active and may act as antioxidants as well as anticonvulsants, antidepressants and antitumour agents. In order to obtain the highest possible yield of essential oils from C. sativus, response surface methodology was employed to optimise the conditions of supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction of the volatile compounds from C. sativus. Four factorswere investigated: temperature, pressure, extraction time and carbon dioxide flow rate. Furthermore, the chemical compositions of the volatile compounds extracted by supercritical fluid extraction were compared with those obtained by hydro-distillation and Soxhlet extraction.

Graphene Quantum Dots and the Resonance Light Scattering Technique for Trace Analysis of Phenol in Different Water Samples Talanta. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24840454 A novel, highly selective resonance light scattering (RLS) method was researched and developed for the analysis of phenol in different types of industrial water. An important aspect of the method involved the use of graphene quantum dots (GQDs), which were initially obtained from the pyrolysis of citric acid dissolved in aqueous solutions. The GQDs in the presence of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and H2O2 were found to react quantitatively with phenol such that the RLS spectral band (310 nm) was quantitatively enhanced as a consequence of the interaction between the GQDs and the quinone formed in the above reaction. It was demonstrated that the novel analytical method had better selectivity and sensitivity for the determination of phenol in water as compared to other analytical methods found in the literature. Thus, trace amounts of phenol were detected over the linear ranges of 6.00×10(-8)-2.16×10(-6)M and 2.40×10(-6)-2.88×10(-5)M with a detection limit of 2.20×10(-8)M. In addition, three different spiked waste water samples and two untreated lake water samples were analysed for phenol. Satisfactory results were obtained with the use of the novel, sensitive and rapid RLS method.

Proximity Induced High-temperature Magnetic Order in Topological Insulator--ferrimagnetic Insulator Heterostructure Nano Letters. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24844837 Introducing magnetic order in a topological insulator (TI) breaks time-reversal symmetry of the surface states and can thus yield a variety of interesting physics and promises for novel spintronic devices. To date, however, magnetic effects in TIs have been demonstrated only at temperatures far below those needed for practical applications. In this work, we study the magnetic properties of Bi2Se3 surface states (SS) in the proximity of a high Tc ferrimagnetic insulator (FMI), yttrium iron garnet (YIG or Y3Fe5O12). Proximity-induced butterfly and square-shaped magnetoresistance loops are observed by magneto-transport measurements with out-of-plane and in-plane fields, respectively, and can be correlated with the magnetization of the YIG substrate. More importantly, a magnetic signal from the Bi2Se3 up to 130 K is clearly observed by magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements. Our results demonstrate the proximity-induced TI magnetism at higher temperatures, an important step toward room-temperature application of TI-based spintronic devices.

[Joint Application of Computed Tomography and Laparoscopy in Preoperative Staging of Gastric Cancer] Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. Mar, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24844963 To compare the accuracy of computer tomography (CT) plus diagnostic laparoscopy in preoperative staging of potentially resectable gastric cancer.

Effects of Milnacipran on the Multidimensional Aspects of Fatigue and the Relationship of Fatigue to Pain and Function: Pooled Analysis of 3 Fibromyalgia Trials Journal of Clinical Rheumatology : Practical Reports on Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24847745 Fatigue is a core symptom in fibromyalgia that can negatively affect a patient's quality of life.

Cloning of CDNAs for H1F0, TOP1, CLTA and CDK1 and the Effects of Cryopreservation on the Expression of Their MRNA Transcripts in Yak (Bos Grunniens) Oocytes Cryobiology. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24854867 We cloned and sequenced four pivotal cDNAs involved in DNA structural maintenance (H1F0 and TOP1) and the cell cycle (CLTA and CDK1) from yak oocytes. In addition, we studied the consequences of freezing-thawing (F/T) processes on the expression of their mRNA transcripts in yak immature and in vitro matured (MII) oocytes.

Non-thermal Atmospheric Plasmas in Dental Restoration: Improved Resin Adhesive Penetration Journal of Dentistry. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24859333 To investigate the influence of non-thermal plasma treatment on the penetration of a model dental adhesive into the demineralized dentine.

Intraoperative Electrocorticography-guided Microsurgical Management for Patients with Onset of Supratentorial Neoplasms Manifesting As Epilepsy: a Review of 65 Cases Epileptic Disorders : International Epilepsy Journal with Videotape. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24866815 We reviewed the surgical procedures guided by intraoperative electrocorticography and outcome of 65 patients with onset of supratentorial neoplasms manifesting as epilepsy.

Effect of Population Density on Reproduction in Microtus Fortis Under Laboratory Conditions Acta Biologica Hungarica. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24873906 Between December 2011 and March 2012, the reproductive characteristics of Microtus fortis reared in the laboratory at different population densities were assessed. In all, 258 male and female voles were randomly divided into 4 groups and reared at densities of 2, 4, 6, and 8 animals per cage (sex ratio: 1:1). The results showed that the pregnancy rate (χ2 = 21.671, df = 3, P < 0.001) and first farrowing interval (F = 12.355, df = 3, P < 0.001) were significantly different among the different population density groups, but the mean litter size (mean ± SD) was not (F = 2.669, df = 3, P > 0.05). In particular, the reproductive index and sex hormone levels showed a significant difference among the different density groups studied.

Rural Residents in China Are at Increased Risk of Exposure to Tick-Borne Pathogens Anaplasma Phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia Chaffeensis BioMed Research International. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24877080 As emerging tick born rickettsial diseases caused by A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis have become a serious threat to human and animal health throughout the world. In particular, in China, an unusual transmission of nosocomial cases of human granulocytic anaplasmosis occurred in Anhui Province in 2006 and more recent coinfection case of A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis was documented in Shandong Province. Although the seroprevalence of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (former human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, HGE) has been documented in several studies, these data existed on local investigations, and also little data was reported on the seroprevalence of human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) in China. In this cross-sectional epidemiological study, indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay (IFA) proposed by WHO was used to detect A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis IgG antibodies for 7,322 serum samples from agrarian residents from 9 provinces/cities and 819 urban residents from 2 provinces. Our data showed that farmers were at substantially increased risk of exposure. However, even among urban residents, risk was considerable. Seroprevalence of HGA and HME occurred in diverse regions of the country and tended to be the highest in young adults. Many species of ticks were confirmed carrying A. phagocytophilum organisms in China while several kinds of domestic animals including dog, goats, sheep, cattle, horse, wild rabbit, and some small wild rodents were proposed to be the reservoir hosts of A. phagocytophilum. The broad distribution of vector and hosts of the A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis, especially the relationship between the generalized susceptibility of vectors and reservoirs and the severity of the disease's clinical manifestations and the genetic variation of Chinese HGA isolates in China, is urgently needed to be further investigated.

Reply to Jensen and Blackledge: Dual Quantifications of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins by NMR Ensembles and Molecular Dynamics Simulations Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Apr, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24877227

The Molecular Mechanism of Curcumol on Inducing Cell Growth Arrest and Apoptosis in Jurkat Cells, a Model of CD4⁺ T Cells International Immunopharmacology. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24877754 CD4(+) T cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) express growth signaling pathway in association with deregulated growth and resistance to apoptosis. The janus kinase (Jak) 3 and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway play a critical role in interleukin-2 (IL-2)-induced CD4(+) T cell proliferation. The present study aimed to explore the anti-cell proliferation mechanism of curcumol, a pure monomer extracted from Chinese medical plant Rhizoma curcumae. Cell proliferation was determined using WST-1 assay after curcumol treatment. The cell cycle distribution and Bcl-2 protein expression were assessed by flow cytometry. The cellular morphology of apoptosis was evaluated by Hoechst 33258 staining. The expressions of phosphorylated-Jak3 (p-Jak3), p-STAT3, and p-STAT5a following IL-2 stimulation were determined by western blot analysis. The Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay was used to detect the DNA binding activities of transcription factors STAT3 and STAT5. The study results showed that curcumol could inhibit the IL-2-induced Jurkat cell proliferation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in vitro. Curcumol could cause cell cycle arrest at the S phase, induce cell apoptosis, and inhibit the expression of Bcl-2 in a dose-dependent manner. Curcumol at 50μg/mL and Jak3 inhibitor ZM39923 could inhibit the phosphorylation of Jak3 and STAT5a. In conclusion, the underlying mechanism of curcumol on suppressing CD4(+) T cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis might partly be mediated by inhibition of Jak3-STAT5-related molecular activities and Bcl-2 expression, respectively; further studies are required in vivo to test the use of curcumol as a promising therapeutic option for RA.

The Incidence of Acute Mountain Sickness Among Passengers Traveling Across the Tibetan Plateau by Train Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24882659

Apolipoprotein E Gene ε4ε4 is Associated with Elevated Risk of Primary Open Angle Glaucoma in Asians: a Meta-analysis BMC Medical Genetics. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24885013 Epidemiological studies have evaluated the association between Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene ε2/ε3/ε4 polymorphism and glaucoma susceptibility. However, the published data are still inconclusive. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of APOE gene ε2/ε3/ε4 polymorphism on glaucoma risk by using meta-analysis.

Method to Control Depth Error when Ablating Human Dentin with Numerically Controlled Picosecond Laser: a Preliminary Study Lasers in Medical Science. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24890033 A three-axis numerically controlled picosecond laser was used to ablate dentin to investigate the quantitative relationships among the number of additive pulse layers in two-dimensional scans starting from the focal plane, step size along the normal of the focal plane (focal plane normal), and ablation depth error. A method to control the ablation depth error, suitable to control stepping along the focal plane normal, was preliminarily established. Twenty-four freshly removed mandibular first molars were cut transversely along the long axis of the crown and prepared as 48 tooth sample slices with approximately flat surfaces. Forty-two slices were used in the first section. The picosecond laser was 1,064 nm in wavelength, 3 W in power, and 10 kHz in repetition frequency. For a varying number (n = 5-70) of focal plane additive pulse layers (14 groups, three repetitions each), two-dimensional scanning and ablation were performed on the dentin regions of the tooth sample slices, which were fixed on the focal plane. The ablation depth, d, was measured, and the quantitative function between n and d was established. Six slices were used in the second section. The function was used to calculate and set the timing of stepwise increments, and the single-step size along the focal plane normal was d micrometer after ablation of n layers (n = 5-50; 10 groups, six repetitions each). Each sample underwent three-dimensional scanning and ablation to produce 2 × 2-mm square cavities. The difference, e, between the measured cavity depth and theoretical value was calculated, along with the difference, e 1, between the measured average ablation depth of a single-step along the focal plane normal and theoretical value. Values of n and d corresponding to the minimum values of e and e 1, respectively, were obtained. In two-dimensional ablation, d was largest (720.61 μm) when n = 65 and smallest when n = 5 (45.00 μm). Linear regression yielded the quantitative relationship: d = 10.547 × n - 7.5465 (R (2) = 0.9796). During three-dimensional ablation, e 1 was the smallest (0.02 μm) when n = 5 and d = 45.00 μm. The depth error was 1.91 μm when 450.00-μm depth cavities were produced. When ablating dentin with a three-axis picosecond laser scan-ablation device (450 μm, 3 W, 10 kHz), the number of focal plane additive pulse layers and step size along the focal plane normal was positively correlated with the single-layer and total ablation depth errors. By adjusting the timing of stepwise increments along the focal plane normal and single-step size when ablating dentin by using the numerically controlled picosecond laser, the single-step ablation depth error could be controlled at the micrometer level.

Structure-based Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Isatin Derivatives As Potential Glycosyltransferase Inhibitors Chemical Biology & Drug Design. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24890564 Peptidoglycan glycosyltransferase (PGT) has been shown to be an important pharmacological target for the inhibition of bacterial cell wall biosynthesis. Structure-based virtual screening of about 3 000 000 commercially available compounds against the crystal structure of the glycosyltransferase (GT) domain of the Staphylococcus aureus penicillin-binding protein 2 (S. aureus PBP2) resulted in identification of an isatin derivative, 2-(3-(2-carbamimidoylhydrazono)-2-oxoindolin-1-yl)-N-(m-tolyl)acetamide (4) as a novel potential GT inhibitor. A series of 4 derivatives were synthesized. Several compounds showed more active antimicrobial activity than the initial hit compound 4, in particular 2-(3-(2-carbamimidoylhydrazono)-2-oxoindolin-1-yl)-N-(3-nitrophenyl)acetamide (4l), against Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis and S. aureus with MIC values of 24 and 48 μg/mL, respectively. Saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR study revealed that there is a binding contact between 4l and the GT domain of S. aureus PBP2. Competitive STD-NMR further proved that 4l and moenomycin A bind to GT domain in a competitive manner. Molecular docking study suggests a potential binding pocket of 4l in the GT domain of S. aureus PBP2. Taken together, compound 4l would provide a new scaffold for further development of potent GT inhibitors.

Expression of Breast Cancer Resistance Protein in Peripheral T Cell Subsets from HIV‑1‑infected Patients with Antiretroviral Therapy Molecular Medicine Reports. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24890893 The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) in peripheral T cell subsets of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV‑1)‑infected patients, and to analyze the association between the levels of BCRP expression and disease progression in HIV‑1 infection. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from HIV‑1‑infected patients (n=118), including 92 patients with antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 26 patients without a history of ART. Control samples from 30 healthy donors were also analyzed. The expression levels of BCRP in T cells were evaluated by flow cytometry. A high inter‑individual variability was observed in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the HIV‑1‑infected patients and healthy donors; however, the analyzed expression levels of BCRP were significantly higher in the HIV‑1‑infected group with ART than those in the group with no history of ART (P

Interleukin 17A Rs3819024 A>G Polymorphism is Associated with an Increased Risk of Gastric Cardia Adenocarcinoma in a Chinese Population Biomarkers : Biochemical Indicators of Exposure, Response, and Susceptibility to Chemicals. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24893702 Gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) is one of the most common malignant tumors. In addition to environmental risk factors, genetic factors might play an important role in GCA carcinogenesis. To evaluate the association between polymorphisms in the interleukin 17A (IL17A) gene on the development of GCA, we conducted a hospital-based case-control study. A total of 243 GCA cases and 476 controls were recruited and their genotypes were determined using a custom-by-design 48-Plex SNPscan™ Kit. IL17A rs3819024 A > G polymorphism was found to be associated with the increased risk of GCA. When the IL17A rs3819024 AA homozygote genotype was used as the reference group, the AG genotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of GCA (AG versus AA: adjusted OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.05-2.23, p = 0.026). However, there was no significant association between five other SNPs and GCA. Stratified analyses indicated that a significantly increased risk of GCA associated with the IL17A rs3819024 A > G polymorphism was evident among male patients, patients who drank alcohol or those who never smoked. These findings indicated that functional polymorphism IL17A rs3819024 A > G might contribute to GCA susceptibility. Future larger studies with more rigorous study designs are required to confirm the current findings.

Effects of Long-term Treatment with Quercetin on Cognition and Mitochondrial Function in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease Neurochemical Research. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24893798 Amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced mitochondrial dysfunction has been recognized as a prominent, early event in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, therapeutics targeted to improve mitochondrial function could be beneficial. Quercetin, a bioflavanoid, has been reported to have potent neuro-protective effects, but its preventive effects on Aβ-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cognitive impairment have not been well characterised. Three-month-old APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice were randomly assigned to a vehicle group, two quercetin (either 20 or 40 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) groups, or an Aricept (2 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) group. After 16 weeks of treatment, we observed beneficial effects of quercetin (40 mg kg(-1) day(-1)), including lessening learning and memory deficits, reducing scattered senile plaques, and ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction, as evidenced by restoration of mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species and ATP levels in mitochondria isolated from the hippocampus compared to control. Furthermore, the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity significantly increased in the quercetin-treated (40 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) group. These findings suggest that a reduction in plaque burden and mitochondrial dysfunction through the activation of AMPK may be one of the mechanisms by which quercetin improves cognitive functioning in the APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mouse model of AD.

Shaped Pd-Ni-Pt Core-sandwich-shell Nanoparticles: Influence of Ni Sandwich Layers on Catalytic Electrooxidations ACS Nano. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24896733 Shape-controlled metal nanoparticles (NPs) interfacing Pt and nonprecious metals (M) are highly active energy conversion electrocatalysts; however, there are still few routes to shaped M-Pt core-shell NPs and fewer studies on the geometric effects of shape and strain on catalysis by such structures. Here, well-defined cubic multilayered Pd-Ni-Pt sandwich NPs are synthesized as a model platform to study the effects of the nonprecious metal below the shaped Pt surface. The combination of shaped Pd substrates and mild reduction conditions directs the Ni and Pt overgrowth in an oriented, layer-by-layer fashion. Exposing a majority of Pt(100) facets, the catalytic performance in formic acid and methanol electro-oxidations (FOR and MOR) is assessed for two different Ni layer thicknesses and two different particle sizes of the ternary sandwich NPs. The strain imparted to the Pt shell layer by the introduction of the Ni sandwich layer (Ni-Pt lattice mismatch of ∼11%) results in higher specific initial activities compared to core-shell Pd-Pt bimetallic NPs in alkaline MOR. The trends in activity are the same for FOR and MOR electrocatalysis in acidic electrolyte. However, restructuring in acidic conditions suggests a more complex catalytic behavior from changes in composition. Notably, we also show that cubic quaternary Au-Pd-Ni-Pt multishelled NPs, and Pd-Ni-Pt nanooctahedra can be generated by the method, the latter of which hold promise as potentially highly active oxygen reduction catalysts.

New Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat Locus Spacer Pair Typing Method Based on the Newly Incorporated Spacer for Salmonella Enterica Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24899040 A clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) typing method has recently been developed and used for typing and subtyping of Salmonella spp., but it is complicated and labor intensive because it has to analyze all spacers in two CRISPR loci. Here, we developed a more convenient and efficient method, namely, CRISPR locus spacer pair typing (CLSPT), which only needs to analyze the two newly incorporated spacers adjoining the leader array in the two CRISPR loci. We analyzed a CRISPR array of 82 strains belonging to 21 Salmonella serovars isolated from humans in different areas of China by using this new method. We also retrieved the newly incorporated spacers in each CRISPR locus of 537 Salmonella isolates which have definite serotypes in the Pasteur Institute's CRISPR Database to evaluate this method. Our findings showed that this new CLSPT method presents a high level of consistency (kappa = 0.9872, Matthew's correlation coefficient = 0.9712) with the results of traditional serotyping, and thus, it can also be used to predict serotypes of Salmonella spp. Moreover, this new method has a considerable discriminatory power (discriminatory index [DI] = 0.8145), comparable to those of multilocus sequence typing (DI = 0.8088) and conventional CRISPR typing (DI = 0.8684). Because CLSPT only costs about $5 to $10 per isolate, it is a much cheaper and more attractive method for subtyping of Salmonella isolates. In conclusion, this new method will provide considerable advantages over other molecular subtyping methods, and it may become a valuable epidemiologic tool for the surveillance of Salmonella infections.

Time-intensity Curve Parameters in Rectal Cancer Measured Using Endorectal Ultrasonography with Sterile Coupling Gels Filling the Rectum: Correlations with Tumor Angiogenesis and Clinicopathological Features BioMed Research International. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24900973 The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) imaging parameters and clinicopathological features of rectal carcinoma and assess their potential as new radiological prognostic predictors. A total of 66 rectal carcinoma patients were analyzed with the time-intensity curve of CEUS. The parameter arrival time (AT), time to peak enhancement (TTP), wash-in time (WIT), enhanced intensity (EI), and ascending slope (AS) were measured. Microvessel density (MVD) was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining of surgical specimens. All findings were analysed prospectively and correlated with tumor staging, histological grading, and MVD. The mean values of AT, TTP, WIT, EI, and AS value of the rectal carcinoma were 10.84 ± 3.28 s, 20.61 ± 5.52 s, 9.78 ± 2.83 s, 28.68 ± 4.67 dB, and 3.20 ± 1.10, respectively. A positive linear correlation was found between the EI and MVD in rectal carcinoma (r = 0.295, P = 0.016), and there was a significant difference for EI among histological grading (r = -0.264, P = 0.007). EI decreased as T stage increased with a trend of association noted (P = 0.096). EI of contrast enhanced endorectal ultrasonography provides noninvasive biomarker of tumor angiogenesis in rectal cancer. CEUS data have the potential to predict patient prognosis.

Pharmacotherapy for Acute Mania and Disconcordance with Treatment Guidelines: Bipolar Mania Pathway Survey (BIPAS) in Mainland China BMC Psychiatry. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24903426 With the recent attention to evidence-based medicine in psychiatry, a number of treatment guidelines for bipolar disorders have been published. This survey investigated prescribing patterns and predictors for guideline disconcordance in the acute treatment of a manic and mixed episode across mainland China.

RNA-Seq Analysis of Yak Ovary: Improving Yak Gene Structure Information and Mining Reproduction-related Genes Science China. Life Sciences. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24907937 RNA-Seq, a high-throughput (HT) sequencing technique, has been used effectively in large-scale transcriptomic studies, and is particularly useful for improving gene structure information and mining of new genes. In this study, RNA-Seq HT technology was employed to analyze the transcriptome of yak ovary. After Illumina-Solexa deep sequencing, 26826516 clean reads with a total of 4828772880 bp were obtained from the ovary library. Alignment analysis showed that 16992 yak genes mapped to the yak genome and 3734 of these genes were involved in alternative splicing. Gene structure refinement analysis showed that 7340 genes that were annotated in the yak genome could be extended at the 5' or 3' ends based on the alignments been the transcripts and the genome sequence. Novel transcript prediction analysis identified 6321 new transcripts with lengths ranging from 180 to 14884 bp, and 2267 of them were predicted to code proteins. BLAST analysis of the new transcripts showed that 1200?4933 mapped to the non-redundant (nr), nucleotide (nt) and/or SwissProt sequence databases. Comparative statistical analysis of the new mapped transcripts showed that the majority of them were similar to genes in Bos taurus (41.4%), Bos grunniens mutus (33.0%), Ovis aries (6.3%), Homo sapiens (2.8%), Mus musculus (1.6%) and other species. Functional analysis showed that these expressed genes were involved in various Gene Ontology (GO) categories and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. GO analysis of the new transcripts found that the largest proportion of them was associated with reproduction. The results of this study will provide a basis for describing the normal transcriptome map of yak ovary and for future studies on yak breeding performance. Moreover, the results confirmed that RNA-Seq HT technology is highly advantageous in improving gene structure information and mining of new genes, as well as in providing valuable data to expand the yak genome information.

The Protective Effects of Berry-derived Anthocyanins Against Visible Light-induced Damage in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24909670 Studies have shown that anthocyanins (ACNs) in berries contribute to eye health. However, information on the relationship between the chemical structures and visual functions of ACNs is scarce. This study investigated the protection effects of ACNs with different structures against visible light-induced damage in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Dependent Regression of Pulmonary Metastasis from Ewing's Frontiers in Pediatrics. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24910847 Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is the second most common bone tumor in children. Survival has not improved over the last decade and once pulmonary metastatic disease is present, survival is dismal. Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy has shown potential benefit for Kaposi's sarcoma; however, the role of progenitor cell therapies for cancer remains controversial. MSC treatment of ES or pulmonary metastatic disease has not been demonstrated. We have developed an orthotopic xenograft model of ES in which animals develop spontaneous pulmonary metastases. Within this model, we demonstrate the use of MSCs to target ES lung metastasis.

A Child with Uncontrollable Bursts of Laughter Journal of Clinical Neuroscience : Official Journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24910859

One-step Synthesis of Graphene/polyaniline Hybrids by in Situ Intercalation Polymerization and Their Electromagnetic Properties Nanoscale. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24922345 A new method is introduced for the preparation of graphene/polyaniline hybrids using a one-step intercalation polymerization of aniline inside the expanded graphite. The structural and morphological characterizations were performed by X-ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Both the experimental and first-principles simulated results show that the aniline cation formed by aniline and H(+) tends to be drawn towards the electron-enriched zone and to intercalate into the interlayer of graphite. Subsequently, an in situ polymerization leads to the separation of graphite into graphene sheet, resulting from the exothermic effect and more vigorous movements of the chain molecules of polyaniline. The interactions between polyaniline and graphene were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectra. In addition, the graphene/polyaniline hybrid exhibited a breakthrough in the improvement of microwave absorption.

Cholesterol Depletion Induces ANTXR2-dependent Activation of MMP-2 Via ERK1/2 Phosphorylation in Neuroglioma U251 Cell Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24924630 Cholesterol is a critical component of lipid rafts implicated in regulating multiple signal transduction. The anthrax toxin receptor 2 (ANTXR2) is a type I membrane protein acting as the second receptor for the anthrax toxin. In this study, we first investigated the association between cholesterol and ANTXR2. We provided the evidence that cholesterol depletion by methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MβCD) promoted ANTXR2 expression in U251 neuroglioma cell, which was reversed by cholesterol supplement. MβCD-induced ANTXR2 up-regulation contributed to ERK1/2 phosphorylation, which was responsible for MT1-MMP and MMP-2 activation. Our data suggested that cellular cholesterol regulated ANTXR2-dependent activation of MMP-2 via ERK1/2 phosphorylation in neuroglioma U251 cell.

Genetic Variants in PVRL2-TOMM40-APOE Region Are Associated with Human Longevity in a Han Chinese Population PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24924924 Human longevity results from a number of factors, including genetic background, favorable environmental, social factors and chance. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the association of human longevity with genetic variations in several major candidate genes in a Han Chinese population.

Correlation Between the Rupture Risk and 3D Geometric Parameters of Saccular Intracranial Aneurysms Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24938901 The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of the location and geometric parameters of intracranial aneurysm with the risk of rupture. A retrospective study consisted of 284 patients diagnosed with saccular intracranial aneurysm between January 2009 and May 2013 at Wuxi Third People's Hospital was conducted. 3D digital subtraction angiography images from all patients (240 ruptured, 44 unruptured) were obtained and analyzed. The location of the aneurysms and the 3D geometric parameters including the aneurysm depth, the neck size, diameter of the parent artery, aneurysm angle, aspect radio, size ratio, and the neck-to-parent-artery ratio (NPR) were compared between ruptured and unruptured groups. Results: In ruptured group, anterior communicating artery, posterior communicating artery (PCoA), and the bifurcation of internal carotid artery (ICA) were the top three locations for aneurysm occurrence, accounting for 40.00, 30.42, and 12.08 % respectively. While in the unruptured group, top three locations were PCoA (36.36 %), posterior cerebral circulation (18.18 %), and the bifurcation of the ICA (15.91 %). Distribution of aneurysm location is significantly different (p

A Combination of the "pillaring" Strategy and Chiral Induction: an Approach to Prepare Homochiral Three-dimensional Coordination Polymers from Achiral Precursors Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24940970 Utilizing enantiopure camphorsulfonic acid as a chiral induction agent, 3D homochiral complexes were obtained from achiral 2D layers and MoO4(2-) pillars. This methodology combines the "pillaring" strategy with chiral induction, providing a new way to synthesize homochiral 3D coordination polymers intentionally from achiral precursors.

PTPRT Regulates High-fat Diet-induced Obesity and Insulin Resistance PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24949727 Obesity is a risk factor for many human diseases. However, the underlying molecular causes of obesity are not well understood. Here, we report that protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor T (PTPRT) knockout mice are resistant to high-fat diet-induced obesity. Those mice avoid many deleterious side effects of high-fat diet-induced obesity, displaying improved peripheral insulin sensitivity, lower blood glucose and insulin levels. Compared to wild type littermates, PTPRT knockout mice show reduced food intake. Consistently, STAT3 phosphorylation is up-regulated in the hypothalamus of PTPRT knockout mice. These studies implicate PTPRT-modulated STAT3 signaling in the regulation of high-fat diet-induced obesity.

Aptamer-functionalized Superporous Hydrogels for Sequestration and Release of Growth Factors Regulated Via Molecular Recognition Biomaterials. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24954732 While the discovery of highly potent biologics has led to the development of promising therapies for various human diseases, biologics can cause severe toxicity if delivered inappropriately. Thus, great efforts have been made to synthesize polymeric systems for safe and efficient delivery of biologics. However, the application of polymeric delivery systems is often limited by problems such as harsh reaction conditions, low drug sequestration efficiency, and difficult drug release regulation. This study was aimed at developing a superporous material system with a hydrogel and an aptamer to overcome these challenges. The results have shown that the superporous hydrogel is capable of instantaneously and fully sequestering a large amount of growth factors, owing to the presence of superporous architectures and aptamers. Moreover, the sequestering and loading procedure does not involve any harsh conditions. The release kinetics of growth factors can be molecularly modulated by either changing the binding affinity of the aptamer or by using a triggering effector. Therefore, this study presents a promising superporous material for the delivery of highly potent biologics such as growth factors for clinical applications.

Surgical Management of Giant Secondary Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma Following Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Case Report and Literature Review Oncology Letters. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24959221 Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is rare in the chest wall, particularly in patients who have undergone radiotherapy for primary nasopharyngeal cancer. In the present study, a case of MFH of the upper chest wall that appeared four years after initial radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx is reported. Furthermore, two-step surgical management was successfully performed consisting of i) tumor-reductive excision and ii) limb salvage surgery, including wide resection of the tumor mass, defect reconstruction of the chest wall using left latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap and dermatoplasty of the flap-supplied region. The progress of the clinical characteristics, the reasons for radiation-induced carcinogenesis, the treatment options and the prognostic factors of MFH are also reviewed. Finally, the importance of prevention and follow-up of this malignancy are highlighted and specific advice is offered.

PH-sensitive Nanomicelles for Controlled and Efficient Drug Delivery to Human Colorectal Carcinoma LoVo Cells PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24964012 The triblock copolymers PEG-P(Asp-DIP)-P(Lys-Ca) (PEALCa) of polyethylene glycol (PEG), poly(N-(N',N'-diisopropylaminoethyl) aspartamide) (P(Asp-DIP)), and poly (lysine-cholic acid) (P(Lys-Ca)) were synthesized as a pH-sensitive drug delivery system. In neutral aqueous environment such as physiological environment, PEALCa can self-assemble into stable vesicles with a size around 50-60 nm, avoid uptake by the reticuloendothelial system (RES), and encase the drug in the core. However, the PEALCa micelles disassemble and release drug rapidly in acidic environment that resembles lysosomal compartments.

Protective Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Against Spinal Cord Injury in Rats Via Toll-like Receptor 2/nuclear Factor-κB Signaling International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24966901 Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious medical problem with high mortality and disability rates. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment is beneficial for neurological recovery after SCI, but the underlying mechanisms await characterization. This study examined whether HBO treatment following SCI in rats exerts a neuroprotective effect through activation of the toll-like receptor (TLR) 2/nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway. The SC of rats was injured via T10 laminectomy. Experimental animals (n=144) were divided into four groups: sham-operated (SH), SH+HBO, SCI, and SCI+HBO. Each group was subdivided into six subgroups (n=6 per group) that were examined at 12 h, and 1, 2, 3, 7, and 14 days post-injury. Functional recovery in the hind limb was evaluated using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scoring system. The expression of TLR2 and NF-кB was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, while interleukin-1 (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. TLR2 and NF-кB levels and histological scores were higher in the SCI than in the SH and SH+HBO groups at various time points. HBO treatment decreased TLR2 and NF-кB expression and histological scores as well as IL-1β and TNF-α levels compared to the SCI group at early post-injury stages. In addition, BBB scores were improved in the SCI+HBO relative to the SCI group at 7 and 14 days. HBO treatment may mitigate secondary injury to the SC by inhibiting inflammatory responses induced by TLR2/NF-кB signaling, thereby promoting functional recovery and improving neurological outcome.

Short-reactivation of Neurogenin-3 and Mesenchymal Microenvironment is Require for β-cells Differentiation During Fetal Pancreas Development and Islet Regeneration Romanian Journal of Morphology and Embryology = Revue Roumaine De Morphologie Et Embryologie. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24969979 To investigate influencing factors of β-cells differentiation and microenvironment in embryonic development and regeneration, in order to conduct therapeutic efforts to broaden β-cells mass in diabetes.

Bammds: a Tool for Assessing the Ancestry of Low-depth Whole-genome Data Using Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) Bioinformatics (Oxford, England). Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24974206 We present bammds, a practical tool that allows visualization of samples sequenced by second-generation sequencing when compared with a reference panel of individuals (usually genotypes) using a multidimensional scaling algorithm. Our tool is aimed at determining the ancestry of unknown samples-typical of ancient DNA data-particularly when only low amounts of data are available for those samples. Availability and implementation: The software package is available under GNU General Public License v3 and is freely available together with test datasets https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/bammds/. It is using R (http://www.r-project.org/), parallel (http://www.gnu.org/software/parallel/), samtools (https://github.com/samtools/samtools).

Intermedin Inhibits Uptake of Oxidized LDL Via CD36 Pathway in RAW264.7 Cells Die Pharmazie. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24974585 Intermedin (IMD) exerts a potent function in preventing atherosclerosis, while the mechanism remains unclear. Here we investigated the potential molecular mechanism responsible for the protective function of IMD in preventing foam cell formation in RAW264.7 cells. In our present study, IMD significantly inhibited intracellular cholesterol accumulation. Additionally, IMD dose-dependently down-regulated CD36 expression, which was confirmed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and Western blot analysis. Our data suggest that IMD could inhibit the formation of foam cells through, at least partly, a CD36-dependent mechanism. This study suggests that IMD may be a therapeutic candidate for treating atherosclerosis.

L-DOPA-induced Dyskinesia in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease is Associated with the Fluctuational Release of Norepinephrine in the Sensorimotor Striatum Journal of Neuroscience Research. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24975553 L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA)-induced dyskinesia (LID) is the most common complication of standard L-DOPA therapy for Parkinson's disease experienced by most parkinsonian patients. LID is associated with disruption of dopaminergic homeostasis in basal ganglia following L-DOPA administration. Norepinephrine (NE) is another important catecholaminergic neurotransmitter that is also believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of LID. This study compared NE release in the ipsilateral sensorimotor striatum of dyskinetic and nondyskinetic 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned hemiparkinsonian rats treated chronically with L-DOPA. After L-DOPA injection, the time-course curves of NE levels in the sensorimotor striatum were significantly different between dyskinetic and nondyskinetic rats. Several metabolic kinetic parameters of NE levels were also differentially expressed between the two groups. In comparison with nondyskinetic rats, the ΔCmax of NE was significantly higher in dyskinetic rats, whereas Tmax and t1/2 of NE were significantly shorter. Intrastriatal perfusion of NE into the lesioned sensorimotor striatum revealed a moderate dyskinesia in dyskinetic rats, which was similar to the dyskinetic behavior after L-DOPA administration. The L-DOPA-related dyskinetic behavior was inhibited significantly by a further pretreatment of noradrenergic neurotoxin N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine or intrastriatal administration of the α2 -adrenoceptor antagonist idazoxan, accompanied by significant changes in metabolic kinetic parameters of NE in the sensorimotor striatum. The results provide evidence to support the correlation between abnormal NE neurotransmission and the induction of LID and suggest that the aberrant change of the quantitative and temporal releasing of NE in the sensorimotor striatum might play an important role in the pathogenesis of LID. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PolyUbiquitin Chain Linkage Topology Selects the Functions from the Underlying Binding Landscape PLoS Computational Biology. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24992446 Ubiquitin (Ub) can generate versatile molecular signals and lead to different celluar fates. The functional poly-valence of Ub is believed to be resulted from its ability to form distinct polymerized chains with eight linkage types. To provide a full picture of ubiquitin code, we explore the binding landscape of two free Ub monomers and also the functional landscapes of of all eight linkage types by theoretical modeling. Remarkably, we found that most of the compact structures of covalently connected dimeric Ub chains (diUbs) pre-exist on the binding landscape. These compact functional states were subsequently validated by corresponding linkage models. This leads to the proposal that the folding architecture of Ub monomer has encoded all functional states into its binding landscape, which is further selected by different topologies of polymeric Ub chains. Moreover, our results revealed that covalent linkage leads to symmetry breaking of interfacial interactions. We further propose that topological constraint not only limits the conformational space for effective switching between functional states, but also selects the local interactions for realizing the corresponding biological function. Therefore, the topological constraint provides a way for breaking the binding symmetry and reaching the functional specificity. The simulation results also provide several predictions that qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with experiments. Importantly, the K48 linkage model successfully predicted intermediate states. The resulting multi-state energy landscape was further employed to reconcile the seemingly contradictory experimental data on the conformational equilibrium of K48-diUb. Our results further suggest that hydrophobic interactions are dominant in the functional landscapes of K6-, K11-, K33- and K48 diUbs, while electrostatic interactions play a more important role in the functional landscapes of K27, K29, K63 and linear linkages.

Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Reduces Lipid Overaccumulation in Liver by Upregulating Hepatic Autophagy in Obese Diabetic Rats Obesity Surgery. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24993523 The decrease in lipotoxicity is one of the crucial mechanisms by which Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) improves insulin sensitivity. Little work, however, has been performed to elucidate the exact mechanism of RYGB reducing hepatic lipid overaccumulation in response to heavy lipid and glucose challenge. Here, we explored the effects of RYGB on hepatic autophagy in obese diabetic rats.

Formononetin Mediates Neuroprotection Against Cerebral Ischemia/reperfusion in Rats Via Downregulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 Ratio and Upregulation PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway Journal of the Neurological Sciences. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24996490 Isoflavone formononetin is a typical phytoestrogen isolated from Chinese medical herb red clover. It has been reported that estrogens have neuroprotective properties, and dietary intake of phytoestrogens could reduce stroke injury in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) animal models. In the present research, we sought to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of formononetin on I/R rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a 2h period of right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 24h of reperfusion. Then neurological deficits and brain edema were evaluated. To provide insight into the functions of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway in formononetin-induced neuroprotection, the expression of ER-α, Bax, Bcl-2, p-Akt (phosphorylated protein kinase B), and p-ERK1/2 (phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2) was determined by qPCR or Western blot assay. Consequently, we found that formononetin has significantly reduced the infarcted volume and the brain water content, and improved the neurological deficit. Formononetin also exhibited an upregulation in ER-α and p-Akt, a downregulation in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. However, formononetin had little effect on p-ERK1/2 proteins expression. Taken together, formononetin has shown neuroprotective effects in cerebral I/R rats, and the molecular mechanisms may correlate with the downregulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Plasma Deactivation of Oral Bacteria Seeded on Hydroxyapatite Disks As Tooth Enamel Analogue American Journal of Dentistry. Apr, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25000666 To study the plasma treatment effects on deactivation of oral bacteria seeded on a tooth enamel analogue.

Updating Biomass into Functional Carbon Material in Ionothermal Manner ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25001196 The development of meaningful ways to transfer biomass into useful materials, more efficient energy carriers, and/or carbon storage deposits is a profound challenge of our days. Herein, an ionothermal carbonization (ITC) method, via treating natural resources (glucose, cellulose, and sugar cane bagesse) in nonmetal ionic liquids (ILs) at ∼200 °C, is established for the fabrication of porous heteroatom-doped carbon materials with high yield. Commercial ILs with bulky bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion or cross-linkable nitrile group were found to be efficient and recyclable templates for porosity control, leading to exciting nanoarchitectures with promising performance in oxygen reduction reaction. The optimized ILs (12 mL) can dissolve and directly convert up to 15 g of glucose into porous carbon materials (SBET: 272 m(2)/g) one time. This ITC method relies on the synergistic use of structure-directing effect, good biomass solubility, and excellent thermal stability of ILs, and provides a sustainable strategy for exploiting biomass.

Molybdenum Disulfide Quantum Dots As a Photoluminescence Sensing Platform for 2,4,6-trinitrophenol Detection Analytical Chemistry. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25001878 Transition metal chalcogenides, especially molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), have recently attracted wide attention from researchers as graphene-analogous materials. However, until now, little literature has reported the synthesis of photoluminescent MoS2 materials and their applications in analytical chemistry. We herein presented a facile bottom-up hydrothermal route for the synthesis of photoluminescent MoS2 quantum dots (QDs) by using sodium molybdate and cysteine as precursors. The prepared MoS2 QDs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The MoS2 QDs were then used as photoluminescent probes to construct a photoluminescence (PL) quenching sensor for detection of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP). The TNP sensor presented a wide linear range from 0.099 to 36.5 μM with a high detection limit of 95 nM. Furthermore, the sensor displayed a high sensitivity toward TNP over other structurally similar compounds like 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, p-chlorophenol, phenol, and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol. To understand the origin of the high sensitivity, we assessed the emission wavelength-dependent PL quenching behavior of MoS2 QDs by the above five compounds using Stem-Volmer equation in detail. The results showed that the novel approach we put forward can satisfactorily explain the interaction mechanisms between MoS2 QDs and the five compounds, and the high sensitivity for TNP very likely originated from a combination of the PL resonance energy transfer, electronic energy transfer, and electrostatic interactions between MoS2 QDs and TNP. Finally, the sensor was successfully applied for detection of TNP in water samples and test papers.

Recent Advancements in Computer & Software Technology TheScientificWorldJournal. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25003140

Interaction of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms on the Mortality of Patients with COPD: a Preliminary Study COPD. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25010754 Depressive and anxiety symptoms increase the risk of death in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), but the combined effects of the two factors are unknown.

Duplex PCR for Differentiation of the Vaccine Strain Brucella Suis S2 and B. suis Biovar 1 from Other Strains of Brucella Spp Veterinary Journal (London, England : 1997). Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25011712 Immunisation with attenuated Brucella spp. vaccines prevents brucellosis, but may also interfere with diagnosis. In this study, a duplex PCR was developed to distinguish Brucella suis vaccine strain S2 from field strains of B. suis biovar 1 and other Brucella spp. The PCR detected 60 fg genomic DNA of B. suis S2 or biovar 1 field strains and was able to distinguish B. suis S2 and wild-type strains of B. suis biovar 1 among 76 field isolates representing all the common species and biovars, as well as four vaccine strains, of Brucella.

Plasma Metabonomics Study on Chinese Medicine Syndrome Evolution of Heart Failure Rats Caused by LAD Ligation BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25012233 Chinese medicine syndromes (Zheng) in many disease models are not clearly characterized or validated, and the concepts of Chinese medicine syndromes are confounding and controversial. Metabonomics has been applied to the evaluation and classification of the Chinese medicine syndromes both in clinical and nonclinical studies. In this study, we aim to investigate the evolution of the Chinese medicine syndrome in myocardial infarction induced heart failure and to confirm the feasibility of the Zheng classification by plasma metabonomics in a syndrome and disease combination animal model.

Biological and Clinical Implications of Endocan in Gastric Cancer Tumour Biology : the Journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25012244 Endocan overexpression has been reported to be associated with poor prognosis in various cancer types such as breast cancer, kidney cancer, and lung cancer. However, the biological and prognostic significance of endocan in gastric cancer remains unknown. Here, we investigated the expression status of endocan in gastric cancer. Endocan expression status was determined in 255 gastric cancer specimens by immunohistochemical staining. The association of endocan protein with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis was subsequently determined. The oncogenic role of endocan in gastric cancer was examined using a small interfering RNA (siRNA) approach. Spearman regression correlation analysis showed that endocan expression was associated with the pathological tumor stage. In Cox regression analysis, endocan expression was found to be an independent prognostic factor for survival. Endocan promoted gastric cancer cell proliferation. Our findings indicate that endocan is a potential target for therapeutic intervention in gastric cancer.

Cytotoxicity Comparison of Quercetin and Its Metabolites from in Vitro Fermentation of Several Gut Bacteria Food & Function. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25015032 Part of quercetin is coerced into the colon after ingestion and interacts with the gut microbiota. The interaction between quercetin and gut microbiota will influence human health. The cytotoxicity of quercetin and its metabolites from human gut bacteria in vitro fermentation was investigated in this study. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide) (MTT) and agar diffusion disc methods were individually applied in vitro to examine their inhibitory effect on three cultured human cancer cells and five pathogenic bacteria species. The results showed that the metabolites from Clostridium perfringens and Bacteroides fragilis exerted a strong inhibitory effect (P < 0.05) on HCT-116 cells and that of Weissella confusa was stronger (P < 0.01) on both A549 cells and HeLa cells than on the others. Most metabolites have similar or decreased inhibitory ability on human cancer cells compared to quercetin itself. This inhibitory effect had not been detected in quercetin and its metabolites in five common pathogenic bacteria species. Quercetin is a potential chemopreventive agent. However, this study reported that some gut bacteria can improve their function of inhibiting cancer cells after fermenting quercetin.

Quantifying White Matter Tract Diffusion Parameters in the Presence of Increased Extra-fiber Cellularity and Vasogenic Edema NeuroImage. Nov, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25017446 The effect of extra-fiber structural and pathological components confounding diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) computation was quantitatively investigated using data generated by both Monte-Carlo simulations and tissue phantoms. Increased extent of vasogenic edema, by addition of various amount of gel to fixed normal mouse trigeminal nerves or by increasing non-restricted isotropic diffusion tensor components in Monte-Carlo simulations, significantly decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity, while less significantly increased axial diffusivity derived by DTI. Increased cellularity, mimicked by graded increase of the restricted isotropic diffusion tensor component in Monte-Carlo simulations, significantly decreased FA and axial diffusivity with limited impact on radial diffusivity derived by DTI. The MC simulation and tissue phantom data were also analyzed by the recently developed diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI) to simultaneously distinguish and quantify the axon/myelin integrity and extra-fiber diffusion components. Results showed that increased cellularity or vasogenic edema did not affect the DBSI-derived fiber FA, axial or radial diffusivity. Importantly, the extent of extra-fiber cellularity and edema estimated by DBSI correlated with experimentally added gel and Monte-Carlo simulations. We also examined the feasibility of applying 25-direction diffusion encoding scheme for DBSI analysis on coherent white matter tracts. Results from both phantom experiments and simulations suggested that the 25-direction diffusion scheme provided comparable DBSI estimation of both fiber diffusion parameters and extra-fiber cellularity/edema extent as those by 99-direction scheme. An in vivo 25-direction DBSI analysis was performed on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE, an animal model of human multiple sclerosis) optic nerve as an example to examine the validity of derived DBSI parameters with post-imaging immunohistochemistry verification. Results support that in vivo DBSI using 25-direction diffusion scheme correctly reflect the underlying axonal injury, demyelination, and inflammation of optic nerves in EAE mice.

Can Serum Levels of Alkaline Phosphatase and Phosphate Predict Cardiovascular Diseases and Total Mortality in Individuals with Preserved Renal Function? A Systemic Review and Meta-analysis PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25033287 It is demonstrated that elevated serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and phosphate indicate a higher risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and total mortality in population with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but it remains unclear whether this association exists in people with normal or preserved renal function.

Five-year Follow-up of Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Transplanted with Allogeneic Islets: the UIC Experience Acta Diabetologica. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25034311 This report summarizes a 5-year phase 1/2 allogeneic islet transplantation clinical trial conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Ten patients were enrolled in this single center, open label, and prospective trial in which patients received 1-3 transplants. The first four subjects underwent islet transplantation with the Edmonton immunosuppressive regimen and the remaining six subjects received the UIC immunosuppressive protocol (Edmonton plus etanercept and exenatide). All 10 patients achieved insulin independence after 1-3 transplants. At 5 years of follow-up, 6 of the initial 10 patients were free of exogenous insulin. During the follow-up period, 7 of the 10 patients maintained positive C-peptide levels and a composite hypoglycemic score of 0. Most patients maintained HbA1c levels

Draft Genome Sequence of a New Shigella Flexneri Subserotype, 4S BJ10610 Genome Announcements. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25035336 Shigella flexneri is of great concern in the prevalence of shigellosis and resistance to many antibiotics in developing countries. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of a new S. flexneri subserotype, 4S BJ10610, isolated from the stool specimens of a patient in Beijing, China.

Fabrication of a Microfluidic Paper-based Analytical Device by Silanization of Filter Cellulose Using a Paper Mask for Glucose Assay The Analyst. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25045759 We developed a novel, low-cost and simple method for the fabrication of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) by silanization of filter cellulose using a paper mask having a specific pattern. The paper mask was penetrated with trimethoxyoctadecylsilane (TMOS) by immersing into TMOS-heptane solution. By heating the filter paper sandwiched between the paper mask and glass slides, TMOS was immobilized onto the filter cellulose via the reaction between cellulose OH and TMOS, while the hydrophilic area was not silanized because it was not in contact with the paper mask penetrated with TMOS. The effects of some factors including TMOS concentration, heating temperature and time on the fabrication of μPADs were studied. This method is free of any expensive equipment and metal masks, and could be performed by untrained personnel. These features are very attractive for the fabrication and applications of μPADs in developing countries or resource-limited settings. A flower-shaped μPAD was fabricated and used to determine glucose in human serum samples. The contents determined by this method agreed well with those determined by a standard method.

Expression, Purification, and Characteristic of Tibetan Sheep Breast Lysozyme Using Pichia Pastoris Expression System Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences. Apr, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25049990 A lysozyme gene from breast of Tibetan sheep was successfully expressed by secretion using a-factor signal sequence in the methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris GS115. An expression yield and specific activity greater than 500 mg/L and 4,000 U/mg was obtained. Results at optimal pH and temperature showed recombinant lysozyme has higher lytic activity at pH 6.5 and 45°C. This study demonstrates the successful expression of recombinant lysozyme using the eukaryotic host organism P. pastoris paving the way for protein engineering. Additionally, this study shows the feasibility of subsequent industrial manufacture of the enzyme with this expression system together with a high purity scheme for easy high-yield purification.

[Role of Bowel Management Program in Pediatric Patients with Fecal Incontinence] Zhonghua Wei Chang Wai Ke Za Zhi = Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25070446 To investigate a new bowel management program for children patients with fecal incontinence.

Long-term Use of Ciclosporin on Kidney Transplant Recipients Surviving More Than 10 Years Die Pharmazie. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25073404 To evaluate the long-term use of ciclosporin on kidney transplant recipients who survived more than 10 years.

Palladium-Catalyzed Allylic Esterification Via C-C Bond Cleavage of a Secondary Homoallyl Alcohol Organic Letters. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25075757 Palladium-catalyzed allylic esterifications of secondary homoallyl alcohols with acids via sequential retro-allylation and esterification are demonstrated, affording the corresponding allyl ester in up to 99% yield. The electron effect of the substituent of the secondary alcohol was found to be crucial to the selective C-C bond cleavage.

Clonal Evolution in Breast Cancer Revealed by Single Nucleus Genome Sequencing Nature. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25079324 Sequencing studies of breast tumour cohorts have identified many prevalent mutations, but provide limited insight into the genomic diversity within tumours. Here we developed a whole-genome and exome single cell sequencing approach called nuc-seq that uses G2/M nuclei to achieve 91% mean coverage breadth. We applied this method to sequence single normal and tumour nuclei from an oestrogen-receptor-positive (ER(+)) breast cancer and a triple-negative ductal carcinoma. In parallel, we performed single nuclei copy number profiling. Our data show that aneuploid rearrangements occurred early in tumour evolution and remained highly stable as the tumour masses clonally expanded. In contrast, point mutations evolved gradually, generating extensive clonal diversity. Using targeted single-molecule sequencing, many of the diverse mutations were shown to occur at low frequencies (

Spectroscopic Capture and Reactivity of a Low-Spin Cobalt(IV)-Oxo Complex Stabilized by Binding Redox-Inactive Metal Ions Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English). Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25081948 High-valent cobalt-oxo intermediates are proposed as reactive intermediates in a number of cobalt-complex-mediated oxidation reactions. Herein we report the spectroscopic capture of low-spin (S=1/2) Co(IV) -oxo species in the presence of redox-inactive metal ions, such as Sc(3+) , Ce(3+) , Y(3+) , and Zn(2+) , and the investigation of their reactivity in CH bond activation and sulfoxidation reactions. Theoretical calculations predict that the binding of Lewis acidic metal ions to the cobalt-oxo core increases the electrophilicity of the oxygen atom, resulting in the redox tautomerism of a highly unstable [(TAML)Co(III) (O(.) )](2-) species to a more stable [(TAML)Co(IV) (O)(M(n+) )] core. The present report supports the proposed role of the redox-inactive metal ions in facilitating the formation of high-valent metal-oxo cores as a necessary step for oxygen evolution in chemistry and biology.

Heterogeneity Research in Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer Based on Differential Protein Expression Analysis Medical Oncology (Northwood, London, England). Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25085780 The aim of this study was to study the expression profiles of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) cells of different risk groups and to explore the crucial role of biological pathway change in heterogeneity of MIBC cells. Thirty individual samples (cancer and non-cancerous specimens) were obtained from patients with MIBC. Laser capture microdissection was employed to harvest the homogeneous MIBC cells and normal urothelial cells. iTRAQ and 2D-LC-MS/MS were used to quantify and identify the differently expressed proteins. Then, the significantly changed proteins were further analyzed using Arraytrack ™ software. The interested proteins were compared with the published literatures to discuss the exact functions. A total of 3,073 non-redundant proteins were identified in this research; therefore, 855/2,210/633 (fold change >1.5 relative to normal group) presented in high-/median-/low-risk groups, respectively. 617/1,620/463 proteins with SWISS-ACC number output from Arraytrack ™ software and presented in high-/median-/low-risk groups, respectively. Pathway analysis revealed that the mainly changed pathways (top-10, p < 0.05) in Genetic information processing category were similar in high- and median-risk groups, including Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) spliceosome, protein export, ribosome pathways. The mainly altered pathways in Metabolism category included glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate, pyruvate metabolism pathway for high-risk group, and glutathione metabolism, citrate cycle, oxidative phosphorylation pathways for median-risk group. The major changed pathways for low-risk group included focal adhesion pathway and ECM-receptor interaction pathway. The changed biological pathways are closely related to the regulation of heterogeneity for MIBC. The KEGG pathways of Genetic information processing category and Metabolism (anaerobic or aerobic) category play a crucial role in determining the malignant phenotype of MIBC cells. The quantification analysis of proteins combining with the KEGG pathway analysis contributes to screening candidate biomarkers and guides the biological molecular therapy of MIBC.

Genomic Analysis Reveals Versatile Heterotrophic Capacity of a Potentially Symbiotic Sulfur-oxidizing Bacterium in Sponge Environmental Microbiology. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25088944 Sulfur-reducing bacteria (SRB) and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) play essential roles in marine sponges. However, the detailed characteristics and physiology of the bacteria are largely unknown. Here, we present and analyse the first genome of sponge-associated SOB using a recently developed metagenomic binning strategy. The loss of transposase and virulence-associated genes and the maintenance of the ancient polyphosphate glucokinase gene suggested a stabilized SOB genome that might have coevolved with the ancient host during establishment of their association. Exclusive distribution in sponge, bacterial detoxification for the host (sulfide oxidation) and the enrichment for symbiotic characteristics (genes-encoding ankyrin) in the SOB genome supported the bacterial role as an intercellular symbiont. Despite possessing complete autotrophic sulfur oxidation pathways, the bacterium developed a much more versatile capacity for carbohydrate uptake and metabolism, in comparison with its closest relatives (Thioalkalivibrio) and to other representative autotrophs from the same order (Chromatiales). The ability to perform both autotrophic and heterotrophic metabolism likely results from the unstable supply of reduced sulfur in the sponge and is considered critical for the sponge-SOB consortium. Our study provides insights into SOB of sponge-specific clade with thioautotrophic and versatile heterotrophic metabolism relevant to its roles in the micro-environment of the sponge body.

Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Paramisgurnus Dabryanus Mitochondrial DNA. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25090380 Abstract In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Paramisgurnus dabryanus was obtained by PCR base on 18 pairs of primers. Among the 18 primers, the 14 primers were from the previously published universal primers for Cyprinus carpio L. mitogenome amplification. The remaining 4 primers were designed on the basis of related species mtDNA sequences. The genome is 16,570 bp in length, including 2 ribosomal RNA genes. 13 proteins-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a non-coding control region, the gene composition and order of which was similar to most reported from other vertebrates. Sequence analysis showed that the overall base composition of Paramisgurnus dabryanus is T 27.3%, C 26.9%, A 28.5%, and G 17.4%. The sequence is a slight A + T bias of 55.8%, which is similar to other fishes. Mitochondrial genome is widely used in phylogenetic analysis, evolutionary genomics, species identification and related research of fish.

A New Species of Scytalidium Causing Slippery Scar on Cultivated Auricularia Polytricha in China FEMS Microbiology Letters. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25091557 Slippery scar is one of the most destructive diseases encountered in the cultivation of Auricularia polytricha (hairy wood ear); however, the identity of the pathogenic agent has remained uncertain. This study was designed to identify the causative pathogen of slippery scar in A. polytricha and to investigate the taxonomic classification of the pathogen by morphological observations, in vivo pathogenicity tests, and molecular evidences of ITS and RPB2 sequences. The results showed that the pathogen was a new Scytalidium species, here named Scytalidium auriculariicola. Scytalidium auriculariicola was characterized by its rapid growth rate, the catenate conidia of variable size, and the pale brown to brown chlamydoconidia. Phylogenetic analyses based on internal transcribed spacer regions and RPB2 sequences on the pathogen isolated and related species supported that S. auriculariicola was a true Scytalidium species. It was congeneric with and close to Scytalidium lignicola, the type species of Scytalidium. However, it differed from the latter species in the size of conidia, 33 different nucleotide bases in ITS sequences and 30 different nucleotide bases in RPB2 sequences.

Broadband Pattern Synthesis for Circular Sensor Arrays The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25096140 The solutions of pattern synthesis are derived for circular sensor arrays based on the criterion of minimizing the mean square error between the desired and synthesized beampatterns. Specifically, the optimal weighting vector, the output beam, and the minimum mean square error are all expressed in closed-form exactly when the desired beampattern is properly formulated. These results provide a more effective and convenient scheme for designing practical frequency-invariant beamformers. Simulations and experimental results demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach.

MOMMOP: Multiobjective Optimization for Locating Multiple Optimal Solutions of Multimodal Optimization Problems IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25099966 In the field of evolutionary computation, there has been a growing interest in applying evolutionary algorithms to solve multimodal optimization problems (MMOPs). Due to the fact that an MMOP involves multiple optimal solutions, many niching methods have been suggested and incorporated into evolutionary algorithms for locating such optimal solutions in a single run. In this paper, we propose a novel transformation technique based on multiobjective optimization for MMOPs, called MOMMOP. MOMMOP transforms an MMOP into a multiobjective optimization problem with two conflicting objectives. After the above transformation, all the optimal solutions of an MMOP become the Pareto optimal solutions of the transformed problem. Thus, multiobjective evolutionary algorithms can be readily applied to find a set of representative Pareto optimal solutions of the transformed problem, and as a result, multiple optimal solutions of the original MMOP could also be simultaneously located in a single run. In principle, MOMMOP is an implicit niching method. In this paper, we also discuss two issues in MOMMOP and introduce two new comparison criteria. MOMMOP has been used to solve 20 multimodal benchmark test functions, after combining with nondominated sorting and differential evolution. Systematic experiments have indicated that MOMMOP outperforms a number of methods for multimodal optimization, including four recent methods at the 2013 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation, four state-of-the-art single-objective optimization based methods, and two well-known multiobjective optimization based approaches.

Transmission Characteristics of Different Students During a School Outbreak of (H1N1) Pdm09 Influenza in China, 2009 Scientific Reports. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25102240 Many outbreaks of A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza have occurred in schools with a high population density. Containment of school outbreaks is predicted to help mitigate pandemic influenza. Understanding disease transmission characteristics within the school setting is critical to implementing effective control measures. Based on a school outbreak survey, we found almost all (93.7%) disease transmission occurred within a single grade, only 6.3% crossed grades. Transmissions originating from freshmen exhibited a star-shaped network; other grades exhibited branch- or line-shaped networks, indicating freshmen have higher activity and are more likely to cause infection. R0 for freshmen, calculated as 2.04, estimated as 2.76, was greater than for other grades (P < 0.01). Without intervention, the estimated number of cases was much greater when the outbreak was initiated by freshmen than by other grades. Furthermore, the estimated number of cases required to be under quarantine and isolation for freshmen was less than that of equivalent other grades. So we concluded that different grades have different transmission mode. Freshmen were the main facilitators of the spread of A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza during this school outbreak, so control measures (e.g. close contact isolation) priority used for freshmen would likely have effectively reduced spread of influenza in school settings.

Crossover from 3D to 2D Quantum Transport in Bi2Se3/In2Se3 Superlattices Nano Letters. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25102289 The topological insulator/normal insulator (TI/NI) superlattices (SLs) with multiple Dirac channels are predicted to offer great opportunity to design novel materials and investigate new quantum phenomena. Here, we report first transport studies on the SLs composed of TI Bi2Se3 layers sandwiched by NI In2Se3 layers artificially grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The transport properties of two kinds of SL samples show convincing evidence that the transport dimensionality changes from three-dimensional (3D) to two-dimensional (2D) when decreasing the thickness of building block Bi2Se3 layers, corresponding to the crossover from coherent TI transport to separated TI channels. Our findings provide the possibility to realizing "3D surface states" in TI/NI SLs.

Single Molecule Investigation of Ag+ Interactions with Single Cytosine-, Methylcytosine- and Hydroxymethylcytosine-cytosine Mismatches in a Nanopore Scientific Reports. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25103463 Both cytosine-Ag-cytosine interactions and cytosine modifications in a DNA duplex have attracted great interest for research. Cytosine (C) modifications such as methylcytosine (mC) and hydroxymethylcytosine (hmC) are associated with tumorigenesis. However, a method for directly discriminating C, mC and hmC bases without labeling, modification and amplification is still missing. Additionally, the nature of coordination of Ag(+) with cytosine-cytosine (C-C) mismatches is not clearly understood. Utilizing the alpha-hemolysin nanopore, we show that in the presence of Ag(+), duplex stability is most increased for the cytosine-cytosine (C-C) pair, followed by the cytosine-methylcytosine (C-mC) pair, and the cytosine-hydroxymethylcytosine (C-hmC) pair, which has no observable Ag(+) induced stabilization. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the hydrogen-bond-mediated paring of a C-C mismatch results in a binding site for Ag(+). Cytosine modifications (such as mC and hmC) disrupted the hydrogen bond, resulting in disruption of the Ag(+) binding site. Our experimental method provides a novel platform to study the metal ion-DNA interactions and could also serve as a direct detection method for nucleobase modifications.

Comment on Liu Et Al.: Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials Comparing Unipolar with Bipolar Hemiarthroplasty for Displaced Femoral-neck Fractures International Orthopaedics. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25109481

Targeting Post-infarct Inflammation by PET Imaging: Comparison of (68)Ga-citrate and (68)Ga-DOTATATE with (18)F-FDG in a Mouse Model European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25112398 ᅟ: Imaging of inflammation early after myocardial infarction (MI) is a promising approach to the guidance of novel molecular interventions that support endogenous healing processes. (18)F-FDG PET has been used, but may be complicated by physiological myocyte uptake. We evaluated the potential of two alternative imaging targets: lactoferrin binding by (68)Ga-citrate and somatostatin receptor binding by (68)Ga-DOTATATE.

The Antidiabetic Agent Glibenclamide Protects Airway Hyperresponsiveness and Inflammation in Mice Inflammation. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25113133 Glibenclamide has a newly discovered role in inflammation regulation besides its antidiabetic effect. As an inhibitor of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel, glibenclamide antagonizes the relaxation of the tracheal smooth muscle. This indicates that glibenclamide might attenuate airway inflammation while aggravate airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in asthmatics. Clinically, many diabetics with asthma are prescribed with glibenclamide to control blood glucose. However, whether glibenclamide could exert any effects on asthmatic inflammation remains unknown. Using an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced mouse model of asthma, we evaluated the effects of glibenclamide on the AHR and inflammation. Interestingly, glibenclamide reduced all the cardinal features of asthma in OVA-challenged mice, including AHR, airway inflammation, and T-helper type 2 (Th2) cytokines. Glibenclamide also downregulated OVA-induced expressions of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (p-STAT6) in the lung. In addition, increased sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1) expression in the lung was observed after the OVA challenge. These findings suggest that the classic sulfonylurea glibenclamide plays an important protective role in the development of asthma, which not only provides the evidence for the safety of prescribed glibenclamide in diabetics combined with asthma but also indicates a possible new therapeutic for asthma via targeting glibenclamide-related pathways.

ABCB1 C3435T Polymorphism and the Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25118983 ATP binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCB1) plays a critical role in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease. Emerging evidence suggests that common functional polymorphisms in the ABCB1 gene might have an impact on an individual's susceptibility to ischemic heart disease, but individually published results are inconclusive. The MEDLINE (1966-2013), the Cochrane Library Database (Issue 12, 2013), EMBASE (1980-2013), CINAHL (1982-2013), Web of Science (1945-2013), and the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM; 1982-2013) were searched without language restrictions. Meta-analysis was performed with the use of the STATA statistical software. Odds ratios (OR) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. Seven case-control studies with a total of 2310 myocardial infarction (MI) patients and 10,506 acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients met the inclusion criteria. Our meta-analysis results indicated that ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism may be associated with an increased risk of MI and ACS, especially among Asian populations (T allele vs. C allele: OR=1.40, 95% CI=1.31-1.49, ph=0.058). Meta-regression analyses showed that clinical subtype and ethnicity may be the main sources of heterogeneity (T allele vs. C allele: OR=1.16, 95% CI=0.97-1.37, ph=0.036). Our findings provide empirical evidence that ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism may contribute to the risk of MI and ACS, especially among Caucasian populations. Thus, detection of ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism may be a promising biomarker for the early detection of MI and ACS.

Development and Cross-validation of Prognostic Models to Assess the Treatment Effect of Cisplatin/pemetrexed Chemotherapy in Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients Medical Oncology (Northwood, London, England). Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25119500 Better understanding of the treatment effect of cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy on lung adenocarcinoma patients is needed to facilitate chemotherapy planning and patient care. In this retrospective study, we will develop prognostic models by the cross-validation method using clinical and serum factors to predict outcomes of cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma patients. Lung adenocarcinoma patients admitted between 2008 and 2013 were enrolled. 29 serum parameters of laboratory tests and 14 clinical factors were analyzed to develop the prognostic models. First, the stepwise selection and five-fold cross-validation were performed to identify candidate prognostic factors. Then a classification of all patients based on the number of metastatic sites resulted in four distinct subsets. In each subset, a prognostic model was fitted with the most accurate prognostic factors from the candidate prognostic factors. Categorical survival prediction was estimated using a log-rank test and visualized with Kaplan-Meier method. 227 lung adenocarcinoma patients were enrolled. Twenty candidate prognostic factors evaluated using the five-fold cross-validation method were total protein, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, creatine kinase, age, smoking index, neuron-specific enolase, bone metastasis, total triglyceride, albumin, gender, uric acid, CYFRA21-1, lymph node metastasis, liver metastasis, lactate dehydrogenase, CA153, peritoneal metastasis, CA125, and CA199. From these 20 candidate prognostic factors, the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model with the highest prognostic accuracy in each subset was identified by the stepwise forward selection method, which generated significant prognostic stratifications in Kaplan-Meier survival analyses (all log-rank p < 0.01). Generally, the prognostic models using five-fold cross-validation achieve a good prediction performance. The prognostic models can be administered safely to lung adenocarcinoma patients treated with first-line cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy, and a comprehensive assessment of clinical and serum factors helps predict the outcomes of cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy.

Qishenyiqi Protects Ligation-Induced Left Ventricular Remodeling by Attenuating Inflammation and Fibrosis Via STAT3 and NF-κB Signaling Pathway PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25122164 Qi-shen-yi-qi (QSYQ), a formula used for the routine treatment of heart failure (HF) in China, has been demonstrated to improve cardiac function through down-regulating the activation of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS). However, the mechanisms governing its therapeutic effects are largely unknown. The present study aims to demonstrate that QSYQ treatment can prevent left ventricular remodeling in heart failure by attenuating oxidative stress and inhabiting inflammation.

Non-random Escape Pathways from a Broadly Neutralizing Human Monoclonal Antibody Map to a Highly Conserved Region on the Hepatitis C Virus E2 Glycoprotein Encompassing Amino Acids 412-423 PLoS Pathogens. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25122476 A challenge for hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine development is to define epitopes that are able to elicit protective antibodies against this highly diverse virus. The E2 glycoprotein region located at residues 412-423 is conserved and antibodies to 412-423 have broadly neutralizing activities. However, an adaptive mutation, N417S, is associated with a glycan shift in a variant that cannot be neutralized by a murine but by human monoclonal antibodies (HMAbs) against 412-423. To determine whether HCV escapes from these antibodies, we analyzed variants that emerged when cell culture infectious HCV virions (HCVcc) were passaged under increasing concentrations of a specific HMAb, HC33.1. Multiple nonrandom escape pathways were identified. Two pathways occurred in the context of an N-glycan shift mutation at N417T. At low antibody concentrations, substitutions of two residues outside of the epitope, N434D and K610R, led to variants having improved in vitro viral fitness and reduced sensitivity to HC33.1 binding and neutralization. At moderate concentrations, a S419N mutation occurred within 412-423 in escape variants that have greatly reduced sensitivity to HC33.1 but compromised viral fitness. Importantly, the variants generated from these pathways differed in their stability. N434D and K610R-associated variants were stable and became dominant as the virions were passaged. The S419N mutation reverted back to N419S when immune pressure was reduced by removing HC33.1. At high antibody concentrations, a mutation at L413I was observed in variants that were resistant to HC33.1 neutralization. Collectively, the combination of multiple escape pathways enabled the virus to persist under a wide range of antibody concentrations. Moreover, these findings pose a different challenge to vaccine development beyond the identification of highly conserved epitopes. It will be necessary for a vaccine to induce high potency antibodies that prevent the formation of escape variants, which can co-exist with lower potency or levels of neutralizing activities.

Specific and Ultrasensitive Ciprofloxacin Detection by Responsive Photonic Crystal Sensor Journal of Hazardous Materials. Jul, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25127388 A new approach for specific and ultrasensitive measurement of ciprofloxacin has been developed by integrating ternary complexes into responsive photonic crystal (RPC). Tryptophan was first immobilized within the polyacrylamide hydrogel substrates of RPC. The determination of ciprofloxacin was via the existence of zinc(II) ions that function as a 'bridge' to form specific tryptophan-zinc(II)-ciprofloxacin complexes step by step, which resulted in a stepwise red-shift of the diffraction wavelength. A maximum wavelength shift from 798 to 870nm for ciprofloxacin was observed when the RPC film was immersed in 10(-4)M ciprofloxacin. A linear relationship has been obtained between the Δλ of diffraction peak and logarithm of ciprofloxacin concentration at pH 5.0 in the range of 10(-10) to 10(-4)M. And the least detectable concentration in present work is about 5×10(-11)M. The results demonstrated that the as-designed ternary complexes-based RPC sensor exhibited high sensitivity, satisfactory specificity and excellent recoverability for sensing of ciprofloxacin in aqueous media and were validated by detecting ciprofloxacin in the eye-drop sample.

Current Status of Anticoagulant Treatments and Improvements for Hemodialysis Patients in Northern Chinese Cities: a Five-year Comparative Study Chinese Medical Journal. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25131221 Anticoagulation treatments are an important aspect of hemodialysis; however, few reports have addressed these treatments. This investigation intends to increase the understanding of the current status and improvements of hemodialysis-related anticoagulation treatments in China.

Hesperidin Alleviates Cognitive Impairment, Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25135708 The role of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress has been well-documented in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Bioflavonoids are being utilised as neuroprotectants in the treatment of various neurological disorders, including AD. Therefore, we conducted this current study in order to explore the effects of hesperidin (a flavanone glycoside) against amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced cognitive dysfunction, oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction in mice. Three-month-old APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice were randomly assigned to a vehicle group, two hesperidin (either 50 or 100 mg/kg per day) groups, or an Aricept (2.5 mg/kg per day) group. After 16 weeks of treatment, although there was no obvious change in Aβ deposition in the hesperidin-treated (100 mg/kg per day) group, however, we found that the administration of hesperidin (100 mg/kg per day) resulted in the reduction of learning and memory deficits, improved locomotor activity, and the increase of anti-oxidative defense and mitochondrial complex I-IV enzymes activities. Furthermore, Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) phosphorylation significantly increased in the hesperidin-treated (100 mg/kg per day) group. Taken together, these findings suggest that a reduction in mitochondrial dysfunction through the inhibition of GSK-3β activity, coupled with an increase in anti-oxidative defense, may be one of the mechanisms by which hesperidin improves cognitive function in the APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mouse model of AD.

Tuning the Peak Position of Subwavelength Silica Nanosphere Broadband Antireflection Coatings Nanoscale Research Letters. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25136278 Subwavelength nanostructures are considered as promising building blocks for antireflection and light trapping applications. In this study, we demonstrate excellent broadband antireflection effect from thin films of monolayer silica nanospheres with a diameter of 100 nm prepared by Langmuir-Blodgett method on glass substrates. With a single layer of compact silica nanosphere thin film coated on both sides of a glass, we achieved maximum transmittance of 99% at 560 nm. Furthermore, the optical transmission peak of the nanosphere thin films can be tuned over the UV-visible range by changing processing parameters during Langmuir-Blodgett deposition. The tunable optical transmission peaks of the Langmuir-Blodgett films were correlated with deposition parameters such as surface pressure, surfactant concentration, ageing of suspensions and annealing effect. Such peak-tunable broadband antireflection coating has wide applications in diversified industries such as solar cells, windows, displays and lenses.

The TG/HDL-C Ratio Might Be a Surrogate for Insulin Resistance in Chinese Nonobese Women International Journal of Endocrinology. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25136362 Obejective. To examine the discriminatory power of triglyceride (TG) and triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C) for insulin resistance (IR) in a normoglycaemic Chinese population. Methods. The data were collected from 711 individuals. The normoglycaemic individuals were eventually included in the study (n = 533, age: 62.8 ± 6.6 years, male: 56.8%), who were with a fasting plasma glucose < 6.1 mmol/L and without a history of diabetes. IR was defined as the upper quintile (≥1.6) of homeostasis model assessment of IR. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AROC) was used to examine the discriminatory power. Results. The discriminatory power of TG/HDL-C for IR was acceptable in women with a BMI < 24 kg/m(2) or waist circumference < 80 cm (AROCs: 0.718 and 0.713, resp.); however, the discriminatory power was not acceptable in the obese women. TG/HDL-C was not an acceptable marker of IR in men. The discriminatory power of TG for IR was not acceptable in both men and women. Conclusions. The discriminatory power of TG/HDL-C for IR differs by gender and obesity index in the normoglycaemic Chinese population, and TG/HDL-C could discriminate IR in the nonobese and normoglycaemic women.

A New Design of Robust H∞ Sliding Mode Control for Uncertain Stochastic T-s Fuzzy Time-delay Systems IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25137685 In this paper, a novel dynamic sliding mode control scheme is proposed for a class of uncertain stochastic nonlinear time-delay systems represented by Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy models. The key advantage of the proposed scheme is that two very restrictive assumptions in most existing sliding mode control approaches for stochastic fuzzy systems have been removed. It is shown that the closed-loop control system trajectories can be driven onto the sliding surface in finite time almost certainly. It is also shown that the stochastic stability of the resulting sliding motion can be guaranteed in terms of linear matrix inequalities; moreover, the sliding-mode controller can be obtained simultaneously. Simulation results illustrating the advantages and effectiveness of the proposed approaches are also provided.

Identification of MiRNAs As Potential New Biomarkers for Nervous System Cancer Tumour Biology : the Journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25139093 Several recent studies have indicated the possibility of detecting dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) to diagnose nervous system cancer (NSC). Our study was conducted to explore the clinical applicability of miRNAs as potential ideal biomarkers for the diagnosis of NSC. For this meta-analysis, a systematic literature search was conducted in the Embase, Medline, Cochrane, Wangfang, and Sinomed databases. A standard quality tool-quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies was employed to assess the quality of the included studies. Specificity, sensitivity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under curve (AUC) were pooled to assess overall test accuracy. In total, 25 studies from 7 articles, including 388 patients with NSC and 435 controls (healthy controls and patients with neurologic disorders), were included in this meta-analysis. For the studied miRNAs, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and DOR for predicting NSC were 85 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 80-89 %), 85 % (95 % CI 80-89 %), and 32 (95 % CI 19-55), respectively. The pooled AUC for miRNAs identifying NSC was 0.92. In addition, results from subgroup analyses indicated that using miRNA panels yield a much better diagnostic accuracy when compared with using a particular miRNA. The current evidence suggests that miRNAs, especially miRNA panels on body fluids, may be suitable for use as diagnostic biomarkers for NSC patients. However, more prospective studies using larger cohorts should be conducted to confirm their degree of accuracy.

Exploring MicroRNA-Like Small RNAs in the Filamentous Fungus Fusarium Oxysporum PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25141304 RNA silencing such as quelling and meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA (MSUD) and several other classes of special small RNAs have been discovered in filamentous fungi recently. More than four different mechanisms of microRNA-like RNAs (milRNAs) production have been illustrated in the model fungus Neurospora crassa including a dicer-independent pathway. To date, very little work focusing on small RNAs in fungi has been reported and no universal or particular characteristic of milRNAs were defined clearly. In this study, small RNA and degradome libraries were constructed and subsequently deep sequenced for investigating milRNAs and their potential cleavage targets on the genome level in the filamentous fungus F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. As a result, there is no intersection of conserved miRNAs found by BLASTing against the miRBase. Further analysis showed that the small RNA population of F. oxysporum shared many common features with the small RNAs from N. crassa and other fungi. According to the known standards of miRNA prediction in plants and animals, milRNA candidates from 8 families (comprising 19 members) were screened out and identified. However, none of them could trigger target cleavage based on the degradome data. Moreover, most major signals of cleavage in transcripts could not match appropriate complementary small RNAs, suggesting that other predominant modes for milRNA-mediated gene regulation could exist in F. oxysporum. In addition, the PAREsnip program was utilized for comprehensive analysis and 3 families of small RNAs leading to transcript cleavage were experimentally validated. Altogether, our findings provided valuable information and important hints for better understanding the functions of the small RNAs and milRNAs in the fungal kingdom.

Probing Molecular Pathways for DNA Orientational Trapping, Unzipping and Translocation in Nanopores by Using a Tunable Overhang Sensor Nanoscale. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25144935 Nanopores provide a unique single-molecule platform for genetic and epigenetic detection. The target nucleic acids can be accurately analyzed by characterizing their specific electric fingerprints or signatures in the nanopore. Here we report a series of novel nanopore signatures generated by target nucleic acids that are hybridized with a probe. A length-tunable overhang appended to the probe functions as a sensor to specifically modulate the nanopore current profile. The resulting signatures can reveal multiple mechanisms for the orientational trapping, unzipping, escaping and translocation of nucleic acids in the nanopore. This universal approach can be used to program various molecular movement pathways, elucidate their kinetics, and enhance the sensitivity and specificity of the nanopore sensor for nucleic acid detection.

IL-27 -964A>G Polymorphism and the Risk of Breast Cancer: a Case-control Study Tumour Biology : the Journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25146683 Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is a new member of the IL-12 family which plays a key role in antitumor immunity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between a potentially functional polymorphism (rs153109, -964A>G) at the promoter of IL-27 and the risk of breast cancer in a Chinese population. We determined the genotypes of 326 breast cancer cases and 460 healthy controls by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between -964A>G polymorphism and breast cancer susceptibility. There was no significant association between IL-27 -964A>G polymorphism and the risk of breast cancer. However, in the stratified analysis by menopausal history, IL-27 -964A>G polymorphism was associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women (GG vs. AA: OR = 0.48, 95 % CI = 0.26-0.89; G vs. A: OR = 0.75, 95 % CI = 0.59-0.97). Taken together, our study suggested that IL-27 -964A>G polymorphism may be a protective factor for breast cancer in premenopausal women.

A New Approach to Entropy and Similarity Measure of Vague Soft Sets TheScientificWorldJournal. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25152918 We focus our discussion on the uncertainty measures of vague soft sets. We propose axiomatic definitions of similarity measure and entropy for vague soft sets. Furthermore, we present a new category of similarity measures and entropies for vague soft sets. The basic properties of these measures are discussed and the relationships among these measures are analyzed.

Nanoslitting of Phase-separated Block Copolymers by Solvent Swelling for Membranes with Ultrahigh Flux and Sharp Selectivity Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25154350 Long and narrow slit-shaped pores are predicted to have enhanced permeation and selectivity. We report, for the first time, the efficient production of membranes containing densely packed slitted pores with a pore width of

Enamel Organic Matrix: Potential Structural Role in Enamel and Relationship to Residual Basement Membrane Constituents at the Dentin Enamel Junction Connective Tissue Research. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25158177 Abstract Although mature enamel is predominantly composed of mineral, a previously uncharacterized organic matrix layer remains in the post-eruptive tissue that begins at the dentin enamel junction and extends 200-300 μm towards the outer tooth surface. Identification of the composition of this layer has been hampered by its insolubility; however, we have developed a single step method to isolate the organic enamel matrix relatively intact. After dissociative dissolution of the matrix with SDS and urea, initial characterization by Western blotting and gel zymography indicates the presence of type IV and type VII basement membrane collagens and active matrix metalloproteinase-20. When combined with data from transgenic knockout mice and from human mutations, these data suggest that the enamel organic matrix (EOM) and dentin enamel junction may have a structural and functional relationship with basement membranes, e.g. skin. To clarify this relationship, we hypothesize a "foundation" model which proposes that components of the EOM form a support structure that stabilizes the crystalline enamel layer, and bonds it to the underlying dentin along the dentin enamel junction. Since we have also co-localized an active matrix metalloproteinase to this layer, our hypothesis suggests that, under pathologic conditions, MMP-mediated degradation of the EOM could destabilize the enamel-dentin interface.

Electrical Detection of Spin-Polarized Surface States Conduction in (Bi0.53Sb0.47)2Te3 Topological Insulator Nano Letters. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25158276 Strong spin-orbit interaction and time-reversal symmetry in topological insulators enable the spin-momentum locking for the helical surface states. To date, however, there has been little report of direct electrical spin injection/detection in topological insulator. In this Letter, we report the electrical detection of spin-polarized surface states conduction using a Co/Al2O3 ferromagnetic tunneling contact in which the compound topological insulator (Bi0.53Sb0.47)2Te3 was used to achieve low bulk carrier density. Resistance (voltage) hysteresis with the amplitude up to about 10 Ω was observed when sweeping the magnetic field to change the relative orientation between the Co electrode magnetization and the spin polarization of surface states. The two resistance states were reversible by changing the electric current direction, affirming the spin-momentum locking in the topological surface states. Angle-dependent measurement was also performed to further confirm that the abrupt change in the voltage (resistance) was associated with the magnetization switching of the Co electrode. The spin voltage amplitude was quantitatively analyzed to yield an effective spin polarization of 1.02% for the surface states conduction in (Bi0.53Sb0.47)2Te3. Our results show a direct evidence of spin polarization in the topological surface states conduction. It might open up great opportunities to explore energy-efficient spintronic devices based on topological insulators.

[Comparison of Clinical Characteristics and Survival on Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Familial Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension During Conventional Therapy Era and Targeted Therapy Era] Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25164218 To compare the clinical characteristics and survival on Chinese patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) and familiar pulmonary arterial hypertension (FPAH) during conventional therapy era and targeted therapy era.

Theoretical Insights into the Reductive Metabolism of CCl4 by Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and the CCl4-dependent Suicidal Inactivation of P450 Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003). Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25164482 The anaerobic metabolism of CCl4 by P450 enzymes was investigated using quantum chemical calculations. It was found that under anaerobic conditions, the substrate CCl4 might undergo one or two subsequent one-electron reductions to generate different reactive metabolites, trichloromethyl radical (˙CCl3) and dichlorocarbene (:CCl2) respectively. Meanwhile, it was the reduced ferrous haem complex rather than the unreduced ferric haem complex that could directly achieve such reductions. Based on the formation of the former reactive metabolite, a further one-electron reduction could take place with the assistance of a proton to yield the latter reactive species, i.e., a further reductive dechloridation of ˙CCl3 could take place via a novel SE3 mechanism. In addition, the ˙CCl3 species was capable of binding covalently to the meso-carbon atom of the prosthetic group, leading to the suicidal destruction of P450 enzymes. Whereas the :CCl2 species was involved in the CCl4-dependent reversible P450 inhibition as its hydrolysis product, CO, but was not significantly involved in the CCl4-dependent irreversible P450 destruction. It is obvious that the reductive metabolism of CCl4 to reactive intermediates by P450 enzymes is an essential prerequisite for its toxicity.

Beta Blockers Prevent Correlation of Plasma ACE2 Activity with Echocardiographic Parameters in Patients with Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25165996 Plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2 activity has been demonstrated to be an independent prognostic marker in Chagas' disease (CD), equally potent as B-type natriuretic peptide. This study aims to investigate the prognostic potency of circulating ACE2 activity in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).Blood samples were withdrawn from patients with idiopathic DCM and healthy control subjects. The DCM patients were subdivided into two groups according to their NYHA classification. The plasma ACE2 activity was measured by a fluorescence method. Plasma ACE2 activity was significantly increased in DCM patients, correlating with clinical severity. It was correlating with echocardiographic parameters in DCM patients. Furthermore, plasma ACE2 activity had the potency to predict cardiac death and heart transplant. However, compared to CD patients, the correlation and predictive value of ACE2 activity in DCM patients was much less pronounced. Beta blocker treatment in DCM patients was identified to prevent the association between circulating ACE2 activity and echocardiographic parameters.While ACE2 activity in blood samples of DCM patients without beta blockers is potent in correlating with the severity of disease and in predicting death and heart transplant, its correlation and prediction potency are significantly diminished by beta blocker treatment.

The Genetic Prehistory of the New World Arctic Science (New York, N.Y.). Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25170159 The New World Arctic, the last region of the Americas to be populated by humans, has a relatively well-researched archaeology, but an understanding of its genetic history is lacking. We present genome-wide sequence data from ancient and present-day humans from Greenland, Arctic Canada, Alaska, Aleutian Islands, and Siberia. We show that Paleo-Eskimos (~3000 BCE to 1300 CE) represent a migration pulse into the Americas independent of both Native American and Inuit expansions. Furthermore, the genetic continuity characterizing the Paleo-Eskimo period was interrupted by the arrival of a new population, representing the ancestors of present-day Inuit, with evidence of past gene flow between these lineages. Despite periodic abandonment of major Arctic regions, a single Paleo-Eskimo metapopulation likely survived in near-isolation for more than 4000 years, only to vanish around 700 years ago.

Bioinspired Affinity DNA Polymers on Nanoparticles for Drug Sequestration and Detoxification Biomaterials. Dec, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25176063 Nanomaterials with the ability of sequestering target molecules hold great potential for a variety of applications. To ensure the stable sequestration, most of these nanomaterials have been traditionally designed with a clear boundary or compact structures and behave as closed systems. While this feature is beneficial to applications such as drug delivery, it may pose a challenge to applications where fast molecular transport from the environment to nanomaterials is critical. Thus, this study was aimed at exploring a nanomaterial with affinity DNA polymers and nanoparticles as an open system with function similar to jellyfish tentacles in sequestering target molecules from surroundings. The results show that this nanomaterial can effectively and rapidly sequester both small molecule drugs and large molecule biologics and resultantly mitigate their biological effects. Thus, this nanomaterial holds potential as a universal nanoscale antidote for drug removal and detoxification. While this nanomaterial was evaluated by using drug removal and detoxification as a model, the synthesis of periodically oriented affinity polymers on a nanoparticle with the capability of sequestering target molecules may be tuned for broad applications such as separation, sensing, imaging and drug delivery.

Graphene-based Nanocomposite Anodes for Lithium-ion Batteries Nanoscale. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25177843 Graphene-based nanocomposites have been demonstrated to be promising high-capacity anodes for lithium ion batteries to satisfy the ever-growing demands for higher capacity, longer cycle life and better high-rate performance. Synergetic effects between graphene and the introduced second-phase component are generally observed. In this feature review article, we will focus on the recent work on four different categories of graphene-based nanocomposite anodes by us and others: graphene-transitional metal oxide, graphene-Sn/Si/Ge, graphene-metal sulfide, and graphene-carbon nanotubes. For the supported materials on graphene, we will emphasize the non-zero dimensional (non-particle) morphologies such as two dimensional nanosheet/nanoplate and one dimensional nanorod/nanofibre/nanotube morphologies. The synthesis strategies and lithium-ion storage properties of these highlighted electrode morphologies are distinct from those of the commonly obtained zero dimensional nanoparticles. We aim to stress the importance of structure matching in the composites and their morphology-dependent lithium-storage properties and mechanisms.

Dynamic Conformational Change Regulates the Protein-DNA Recognition: An Investigation on Binding of a Y-Family Polymerase to Its Target DNA PLoS Computational Biology. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25188490 Protein-DNA recognition is a central biological process that governs the life of cells. A protein will often undergo a conformational transition to form the functional complex with its target DNA. The protein conformational dynamics are expected to contribute to the stability and specificity of DNA recognition and therefore may control the functional activity of the protein-DNA complex. Understanding how the conformational dynamics influences the protein-DNA recognition is still challenging. Here, we developed a two-basin structure-based model to explore functional dynamics in Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA Y-family polymerase IV (DPO4) during its binding to DNA. With explicit consideration of non-specific and specific interactions between DPO4 and DNA, we found that DPO4-DNA recognition is comprised of first 3D diffusion, then a short-range adjustment sliding on DNA and finally specific binding. Interestingly, we found that DPO4 is under a conformational equilibrium between multiple states during the binding process and the distributions of the conformations vary at different binding stages. By modulating the strength of the electrostatic interactions, the flexibility of the linker, and the conformational dynamics in DPO4, we drew a clear picture on how DPO4 dynamically regulates the DNA recognition. We argue that the unique features of flexibility and conformational dynamics in DPO4-DNA recognition have direct implications for low-fidelity translesion DNA synthesis, most of which is found to be accomplished by the Y-family DNA polymerases. Our results help complete the description of the DNA synthesis process for the Y-family polymerases. Furthermore, the methods developed here can be widely applied for future investigations on how various proteins recognize and bind specific DNA substrates.

Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters Based Photoelectrochemical Sensors for Detection of H2O2 and Glucose Biosensors & Bioelectronics. Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25190086 In this work, low-toxicity fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) based photoelectrochemical sensors were developed for H2O2 and glucose detection. Herein, the processes used to fabricate the sensors and the photoelectrochemical performances of the sensors under different conditions were presented. Based on the energy band levels of the AuNCs and electron tunneling processes, a detailed photoelectrochemical sensing model was given. The designed sensors were then used for H2O2 and glucose detection without any extra modification of the AuNCs or complex enzyme immobilization. The results demonstrate that the AuNCs allow for H2O2 sensing based on their capacity for both fluorescence and catalysis. Indeed, it was observed that H2O2 was catalyzed by the AuNCs and reduced by photoinduced electrons derived from excited AuNCs. Furthermore, an enhancement in photocurrent amplitude followed the increase in the concentrations of H2O2 and glucose. The effects of the types of ligands surrounding the AuNCs and the applied potential on the output photocurrent were well studied to optimize the measurement conditions. The sensitivity and LOD of MUA-AuNCs at -500mV were 4.33nA/mM and 35μM, respectively. All experimental results indicated that AuNCs could not only serve as a promising photoelectrical material for building the photoelectrochemical biosensors but as catalysts for H2O2 sensing.

Coordinating a Supply Chain with a Loss-averse Retailer and Effort Dependent Demand TheScientificWorldJournal. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25197696 This study investigates the channel coordination issue of a supply chain with a risk-neutral manufacturer and a loss-averse retailer facing stochastic demand that is sensitive to sales effort. Under the loss-averse newsvendor setting, a distribution-free gain/loss-sharing-and-buyback (GLB) contract has been shown to be able to coordinate the supply chain. However, we find that a GLB contract remains ineffective in managing the supply chain when retailer sales efforts influence the demand. To effectively coordinate the channel, we propose to combine a GLB contract with sales rebate and penalty (SRP) contract. In addition, we discover a special class of gain/loss contracts that can coordinate the supply chain and arbitrarily allocate the expected supply chain profit between the manufacturer and the retailer. We then analyze the effect of loss aversion on the retailer's decision-making behavior and supply chain performance. Finally, we perform a numerical study to illustrate the findings and gain additional insights.

Improved Electrocatalytic Activity for Ethanol Oxidation by Pd@N-doped Carbon from Biomass Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25198925 Pd@N-doped carbon (Pd@CN) exhibited four and two times higher peak current density toward ethanol electrooxidation than Pd@active carbon and Pd@non-nitrogen carbon. Controlled experimental results indicated that the incorporation of nitrogen into the carbon matrix improved the percentage of Pd(0) and increased the binding energy of Pd in Pd@CN, and accordingly enhanced the catalytic activity.

Sustainable and Scalable Production of Monodisperse and Highly Uniform Colloidal Carbonaceous Spheres Using Sodium Polyacrylate As the Dispersant Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England). Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25199065 Monodisperse, uniform colloidal carbonaceous spheres were fabricated by the hydrothermal treatment of glucose with the help of a tiny amount of sodium polyacrylate (PAANa). This synthetic strategy is effective at high glucose concentration and for scale-up experiments. The sphere size can be easily tuned by the reaction time, temperature and glucose concentration.

[Quantitative Evaluation of Three-dimensional Reconstruction Accuracy of Edentulous Models in Centric Relatien] Zhonghua Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi = Zhonghua Kouqiang Yixue Zazhi = Chinese Journal of Stomatology. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25199936 To reconstruct the centric relation of upper and lower edentulous dental models with two methods, to compare the reconstruction accuracy of the vertical and horizontal distance, and to provide some references to computer aided design and computer aided manufacture for complete denture.

Early Changes in Ocular Surface and Tear Inflammatory Mediators After Small-incision Lenticule Extraction and Femtosecond Laser-assisted Laser in Situ Keratomileusis PloS One. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25211490 To characterize the early ocular-surface changes or tear inflammatory-mediators levels following small-incision lenticule extraction (ReLEx smile) and femtosecond laser-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK).

Wettability of Dentin After Yb:KYW Thin-disk Femtosecond Ablation Lasers in Medical Science. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25213830 The aim of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the wettability of dentin after Yb:KYW thin-disk femtosecond-pulsed laser ablation by measuring the contact angle. Different laser parameters were used including different fluences (F), scanning speeds, and scanning line spacings. Crowns of 15 extracted human teeth were cut longitudinally into slices approximately 1.5-mm thick with a cutting instrument. The samples were randomly divided into ten groups (n = 3/group). Samples in groups 1-8 were irradiated with a femtosecond-pulsed laser. The dentin samples were fixed on a stage at the focal plane, and the laser beam irradiated the samples through a galvanometric scanning system so rectangular movement could be achieved. Samples in groups 9 and 10 were prepared with grinding instruments. Following ablation and preparation, the samples were examined for contact angle with an optical contact angle measuring instrument. The results showed that scanning speed and scanning line spacing had little influence on the wettability of dentin following femtosecond-pulsed laser ablation, except when F = 6 J/cm(2). For six out of the eight laser ablation groups, when a lower fluence was used, the dentin contact angle was higher and vice versa. Most of the dentin which had been ablated using the femtosecond-pulsed laser had improved wettability compared to samples prepared with the grinding instruments. This study showed that various laser fluences, scanning speeds, and scanning line spacings can alter dentin wettability. Therefore, adequate parameters should be chosen to achieve proper therapeutic benefits.

Design and Fabrication of Hierarchically Porous Carbon with a Template-free Method Scientific Reports. 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25215549 Fabrication of hierarchically porous carbon materials (HPCs) with high surface area and pore volume has always been pursued. However, the currently effective template methods and acid/base activation strategies suffer from the drawbacks of either high costs or tedious steps. Herein, HPCs with 3D macro-mesopores and short-range meso-micropores were fabricated via an easy and sustainable two-step method from biomass. Macro-mesopores were constructed by slightly accumulation/aggregation of carbon spheres ranging from 60 nm to 80 nm, providing efficient mass diffusion pathways. Short-range mesopores and micropores with high electrolyte accessibility were developed in these spheres by air activation. The obtained HPCs showed surface area values up to 1306 m(2)/g and high mesopore volume proportion (63.9%). They demonstrated excellent capacitance and low equivalent series resistance (ESR) as supercapacitor electrode materials, suggesting the efficient diffusion and adsorption of electrolyte ions in the designed hierarchically porous structure.

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Erdman Infection of Rhesus Macaques of Chinese Origin Tuberculosis (Edinburgh, Scotland). Aug, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25224753 Continuous high global tuberculosis (TB) mortality rates and variable vaccine efficacy of mycobacterium Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) emphasize the need for improved vaccines and drugs against TB, which require clinically relevant animal models for evaluation. We infected a total of 24 Chinese rhesus macaques with varying doses (CFU of 25, 100 and 500) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) Erdman strain via bronchoscopy. Regardless of the M.tb doses, all animals were infected successfully with minor differences in clinical progression; as evidenced by clinical manifestations, laboratory analyses, bacterial burden in infected tissues and histopathology evaluations. Rhesus macaques of Chinese origin are highly susceptible to infection with M.tb Erdman strain and develop acute TB disease, which is similar to that in humans. Pathologically, Chinese rhesus macaques recapitulated the complete spectrum of granulomatous lesions seen in human TB disease. These data indicate that low-dose infection of rhesus macaques of Chinese origin is a suitable model for acute M.tb infection.

LY2875358, A Neutralizing and Internalizing Anti-MET Bivalent Antibody, Inhibits HGF-Dependent and HGF-Independent MET Activation and Tumor Growth Clinical Cancer Research : an Official Journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25231402 Background: MET, the receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), has been implicated in driving tumor proliferation and metastasis. High MET expression is correlated with poor prognosis in multiple cancers. Activation of MET can be induced either by HGF-independent mechanisms such as gene amplification, specific genetic mutations, and transcriptional up-regulation; or by HGF-dependent autocrine or paracrine mechanisms. Methods / Results: Here we report on LY2875358, a novel humanized bivalent anti-MET antibody that has high neutralization and internalization activities resulting in inhibition of both HGF-dependent and HGF-independent MET pathway activation and tumor growth. In contrast to other bivalent MET antibodies, LY2875358 exhibits no functional agonist activity and does not stimulate biological activities such as cell proliferation, scattering, invasion, tubulogenesis, or apoptosis protection in various HGF-responsive cells, and no evidence of inducing proliferation in vivo in a monkey toxicity study. LY2875358 blocks HGF binding to MET and HGF-induced MET phosphorylation and cell proliferation. In contrast to the humanized one-armed 5D5 anti-MET antibody, LY2875358 induces internalization and degradation of MET that inhibits cell proliferation and tumor growth in models where MET is constitutively activated. Moreover, LY2875358 has potent antitumor activity in both HGF-dependent and HGF-independent (MET amplified) xenograft tumor models. Together, these findings indicate that the mechanism of action of LY2875358 is different than that of the one-armed MET antibody. Conclusions: LY2875358 may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for patients whose tumors are driven by both HGF-dependent and HGF-independent MET activation. LY2875358 is currently being investigated in multiple clinical studies.

Transgenic Expression of Human Cytoxic T-lymphocyte Associated Antigen4-Immunoglobulin (hCTLA4Ig) by Porcine Skin for Xenogeneic Skin Grafting Transgenic Research. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25236862 Porcine skin is frequently used as a substitute of human skin to cover large wounds in clinic practice of wound care. In our previous work, we found that transgenic expression of human cytoxicT-lymphocyte associated antigen4-immunoglobulin (hCTLA4Ig) in murine skin graft remarkably prolonged its survival in xenogeneic wounds without extensive immunosuppression in recipients, suggesting that transgenic hCTLA4Ig expression in skin graft may be an effective and safe method to prolong xenogeneic skin graft survival. In this work, using a transgene construct containing hCTLA4Ig coding sequence under the drive of human Keratine 14 (k14) promoter, hCTLA4Ig transgenic pigs were generated by somatic nuclear transfer. The derived transgenic pigs were healthy and exhibited no signs of susceptibility to infection. The hCTLA4Ig transgene was stably transmitted through germline over generations, and thereby a transgenic pig colony was established. In the derived transgenic pigs, hCTLA4Ig expression in skin was shown to be genetically stable over generations, and detected in heart, kidney and corneal as well as in skin. Transgenic hCTLA4Ig protein in pigs exhibited expected biological activity as it suppressed human lymphocyte proliferation in human mixed lymphocyte culture to extents comparable to those of commercially purchased purified hCTLA4Ig protein. In skin grafting from pigs to rats, transgenic porcine skin grafts exhibited remarkably prolonged survival compared to the wild-type skin grafts derived from the same pig strain (13.33 ± 3.64 vs. 6.25 ± 2.49 days, P

[Clinical Role of BRAF V600E Mutation Testing in Thyroid Nodules] Zhonghua Er Bi Yan Hou Tou Jing Wai Ke Za Zhi = Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25241863 To evaluate the clinical role of BRAF V600E mutation testing in fine-needle aspirates (FNA) of thyroid nodules.

Piperazinyl-oxadiazoles As Selective Sphingosine-1-phosphate Receptor Agonists Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25241927 The discovery of a new series of selective S1P1 agonists is described. This series of piperazinyl-oxadiazole derivatives was rapidly optimized starting from high-throughput screening hit 1 to afford potent and selective lead compound 10d. Further SAR studies showed that 10d was converted to the active phosphate metabolite 29 in vivo. Oral administration of compound 10d to rats was shown to induce lymphopenia at 3mg/kg.

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Short TEMPS-A and Its Application in Patients with Mood Disorders Journal of Affective Disorders. Sep, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 25243747 The short version of Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-Auto-questionnaire (TEMPS-A) is a useful instrument to measure affective temperaments. Aims of the present study are to validate the Chinese Version of the Short TEMPS-A, and to explore whether it could be useful to distinguish patients with mood disorders from healthy controls or differentiate patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) from those with major depressive disorder (MDD) in Chinese population.

Improved Solubility and Stability of 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin at Different Temperatures and PH Values Through Complexation with Sulfobutyl Ether-β-cyclodextrin Food Chemistry. Feb, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25172710 The inclusion complex of 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin (7H4MC) with sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) was investigated by means of UV-vis, circular dichroism and (1)H NMR spectroscopy in phosphate buffer solutions at different temperatures and pH values. The stoichiometric ratio of the complexation was found to be 1:1 and the stability constants (KC) were estimated from phase solubility analysis. The thermodynamic parameters of standard Gibbs free energy change, ΔG(o), enthalpy change, ΔH(o), and entropy change, ΔS(o), for the complexation process were obtained by using the van't Hoff equation and Gibbs-Helmholtz equation. The large negative ΔH(o) and the small negative or positive ΔS(o) (|ΔH(o)|>|TΔS(o)|) demonstrated that the inclusion interaction was an enthalpy-driven process. The positive signal of circular dichroism indicated that 7H4MC penetrated the cavity in such a way that the transition moment of the guest chromophore was parallel to the long axis of SBE-β-CD cavity. Moreover, the (1)H NMR spectrum showed that the entire 7H4MC molecule, except the hydroxyl group, was included in the SBE-β-CD cavity.

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