Emodin and baicalein inhibit pancreatic stromal derived factor-1 expression in rats with acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND: Stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is an efficacious leukocyte chemoattractant, which can attract lymphocytes and mononuclear cells from bloodstream into the site of inflammation. Emodin., an anthraquinone derivative from Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, and baicalein, a flavone from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, both have been reported to possess anti-inflammatory activities. The expression pattern of SDF-1 in experimental acute pancreatitis (AP) and the effect of emodin or baicalein on that are not well defined. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of emodin and baicalein on pancreatic myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity (reflecting leukocyte sequestration) and cytokine production, as well as tissue SDF-1 expression in the setting of AP. METHODS: A :rat model of AP was induced by administration (of 5% sodium taurocholate through the biliopancreatic duct. The level of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and MPO in the pancreas, and serum amylase were tested by immunohistochemistry, ELISA and chromatometry. The expressions of SDF-1 alpha and SDF-1 beta were detected by real-time PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. RESULT: Combination of emodin and baicalein significantly reduced pancreatic TNIP-alpha, IL-6 and MPO, and also inhibited pancreatic SDF-1 expression. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibition of SDF-1 expression by emodin and baicalein might contribute, in part at least, to the amelioration of pancreatic inflammation. The present study also shows benefits of simultaneous treatment of AP.

Expression and clinical significance of p53,JunB and KAI1/CD82 in human hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The mechanism of regulation of KAI1, a specific tumor metastasis suppression gene, is controversial. A recent study showed that the synergism of wild-type p53 and JunB has the function of regulating the expression of KAI1, a metastasis inhibiting factor in prostate cancer cells. The wild-type p53 gene is an activator of apoptosis and is closely related to malignant tumor cell multiplication. JunB, a member of the fos/jun family, is a key component of activator protein transcription factor and a major target element in the transmission pathway of mitosis. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the expression of KAI1 and p53 combined with JunB in tumor tissues and clinical outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. METHODS: Quantitative real-time RT-PCR, Western blotting techniques and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the expression of KAI1 mRNA, KAI1/CD82, p53 and JunB in HCC patients, and the relationship between their expression and the clinicopathological prognostic parameters was analyzed. RESULTS: In cancer tissues, the values for positive expression of KAI1 mRNA, KAI1/CD82, p53 and JunB were 31.25%, 26.25%, 48.75%, and 20.00%, respectively, while in adjacent non-tumor tissues, they were 100%, 94.74%, 2.63%, and 76.32%, respectively. There was no correlation between the expression levels of p53 or JunB and KAI1 mRNA or KAI1/CD82. However, there were significant correlations between the expression levels of p53 combined with JunB and not only KAI1 mRNA but also KAI1/CD82 proteins. CONCLUSIONS: When p53 dysfunction and low expression of JunB are simultaneous, they may play an important role in down-regulating the expression of KAI1 by synergism in HCC. But further studies in vivo and in vitro are needed to verify these results.

Semi-Automatic Complex Emotion Categorization and Ontology Construction from Chinese Knowledge

In order to recognize one's intention from the communication,both the meaning and the emotion are necessary to be interpreted correctly.But until now the study of fine-grained theory of emotion is still full of challenges.This paper analyzes emotion category according to the statistics of Affective Word(AW) hierarchy and describes an emotion ontology from Chinese knowledge resource semi-automatically created for human machine interaction.The emotion hierarchy is called complex emotion.Firstly,over 7 000 AWs have been annotated and their detailed explanations had been collected for an affective lexicon and then the consistent relationships are automatically parsed and a serial of emotion hierarchical structures are built up.More than 50 affective categories are extracted by a lexical clustering algorithm and about 5 000 nouns and adjectives and 2 000 verbs are categorized into the predicate hierarchy.The results have been evaluated to be valid by two metrics.

Serotonin receptor agonist quipazine promotes proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatocyte strain of L-02 strain

BACKGROUND: Liver disease is commonly seen in the clinic and its pathological characteristic is combined hepatocellular death and apoptosis. Promoting hepatocyte regeneration is one of the main methods of treating liver disease. Serotonin (5-HT) is an important compound which participates in various life process, and 95% of it is carried by platelets in the blood. A recent finding showed that platelet-derived serotonin is the key factor in liver regeneration, which fails without serotonin. This study aimed to investigate the effects of quipazine, a selective 5-HT receptor agonist, on proliferation and apoptosis in the human hepatocyte strain L-02. METHODS: L-02 cells were cultured in medium with 5-HT and quipazine, and samples were collected at 24, 48, and 72 hours. The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) method was used to test viability, flow cytometry to assess the cell cycle, the Annexin-V/PI method to evaluate apoptosis, and immunohistochemistry to detect proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the viability of L-02 cells was improved in the 10, 50, and 250 mu g/ml quipazine groups (P<0.05); the percentage of S-phase and PCNA-positive cells were increased in the 2, 10, 50, and 250 mu g/ml quipazine groups (P>0.05); and no difference in the percentage of apoptotic cells was found between the 50 mu g/ml quipazine and control groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Quipazine improves proliferation of a human hepatocyte strain in vitro, and this is not based on the inhibition of apoptosis. (Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int 2009; 8: 278-281)

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of gallbladder carcinoma cell line

BACKGROUND: Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy is a physical method applied to the study of cellular changes at the molecular level in various normal and diseased human tissues, including cancer. This study was undertaken to establish a cellular basis for the diagnosis of carcinoma tissue, using FT-IR spectroscopy to study a carcinoma cell line and investigating the specific spectral features of the cell line. METHODS: The FT-IR spectra of cultured gallbladder carcinoma cells (GBC-SD) smeared on a BaF(2) window were measured with a Nicolet Magna750-II FT-IR spectrometer. A comparative study was subsequently carried out between the spectra of cultured gallbladder carcinoma cells and those of corresponding carcinoma tissue. RESULTS: Several infrared spectral features were obtained, and the results suggest that the spectral features of the carcinoma cell line reflect those of carcinoma tissue, though the latter are more complex, probably due to the intrinsic complexity of the tissue. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of carcinoma tissue by FTIR spectroscopy has a sufficient cellular basis.

Glycosylation of recombinant human thyroid peroxidase ectodomain of insect cell origin has little effect on recognition by serum thyroid peroxidase antibody

Background Thyroid peroxidase （TPO） is an important autoantigen in Hashimoto＇s thyroiditis （HT）, and almost all epitopes are located in TPO ectodomain. The glycosylation of TPO might contribute to breaking self-tolerance, therefore, pudfied glycosylated recombinant TPO ectodomain is prerequisite of elucidating its role in the pathogenesis of HT. The aim of our study was to investigate whether the glycosylation has influence on the antigenic determinants of recombinant TPO. Methods Bac-to-Bac baculovirus expression system was used to generate recombinant human TPO ectodomain. The antigenicity was analyzed by antigen specific enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays （ELISAs）. The glycosylation of recombinant human TPO ectodomain of High Five insect cell origin was detected by lectin-ELISAs. Results TPO ectodomain was recovered from the culture media as a soluble protein, and it was fused with a hexahistidine tag which allowed purification by nickel-affinity chromatography. The recombinant TPO ectodomain could be recognized by all the 54 HT patients and three TPO monoclonal antibodies. Fucose, sialic acid and galactose were all detected on the recombinant TPO ectodomain. Sera TPOAb binding decreased slightly after non-specific deglycosylation of TPO by periodic acid. Conclusions High Five insect cells derived recombinant human TPO ectodomain had N-glycosylation sites, which might have little effect on recognition by serum TPOAb.

Influence of Atmospheric Plasma-Sprayed Composite Cathode on the Performance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Ni-Al2O3 cermet supported tubular solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs)with different cathodes were fabricated by thermal spraying.The anode,electrolyte and cathode were deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying(APS)aimed at reducing the manufacturing cost of SOFCs.Three porous composite cathodes of lanthanum strontium manganite(LSM)and yttria-stabilized zirconia(YSZ),lanthanum strontium cobalt oxide(LSC)and YSZ,LSC and scandia-stabilized zirconia(ScSZ)were prepared to investigate influence of cathode constitutions on the cell's performance.The electrode polarization can be improved through using a composite cathode.The maximum power density of the cell with APS YSZ electrolyte and LSC/ScSZ composite cathode is increased about 12%than pure LSM cathode.The maximum output power density of the cell with APS ScSZ electrolyte and LSC/ScSZ composite cathode reaches 1.0 W/cm 2 at 1000 o C.The further optimization of the performance of plasma-sprayed composite cathode can be made through improving the interface contact between YSZ electrolyte and composite cathode.

Effect of protein molecular weight on the mass transfer in protein mixing

与猛抛的混合蛋白质答案代理人在蛋白质结晶化实验是很重要的。在这个工作， interferometry 图象在与不同分子的重量混合二蛋白质期间被记录：14.6 kDa 的溶解酵素， 34.8 kDa 的 23.3 kDa 和胃朊酶的胰岛素被放在 Mach-Zehnder 干涉仪。蛋白质在接口的运输进程和动力学的比赛上的分子的重量依赖被学习。蛋白质答案的集中侧面被计算在混合过程期间分析集体转移。集体转移过程在与更高分子的重量混合蛋白质期间是更有效的，这被观察。另外，在接口上面的更快速的集中变化建议那传送对流可以统治散开。传送对流的现象在有更高分子的重量的蛋白质答案是更高的。

The Dynamics of Dopamine D_(2) Receptor-Expressing Striatal Neurons and the Downstream Circuit Underlying L-Dopa-Induced Dyskinesia in Rats

L-dopa(l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine)-induced dyskinesia(LID)is a debilitating complication of dopamine replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease.The potential contribution of striatal D_(2) receptor(D2R)-positive neurons and downstream circuits in the pathophysiology of LID remains unclear.In this study,we investigated the role of striatal D_(2)R+neurons and downstream globus pallidus externa(GPe)neurons in a rat model of LID.Intrastriatal administration of raclopride,a D_(2)R antagonist,significantly inhibited dyskinetic behavior,while intrastriatal administration of pramipexole,a D_(2)-like receptor agonist,yielded aggravation of dyskinesia in LID rats.Fiber photometry revealed the overinhibition of striatal D_(2)R+neurons and hyperactivity of downstream GPe neurons during the dyskinetic phase of LID rats.In contrast,the striatal D2R+neurons showed intermittent synchronized overactivity in the decay phase of dyskinesia.Consistent with the above findings,optogenetic activation of striatal D_(2)R+neurons or their projections in the GPe was adequate to suppress most of the dyskinetic behaviors of LID rats.Our data demonstrate that the aberrant activity of striatal D_(2)R+neurons and downstream GPe neurons is a decisive mechanism mediating dyskinetic symptoms in LID rats.

Efficacy evaluation for the treatment of unstable lumbar disc herniation by traditional and modified lamina osteotomy replantation

Background The traditional lamina osteotomy replantation method is prone to nerve root injury and low back pain recurrence. Our team has proposed a modified approach that improves the osteotomy site and its fixation procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of traditional and modified lamina replantation methods in treating unstable lumbar disc herniation. Methods From March 2008 to August 2011, 124 patients with unstable lumbar disc herniation were enrolled and randomly divided into the following two groups according to random digital table： group A （traditional group） consisting of 61 patients who underwent traditional laminectomy replantation, and group B （modified group） consisting of 63 patients who underwent modified lamina replantation. Both surgeries were performed by the same surgeons. The two groups had no significant difference in gender, age, symptoms, time of onset and the prominent segment. Visual analogue scale （VAS）, Oswertry disability index （ODI）, and Japanese Orthopaedic Association （JOA） scores, operative time, blood loss, complication rate, radiographic healing rates, and low back pain recurrence rates were compared between the two groups. Results There were 121 patients followed up for more than one year, and the follow-up rate was 97.6%. Nerve injury occurred in two patients （3.3%） in the modified group and 12 patients （20.0%） in the traditional group. Dural injury occurred in one patient （1.6%） in the modified group and seven patients （11.7%） in the traditional group. Pseudarthrosis occurred in two patients in the modified group and in 18 patients in the traditional group with 1-year fusion rates of 96.7% and 70.0%, respectively. Recurrence of lower back pain after one year was noted in three patients （4.9%） in the modified group, and in 15 （25.0%） in the traditional group. Leg pain recurrence was noted in one patient （1.6%） in the modified group and in three cases （5.0%） in the traditional group. The one-year healing rates of nerve injury, dural injury, replantation lamina and low back pain recurrence rates after one year were significantly different （P〈0.05） between the two groups. At two weeks, three months, six months and one year postoperatively, both groups had significant improvement in VAS, ODI, and JOA scores from their preoperative values （P〈0.05）. No significant difference was detected between the short term postoperative scores between groups A and B （P〉0.05）. However, a significant difference was found one year later （P〈0.05）. Conclusions Compared to the traditional approach, the modified technique for lamina replantation showed lower rates of dural and nerve damage, a higher lamina healing rate, a lower back pain recurrence rate, and better clinical scores. It is a safe and effective operation for lumbar spine surgery.

EGFR/cell membrane chromatography-online-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method for screening EGFR antagonists from Radix Angelicae Pubescentis

The intracellular kinase domains of the epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) in some tumor cells are significant targets for drug discovery.We have developed a new EGFR cell membrane chromatography(EGFR/CMC)-online-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry(HPLC/MS) method for screening anti-EGFR antagonists from medicinal herbs such as Radix Angelicae Pubescentis.In this study,the HEK293 EGFR cells with high expression of EGFR were used to prepare cell membrane stationary phase(CMSP) in the EGFR/CMC model.The retention fractions on the EGFR/CMC model were directly analyzed by combining a 10 port columns switcher with a HPLC/MS system online.As a result,osthole from Radix Angelicae Pubescentis was found to be the active component acting on EGFR like dasatinib as the control drug.There was a good relationship between their inhibiting effects on EGFR secretion and HEK293 EGFR cell growth in vitro.This new EGFR/CMC-online-HPLC/MS method can be applied for screening anti-EGFR antagonists from TCMs,for instance,Radix Angelicae Pubescentis.It will be a useful method for drug discovery with natural medicinal herbs as a leading compound resource.

Influence of Deposition Temperature on the Splat Bonding and Mechanical Properties of Plasma-Sprayed Tungsten Coatings

The mechanical properties of thermally sprayed metallic coatings are limited by the bonding between splats.In this study,tungsten coatings were deposited at different deposition temperatures by controlling the substrate temperature through shrouded plasma spraying.The dependence of the splat bonding and mechanical properties of W coatings on deposition temperature was investigated.The results showed that the apparent porosity of the coatings decreased from 3.2%to 0.3%with the increase of the deposition temperature.The Young's modulus of W coating was significantly increased from 128 to 307 GPa as the deposition temperature increased from room temperature to 800°C.The microhardness of the coatings was less influenced by the deposition temperature.It was found that splat bonding across lamellae was formed when the deposition temperature was higher than 600°C compared to the obvious lamellae interface in the coatings deposited at temperatures lower than 600°C.The results evidently revealed that the mechanical properties of plasma-sprayed W coatings could be controlled through the splat bonding by altering deposition temperature.

The Characterization of Sputtered Zr-Ge-N Thin Films as Diffusion Barriers Between Copper and Silicon

The main purpose of the present micro-structural analysis by transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)was to investigate whether amorphous Zr-Ge-N films are a potential candidate as a diffusion barrier for Cu wiring used in Si devices.The Zr-Ge-N films were prepared by a radio frequency(RF)reactive magnetron sputter-deposition technique using N2 and Ar mixed gas,and the film structure was found to be sensitive to the gas flow ratio of N2 vs.Ar during sputtering.Polycrystalline Zr-Ge-N films were obtained when the N2/(Ar+N2)ratio was smaller than 0.2 and amorphous-like Zr-Ge-N films were obtained when the ratio was larger than 0.3.Diffusion barrier test was performed by annealing the Cu/Zr-Ge-N/Si film stack under Ar atmosphere.The deposited Zr-Ge-N(C)films remained amorphous even after high temperature annealing.The Cu diffusion profile in the film was assessed by the Auger electron spectroscopy(AES).The results indicate that Cu diffusion was minimal in amorphous Zr-Ge-N(C)films even at high annealing temperatures of 800℃.

Numerical study on combustion of diluted methanol-air premixed mixtures

The effect of nitrogen dilution on the premixed combustion characteristics and flame structure of laminar premixed methanol-air-nitrogen mixtures are analyzed numerically based on an extended methanol oxidation mechanism. The laminar burning velocities, the mass burning fluxes, the adiabatic flame temperature, the global activation temperature, the Zeldovich number, the effective Lewis number and the laminar flame structure of the methanol-air-nitrogen mixtures are obtained under different nitrogen dilution ratios. Comparison between experiments and numerical simulations show that the extended methanol oxidation mechanism can well reproduce the laminar burning velocities for lean and near stoichiometric methanol-air-nitrogen mixtures. The laminar burning velocities and the mass burning fluxes decrease with the increase of nitrogen dilution ratio and the effect is more obvious for the lean mixture. The effective Lewis number of the mixture increases with the increase of nitrogen dilution ratio, and the diffusive-thermal instability of the flame front is decreased by the nitrogen addition. Nitrogen addition can suppress the hydrodynamic instability of methanol-air-nitrogen flames. The decrease of the mole fraction of OH and H is mainly responsible for the suppressed effect of nitrogen diluent on the chemical reaction in the methanol-air-nitrogen laminar premixed flames, and the NOx and formaldehyde emissions are decreased by the nitrogen addition.

A prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of an intracardiac electrogram-based atrioventricular and interventricular intervals optimization method in cardiac resynchronization therapy

Background Cardiac resynchronization therapy （CRT） with biventricular pacing improves cardiac function,functional capacity and quality of life in selected patients with heart failure.The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the intracardiac electrogram （IEGM）-based optimization method,QuickOptTM,in Chinese patients treated with CRT.Methods Aortic time velocity integrals （AVTI） achieved at the sensed atrioventricular （AV）,paced AV and interventricular （VV） interval settings recommended by both QuickOptTM and standard echocardiographic optimization were measured in 101 patients.Consistency and the strength of the relationship between the two timing cycle optimization methods were assessed by intra-class correlation coefficient （ICC）.Results The ICC showed good agreement and correlation with what the AVTI achieved at the optimal sensed AV （ICC=0.9683 （0.9535-0.9785））,paced AV （ICC=0.9642 （0.9475-0.9757）） and VV （ICC=0.9730 （0.9602-0.9817）） interval settings determined by the two optimization methods.The average time required by echocardiographic optimization and by QuickOptTM were （78.32±32.40） minutes and （1.98±1.64） minutes respectively （P 〈0.0001）.Conclusion The QuickOptTM algorithm provides a quicker,simpler and reliable alternative to the standard method for timing cycle optimization.（ClinicaITrial.gov Reference Number：NCT00918294）

Primary spinal melanoma： a case report and literature review

This case report describes a 44-year-old woman with primary spinal cord malignant melanoma localized in the lumbar region. This is a very rare lesion. The patient presented with back pain and slight weakness in her lower extremities. Magnetic resonance imaging showed hyperintense signals on Tl-weighted images and hypointense signals on T2-weighted images. The entire tumor was removed surgically. The patient＇s postoperative clinical examination revealed mild neurological improvements. Histopathological investigations confirmed the tumor was a malignant melanoma. When treating common lesions of the lumbar spinal cord with a benign appearance, surgeons should be aware of the potential for malignant tumors.

Novel completed biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent versus durable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent in de novo lesions： nine-month angiographic and three-year clinical outcomes of HOPE trial

Background Drug-eluting stents（DES） with durable polymer have significantly reduced restenosis and target vessel revascularization compared with bare metal stents. Durable polymer has been linked with persistent inflammation of vessel wall and delayed endothelial healing that may increase the risk of late and very late stent thrombosis. This study sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HELLOS completed biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent （SES） in de novo coronary lesions.Methods Totally, 287 patients with one or two de novo coronary lesions （lesion length ≤38 mm and reference vessel diameter 2.5-4.0 mm） were enrolled in the HOPE study, a prospective, multicenter, randomized, non-inferiority trial. Patients were randomized to treatment either with HELIOS completed biodegradable polymer SES （n=142） or PARTNER durable polymer SES （n=145）. The primary endpoint was angiographic in-stent late lumen loss （LLL） at 9-month follow-up. The secondary endpoint included stent thrombosis and major adverse cardiac events including cardiac death, myocardial infarction （MI） and target lesion revascularization （TLR）.Results The 9-month in-stent LLL in the HELIOS group was similar to the PARTNER group, （0.16±0.22） mm vs. （0.19±0.30） mm （P=0.28）. The difference and 95% confidence interval were -0.03 （-0.09, 0.04）, and the P value for non-inferiority 〈0.01. Major adverse cardiovascular event （MACE） occurred in 7.9% vs. 8.2%, MI in 2.4% vs. 3.0%, TLR in 5.5% vs. 3.0%, and stent thrombosis in 0 vs. 1.5%; and events were comparable between the HELIOS group and PARTNER aroup at three-year follow-up （all P 〉0.05）. The three-year cardiac death was lower in the HELIOS group, butwith no significant difference, 0 vs. 3.0% （P=0.12）. Conclusions In the HOPE trial, the novel completed biodegradable polymer SES HELIOS was non-inferior to the durable polymer SES PARTNER with respect to nine-month in-stent LLL in de novo coronary lesions. The incidence of other clinical endpoints was low for both of the stents in three-year follow-up.

Formation of Iron-aluminide Coating through Annealing of Shrouded Plasma-sprayed Iron/Aluminum Composite

The formation of iron aluminide coating was attempted through annealing of plasma-sprayed iron/aluminum composite deposit.Shrouded plasma spraying with nitrogen as protective gas was employed to prepare iron/aluminum composite coating using mechanically blended iron and aluminum powders with Fe/Al atomic ratio of 65:35.Annealing of the as-sprayed coating was carried out in argon atmosphere at 450,500,550,and 600 o C for different durations.The microstructure of the coatings was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.The effect of annealing on the microstructure and phase evolution in the coatings was examined.The results show that iron/aluminum composite coating with low oxide inclusions and porosity is deposited by shrouded plasma spraying.It is found that Fe2Al5 intermetallics forms as an intermediate phase in the composite coating during annealing.As the annealing duration and temperature increase,iron aluminide intermetallic phases in the coatings increase and the microstructure becomes more homogeneous.After annealing at 600 o C for 336 h,FeAl and Fe3Al intermetallic phases will present in the coating as the main phases.

Preparation of Flexible Pt Counter Electrode on Indium-doped Tin Oxide Coated Polyethylene Naphthalate for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Flexible Pt counter electrode(CE)was prepared by a simple and fast electroless deposition on indium-doped tin oxide coated polyethylene naphthalate(ITO-PEN)plastic substrate for dye-sensitized solar cells(DSCs).The obtained Pt CE shows a high electrocatalytic activity for triiodide reduction and a low charge transfer resistance of 0.58Ω.cm 2.The assembled DSC exhibits an overall energy conversion efficiency of up to 4.53%,which is comparable to that of the DSC with sputtered Pt CE(4.74%).The present results indicate that the electroless deposition is an effective approach to prepare plastic Pt CEs as an alternative of the sputtering technology.