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Incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and brain iron accumulation increases with age. Excess iron accumulation in brain tissues post‐ICH induces oxidative stress and neuronal damage. However, the mechanisms underlying iron deregulation in ICH, especially in the aged ICH model have not been well elucidated. Ferroportin1 (Fpn) is the only identified nonheme iron exporter in mammals to date. In our study, we reported that Fpn was significantly upregulated in perihematomal brain tissues of both aged ICH patients and mouse model. Fpn deficiency induced by injecting an adeno‐associated virus (AAV) overexpressing cre recombinase into aged Fpn‐floxed mice significantly worsened the symptoms post‐ICH, including hematoma volume, cell apoptosis, iron accumulation, and neurologic dysfunction. Meanwhile, aged mice pretreated with a virus overexpressing Fpn showed significant improvement of these symptoms. Additionally, based on prediction of website tools, expression level of potential miRNAs in ICH tissues and results of luciferase reporter assays, miR‐124 was identified to regulate Fpn expression post‐ICH. Higher serum miR‐124 levels were correlated with poor neurologic scores of aged ICH patients. Administration of miR‐124 antagomir enhanced Fpn expression and attenuated iron accumulation in aged mice model. Both apoptosis and ferroptosis, but not necroptosis, were regulated by miR‐124/Fpn signaling manipulation. Our study demonstrated the critical role of miR‐124/Fpn signaling in iron metabolism and neuronal death post‐ICH in aged murine model. Thus, Fpn upregulation or miR‐124 inhibition might be promising therapeutic approachs for this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tissue culture and rapid propagation technology is an important way to solve the difficulties of plant propagation. This experiment aims to explore the appropriate conditions at each stage of the red maple's tissue culture process and to obtain plantlets, thus providing a theoretical basis for the establishment of the red maple's tissue culture system. Results: The results showed that the stem segment is the most suitable explant for inducing embryogenic callus. The MS (Murashige&Skoog) + 0.8 mg/L TDZ (Thidiazuron) + 1.0 mg/L 6-BA (6-Benzylaminopurine) + 0.5 mg/L IAA(Indole-3-acetic acid) + 35 g/L sucrose+ 7.5 g/L semi-fixed medium was the best for callus formation. When selecting type VI callus as embryonic callus induction material, MS + 0.6 mg/L TDZ + 0.5 mg/L 6-BA + 2.0 mg/L IAA + 35 g/L sucrose+ 7.5 g/L semi-fixed medium can get embryonic callus. The optimal medium for adventitious bud induction is MS + 1.0 mg/L TDZ + 3.0 mg/L 6-BA+ 0.2 mg/L NAA (1-Naphthaleneacetic acid) + 1.2 mg/L IAA + 35 g/L sucrose+ 7.5 g/L semi-fixed medium. The induction rate of adventitious roots in MS + 0.6 mg/L TDZ + 1.0 mg/L 6-BA+ 3 mg/L NAA + 35 g/L sucrose+ 7.5 g/L semi-fixed medium was the highest, reaching 76%. Conclusions: In the course of our research, we found that PGRs play an important role in the callus induction stage, and the effect of TDZ is particularly obvious; The callus cells grow and proliferate according to the "S" growth curve, and can be sub-cultured when the highest growth point is reached to maintain the rapid proliferation of the callus cells and to avoid inactivation of callus caused by tight niche. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maslinic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid that is distributed in the peel of olives. Previous studies found that maslinic acid inhibited inflammatory response and antioxidant effects. We investigated whether maslinic acid ameliorates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in mice with high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obesity and evaluated the regulation of lipogenesis in hepatocytes. Male C57BL/6 mice fed a normal diet or HFD (60% fat, w/w) were tested for 16 wk. After the fourth week, mice were injected intraperitoneally with maslinic acid for 12 wk. In another experiment, HepG2 cells were treated with oleic acid to induce lipid accumulation or maslinic acid to evaluate lipogenesis. Maslinic acid significantly reduced body weight compared with HFD-fed mice. Maslinic acid reduced liver weight and liver lipid accumulation and improved hepatocyte steatosis. Furthermore, serum glucose, leptin, and free fatty acid concentrations significantly reduced, but the serum adiponectin concentration was higher, in the maslinic acid group than in the HFD group. In liver tissue, maslinic acid suppressed transcription factors involved in lipogenesis and increased adipose triglyceride lipase. In vitro, maslinic acid decreased lipogenesis by activating AMPK. These findings suggest that maslinic acid acts against hepatic steatosis by regulating enzyme activity involved in lipogenesis, lipolysis, and fatty acid oxidation in the liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the intracellular interaction between tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) in hepatocytes, which plays a crucial role in determining the assembly of very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL). It discusses how silencing or deleting tPA in hepatocytes leads to higher plasma apoB and cholesterol levels.

Monitoring ephemeral gullies facilitates water planning and soil conservation. Artificial interpretation based on high spatial resolution images is the main method for monitoring ephemeral gullies in large areas; however, this method is time consuming. In this study, a semiautomatic method for extracting ephemeral gullies in loess hilly areas based on directional edge detection is proposed. First, the area where ephemeral gullies developed was extracted because the weak trace of ephemeral gullies in images can hardly be detected by most image detectors, which avoided the noise from other large gullies. Second, a Canny edge detector was employed to extract all edges in the image. Then, those edges along the direction where ephemeral gullies developed were searched and coded as candidate ephemeral gullies. Finally, the ephemeral gullies were identified through filtering of pseudo-gullies by setting the appropriate length threshold. Experiments in three loess hilly areas showed that accuracy ranged from 38.18% to 85.05%, completeness ranged from 82.35% to 92.86%, and quality ranged from 35.29% to 79.82%. The quality of the remote sensing images highly affected the results. The accuracy was significantly improved when the image was used with less grass and shrubs. The length threshold in directional searching also affected the accuracy. A small threshold resulted in additional noise and disconnected gullies, whereas a large threshold disregarded the short gullies. A reasonable threshold can be obtained through the index of quality. The threshold also exhibits a strong relationship with the average length of ephemeral gullies, and this relationship can help obtain the optimum threshold in the hilly area of the Northern Loess Plateau of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric epoxidation of electron-deficient olefins catalyzed by a biomimetic iron complex in a continuous-flow microreactor is described. The reaction conducted in the microreactor is characterized by rapid (<4 min) epoxidation of trisubstituted enones in high yields (up to 90%) and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 92% ee); compared to its batchwise counterpart, the microreactor reaction also allows shorter reaction times, safer operation, and more precise control over the reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims Iron is an essential metal for fundamental metabolic processes, but little is known regarding the involvement of iron in other nutritional disorders. In the present study, we investigated disordered iron metabolism in a murine model of hereditary tyrosinemia type I (HT1), a disease of the tyrosine degradation pathway. Methods We analysed the status of iron accumulation following NTBC withdrawal from Fah −/− mice, a murine model for HT1. Liver histology and serum parameters were used to assess the extent of liver injury and iron deposition. To determine the physiological significance of iron accumulation, mice were subjected to a low-iron food intake to reduce the iron accumulation. Mechanistic studies were performed on tissues and cells using immunoblotting, qRT-PCR, adenovirus transfection and other assays. Results Severe iron overload was observed in the murine model of HT1 with dramatically elevated hepatic and serum iron levels. Mechanistic studies revealed that downregulation and dysfunction of Tfr2 decreased hepcidin, leading to iron overload. The Fah −/− hepatocytes lost the ability of transferrin-sensitive induction of hepcidin. Forced expression of Tfr2 in the murine liver reduced the iron accumulation. Moreover, transcription factor Sp1 was downregulated and identified as a new regulator of Tfr2 here. Additionally, low-iron food intake effectively reduced the iron deposits, protected the liver and prolonged the survival in these mice. Conclusions Iron was severely overloaded in the HT1 mice via the Sp1/Tfr2/Hepcidin axis. The iron overload induced liver injury in the HT1 mice, and reduction of the iron accumulation ameliorated liver injury. Lay summary Primary and secondary iron overload is an abnormal status affecting millions of people worldwide. Here, we reported severe iron overload in a murine model of HT1, a disease of the tyrosine degradation pathway, and elucidated the mechanistic basis and the physiological significance of iron overload in HT1. These studies are of general interest not only with respect to secondary iron-induced liver injury in HT1 but also are important to elucidate the crosstalk between the two metabolic pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anin situ formed porphyrin-inspired iron complex that catalyzesasymmetric epoxidation of di- and trisubstituted enones is described.The reaction provides highly enantioenriched α,β-epoxyketones(up to 99% ee). The practical utility of the new catalyst system isdemonstrated by the gram-scale synthesis of optically pure epoxide.Hammett analysis suggests that the transition state of the reactionis electron-demanding and the active oxidant is electrophilic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric epoxidation of a variety of cis, trans, terminal, and trisubstituted olefins in excellent yields (up to 94%) and enantioselectivities (>99% ee) by an in situ-formed manganese complex using H2O2 has been developed. A relationship between the hydrophobicity of the catalyst imposed by ligand and the catalytic activity has been observed. The influence of the amount and identity of the acid additive was examined, and improved enantioselectivities were achieved through the use of a catalytic amount of a carboxylic acid additive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prompt and accurate diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke is critical to seek acute therapy. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) science, there is a comprehensive system of diagnosis and medical care of acute ischemic stroke. Here we introduce a two-level model for the analysis of TCM syndrome of acute ischemic stroke. Owing to the limitation of sample size and imbalance, we focused on the analysis of wind-phlegm collateral obstruction syndrome (Feng Tan Yu Zu Zheng). Firstly, a Support-Vector-Machine-(SVM-) based diagnostic model was set up through selection of core symptoms. After pairwise undersampling, we improved the performance of prediction and generated the core symptoms-based diagnostic model of wind-phlegm collateral obstruction syndrome. Next, Pathway Pattern-based method and MetaDrug platform were used to shed light on the molecular basis of the significance of core symptoms in three complementary aspects: symptom-gene-pathway multilayer correlation network, enriched pathways, and most relevant interaction network. The integration of diagnostic model and molecular mechanism analysis creates an interesting perspective for better understanding the syndrome. The two-level model would provide a new opportunity for the study of TCM syndromes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although microfluidics has shown exciting potential, its broad applications are significantly limited by drawbacks of the materials used to make them. In this work, we present a convenient strategy for fabricating whole-Teflon microfluidic chips with integrated valves that show outstanding inertness to various chemicals and extreme resistance against all solvents. Compared with other microfluidic materials [e.g., poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)] the whole-Teflon chip has a few more advantages, such as no absorption of small molecules, little adsorption of biomolecules onto channel walls, and no leaching of residue molecules from the material bulk into the solution in the channel. Various biological cells have been cultured in the whole-Teflon channel. Adherent cells can attach to the channel bottom, spread, and proliferate well in the channels (with similar proliferation rate to the cells in PDMS channels with the same dimensions). The moderately good gas permeability of the Teflon materials makes it suitable to culture cells inside the microchannels for a long time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes the development of a prototypic microfluidic platform for the generation of stepwise concentration gradients of drugs. A sensitive apoptotic analysis method is integrated into this microfluidic system for studying apoptosis of HeLa cells under the influence of anticancer drug, etoposide, with various concentrations in parallel; it measures the yellow fluorescent protein/cyan fluorescent protein fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) signal that responds to the activation of caspase-3, an indicator of cell apoptosis. Sets of microfluidic valves on the chip generate stepwise concentration gradient of etoposide in various cell-culture microchambers. The FRET signals from multiple chambers are simultaneously monitored under a fluorescent microscope for long-time observation and the on-chip results are compared with those from 96-well plate study and the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The microfluidic platform shows several advantages including high-throughput capacity, low drug consumption, and high sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, 90 patients with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) were studied for all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (As2O3) combination treatment in remission induction and postremission therapy. In addition, 20 APL patients who had achieved complete remission (CR) with an ATRA-based regimen received ATRA/As2O3 combination for consolidation and maintenance were also enrolled. The results showed that ATRA/As2O3 combination therapy yielded a high CR rate of 93.3% and a significantly shorter time to enter CR (median: 31 days; range: 18–59 days) compared to the ATRA-based regimen (n = 72; median: 39 days; range: 25–62 days). With the ATRA/As2O3 combination for CR maintaining, regardless of the way by which CR was attained, the relapse-free survival was significantly better than with an ATRA plus cytotoxic chemotherapy regimen (92.9 ± 3.2% vs. 72.4 ± 7.6%, for the 3-year Kaplan-Meier estimate of relapse-free survival). The drug toxicity profile showed that with the use of As2O3, the incidence of hepatotoxicity was obviously high during remission induction but decreased significantly during postremission treatment. We conclude that APL patients may benefit from the early use of the combination of ATRA and As2O3, in either remission induction or consolidation/maintenance. Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes a simple and inexpensive approach for controlling the pneumatic valves that were invented in Quake's group to miniaturize the whole system for portable and disposable microfluidic devices. The valves are assembled from two parts. One is the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) channels formed by multilayer soft lithography. The other is a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) frame with machine screws for pressure control. Turning the screws into the control channel inlet (filled with water and covered with a thin PDMS membrane) actuates the valve by creating pressure in the control channel. This method avoids the bulky and expensive external pressure-control facilities and can be easily integrated into portable and disposable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Comb-drive microactuators are widely used in MEMS devices. Most of the comb-drive microactuators reported in MEMS field are made using fabrication technology with silicon as the structural material. Recent progress in ultra violet (UV) lithography of SU-8 has made it feasible to fabricate ultra high aspect ratio microstructures with excellent sidewall quality. In this paper, a research work on fabrication and metallization of high aspect ratio SU-8 polymer comb-drive microactuators was reported. The fabrication process combined multi-step and multi-layer UV lithography of SU-8 on a silicon substrate and copper electroless plating to selectively metallize the SU-8 microstructure. The selective electroless plating was achieved by using UV modification of the SU-8 microstructures and the careful control of the exposure dosage. Preliminary experimental results have proved the feasibility of the microactuator and the fabrication technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Comb-drive microactuator is widely used in MEMS devices and traditionally is made of silicon as structural material using silicon-based fabrication technology. Recent development in UV lithography of SU-8 has made it possible to fabricate the ultra high aspect ratio microstructures with excellent sidewall quality. In this paper, we report a low cost alternative to the silicon-based comb drive by using cured SU-8 polymer as structural material. The microactuator was designed to have a integrated structure without assembly or bonding. A unique integration fabrication process was successfully developed based on UV lithography of SU-8 and selectively metallizing SU-8 polymer structures. Preliminary experimental results have proved the feasibility of the microactuator and the fabrication technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface modification of microporous polypropylene hollow fiber membranes was performed by radical-induced graft polymerization of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA). The influences of temperature, monomer concentration and pre-adsorbed amount of benzoyl peroxide on grafting degree was the highest and the hydrolytic decomposition of DMAEMA the lowest. Scanning electron photomicrography and the average pore diameters of the modified membranes demonstrated that part of the micropores on the membrane surface was plugged by the grafted polyDMAEMA chains, especially at high grafting degree. Contact angle and water swelling experiments showed that a moderate grafting degree could improve the hydrophilicity of the membranes. In the range of 11.3%-12.0% grafting degree, the water swelling percentage reached its maximum (51.1%) and the contact angle reached its minimum (74 degrees). The bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption experiment indicated that the grafted polyDMAEMA had a dual effect on protein adsorption. At the first stage, the BSA adsorption decreased with increasing of DMAEMA grafting degree. As the interaction between BSA and polyDMAEMA on membrane surface increased, the BSA adsorption increased with increasing of DMAEMA grafting degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The X-ray structure of methanol dehydrogenase (MEDH) from Paracoccus denitrificans (MEDH-PD) was determined at 2.5 Ä resolution using molecular replacement based on the structure of MEDH from Methylophilus methylotrophus W3A1 (MEDH-WA). The overall structures from the two bacteria are similar to each other except that the former has a longer C-terminal tail in each subunit and shows local differences in several insertion regions. The "X-ray sequence" of the segment aGly444?aLeu452 was established, including one insertion and seven replacements compared with the reported sequence. The primary electron acceptor of MEDH-PD is cytochrome c-551i (Cyt c551i). Based on the crystal structure of MEDH-PD and of the published structure of Cyt c551i, their interactions were investigated by molecular modeling. As a guide and starting point, the covalently attached cytochrome and PQQ domains of the alcohol dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas putida HK5 (ADH2B) were used. In the modeling, two molecules of Cyt c551i could be accommodated in their interaction with the MEDH heterotetramer in accordance with the two-fold molecular symmetry of the latter. Two models are proposed, in both of which electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions make major contributions to inter-protein binding. One of these models involves salt bridges from aArg99 of MEDH to the heme propionic acids of Cyt c551i and the other involves salt bridges from aArg426 of MEDH to Glu112 of Cyt c551i. Both involve salt bridges from aLys93 of MEDH to Asp75 of Cyt c551i. The size and nature of the cytochrome/quinoprotein heterodimer interfaces and calculations of electronic coupling and electron transfer rates favor one of these models over the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As drilling wells continue to move into deep ultra-deep layers, the requirements for temperature resistance of drilling fluid treatments are getting higher and higher. Among them, blocking agent, as one of the key treatment agents, has also become a hot spot of research. In this study, a high temperature resistant strong adsorption rigid blocking agent (QW-1) was prepared using KH570 modified silica, acrylamide (AM) and allyltrimethylammonium chloride (TMAAC). QW-1 has good thermal stability, average particle size of 1.46 mm, water contact angle of 10.5°, has a strong hydrophilicity, can be well dispersed in water. The experimental results showed that when 2 wt% QW-1 was added to recipe A (4 wt % bentonite slurryþ0.5 wt% DSP-1 (filtration loss depressant)), the API filtration loss decreased from 7.8 to 6.4 mL. After aging at 240 °C, the API loss of filtration was reduced from 21 to 14 mL, which has certain performance of high temperature loss of filtration. At the same time, it is effective in sealing 80-100 mesh and 100-120 mesh sand beds as well as 3 and 5 mm ceramic sand discs. Under the same conditions, the blocking performance was superior to silica (5 mm) and calcium carbonate (2.6 mm). In addition, the mechanism of action of QW-1 was further investigated. The results show that QW-1 with amide and quaternary ammonium groups on the molecular chain can be adsorbed onto the surface of clay particles through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction to form a dense blocking layer, thus preventing further intrusion of drilling fluid into the formation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Biologics have revolutionized psoriasis treatment; however, relapse of psoriasis after discontinuation of biologics remains unresolved. Objective: To assess the impact of adjunctive Chinese medicine (CM) therapy on relapse of psoriasis vulgaris (PV) after discontinuation of biologics. Methods: We constructed a prospective cohort study through a psoriasis case registry platform that enrolled patients treated with biologics (in combination with or without CM). The endpoint event was relapse, defined as loss of psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) 75. Results: A total of 391 patients completed the study and were included in the analysis, of whom 169 (43.2%) experienced relapse during follow-up. To minimize the bias, a 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was performed, generating matched cohorts of 156 individuals per group. Adjuvant CM therapy significantly associated with reduced incidence of relapse (HR =0.418, 95% CI = 0.289~0.604, p<0.001), and the protective effect of CM in the subgroup analysis was significant. In addition, PASI 90 response and disease duration were associated with relapse (p<0.05). Conclusion: Adjunctive CM therapy is associated with reduced relapse incidence in PV after discontinuation of biologics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the exploration and development of deep and ultra-deep oil and gas, high torque and high friction during the drilling of deep and ultra-deep wells become one of the key issues affecting drilling safety and drilling speed. Meanwhile, the high temperature and high salt problem in deep formations is prominent, which poses a major challenge to the lubricity of drilling fluids under high temperature and high salt. This paper reports an organic borate ester SOP as an environmentally friendly drilling fluid lubricant. The performance evaluation results show that when 1% lubricant SOP is added to the fresh water-based mud, the lubrication coefficient decreases from 0.631 to 0.046, and the reduction rate of lubrication coefficient is 92.7%. Under the conditions of 210 (C and 30% NaCl, the reduction rate of lubricating coefficient of the base slurry with 1% SOP was still remain 81.5%. After adding 1% SOP, the wear volume decreased by 94.11% compared with the base slurry. The contact resistance experiment during the friction process shows that SOP can form a thick adsorption film on the friction surface under high temperature and high salt conditions, thus effectively reducing the friction resistance. Molecular dynamics simulation shows that lubricant SOP can be physically adsorbed on the surface of drilling tool and borehole wall through hydrogen bond and van der Waals force. XPS analysis further shows that SOP adsorbs on the friction surface and reacts with metal atoms on the friction surface to form a chemically reactive film. Therefore, under high temperature and high salt conditions, the synergistic effect of physical adsorption film and chemical reaction film effectively reduces the frictional resistance and wear of the friction surface. In addition, SOP is non-toxic and easy to degrade. Therefore, SOP is a highly effective and environmentally friendly lubricant in high temperature and high salt drilling fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports that the ultraviolet and visible upconversion luminescence from the 4S3/2, 2G9/2 and 2P3/2 levels have been observed in Er3+:YAG following 647.2 nm excitation of the 4F9/2 multiple. Upconversion luminescence intensity dependence on pump power was recorded. The measured decay profiles were theoretically fitted by kinetics theory and the basically good agreements were achieved. The results indicate that some energy transfer processes proposed to explain the observed upconversion phenomena are reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cystatin C, a marker for early stage chronic kidney dysfunction, mediates the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Objective: To investigate whether serum cystatin C is an independent predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD) for patients without chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 525 patients with CHD and 142 apparently healthy control individuals and acquired their demographic characteristics, medical histories, and listings of the concurrent medications they were taking. All patients with CHD underwent coronary angiography and other routine laboratory examinations. We quantified serum concentrations of cystatin Cvia particle-enhanced immunonephelometric assay. Results: Compared with controls, the patients with CHD had higher serum cystatin C levels (median: 1.17mg/L, interquartile range [IQR]: 1.01 to 1.46 mg/L vs median: 0.98 mg/L, IQR: 0.80 to 1.06 mg/L, P 5.001), lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P5.001), higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P5.001), triglyceride (P5.001), total cholesterol (P= .007) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P5.001). No differences occurred in serum concentrations of creatinine or estimated glomerular filtration rate between CHD patients and healthy controls. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that levels of cystatin C (OR, 1.648; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.454 to 1.868; P5.001) were most strongly correlated with CHD prevalence. Conclusions: Elevated serum cystatin C is a potential biochemical marker for the prediction of CHD, which suggests that mild preclinical renal dysfunction may be associated with the pathogenesis of CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manganese oxides loaded on various supports have been prepared and studied for the direct imine formation by oxidative coupling of alcohols and amines. Among the catalysts, hydroxyapatite supported manganese oxides (MnOx/HAP) show the best activity and selectivity for this reaction in the absence of an additional base using air as the environmentally benign terminal oxidant. NH3-/CO2-TPD results show that the amphoteric properties of MnOx/HAP are crucial for this reaction to obtain a satisfactory yield. Various aromatic alcohols and amines are smoothly transformed into the corresponding imines in good to excellent yields. The catalyst is reusable and gives 98% yield of the product in all 9 reuse tests. Compared with the fresh catalyst, the XRD and SEM of the reactivated MnOx/HAP after nine reactions do not show any obvious change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile and efficient methodology is presented for the direct oxidative esterification of alcohols with alcohols catalyzed by NaAuCl4. Just in the presence of a low catalytic amount of base additive, the newly developed catalytic system proceeds with high selectivity and broad substrate scope under mild conditions with dioxygen or air as the environmentally benign terminal oxidant. Various alcohols including benzylic and allylic alcohols were smoothly reacted with methanol and even with long-chain aliphatic alcohols, affording the desired products in good to excellent yields (up to 95% yield). The present system showed high catalytic activity with a TOF up to 219 h-1. Kinetic studies of the reaction process provide fundamental insights into the catalytic pathway, and a possible reaction pathway was proposed based on the results of the control experiments. XPS, TEM, and UV-vis were carried out to characterize the chemical state of the Au catalyst in the present catalytic system. The results indicate that the Au nanoparticles were generated in situ and supported on K2CO3, forming a simple, recyclable and selective catalyst system for the direct oxidative esterification of alcohols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a method to significantly enhance the mass sensitivity of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) device in which Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) micropillars were fabricated on QCM surface to form a two-degrees-of-freedom vibration system. PMMA micropillars were fabricated using nanoimprinting lithography technology. The QCM-micropillar coupled system exhibits a unique resonant frequency, near which the mass sensitivity of QCM can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude. Both numerical simulation and theoretical analysis were conducted to understand this improvement. Thereafter, ultrahigh sensitivity of the QCM-micropillar system was demonstrated by detecting a 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctyl-trichlorosilane single monolayer film [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background • One of the serious complications of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is acute lung injury (ALI). Suppressing inflammation is a feasible treatment strategy for SAP-induced ALI. Shenmai injection (SMI), which is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM treatment, can suppress inflammation. Therefore, this study used an established SAP rat model to determine the effect of SMI on ALI induced by SAP. Methods • A total of 40 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were assigned to one of four groups: the SAP group, the sham surgery (SS) group, the SAP + SMI group and the SAP + SMI + zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) group. Rats in the SAP group were intravenously injected with 1.6 ml/kg saline 30 minutes after induction of SAP models, rats in the SAP + SMI group were intravenously injected with 1.6 ml/kg SMI, while rats in the SAP + SMI + ZnPP group were intravenously injected with 1.6 ml/kg SMI and 30 mg/kg ZnPP via intraperitoneal injection. The rates were sacrificed 24 hours after SAP induction. Excised lung tissues were histologically examined, protein concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was measured and lung wet-to-dry (W/D) weight ratio was calculated. The protein and mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, heme oxygenase (HO)-1 and interleukin (IL)-10 in blood and tissue samples were measured. Results • SMI treatment attenuated SAP-induced ALI as evidenced by lower lung damage scores compared with the untreated SAP group (P < .05). SMI also abolished the SAP-induced rise in BALF and W/D ratio protein concentrations (P < .05). Moreover, SMI treatment increased HO-1 and IL-10 levels but decreased TNF-α levels in serum and tissue samples (P < .05). However, inhibition of HO-1 expression by ZnPP led to significant inhibition of all the changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the rate of response to changes in the rate of flow and the perturbations in flow in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chips that are subjected to several common flow-control systems. We find that the flow rate of liquid delivered from a syringe pump equipped with a glass syringe responds faster to the changes in the conditions of flow than the same liquid delivered from a plastic syringe; and the rate of flow delivered from compressed air responds faster than that from a glass syringe. We discover that the rate of flow that is driven by a syringe pump and regulated by an integrated pneumatic valve responds even faster, but this flow-control method is characterized by large perturbations. We also examine the possible effects of these large perturbations on NIH 3T3 cells in microfluidic channels and find that they could cause the detachment of NIH 3T3 cells in the microchannels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion (SA); however, the associated mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the expression of miRNAs and pa thogenesis in the chorionic villi of TSH > 2.5 mIU/L-related SA patients. The cho rionic villi were collected from pregnant women in the first trimester with TSH > 2.5 mIU/L with or without SA, as well as TSH < 2.5 mIU/L with or without SA to determine the lev el of miRNA expression. Differentially expressed miRNAs were confirmed by qRT-PCR in a total of 92 subjects. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), wound healing, transwell assays, and Western blotting were used to measure cellular biological functions and related proteins in HTR-8/SVneo cells. The potential mechanisms were determined using a Luciferase reporter assay and rescue experiment. Compared with normal pregnant women, miR-17-5p was decreased and zinc finger protein 367 (ZNF367) was upregulated in the chor ionic villi of TSH > 2.5 mIU/L-related SA patients. Using HTR-8/SVneo cells, we demonstrated that elevated TSH inhibited miR-17-5p expression, as well as trophoblast migration and invasion. The overexpression of miR-17-5p targeted and inhibited ZNF367 expression promoting the biological function of trophoblasts. Further studies confirmed that ZNF367 interference partially reversed the biological function of the miR-17-5p inhibitor on HTR-8/SVneo cells. Taken together, our results showed that miR-17-5p promoted the biological function of trophoblasts by suppressing ZNF367. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrence and metastasis remain the major obstacles to successful treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Chromatin remodeling factor ARID2 is commonly mutated in HCC, indicating its important role in cancer development. However, its role in HCC metastasis is largely elusive. In this study, we find that ARID2 expression is significantly decreased in metastatic HCC tissues, showing negative correlation with pathological grade, organ metastasis and positive association with survival of HCC patients. ARID2 inhibits migration and invasion of HCC cells in vitro and metastasis in vivo. Moreover, ARID2 knockout promotes pulmonary metastasis in different HCC mouse models. Mechanistic study reveals that ARID2 represses epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC cells by recruiting DNMT1 to Snail promoter, which increases promoter methylation and inhibits Snail transcription. In addition, we discover that ARID2 mutants with disrupted C2H2 domain lose the metastasis suppressor function, exhibiting a positive association with HCC metastasis and poor prognosis. In conclusion, our study reveals the metastasis suppressor role as well as the underlying mechanism of ARID2 in HCC and provides a potential therapeutic target for ARID2-deficient HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive use of electronic equipment in modern life causes potential electromagnetic pollution harmful to human health. Therefore, it is of great significance to enhance the electrical conductivity of polymers, which are widely used in electronic components, to screen out electromagnetic waves. The fabrication of graphene/polymer composites has attracted much attention in recent years due to the excellent electrical properties of graphene. However, the uniform distribution of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in a non-polar polymer matrix like polypropylene (PP) still remains a challenge, resulting in the limited improvement of electrical conductivity of PP-based composites achieved to date. Here, we propose a single-step approach to prepare GNPs/PP composites embedded with a segregated architecture of GNPs by coating PP particles with GNPs, followed by hot-pressing. As a result, the electrical conductivity of 10 wt % GNPs-loaded composites reaches 10.86 S·cm-1, which is ≈7 times higher than that of the composites made by the melt-blending process. Accordingly, a high electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of 19.3 dB can be achieved. Our method is green, low-cost, and scalable to develop 3D GNPs architecture in a polymer matrix, providing a versatile composite material suitable for use in electronics, aerospace, and automotive industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, syndrome is essential to diagnose diseases and treat patients, and symptom is the foundation of syndrome differentiation. Thus the combination and interaction between symptoms represent the pattern of syndrome at phenotypic level, which can be modeled and analyzed using complex network. At first, we collected inquiry information of 364 depression patients from 2007 to 2009. Next, we learned classification models for 7 syndromes in depression using na\ve Bayes, Bayes network, support vector machine (SVM), and C4.5. Among them, SVM achieves the highest accuracies larger than 0.9 except for Yin deficiency. Besides, Bayes network outperforms naïve Bayes for all 7 syndromes. Then key symptoms for each syndrome were selected using Fisher's score. Based on these key symptoms, symptom networks for 7 syndromes as well as a global network for depression were constructed through weighted mutual information. Finally, we employed permutation test to discover dynamic symptom interactions, in order to investigate the difference between syndromes from the perspective of symptom network. As a result, significant dynamic interactions were quite different for 7 syndromes. Therefore, symptom networks could facilitate our understanding of the pattern of syndrome and further the improvement of syndrome differentiation in depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amorphous zinc-indium-tin oxide (a-ZITO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) have been prepared using a low-temperature combustion process, with an emphasis on complete miscibility of In and Sn contents. The a-ZITO TFTs were comparatively studied in detail, especially for the working stability. The a-ZITO TFTs all exhibited acceptable and excellent behaviors from Sn-free TFTs to In-free TFTs. The obtained a-ZTO TFTs presented a field-effect mobility of 1.20 cm2 V- 1 s_1, an on/off current ratio of 4.89 x 106, and a long-term stability under positive bias stress, which are comparable with those of the a-ZIO TFTs. The In-free a-ZTO TFTs are very potential for electrical applications with a low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that saponins from Panax japonicus (SPJ) possess neuroprotective effects. However, whether Chikusetsu saponin V (CsV), the most abundant member of SPJ, can exert neuroprotective effects against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+)-induced cytotoxicity is not known. In this study, we aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of CsV on MPP+-induced cytotoxicity in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and explore its possible mechanisms. Our results show that CsV attenuates MPP+-induced cytotoxicity, inhibits ROS accumulation, and increases mitochondrial membrane potential dose-dependently. We also found that levels of Sirt1 protein and Mn-SOD mRNA significantly decreased in MPP+-treated group but were restored with CsV treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, GRP78 protein and Caspase-12 mRNA levels were elevated by MPP+ exposure but reversed by CsV treatment. CsV inhibited the MPP+-induced downregulation of Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax in a dose-dependent manner and, thus, increased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax. Overall, these results suggest that Sirt1/Mn-SOD and GRP78/Caspase-12 pathways might be involved in the CsV-mediated neuroprotective effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiomyocytes apoptosis is an important contributor to myocardial dysfunction and heart failure. Adiponectin has cardioprotective effects, potential mechanisms behind it are not clear in cardiomyocytes. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether adiponectin can block palmitate-induced apoptosis and the underlying biochemical mechanism in H9c2 cells. Methods: H9c2 cells were treated with palmitate presence or absence of 2.5 μg/mL globular adiponectin. The effect on the cell viability of H9c2 cells was evaluated using MTT assay, and cell apoptosis was determined by Hoechst 33342 staining. Protein expression was measured using the western blot method. Results: Our results showed that the palmitate treatment induced apoptosis in H9c2 cells, which was associated with increasing the level of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP. Meanwhile, palmitate-induced apoptosis increased the protein level of p-ERK1/2, and decreased the protein level of p-Akt significantly. However, levels of both of these proteins were restored to the normal when pretreated with adiponectin, and followed with the decrease of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP. In line with these results, the protective effect of adiponectin can be blocked by PI3K/Akt inhibitor LY294002, and palmitate-induced apoptosis can be attenuated by ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126. Conclusions: Taken together, the present study demonstrated that adiponectin protects H9c2 cells from palmitate-induced apoptosis via PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways. Our results reveal a link between adiponectin and cardiomyocytes apoptosis, suggesting that adioponectin may be a promising therapeutic for the treatment of lipotoxicity cardiomyopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the effects of Icaritin on chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells and underlying mechanisms. Method: CML cells were incubated with various concentration of Icaritin for 48 hours, the cell proliferation was analyzed by MTT and the apoptosis was assessed with Annexin V and Hoechst 33258 staining. Cell hemoglobinization was determined. Western blotting was used to evaluate the expressions of MAPK/ERK/JNK signal pathway and Jak-2/Phorpho-Stat3/Phorsph- Akt network-related protein. NOD-SCID nude mice were applied to demonstrate the anti-leukemia effect of Icaritin in vivo. Results: Icaritin potently inhibited proliferation of K562 cells (IC50 was 8 &mgr;M) and primary CML cells (IC50 was 13.4 &mgr;M for CML-CP and 18 &mgr;M for CML-BC), induced CML cells apoptosis and promoted the erythroid differentiation of K562 cells with time-dependent manner. Furthermore, Icaritin was able to suppress the growth of primary CD34+ leukemia cells (CML) and Imatinib-resistant cells, and to induce apoptosis. In mouse leukemia model, Icaritin could prolong lifespan of NOD-SCID nude mice inoculated with K562 cells as effective as Imatinib without suppression of bone marrow. Icaritin could upregulate phospho-JNK or phospho-C-Jun and down-regulate phospho-ERK, phospho-P-38, Jak-2, phospho-Stat3 and phospho-Akt expression with dose- or time-dependent manner. Icaritin had no influence both on c-Abl and phospho-c-Abl protein expression and mRNA levels of Bcr/Abl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report describes a convenient and reproducible method for the covalent modification of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PUMS) with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains to suppress nonspecific protein adsorption. PEG additives terminated with a vinyl group are added into the PDMS prepolymer; when the PDMS is thermally cured, the vinyl group reacts with the silane groups on the PDMS, which covalently link the PEG group to the PDMS network. The PEG-modified PDMS surfaces are characterized with FT- IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle measurement. We also examined the modified PDMS for on-chip capillary electrophoresis and its capability of resisting nonspecific protein adsorption using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model. Based on our study, a molecular mechanism is given to successfully explain the surface properties of the modified POMS surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present an array of tunable microlenses on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chips as a convenient platform for the study of cell responses to mechanical strains. This array of microlenses is an array of microwells covered with a thin PDMS membrane that are connected by microfluidic channels. The deformation of the PDMS membrane on the microlenses is tuned by external hydraulic pressure that is introduced through the microchannels. The degree of deformation of the PDMS membrane can be estimated from the focal length of the microlens, and the corresponding mechanical strain that is caused can be calculated from finite element simulation. We demonstrate the capability of this array of microlenses as a general platform for studying the influence of mechanical strain on adherent cells by using NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and HeLa cells as our models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]