Pre-ischemia electro-acupuncture potentiates the expression of Bcl-2 and transforming growth factor-beta 1 in rat brains

The expression of the anti-apoptotic molecules Bcl-2 and transforming growth factor-beta 1 is known to confer protective effects on the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.The current study investigated the expression levels of Bcl-2 and transforming growth factor-beta 1 in response to multiple pre-ischemia electro-acupuncture at acupoints Zusanli(ST36)and Fengchi(GB20) stimulation.Rats were divided into five groups:uninjured,control,non-acupoint,GB20 and ST36. Rats in the non-acupoint,GB20 and ST36 groups received 30 minutes(3 times or 18 times)of electro-acupuncture stimulation before experimental cerebral ischemia was induced.Bcl-2 and transforming growth factor-beta 1 were found to be significantly increased in the ST36 groups with either 3 or 18 electro-acupuncture treatments(P<0.05).The production was higher with 18 electro-acupuncture treatments in the ST36 groups(P<0.05).In the GB20 groups,significant increase was only observed in transforming growth factor-beta 1 with 18 electro-acupuncture treatments(P<0.05).No significant elevation of the level of transforming growth factor-beta 1 was observed in the non-acupoint groups.However,the production of Bcl-2 increased with 18 treatments in the non-acupoint groups(P<0.05).The data suggest that multiple pre-ischemia electro-acupuncture at ST36 was effective in conferring neuroprotective effect on the brain by means of upregulation of Bcl-2 and transforming growth factor-beta 1 and the effect was increase with the number of treatment.

Synthesis and Structure of anti-Configuration Complex [Cu(tssb)_2]·2[(H_3O)Cl]·4H_2O

The title complex [Cu(tssb)2]2[(H3O)Cl]4H2O (C18H34Cl2CuN2O14S2) (tssb = tau- rine salicylaldehyde Schiff base) has been synthesized by the reaction of taurine salicylaldehyde Schiff base (tssb) and copper acetate in water-ethanol. Its single-crystal structure was determined by X-ray diffraction method. The crystal structure belongs to triclinic, space group P1 with a = 0.7407(1), b = 1.3329(3), c = 1.5736(3) nm, ?= 103.800(4), ?= 95.030(4), ?= 104.416(4)? Mr = 701.06, V = 1.4433(5) nm3, Z = 2, Dc = 1.613 g/cm3, = 1.153 mm-1 and F(000) = 726. The compound is an infinitely expanding three-dimensional network connected with hydrogen bonds. The Cu(Ⅱ) atom is coordinated by two nitrogen and two oxygen atoms to form a distorted planar coordination compound which adopts anti-configuration because two sulfonic acid groups are posi- tioned diagonally on a plane.

Chemical characteristics of aerosols at coastal station in Hong Kong.Ⅱ. Environmental behavior of trace elements during the April 1995 to April 1996

An one-year of sampling aerosol program was carried out during the period of April 1995 to April 1996 at coastal region, Cape D′Aguilar, in Hong Kong. The trace element composition of aerosol particles(TSP and PM 10 ) were measured and analyzed by using the Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis(INAA) and Inductive Couple Plasma-Mass Spectrometry(ICP-MS) techniques. The results showed that the polluted elements such as: V, Zn, As, Pb, Cd, Sb, I, Se, Bi, with high enrichment factor(E.F) values, are derived from anthropogenic sources, while Sc, Al, Fe, Mn, Sm, La, Sr are less than 10 in E.F, these elements are related the crust and soil. The concentration of the trace elements are present seasonal variation i.e. summer low and winter high, whereas the V or noncrustal V(V *) present summer high and winter low, this phenomenon might be explained by local or regional oil combustion sources. Use three type of elemental ratio, e.g. La/Sm, Mn */V * and Bi/Al indicate that both TSP and PM 10 of La/Sm ratios are mainly related to soil and dust, Mn */V * are probably represent fossil combustion and Bi/Al are possibly associated with refuse incineration, ferromanganese alloys and aluminum production. The varimax rotation factor analysis for trace elements was performed. By means of the absolute principal component analysis(APCA) and multiple regression, the contribution of trace elements to possible sources and overall means of trace elements were estimated. The results showed that the present station is impacted by the anthropogenic species, although the quantities are different during the summertime and wintertime.

The Paramagnetic 2D Chiral-porous Polymer of L-Phenylalanine and Manganese

Mn(L-Phe)2稨2O]n (Phe=phenylalanine) with a single stranded coordination poly- mer has been synthesized by self-assembly of manganese salt and phenylalanine and characterized by X-ray single-crystal diffraction method. The complex crystallizes in the orthorhombic, space group P212121 with a = 6.0911(1), b = 10.3642(1), c = 30.4321(7) ? V = 1921.16(6) ?, Z = 4, Dc = 1.387 g/cm3, C18H22N2O5Mn, Mr = 401.32, F(000) = 836 and m(MoKa) = 0.717 mm-1. The final R = 0.0614 and wR = 0.1412 for 2291 observed reflections with I > 2s(I). The magnetic behavior study shows that there exist super-exchange antiferromagnetic interactions between the magnetic centers through the effective exchange pathway of the carboxylate group.

NMR studies of stock process water and reaction pathways in hydrothermal carbonization of furfural residue

Hydrothermal carbonization(HTC) is a valuable approach to convert furfural residue(FR) into carbon material. The prepared biochars are usually characterized comprehensively, while the stock process water still remains to be studied in detail. Herein, a NMR study of the main components in stock process water generated at different HTC reaction conditions was reported. Various qualitative and quantitative NMR techniques(~1H and ^(13)C NMR,~1H-~1H COSY and ~1H-^(13)C HSQC etc.) especially 1D selective gradient total correlation spectroscopy(TOCSY NMR) were strategically applied in the analysis of HTC stock process water. Without separation and purification, it was demonstrated that the main detectable compounds are 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, formic acid, methanol, acetic acid, levulinic acid, glycerol, hydroxyacetone and acetaldehyde in this complicate mixture. Furthermore, the relationship between the concentration of major products and the reaction conditions(180-240 ℃ at 8 h, and 1-24 h at 240 ℃) was established. Finally, reasonable reaction pathways for hydrothermal conversion of FR were proposed based on this result and our previously obtained characteristics of biochars. The routine and challenging NMR methods utilized here would be an alternative other than HPLC or GC for biomass conversion research and can be extended to more studies.

IN SITU COMPATIBILIZATION OF LDPE/NYLON-6 BLEND USING LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT INTERFACIAL AGENT AS A CHEMICAL COMPATIBILIZER

In situ compatibilization of low density polyehylene (LDPE) (30%) and nylon-6(70%)blends through one-step reactive extrusion using t-BuOOH as an initiator and low molec-ular weight interfacial agents as compatibilizers was studied. The compatibilizer containeda long chain bydrocarbon, double bond and two polar functional groups which was capableof reacting with both LDPE and nylon-6 in the presence of initiator to form a copolymerat the interface of the two polymer phases. The extruded blends exhibited significant en-hancement in their compatibility based on morphological, thermal analysis and mechanicalstudies. The effect of the hydrocarbon chain length and structure of the functional groupof the compatibilizer was also examined. It was found that blends prepared by using thecompatibilizer containing longer hydrocarbon chain and amide group had better mechanicalproperties.

BIOSYNTHESIS AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF POLY(3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE-co-3-HYDROXYVALERATE)WITH LARGE VARIETY OF HYDROXYVALERATE CONTENTS BY BACILLUS CEREUS

Biosynthesis and thermal properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) with different HV (hydrovalerate) content produced by a Bacillus cereus strain were investigated. A large variety of HV contents (up to about 90 mol%) of PHBV could be produced by this strain. Combined nitrogen sources containing both yeast extract and ammonium sulphate were better for cell growth and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production than either yeast extract or ammonium sulphate alone. Propionic acid is more favorable for the production of HV content than that of valeric acid. Finally, thermal properties of PHBV produced by this strain are found close to the results of other groups.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of the Copper(II)Complex with N,N'-Cyclohexanebis(3- formyl- 5-tert-butyl-salicylaldimine)

A mononuclear copper(II) complex CuL with a Schiff-base L (H2L = N,N(- cyclohexanebis(3-formyl-5-tert-butyl-salicylaldimine)) has been synthesized and characterized. X-ray diffraction analysis at room temperature indicates that the complex (Cu C30H36N2O4, Mr = 552.15) crystallizes in tetrahedral system, space group P41 with a = 13.4685(6), c = 31.326(2) ?, V = 5682.5(5) ?3, Z = 8, Dc = 1.291 g/cm3, F(000) = 4656, μ(MoK() = 0.805 mm-1. The final R and Rw factors are 0.0421 and 0.0815, respectively with 4435 observed reflections. The title complex is a neutral molecule in which the ligand is doubly deprotonated, forming a four-coordinated Cu(II) complex by nitrogen and oxygen donors of the ligand and the coordination geometry of Cu(II) could be considered as an approximately planar configuration. There are two independent molecules, having a transoid arrangement in this structure.

Crystal Structures of Schiff Base from 4-Aminoantipyrine and Pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde and Its Perchlorate

The Schiff base pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde-4-aminoantipyrine(C17H16N4O 1) and its perchlorate(C17H17N4O·ClO4 2) have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis,IR spectra and single-crystal X-ray crystallography analysis.Both 1 and 2 crystallize in the monoclinic system,space group P21/c.For 1,a = 8.6820(12),b = 24.934(3),c = 7.0064(10) ,β = 97.942(3)°,V = 1502.2(4) 3,Z = 4,Dc = 1.293 g/cm3,F(000) = 616,μ = 0.084 mm-1,the final R = 0.0592 and wR = 0.1244.For 2,a = 5.9302(2),b = 20.347(7),c = 14.663(6) ,β = 90.200(9)°,V = 1769.2(11) 3,Z = 4,Dc = 1.475 g/cm3,F(000) = 816,μ = 0.254 mm-1,the final R = 0.0533 and wR = 0.0819.As expected,both molecular structures of 1 and 2 adopt a trans configuration about the central C=N double bond.2 is an ionic compound with the protonation at N(1) of pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde-4-aminoantipyrine.

Intramolecular Hydrogen Bond Self-template Synthesis of Some New Robson-type Macrocyclic Ligands

The intramolecular hydrogen bond self-template effect was suggested in the process of directly synthesizing the first six chiral metal-free Robson-type macrocyclic ligands. These ligands were characterized by 1H NMR, IR, FAB-MS.

Measurements of Heat Treatment Effects on Bovine Cortical Bones by Nanoindentation and Compression Testing

Heat treatment of bone is one of the reliable and simple sterilization methods to overcome the risk of rejection and disease transfer from allograft and xenograft, in particular for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, the mechanical property of the micro-structural level after heat treatment is not well characterized. To address this issue, this study was carried out to compare the localized mechanical properties of micro-structural tissue with those at the global structural level. Nanoindentation technique has been well accepted as an accurate technique to measure mechanical property of small and heterogeneous specimen nondestructively, as well as the complex bio-material of micro-structural level, often with a resolution of better than 1 μm. In this study, nanoindentation was conducted to measure the localised elastic modulus and hardness values of bones at temperature of 23°C (room temperature – non-heated sample), 90°C and 150°C, respectively. All experiments were conducted at room temperature (~23°C). The elastic modulus (E) and nanoindentation hardenss (H) values in the longitudinal direction of bones heated at 150°C were recorded as 23.43 GPa and 0.73 GPa, respectively;as in transverse direction, the E and H values were 12.77 GPa and 0.54 GPa, respectively. It showed significant increases of 44% and 43% in the longitudinal direction as compared to those of the non heat-treated bones. In addition, E and H values in transverse direction also showed increases of 23% and 38%, respectively as compared to those of the non heat-treated bones. Furthermore, heat-treated bones at 90°C in longitudinal direction also appeared to have significant increases of 18% and 31% in E and H values, respectively. However, the E and H values in transverse direction increase only by 0.4% and 12.8%, respectively. In addition, compressive test is employed to measure the global stiffness (E) of the bone samples. When heated at 150°C, the bone specimen showed an increase of 60% in stiffness (E) and an increase of 26% in yield stress. On the other hand, when heated at 90°C, a slight increase of 11.4% in stiffness (E) and 21.5% in yield stress were recorded respectively. Furthermore, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) which integrated with Backscattered Electron (BSE) imaging was conducted to examine the relationship between mineral content and mechanical strength within the nanoindentation regions. The data demonstrated that the non heat-treated bones obtained the highest calcium wt% amongst the three groups;as temperature increased, there was a slight decrease in calcium wt%;however, the changes were not severe in this study.

Crystallization and Orientation Modulation Enable Highly Efficient Doctor-Bladed Perovskite Solar Cells

With the rapid rise in perovskite solar cells(PSCs)performance,it is imperative to develop scalable fabrication techniques to accelerate potential commercialization.However,the power conversion efficiencies(PCEs)of PSCs fabricated via scalable two-step sequential deposition lag far behind the state-of-the-art spin-coated ones.Herein,the additive methylammonium chloride(MACl)is introduced to modulate the crystallization and orientation of a two-step sequential doctorbladed perovskite film in ambient conditions.MACl can significantly improve perovskite film quality and increase grain size and crystallinity,thus decreasing trap density and suppressing nonradiative recombination.Meanwhile,MACl also promotes the preferred face-up orientation of the(100)plane of perovskite film,which is more conducive to the transport and collection of carriers,thereby significantly improving the fill factor.As a result,a champion PCE of 23.14%and excellent longterm stability are achieved for PSCs based on the structure of ITO/SnO_(2)/FA_(1-x)MA_xPb(I_(1-y)Br_y)_3/Spiro-OMeTAD/Ag.The superior PCEs of 21.20%and 17.54%are achieved for 1.03 cm~2 PSC and 10.93 cm~2 mini-module,respectively.These results represent substantial progress in large-scale two-step sequential deposition of high-performance PSCs for practical applications.

Rapid testing methods for food contaminants and toxicants

Food safety is one of the major concerns in every country regardless of the economic and social development. The frequent occurrence of food scandals in the world has led the Chinese government to implement several strategies to fortify the food supply system to a high food safety standard. This relies heavily on laboratory testing services but conventional methods for detection of food contaminants and toxicants are limited by sophisticated sample preparation procedures,long analysis time,large instruments and professional personnel to meet the increasing demands. In this review,we have incorporated most of the current and potential rapid detection methods for many notorious food contaminants and toxicants including microbial agents,toxic ions,pesticides,veterinary drugs and preservatives,as well as detection of genetically modified food genes and adulterated edible oil. Development of rapid,accurate,easy-to-use and affordable testing methods could urge food handlers and the public to actively screen for food contaminants and toxicants instead of passively relying on monitoring by the government examination facility. This review also provides several recommendations including how to encourage the public to engage in the food safety management system and provide optimal education and financial assistance that may improve the current Chinese food safety control system.

Comprehensive characterization of indoor airborne bacterial profile

This is the first detailed characterization of the airborne bacterial profiles in indoor environments. Two restaurants were selected for this study. Fifteen genera of bacteria were isolated from each restaurant and identified by three different bacterial identification systems including MIDI, Biolog and Riboprinter . The dominant bacteria of both restaurants were Gram-positive bacteria in which Micrococcus and Bacillus species were the most abundant. Most bacteria identified were representative species of skin and respiratory tract of human, and soil. Although the bacterial levels in these two restaurants were below the limit of the Hong Kong Indoor Air Quality Objective (HKIAQO) Level 1 standard (i.e., < 500 cfu/m3), the majority of these bacteria were opportunistic pathogens. These results suggested that the identity of airborne bacteria should also be included in the IAQ to ensure there is a safety guideline for the public.

GENE EXPRESSION PROFILING OF HUMAN PROMYELOCYTIC LEUKEMIA HL-60 CELL TREATED BY AJOENE

Objective: Ajoene, a major compound extracted from crashed garlic, has been shown to have antitumor, antimycotic, antimicrobial, antimutagenic functions in vivo or in vitro and treated as a potential antitumor drug. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the tumor cytotoxicity of ajoene and even garlic substances are poorly defined. In the present study, we aimed to generate gene expression profiles of HL-60 cell treated by ajoene. Methods: A cDNA microarray presenting 2400 of genes amplified from human leukocyte cDNA library was constructed and the gene expression profiles of HL-60 cell induced by ajoene were generated. Results: After data analysis, 28 differentially expressed genes were identified and sequenced. These genes include 21 known genes and 7 ESTs. Most of the known genes are related to cell apoptosis, such as secretory granule (PRG1), beta-2 microglobulin (B2M), 16S ribosomal RNA gene and ribosomal protein S12. Several genes are related to cell differentiation, including the genes similar to H3 histone and ribosomal protein L31. Northern blot analysis was used to verify and quantify the expression of selected genes. Conclusion: Ajoene can induce HL-60 cell apoptosis significantly and may play a role in differentiation. cDNA microarray technology can be a valuable tool to gain insight into molecular events of pharmacological mechanism of herbal medicine.

Transposon mouse models to elucidate the genetic mechanisms of hepatitis B viral induced hepatocellular carcinoma

The major type of human liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), and there are currently many risk factors that contribute to this deadly disease. The majority of HCC occurrences are associated with chronic hepatitis viral infection, and hepatitis B viral(HBV) infection is currently a major health problem in Eastern Asia. Elucidating the genetic mechanisms associated with HBV-induced HCC has been difficult due to the heterogeneity and genetic complexity associated with this disease. A repertoire of animal models has been broadly used to study the pathophysiology and to develop potential treatment regimens for HBVassociated HCC. The use of these animal models has provided valuable genetic information and has been an important contributor to uncovering the factors involved in liver malignant transformation, invasion and metastasis. Recently, transposon-based mouse models are becoming more widely used in liver cancer research to interrogate the genome by forward genetics and also used to validate genes rapidly in a reverse genetic manner. Importantly, these transposon-based rapid reverse genetic mouse models could become crucial in testing potential therapeutic agents before proceeding to clinical trials in human. Therefore, this review will cover the use of transposon-based mouse models toaddress the problems of liver cancer, especially HBVassociated HCC occurrences in Asia.

MOF-Transformed In_(2)O_(3-x)@C Nanocorn Electrocatalyst for Efficient CO_(2)Reduction to HCOOH

For electrochemical CO_(2) reduction to HCOOH,an ongoing challenge is to design energy efficient electrocatalysts that can deliver a high HCOOH current density(JHCOOH)at a low overpotential.Indium oxide is good HCOOH production catalyst but with low con-ductivity.In this work,we report a unique corn design of In_(2)O_(3-x)@C nanocatalyst,wherein In_(2)O_(3-x)nanocube as the fine grains dispersed uniformly on the carbon nanorod cob,resulting in the enhanced conductivity.Excellent performance is achieved with 84%Faradaic efficiency(FE)and 11 mA cm^(−2)JHCOOH at a low potential of−0.4 V versus RHE.At the current density of 100 mA cm^(−2),the applied potential remained stable for more than 120 h with the FE above 90%.Density functional theory calculations reveal that the abundant oxygen vacancy in In_(2)O_(3-x) has exposed more In^(3+) sites with activated electroactivity,which facilitates the formation of HCOO*intermediate.Operando X-ray absorp-tion spectroscopy also confirms In^(3+) as the active site and the key intermediate of HCOO*during the process of CO_(2) reduction to HCOOH.

Synthesis of Pyrrole-Imidazole Polyamide

One simple and versatile method is established for the synthesis of DNA recognition molecules-polyamides containing alternating N-methylpyrrole and N-methylimidazole without necessitating NH2- group protection.

Inhibition of Hepatitis B Virus Replication by Rheum palmatum L. Ethanol Extract in a Stable HBV-producing Cell Line

肝炎 B 病毒(HBV ) 感染是在世界上的一个严重健康问题。然而，仍然为 HBV 感染没有令人满意的治疗学的策略。到为有更高的功效和更少的副作用的新 anti-HBV 代理人的搜索，繁体中文药感冒 palmatum L 的禁止的活动。对 HBV 复制的乙醇摘录(RPE ) 在这研究被调查。量的即时聚合酶链反应(PCR ) 被采用在稳定的生产 HBV 房间线 HepAD38 对 HBV-DNA 复制分析 RPE 的禁止的活动；HBV 表面抗原(HBsAg ) 和 e 抗原(HBeAg ) 的表示层次被酶也决定在 RPE 处理以后的连接 immunosorbent 试金(ELISA ) 。RPE 能 dose-dependently 禁止 HBV-DNA 和 HBsAg 的生产。50% 抑制(IC50 ) 的集中在 209.63 点被计算， 252.53 渭 g /mL， respectivel y。然而，它对 HBeAg 表示的禁止的活动甚至在高集中是细微的。RPE 在 HepAD38 房间上有弱细胞毒素的效果(CC50 = 1 640 渭 g /mL ) 并且选择索引(SI ) 在 7.82 点被计算。与二 anthraquinone 衍生物 emodin 和 rhein 相比， RPE 显示出 anti-HBV 和更弱的 cytotoxicity 的更高的能力。那么感冒 palmatum L。可能拥有能有效地禁止 HBV-DNA 复制和 HBsAg 表示的另外的功能的代理人。他们改进功效并且减少的结构的活跃代理人，鉴定和修正的进一步的纯化 cytotoxicity 被要求。关键词肝炎 B 病毒(HBV )- 抗病毒 - 感冒 palmatum L.ethanol 摘录(RPE )- HepAD38 房间 CLC 数字 R373 同等地相应的作者。