Study on Improving the Internal Quality of Tobacco Stems by Using Pectinase

[Objective] This study aimed to reduce the content of cell wall materials in tobacco stems and improve their internal quality. [Method] Pectinase was used to decompose cell wall materials in tobacco stems, followed by determination of the contents of four cell wall materials, six routine chemical components, as well as aroma constituents. [Result] Pectinase could effectively reduce the contents of cell wall materials in tobacco stems, with the largest decrease of 6.84%; after pectinase treatment,the content of reducing sugar in tobacco stems increased obviously, and the contents of total sugar, potassium ion, chloride ion and total nitrogen increased to varying degrees, of which the contents of potassium ion and reducing sugar displayed upward trends with the increase of pectinase concentration. Pectinase treatment significantly increased the contents of Maillard reaction products, with the most increase of 67.2%;the contents of carotenoid degradation products, phenylalanine degradation products and neophytadiene all increased to varying extents, and the contents of both Maillard reaction products and phenylalanine degradation products revealed ascending trends with the increase of pectinase concentration. [Conclusion] Pectinase treatment can effectively decompose cell wall materials in tobacco stems, improve routine chemical constituents, and increase the contents of aroma constituents.

现代工业建筑—欧瑞杭州工厂方案设计

介绍了欧瑞杭州工厂的设计方案通过体块的塑造和细节的刻画,创造富有趣味、生动的现代工业建筑新形象。

Enteric glial cells and their role in gastrointestinal motor abnormalities: Introducing the neuro-gliopathies

The role of enteric glial cells has somewhat changed from that of mere mechanical support elements, gluing together the various components of the enteric nervous system, to that of active participants in the complex interrelationships of the gut motor and inflammatory events. Due to their multiple functions, spanning from supporting elements in the myenteric plexuses to neurotransmitters, to neuronal homeostasis, to antigen presenting cells, this cell population has probably more intriguing abilities than previously thought. Recently, some evidence has been accumulating that shows how these cells may be involved in the pathophysiological aspects of some diseases. This review will deal with the properties of the enteric glial cells more strictly related to gastrointestinal motor function and the human pathological conditions in which these cells may play a role, suggesting the possibility of enteric neuro- gliopathies.

CD133 and membrane microdomains:Old facets for future hypotheses

Understanding all facets of membrane microdomains in normal and cancerous cells within the digestive tract is highly important,not only from a clinical point of view,but also in terms of our basic knowledge of cellular transformation.By studying the normal and cancer stem cell-associated molecule CD133 (prominin-1),novel aspects of the organization and dynamics of polarized epithelial cells have been revealed during the last decade.Its association with particular membrane microdomains is highly relevant in these contexts and might also offer new avenues in diagnosis and/or targeting of cancer stem cells.

Spatial organization of bacterial flora in normal and inflamed intestine: A fluorescence in situ hybridization study in mice

AIM: To studythe role of intestinal flora in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).METHODS: The spatial organization of intestinal flora was investigated in normal mice and in two models of murine colitis using fluorescence in situ hybridization.RESULTS: The murine small intestine was nearly bacteriafree. The normal colonic flora was organized in three distinct compartments (crypt, interlaced, and fecal), each with different bacterial compositions. Crypt bacteria were present in the cecum and proximal colon. The fecal compartment was composed of homogeneously mixed bacterial groups that directly contacted the colonic wall in the cecum but were separated from the proximal colonic wall by a dense interlaced layer. Beginning in the middle colon, a mucus gap of growing thickness physically separated all intestinal bacteria from contact with the epithelium. Colonic inflammation was accompanied with a depletion of bacteria within the fecal compartment, a reduced surface area in which feces had direct contact with the colonic wall, increased thickness and spread of the mucus gap, and massive increases of bacterial concentrations in the crypt and interlaced compartments. Adhesive and infiltrative bacteria were observed in inflamed colon only, with dominant Bacteroides species.CONCLUSION: The proximal and distal colons are functionally different organs with respect to the intestinal flora, representing a bioreactor and a Segregation device.The highly organized structure of the colonic flora, its specific arrangement in different colonic segments, and its specialized response to inflammatory stimuli indicate that the intestinal flora is an innate part of host immunity that is under complex control.

Tumor budding as a potential histopathological biomarker in colorectal cancer:Hype or hope?

Colorectal cancer （CRC）, the third most commonly di- agnosed type of cancer in men and women worldwide is recognized as a complex multi-pathway disease, an observation sustained by the fact that histologically identical tumors may have different outcome, including various response to therapy. Therefore, particularly in early and intermediate stage （stages Ⅱ and Ⅲ, respec- tively） CRC, there is a compelling need for biomarkers helpful of selecting patients with aggressive disease that might benefit from adjuvant and targeted therapy. Histopathological examination shows that likely other solid tumors the development and progression of hu- man CRC is not only determined by genetically abnor- mal cells, but also by intricate interactions between malignant cells and the surrounding microenvironment. This has led to reconsider the features of tumor mi- croenvironment as potential predictive and prognostic biomarkers. Among the histopathological biomarkers, tumor budding （i.e., the presence of individual cells and small clusters of tumor cells at the tumor invasive front）has received much recent attention, particularly in the setting of CRC. Although its acceptance as a reportable factor has been held back by a lack of uniformity with respect to qualitative and quantitative aspects, tumor budding is now considered as an independent adverse prognostic factor in CRC that may allow for stratifica- tion of patients into risk categories more meaningful than those defined by tumor-node-metastasis staging alone, and also potentially guide treatment decisions, especially in T2-T3 NO （stage Ⅱ） CRCs.

Injections of Substances Inducing Apoptosis to Cancer Cells but Stimulation of Normal Cells May Prevent Cancer

Selenium（Se） compounds have prevented and Se-deficiency has induced the initiation of cancer. Se（0）-forming compounds and hydroxy-xanthones have killed cancer ceils but shown beneficial effects to normal cells. They may together be effective in the treatment of cancer. Many enzymes which contain selenocysteine （Secys） can catalyze reactions with reducible oxygen （O2~ 02 or H202）. Experiments strongly support that Se-enzymes are activated by Se（0）, from e.g. selenite, selenodiglutathione, binding to Se（-II） in Secys, forming an electron conducting Se-link to reducible oxygen as a protection against oxidations. Cancer cells, which are energy supported only from fermentation, are not dependent on Se which is why they are more sensitive to toxic effects of Se than normal cells. The energy from fermentation is insufficient for normal cell functions. High doses of Se（0）-containing compounds are toxic in that they form links with thiols （R-S-Se） reducing their reaction rate. The reaction of an SH-enzyme, necessary in fermentation, is impaired. Mangostins （hydroxy-xanthones） induce apoptosis in human cancer ceils but stimulate respiration. The OH-groups are responsible for the effects and the reduction of NADP＋ into NADPH. Fermentation is inhibited as NADP＋ is necessary for the process. Cancer may be treated by injections of Se（0）-forming compounds and hydroxy-xanthones into cancer cells in doses causing apoptosis. However, in diluted form, when meting normal cells, the substances promote the yield of energy by stimulating the electron transference to reducible oxygen. Se（0）-activated Se-links and hydrogen from hydroxy-xanthones hopefully prevent the initiation of cancer.

Decoding the Information of Life

We link nuclear force with gravity. We use statistical entropy to link fine-structure constant （ct） and cosmological constant, showing mystical number 137 （as reciprocal of increasing entropy of the universe） as negative entropy needed for life to exist. If our computational route applies to the physical universe, it should apply to life. Molecular biology is searching for the fundamental source of information that would link to the information in DNA.

CD13/APN expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes and skin lesions in patients with advanced psoriasis vulgaris

Objective： To observe the expression of CD13/APN in peripheral blood lymphocytes and skin lesions of patients with advanced psoriasis vulgaris, and discuss its effect on the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Methods： CD 13 expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes and skin lesions was detected by flow cytometry and imrnunohistochemical technique, respectively. Results were compared with those of healthy controls. Results： CD 13 expression was significantly higher in peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with advanced psoriasis vulgaris than in that of healthy controls, and in skin lesions than in healthy skin tissues. The expression was mainly in the suprabasal layers of skin lesions, and positively correlated to PASI （R 0.78029）. Conclusion： The significantly higher expression of CD13 in peripheral blood lymphocytes and skin lesions of the patients with advanced psoriasis vulgaris probably is related to immunological abnormality, blood vessel abnormality and proliferation of keratinocyte in the pathogenic course of psoriasis. It may be a novel and effective way to treat psoriasis with specific CD13 inhibitors.

Expression of heat shock proteins (HSP27, HSP60, HSP70, HSP90, GRP78, GRP94) in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinomas and dysplastic nodules

AIM: Expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) is frequently up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which evolves from dysplastic nodule (DN) and early HCC to advanced HCC. However, little is known about the differential expression of HSPs in multistep hepatocarcinogenesis. It was the purpose of this study to monitor the expression of HSPs in multistep hepatocarcinogenesis and to evaluate their prognostic significance in hepatitis B virus (HBV)related HCC.METHODS: Thirty-eight HCC and 19 DN samples were obtained from 52 hepatitis B surface antigen-positive Korean patients. Immunohistochemical and dot immunoblot analyses of HSP27, HSP60, HSP70, HSP90, glucoseregulated protein (GRP)78, and GRP94 were performed and their expression at different stages of HCC development was statistically analyzed.RESULTS: Expression of HSP27, HSP70, HSP90, GRP78, and GRP94 increased along with the stepwise progression of hepatocarcinogenesis. Strong correlation was found only in GRP78 (Spearman's r= 0.802). There was a positive correlation between the expressions of GRP78, GRP94, HSP90, or HSP70 and prognostic factors of HCC. Specifically, the expression of GRP78, GRP94, or HSP90 was associated significantly with vascular invasion and intrahepatic metastasis.CONCLUSION: The expressions of HSPs are commonly up-regulated in HBV-related HCCs and GRP78 might play an important role in the stepwise progression of HBVrelated hepatocarcinogenesis. GRP78, GRP94, and HSP90 may be important prognostic markers of HBV-related HCC, strongly suggesting vascular invasion and intrahepatic metastasis.

Myo-inositol reduces β-catenin activation in colitis

To assess dietary myo-inositol in reducing stem cell activation in colitis, and validate pβ-cateninS552 as a biomarker of recurrent dysplasia.METHODSWe examined the effects of dietary myo-inositol treatment on inflammation, pβ-cateninS552 and pAkt levels by histology and western blot in IL-10-/- and dextran sodium sulfate-treated colitic mice. Additionally, we assessed nuclear pβ-cateninS552 in patients treated with myo-inositol in a clinical trial, and in patients with and without a history of colitis-induced dysplasia.RESULTSIn mice, pβ-cateninS552 staining faithfully reported the effects of myo-inositol in reducing inflammation and intestinal stem cell activation. In a pilot clinical trial of myo-inositol administration in patients with a history of low grade dysplasia (LGD), two patients had reduced numbers of intestinal stem cell activation compared to the placebo control patient. In humans, pβ-cateninS552 staining discriminated ulcerative colitis patients with a history of LGD from those with benign disease.CONCLUSIONEnumerating crypts with increased numbers of pβ-cateninS552 - positive cells can be utilized as a biomarker in colitis-associated cancer chemoprevention trials.

Normal Reference Value of Red Blood Cell Count of Chinese Presenile Men and Geographical Factors

This paper aims at providing a scientific basis for unifying the normal reference value standards of red blood cell count of Chinese presenile men. The paper, using microscopical counting method, studies the relationship between the normal reference values of 38,061 samples of red blood cell count of presenile men and eight geographical factors in 297 units in China. It is found that the correlation of geographical factors and the normal reference value of red blood cell count of presenile men is quite significant （F=303.00, P=-0.000）. By using the method of stepwise regression analysis, one regression equation is inferred. It is concluded that if geographical data are obtained in a certain area, the normal reference value of red blood cell count of presenile men in this area can be reckoned by using the regression analysis. Furthermore, according to the geographical factors, China can be divided into eight regions： Northeast China Region, North China Region, Shanxi-Shaanxi-Irmer Mongolia Region, Middle and Lower Reaches of the Changjiang River Region, Southeast China Region, Northwest China Region, Southwest China Region and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Region.

Observation on Double Fertilization and Early Embryonic Development in Autotetraploid Polyembryonic Rice

The process of double fertilization and the characters of embryo and endosperm development in an autotetraploid polyembryonic mutant rice IR36-Shuang were studied with a laser scanning confocal microscopy. Some abnormalities including degenerated ovary, abortive embryo sac, single fertilization, double-ovule and double-embryo and so on. were found dudng double fertilization and embryo development in IR36-Shuang. The rate of the abnormalities was 46.67% in IR36-Shuang, significantly higher than that in the control, an autotetraploid rice line IR36-4X （33.00%）. Cytological and embryonic evidences were provided for seed setting decline and the initiation of additional embryo in IR36-Shuang.

Abnormal expression of PACAP gene in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome

Objective： To explore the expression pattern of PACAP gene in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome （MDS）. Methods： The expression pattern of PACAP gene in CD34＋ cells from MDS patients was determined by microarray, confirmed in expanding samples by quantitative real-time PCR in bone marrow mononuolear cells. Results： The transcription of PACAP gene was found significantly down-regulated in patients with MDS in comparison with that in control samples, with a means of 220.1 in MDS-RA and 116.8 in MDS-RAEB （P 〈 0.05 ）. Conclusion： PACAP gene is expressed significantly lower in patients with MDS.

Differential expression of autocrine motility factor receptor (AMFR) mRNA in normal and cancer cells detected by in situ hybridization

The receptor for autocrine motility factor (AMFR) is known to be involved in the process of AMF-mediated cell migration and metastasis. This paper describes the procedures of non-radioactive in situ hybridization (ISH) detection of AMFR mRNA in both paraffin-embedded surgical sections and cultured cells using either biotinylated oligonucleotide probes or digoxigenin-labeled RNA probes. The results showed that the AMFR mRNA was expressed at an enhanced level in hyperplaJstic and malignant tissues of breast and prostate cancer patient surgical specimens, indicating that the elevated AMFR expression was associated with the tissue malignancy Moreover, AMFR mRNA was detected in both normal and earcinoma cells when cultured at a subconfluent density. However, AMFR expression was inhibited in confluent normal (3T3-A31 murine fibroblast and FHs738BL human bladder) cells while it continued to express in carcinoma (J82 human bladder)and metastatic (3T3-M murine fibroblast) cells irrespective of cell density This suggested a cell-cell contact downregulation of AMFR mRNA expression in normal but not in cancer cells. The ISH data obtained in this study are closely consistent with the AMFR protein expression pattern previously reported, implying that the differential expression of AMFR gene may be regulated and controlled at the transcriptional level.

Abnormal expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α and clinical values of molecular-targeted interference in hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective:The aim of this study was to analyze the expression features of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and effects of HIF-1α silencing on HepG2 cells.Methods:HIF-1α expression was analyzed in the self-control HCC specimens by immunohistochemistry.After HepG2 cells with miRNA transfection,the expression of HIF-1α was determined at mRNA or protein level by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or Western blotting.Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2) were determined by ELISA.Alterations of cell cycles and apoptosis of HepG2 cells were measured using a flow cytometer.Results:Positive HIF-1α was brown and granule-like in the cytoplasm or nucleus.Significant difference was found between HCC (80%) and its surrounding tissues (100%,χ2=22.35,P < 0.001) and HIF-1α expression related to tumor size.At 72 h after miRNA transfection,the expression of HIF-1α in HepG2 cells was down-regulated by 87% at mRNA or 65% at protein level,with VEGF and ANG-2 decreased to 54% and 36%,respectively.After RNA interference combined with anti-cancer drug,the apoptotic rate of HepG2 cells was increasing from 22.46% ± 0.61% to 36.99% ± 0.88%,with up-regulation of G1 phase (65.68% ± 0.91%) and down-regulation of S phase (19.47 ± 1.34 %).Conclusion:Abnormal expression of HIF-1α is associated with development of HCC,and HIF-1α gene silencing can effectively inhibit HepG2 cell proliferation.

Cell transformation as aberrant differentiation: Environmentally dependent sportaneous transformation of NIH 3T3 cells

NIH 3T3 cells, a mouse fibroblast cell line used as routine target cells for transfection experiments, undergo spontaneous transformation in our experiments after they form a confluent sheet in medium containing fetal bovina serum (FBS) or lower coneentrafcion of calf serum (CS). The transformation takes the form of foci of multiplying cells among the surrounding cells which have stopped cell division. However, no focus of transformed cells could be seen in medium containing high concentration (10%) of OS. Further experiments indicated that the frequency of transformation is highly dependent on the concentration of serum and the transformation in OS is changeable when the cells are passaged in FBS. 8H-thymidine autoradiography has been proved to be a sensitive measurement indicator for foous formation. Our results suggest that the high frequency of transformation and its dependence on confmenoy as well as on medium composition are characteristics of cell differentiation rather than mutation. The role of the NIH 3T3 cell line as a cancer-initiated cell population and its accelerated transformation by rat oncogene might be considered as a form of tumor promotion is discussed.

Anomalous Cell Detection with Kernel Density-Based Local Outlier Factor

Since data services are penetrating into our daily life rapidly, the mobile network becomes more complicated, and the amount of data transmission is more and more increasing. In this case, the traditional statistical methods for anomalous cell detection cannot adapt to the evolution of networks, and data mining becomes the mainstream. In this paper, we propose a novel kernel density-based local outlier factor(KLOF) to assign a degree of being an outlier to each object. Firstly, the notion of KLOF is introduced, which captures exactly the relative degree of isolation. Then, by analyzing its properties, including the tightness of upper and lower bounds, sensitivity of density perturbation, we find that KLOF is much greater than 1 for outliers. Lastly, KLOFis applied on a real-world dataset to detect anomalous cells with abnormal key performance indicators(KPIs) to verify its reliability. The experiment shows that KLOF can find outliers efficiently. It can be a guideline for the operators to perform faster and more efficient trouble shooting.

Aberrant methylation and downregulation of sall3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To investigated whether sall3 transcription was regulated by promoter CpG island hypermethylation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: The cell lines Huh7, HepG2, SK-HEP1, SM-MC7721, Bel7402, QGY7703 and a cohort of 38 HCC tissue specimens and corresponding nontumorous tissues were subjected to analysis for sall3 promoter CpG island methylation and mRNA transcription. sall3 promoter CpG island methylation levels were determined using the MassARRAY platform and mRNA transcription levels of the gene were detected by quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction.RESULTS: The levels of sall3 mRNA were decreased by more than twofold in 33 of 38 tumor tissues compared to adjacent noncancerous tissues. Among these 33 tumor tissues with lower levels of sall3 mRNA, 24 showed higher levels of methylation. Based on these results, we hypothesized that the decrease in sall3 mRNA transcription level was likely due to promoter CpG island hypermethylation. Changes in sall3 mRNA transcription and promoter CpG island methylation were determined in the above six cell lines after treatment with 0, 0.1, 0.5 and 2.5 mmol 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine, a demethylating agent. Promoter CpG island methylation levels de- creased in a dose-dependent manner in all six cell lines, while the mRNA transcription level increased dose-dependently in Huh7, HepG2, SK-HEP1 and SMMC7721 cells and irregularly in Bel7402 and QGY7703 cells. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that promoter CpG island hypermethylation contributes to the downregulation of sall3 mRNA transcription in HCC.

Interaction between Fermions via Mass less Bosons and Massive Particles

By using a Hamiltonian based on the coupling through flux lines, we have calculated the interaction energy between two fermions via mass less bosons as well as via massive particles. In the case of interaction via mass less bosons we obtain an equivalent expression for the Coulomb＇s energy on the form cthc/r, where a is the fine structure constant. In the case of the interaction via massive particles we obtain that the interaction energy contains a term building the potential well. Also, we take into account the spin-spin interaction of the nucleons and we show that this interaction modulates the interaction potential through a cosine factor. The obtained results are in a good agreement with experimental data, for example, of deuteron. We have determined the radial functions for the deuteron.