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By rational altering the structure of CN auxiliary ligand, Near-infrared (NIR) phosphorescent cyclometalated platinum (II) and iridium (III) complexes with metformin (Met) have been successfully obtained and characterized. The dissociation of Met in aqueous solution can be accelerated by addition of Glutathione (GSH) and alleviated by drop of histidine, accompanied with a significant decay change of deep red phosphorescence. Besides, Pt3 and Ir1 with moiety of btpq mainly selectively targeted and located in Mitochondrial, while Pt1 of ppy and Pt2 with thpy mainly accumulated in endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, Pt1-3 and Ir1 with metformin moiety all exert a significant enhanced anticancer activity, among them, Pt3 displays ca.66-fold, ca.147-fold and ca.588-fold higher cytotoxicity than cisplatin, Met-free analogue Pt3a and Met. Their relative anticancer mechanism was further investigated, both Pt2 and Pt3 could form covalent interaction with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and effectively induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, arrest of cell cycle, loss of Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), display effective anti-metastasis activity and eventually induce apoptosis of cancer cell., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There are no conflicts to declare., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: This study aims to establish an optimization procedure to define the cut-offs of quantitative assays for acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChRAb), evaluate their diagnostic performance in myasthenia gravis (MG), and explore the association with clinical features., Methods: Samples from a representative cohort of 77 MG patients, 80 healthy controls (HC) and 80 other autoimmune diseases (OAD) patients were tested using competitive inhibition ELISA and RIA. Raw values (OD and cpm) and processed values (inhibition rate, binding rate and concentration) were used to define the cut-offs with statistical methods, a rough method, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Optimal cut-offs were selected by comparing false positive rates in HC and OAD individuals. The diagnostic performance was evaluated in whole MG cohort and subgroups. Agreement between ELISA and RIA for AChRAb positivity were examined with Kappa test and McNemar test. Clinical association with AChRAb was explored by comparison among subgroups and with Spearman rank correlation., Results: The optimal cut-offs for AChRAb positivity were determined as OD ≤ 1.79 for ELISA and cpm ≥ 1234.12 for RIA, which derived from statistical method and performed better than those derived from ROC curves. The sensitivity and specificity were 74.03%, 100% for ELISA, and 74.03%, 99.37% for RIA. There was good agreement between ELISA and RIA for AChRAb positivity in whole cohort and subgroups (weighted к ≥ 0.71, p < 0.01; McNemar test, p > 0.05). Levels of AChRAb were different in MG subgroups (p < 0.01). Correlation between Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis scores and AChRAb levels was moderate for ELISA and RIA (r s  = -0.60 and 0.57, p < 0.01)., Conclusion: The raw testing values of ELISA and RIA were found as optimal quantitative measures of AChRAb levels. There are good agreements on diagnostic performance between two assays. Quantitative values are more informative than positivity in association with clinical features., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The insect taste system regulates insect feeding behavior and patterns of food consumption. In this study, we showed that the medial and lateral sensilla styloconica in the mouthparts of 5th-instar Asian corn borer larvae are sensitive to fructose and sucrose in a concentration-dependent way. The two sensilla produced significant electrophysiological responses (greater than100 spikes/s) by exposure to 10 mM fructose or sucrose. However, electrophysiological responses and feeding preferences to fructose or sucrose were inhibited by neuropeptide F double-stranded RNA (dsNPF). Additionally, the medial sensilla styloconica are sensitive to low concentrations of the deterrents caffeine and nicotine. However, starvation, followed by increases in larval npf expression plus feeding, led to increases in spike frequencies of related sensilla to fructose, sucrose, and deterrents. In contrast, these responses were reduced on the dsNPF treatment. Our results suggest that NPF plays an important role influencing caterpillar feeding behavior through regulating the taste neurons of the sensilla styloconica., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is defined when a female achieves menopause before the age of 40. Although many conditions are known to be causative for POF, the most common one is idiopathic. This study was undertaken to investigate the pathogenesis of POF using proteomic tools. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis was performed to screen for proteins differentially expressed in patients with POF. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we identified 11 significant proteins differentially expressed in the serum of POF patients: 5 proteins with expression increased more than two folds, 5 proteins with expression decreased more than two folds, and 1 protein expressed specifically in the serum of patients with POF. The results of the 2-DE analysis were further validated by Western blotting and ELISA analyses, which 5 reproductive system-related proteins (Ceruloplasmin, Complement C3, Fibrinogen α, Fibrinogen β, and SHBG) were selected. The different expression levels for these proteins were confirmed and demonstrated the possibility of using them as biomarkers to screen POF. These pre-clinical data provide plausible translational implications for targeting the pathogenesis of POF for each protein., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction: The adenine model of kidney disease typically involves dietary delivery of adenine over several weeks. This model can be variable in its disease progression and can result in significant mortality. In the current study, the amount of adenine delivered to rats was controlled by utilizing oral gavage administration over a short period in an attempt to induce robust renal pathology while addressing variability and viability of the animals., Methods: Adenine (150 or 200 mg/kg) was administered via oral gavage for 10 consecutive days, and assessed over a total of 20 days., Results: Both adenine dose groups manifested pathophysiological features of kidney disease such as proteinuria, elevated serum creatinine and BUN, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. The animals also displayed a decline in glomerular filtration rate. Renal mRNA expression of genes associated with injury, inflammation, and fibrosis (i.e., Col1a1, Acta2, Serpine1, Timp1, Fn-Eda, Tgfb1, Ccl2, Nlrp3, Aqp1 and Ccnd1) were elevated as were urinary biomarkers that have translational utility (i.e., clusterin, KIM-1, MCP-1, OPN, NGAL, B2M, calbindin, and cystatin C). All disease endpoints were more pronounced in the 200 mg/kg group, however, while measures of tissue fibrosis were sustained, there was partial recovery by day 20 in functional readouts. No mortality was observed in either dose group., Discussion: Short-term delivery of adenine via precise gavage delivery induced a robust model with hallmarks of fibrotic kidney disease, had limited variance between animals, and no animal morbidity within the 20 days studied. This model represents a methodical alternative to long-term dietary dosing of adenine., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system is widely used to classify hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study was performed to investigate the prognostic factors for patients with BCLC stage A HCC after R0 hepatectomy., Methods: A total of 592 patients with BCLC stage A HCC following R0 hepatectomy from 1997-2012 were enrolled in this study. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression were used to analyze the risk factors associated with recurrence. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to establish a new scoring system to evaluate the independent risk factors for recurrence. Furthermore, subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate surgical margins on tumor recurrence between the anatomic and nonanatomic resection group., Results: Independent risk factors for BCLC stage A HCC recurrence were preoperative alanine transaminase >40U/L, liver cirrhosis, surgical margin <5mm, nonanatomic resection and maximum tumor diameter >5cm. Based on these 5 risk factors, we established a new scoring system, named "HCC recurrence scoring system." Patients with a high score (≥3 points, 1 point for each factor) composed the high recurrence risk group. Moreover, the subgroup analyses demonstrated that different surgical margins had no significant effect on tumor recurrence in the anatomic resection group (P = 0.408), while it had a significant effect in the nonanatomic resection group (P = 0.000)., Conclusions: For patients with BCLC stage A with scores ≥3 points, close postoperative follow-up and positive measures to prevent recurrence are particularly important. Anatomic resection is preferred for patients with BCLC stage A. Adequate surgical margins are necessary for patients with poor liver function., (Copyright © 2017 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Insect herbivores often secrete glucose oxidase (GOX) onto plants to counteract plant defenses and potential pathogens. Whether generalist herbivores always have significantly higher GOX activities than their specialist counterparts at any comparable stage or conditions and how this is realized remain unknown. To address these two general questions, we subjected larvae of a pair of sister species differed mainly in host range, the generalist Helicoverpa armigera and its specialist counterpart Helicoverpa assulta, to the same sets of stage, protein to digestible carbohydrate (P:C) ratio, allelochemical or host plant treatments for simultaneous analyses of GOX transcripts and activities in their labial glands. GOX activity and transcripts are upregulated concurrently with food ingestion and body growth, downregulated with stopping ingestion and wandering for pupation in both species. The three tested host plants upregulated GOX transcripts, and to a lesser extent, GOX activity in both species. There were significant differences in both GOX transcripts and activity elicited by allelochemicals, but only in GOX transcripts by P:C ratios in both species. GOX activities were higher in H. armigera than H. assulta in all the comparable treatments, but GOX transcripts were significantly higher either in generalists or in specialists, depending on the developmental stages, host plants, P:C ratio and allelochemicals they encounter. These data indicate that the greater GOX activity in generalist herbivores is not achieved by greater transcription rate, but by greater transcript stability, greater translation rate, better enzyme stability and/or their combination., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Corylifol A, a member of the isoflavone subclass of isoflavonoids, has long been considered to have various biological activities. Here, we sought to synthesize corylifol A glucosides by the in vitro glucosylation reaction using the UDP-glycosyltransferase YjiC from Bacillus licheniformis DSM 13, and obtained two novel glucosides: corylifol A-4',7-di-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside (1) and corylifol A-4'-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside (2). To improve the yield of the products, the reaction time, concentration of UDP-glucose, and pH of the buffer were optimized. The Michaelis constant (K m ) was calculated to be 2.88 mM, and the maximal velocity (V max ) was calculated to be 77.32 nmol/min/mg for UDP-glycosyltransferase. Meanwhile, the water-solubility of compounds 1 and 2 was approximately 27.03 and 15.13 times higher, respectively, than that of their parent compound corylifol A. Additionally, the corylifol A glycosylated products exhibited the highest stability at pH 9.6 and better temperature stability than corylifol A at 40, 60, 80 and 100 °C. In addition, cytotoxicity activity assays against three human tumor cell lines, only corylifol A showed moderate anti-proliferative activity. Overall, this work demonstrates that glycosylation can enhance the water solubility and stability of promising compounds, with potential for further development and application., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is becoming a stand-alone bariatric surgery for obesity, but its effectiveness for Mainland Chinese patients remains unclear., Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of LSG for Mainland Chinese patients SETTING: A tertiary hospital METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients admitted for LSG between January 2011 and February 2012 was performed. Medium-term outcome measures were: total weight loss (%TWL), excess weight loss (%EWL), co-morbidities, improvement, and complications., Results: Seventy patients (body mass index [BMI] 40.8±5.9 kg/m 2 ) underwent LSG, comprising 40 women and 30 men. The most common co-morbidity was diabetes (n = 29, 41.4%). Lost to follow-up rate for weight loss was 15.7%, 31.4%, and 41% at 1, 2, and 3 years. The %TWL was 34.4±6.1, 34.7±6.2 and 33.7±7.1 at 1, 2, and 3 years. The %EWL increased to 77.1±13.0, 77.9±12.2 and 77.2±13.1 at 1, 2, and 3years. The proportions of patients having successful weight loss were 100% or 85% at 3 years according the definition of %TWL>10% or %EWL>50%. Approximately 79.3%, 51.7%, and 44.8% of patients completed follow-up for glycemic control at each time point, respectively. The proportions of patients with optimal glycemic control (fasting blood glucose [FBG]<5.6 mmol/L; hemoglobin A1C [HbA1C]<6.5%) were 47.9%, 60.0%, and 69.2% at 1, 2, and 3years. The weight loss and glycemic control effect may be greater in the high BMI group (≥40 kg/m 2 ). Early and late complications occurred in 8.6% and 7.1% of patients during follow-up., Conclusions: LSG is effective in weight loss and glycemic control and is safe for Mainland Chinese obese patients, especially for patients with a BMI≥40 kg/m 2 ., (Copyright © 2016 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of novel artesunate-polyrotaxanes (ATS-PRs) with folic acid capped, in which artesunate (ATS) was covalently bound to a cyclodextrin (CD) of the polyrotaxane (PR), were synthesized and were characterized by NMR, XRD, TG and DSC. The cytotoxicities of ATS-PRs on human colon cancer cell lines HT-29, SW480, HTC116 and DLD-1 showed that their antitumor activities were better than that of artesunate (ATS) and dihydroartemisinin (DHA). These ATS-PRs may provide a useful approach to the development of a highly effective drug candidate for the chemotherapy of human colon cancer., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), as one major bariatric surgery for treatment of obesity, results in ineffective long-term weight loss and a high reoperation rate. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of LAGB on the weight loss outcomes and reoperation rates of obese patients with different body mass index (BMI) levels in China., Methods: A retrospective study was performed to review the follow-up data of obese patients who underwent LAGB at Shanghai Changhai Hospital between November 2003 and May 2013. The main outcomes included weight loss, percentage excess weight loss (%EWL), reoperation rate, and reasons for reoperation., Results: A total of 254 LAGB procedures were performed in our hospital. By the end of May 2013, 145 Chinese patients (57.8%) were followed up, 99 patients with BMI ≥ 35 kg/m(2) (high BMI group) and 46 patients with BMI < 35 kg/m(2) (low BMI group). In the high BMI group, the mean %EWL was > 25% within 5 years postoperatively, but it decreased to less than 25% after 5 years. However, in the low BMI group, the mean %EWL at each time point was over 50%. The reoperation rate was 33.1%; it was 17.4% in the low BMI group and 34.3% in the high BMI group., Conclusion: LAGB is more effective with a lower reoperation rate for obese patients with a BMI < 35 kg/m(2) compared to BMI ≥ 35 kg/m(2) in our population., (Copyright © 2015 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Parthenolide (PTL) is a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from feverfew and exhibits potent antitumor activity against various cancers. Many studies indicate that PTL treatment leads to apoptosis, however, the mechanism has not been defined. Here, we observed that cells underwent autophagy shortly after PTL treatment. Inhibition of autophagy by knocking out autophagy associated gene atg5 blocked PTL-induced apoptosis. Surprisingly, PTL decreased the level of translation initiation factor eIF4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) in correlation with autophagy. Ectopic expression or shRNA knockdown of 4E-BP1 further verified the effect of 4E-BP1 on PTL-induced autophagy. Meanwhile, PTL elevated the cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) which located upstream of the depletion of 4E-BP1, and contributed to the consequent autophagy. This study revealed 4E-BP1 as a trigger for PTL-induced autophagy and may lead to therapeutic strategy to enhance the efficacy of anticancer drugs., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A novel series of artesunate-β-cyclodextrin (ATS-β-CD) conjugates, in which artesunate (ATS) was coupled covalently to one of the primary hydroxyl groups of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) through amino bond formation, were synthesized and characterized by (1)H NMR, HRMS, 2D NMR (ROESY), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that the aqueous solubility of ATS-β-CD conjugates was 26-45 times better than that of free ATS. The cytotoxicity of the ATS-β-CD conjugates was evaluated on human colon cancer cell lines HCT116, LOVO, SW480, and HT-29, and the results indicated that ATS-2NβCD exhibited a very high cytotoxicity against HCT116, LOVO, and HT-29 with IC50 values of 0.58, 1.62, and 5.18μmol/L, respectively. In addition, the supposition of better cytotoxicity was further supported by the control experiment of fluorescent cyclodextrin., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Structural changes, L(⁎)-value, cooking yield changes and textural properties of pork frankfurters containing 1% or 2% salt, produced by the two methods were studied by Raman spectroscopy and texture profile analysis. Increasing salt content from 1% to 2% increased the L(⁎)-value, cooking yield and hardness, and decreased (p<0.05) the C-H stretching and CH2 and CH3 bending vibrations, but did not affect the changes of secondary structures, tryptophan or tyrosine residues. Compared with the chopping, the beating increased L(⁎)-value, cooking yield and hardness of the frankfurters in both salt concentrations. It also resulted in an increase in β-sheets, accompanied by a significant (p<0.05) decrease in α-helix content, a greater exposure of tyrosine residues to the polar environment and a decrease in the CH stretching and CH2 and CH3 bending vibrations. The results showed that the beating process enabled lowering of the salt content while improving the L(⁎)-value, cooking yield and hardness of the frankfurters., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Chopping and beating processes were used as meat-cutting methods in preparing kung-wan to produce low-salt products while retaining or improving the emulsion stability, sensory evaluation, and physico-chemical properties of the standard high-salt formulation. Increased salt content improved emulsion stability and dynamic rheology. However, 3% salt content decreased the overall acceptance of kung-wan. Compared with the chopping process, beating resulted in higher emulsion stability, overall acceptance, and β-sheet content (P<0.05). Additionally, the beating process formed more compact and continuous structures at the same salt content. Kung-wan produced by beating with 1% and 2% salt had similar emulsion stabilities, sensory evaluation, and secondary structures (P>0.05). Therefore, this process allows reduction of salt content, suggesting that the kung-wan produced in this manner is healthier and has better texture., (© 2013.)

The effects of NaCl, temperature, pH, light intensity and a simulated gastro-intestinal digestion were assessed to determine the stability of antioxidant peptides extracted from Chinese Jinhua ham. Antioxidant peptides showed good stabilities when NaCl content was less than 6%, temperature was lower than 60 °C and they were not exposed to light directly. However, the antioxidant peptides lost antioxidant activities rapidly under alkaline condition. The results of a simulated two-stage digestion system showed that antioxidant activity increased with pepsin treatment but declined with further hydrolysis with trypsin. Pepsin was effective to hydrolyze peptides into smaller fractions leading to the increased exposure of internal hydrophobic amino acids, but trypsin could hydrolyze peptides into more free amino acids resulting in the decline in surface hydrophobicity which affected antioxidant activity of peptides. These suggest that antioxidant peptides extracted from Jinhua ham could maintain their antioxidant activity under the proper conditions., (© 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Two different meat-cutting methods were used to prepare kung-wans in an attempt to produce low-salt products while retaining the same, or improved, textural and physicochemical properties of the standard high-salt formulation. The level of salt and the processing method significantly affected color, cooking yield, texture and changes in the secondary structures of proteins. Improved salt levels resulted in firmer texture. At the same salt levels, compared with chopping, the beating method resulted in higher L(*)-values, improved cooking yields and changes in the β-sheet content of the proteins, which resulted in an improved product with better texture. Using the beating process, the kung-wans prepared with 1% and 2% salt had similar L(*)-values, cooking yield and texture, and were better than those prepared by chopping with 2% salt. Overall, the beating process enabled lowering of the salt content, making the kung-wans more hard, brittle and elastic., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The safe and effective polyrotaxane-based drug delivery system could potentially increase the antiproliferative activity of antitumor medicine. A novel scutellarin-polyrotaxane (SCU-PR), in which scutellarin (SCU) was covalently bound to one of the hydroxyl groups of polyrotaxane (PR), was synthesized, and its characterization was further investigated by NMR, XRD, TG, DSC. The cytotoxicity of SCU-PR was assessed in vitro using human HCT116 and LOVO cell lines in results that the IC50 values of SCU-PR (1.03×10(-6) and 1.01×10(-6)mol/L, respectively), which compared with those of free SCU (7.80×10(-5) and 7.70×10(-5)mol/L, respectively), were lower. The valuable properties of SCU-PR will be potentially useful for its application on human colon cancer chemotherapies., (Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The amplification of a random single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) library by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a key step in each round of aptamer selection by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX), but it can be impeded by the amplification of by-products due to the severely nonspecific hybridizations among various sequences in the PCR system. To amplify a random ssDNA library free from by-products, we developed a novel method termed single-primer-limited amplification (SPLA), which was initiated from the amplification of minus-stranded DNA (msDNA) of an ssDNA library with reverse primer limited to 5-fold molar quantity of the template, followed by the amplification of plus-stranded DNA (psDNA) of the msDNA with forward primer limited to 10-fold molar quantity of the template and recovery of psDNA by gel excision. We found that the amount of by-products increased with the increase of template amount and thermal cycle number. With the optimized template amount and thermal cycle, SPLA could amplify target ssDNA without detectable by-products and nonspecific products and could produce psDNA 16.1 times as much as that by asymmetric PCR. In conclusion, SPLA is a simple and feasible method to efficiently generate a random ssDNA sub-library for aptamer selection., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) of 0.1 and 0.3 wt.% and hydoxyapatite nanorods (nHAs) of 8-20 wt.% were incorporated into polypropylene (PP) to form biocomposites using melt-compounding and injection molding techniques. The structural, mechanical, thermal and in vitro cell responses of the PP/MWNT-nHA hybrids were investigated. Tensile and impact tests demonstrated that the MWNT additions are beneficial in enhancing the stiffness, tensile strength and impact toughness of the PP/nHA nanocomposites. According to thermal analysis, the nHA and MWNT fillers were found to be very effective to improve dimensional and thermal stability of PP. The results of osteoblast cell cultivation and dimethyl thiazolyl diphenyl tetrazolium (MTT) tests showed that the PP/MWNT-nHA nanocomposites are biocompatible. Such novel PP/MWNT-nHA hybrids are considered to be potential biomaterials for making orthopedic bone implants., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The SDF-1/CXCR4 axis is critical for inducing stem cell mobilization into the circulation, for homing stem cells to the site of injury, and for stem cell participation in the regeneration of liver tissue. In this study, we have gained insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in regulating the expression of SDF-1α by miRNAs. Using microarray and bioinformatics approaches, we identified six miRNAs with differential expression in damaged liver tissue (21 days after liver injury) compared to normal C57BL/6 murine liver tissue and further confirmed these observations by qPCR; miR-23a, which was identified by other researchers, was also included for comparative purposes. We found that miR-23a, miR-27a and miR-27b expression was significantly lower in the damaged liver than in the normal liver (p<0.05). We further confirmed that miR-27b could directly interact with the 3'UTR of SDF-1α to suppress SDF-1α protein expression using a luciferase reporter assay and Western blot analysis. In addition, we found that the over-expression of miR-27b significantly reduced the directional migration of primary cultured CRCX4-positive murine mesenchymal stem cells (mMSCs) in vitro using a transwell assay. These results suggest that miR-27b may be a unique signature of the stem cell niche in the damaged mouse liver and that mir-27b can suppress the directional migration of mMSCs by down-regulating SDF-1α expression by binding directly to the SDF-1α 3'UTR., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Helicoverpa assulta and Helicoverpa armigera are sibling species with different host-plant ranges. We have previously reported electrophysiological and behavioral responses of H.armigera to sugars and amino acids. Here we describe a parallel study performed on H. assulta and compare the results obtained with the two species. In females, fourteen gustatory chemosensilla, identified on one ventrolateral side of the fifth tarsomere were stimulated with sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, myo-inositol, and the twenty common amino acids, using the tip-recording technique. The taste receptor neurons in eight chemosensilla were identified sensitive to the sugars, myo-inositol, Lys, Glu, Arg, Trp, and Ser which all induced proboscis extension reflex (PER) when tarsi were stimulated. There was a positive correlation between electrophysiological activities and PER responses triggered by sucrose. No stimulatory effect on oviposition was observed with sugar or amino acid mixtures. In males, three chemosensilla showed responses to the four sugars, but generally weaker than in females. The major difference of the two species was the variety of amino acids triggering electrophysiological responses. The stimulatory effect of sugars and amino acids on H.assulta was also generally weaker than that on H. armigera., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pheromone receptors (PRs) on male antennae mediate specific and sensitive detection of sex pheromone components in lepidopterans. In this study, we identified and sequenced six putative cDNAs encoding PRs from sibling species, namely HarmOR1, HarmOR2 and HarmOR3 in Helicoverpa armigera and HassOR1, HassOR2 and HassOR3 in Helicoverpa assulta, which appeared to be orthologs of Heliothis virescens putative PR genes HvOR13, HvOR11 and HvOR16, respectively. Expression patterns of the six PR genes were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). All the putative PR genes exhibited male-biased expression patterns in adult antennae except for HarmOR2 and HassOR2 that showed similar expression levels in male and female antennae. Expression level of HarmOR1 was significantly higher than those of HarmOR2 and HarmOR3 in male antennae of H. armigera, but the three corresponding PR genes in male antennae of H. assulta showed similar expression levels. This implies the role of the PR encoded by HarmOR1 for interacting with Z11-16:Ald. The level of HarmOR1 transcript was significantly higher than that of HassOR1. These results were consistent with the ratio of Z11-16:Ald in their sex pheromone blends and the abundance of sensilla tuned to Z11-16:Ald on antennae of male adults of the two species., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The histamine H(4) receptor (H(4)R) is expressed primarily on cells involved in inflammation and immune responses. To determine the potential role of H(4)R in pain transmission, the effects of JNJ7777120, a potent and selective H(4) antagonist, were characterized in preclinical pain models. Administration of JNJ7777120 fully blocked neutrophil influx observed in a mouse zymosan-induced peritonitis model (ED(50)=17 mg/kg s.c., 95% CI=8.5-26) in a mast cell-dependent manner. JNJ7777120 potently reversed thermal hyperalgesia observed following intraplantar carrageenan injection of acute inflammatory pain (ED(50)=22 mg/kg i.p., 95% CI=10-35) in rats and significantly decreased the myeloperoxide activity in the carrageenan-injected paw. In contrast, no effects were produced by either H(1)R antagonist diphenhydramine, H(2)R antagonists ranitidine, or H(3)R antagonist ABT-239. JNJ7777120 also exhibited robust anti-nociceptive activity in persistent inflammatory (CFA) pain with an ED(50) of 29 mg/kg i.p. (95% CI=19-40) and effectively reversed monoiodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritic joint pain. This compound also produced dose-dependent anti-allodynic effects in the spinal nerve ligation (ED(50)=60 mg/kg) and sciatic nerve constriction injury (ED(50)=88 mg/kg) models of chronic neuropathic pain, as well as in a skin-incision model of acute post-operative pain (ED(50)=68 mg/kg). In addition, the analgesic effects of JNJ7777120 were maintained following repeated administration and were evident at the doses that did not cause neurologic deficits in rotarod test. Our results demonstrate that selective blockade of H(4) receptors in vivo produces significant anti-nociception in animal models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain., ((c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

An analytical technique of in-line coupling headspace liquid-phase microextraction (HS-LPME) with capillary electrophoresis (CE) was proposed to determine volatile analytes. A special cover unit of the sample vial was adopted in the coupling method. To evaluate the proposed method, phenols were used as model analytes. The parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated, including the configuration of acceptor phase, kind and concentration of acceptor solution, extraction temperature and time, salt-out effect, sample volume, etc. The optimal enrichment factors of HS-LPME were obtained with the sample volume of about half of sample vials, which were confirmed by both the theoretical prediction and experimental results. The enrichment factors were obtained from 520 to 1270. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N=3) were in the range from 0.5 to 1 ng/mL each phenol. The recoveries were from 87.2% to 92.7% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were lower than 5.7% (n=6). The proposed method was successfully applied to the quantitative analysis of the phenols in tap water, and proved to be a simple, convenient and reliable sample preconcentration and determination method for volatile analytes in water samples., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A wall-free detection method based on liquid junction in a capillary gap was proposed for laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of capillary electrophoresis (CE). The capillary gap of the wall-free cell was fabricated by etching a 10-mm x 50-microm I.D. fused-silica capillary to obtain a polyimide coating sleeve, decoating about 6mm at one end of both 50 microm I.D. separation and liquid junction capillary, inserting the treated capillary ends into the coating sleeve oppositely, fixing the capillaries with a gap distance of 140 microm by epoxy glue and removing the coating sleeve by burning. The theoretical model, experimental results and wall-free cell images indicated that the gap distance and applied voltage were main influence factors on the wall-free detection. Since the wall-free cell increased the absorption light path and avoided the stray light from the capillary wall, it improved the ratio of signal to noise and limit of detection (LOD) of CE-LIF. Three flavin compounds of riboflavin (RF), flavin mononucleotide sodium (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide disodium (FAD) were used to evaluate the wall-free detection method. Compared with on-column cell, the LODs of the wall-free cell were improved 15-, 6- and 9-fold for RF, FMN and FAD, respectively. The linear calibration concentrations of the flavins ranged from 0.005 to 5.0 micromol/L. The column efficiency was in the range from 1.0 x 10(5) to 2.5 x 10(5) plates. The wall-free detection of CE-LIF was applied to the analysis of the flavins in spinach and lettuce leaves.

The vegetable leafminer, Liriomyza sativae has spread worldwide, causing serious loss of agricultural productivity. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) play important roles in the environmental adaptation of various organisms, and to explore the functions of HSPs in relation to cold tolerance and development in L. sativae, three full-length cDNAs of small heat shock protein genes (ls-hsp19.5, ls-hsp20.8 and ls-hsp21.7) and two partial cDNAs of tcp1 (the hsp60 homolog, ls-tcp1alpha and ls-tcp1zeta) were cloned, and their transcriptional expression during cold hardening and development was examined by real time quantitative PCR. The open reading frames (ORFs) of ls-hsp19.5, ls-hsp20.8 and ls-hsp21.7 are 516, 543 and 573bp in length, encoding proteins with molecular weights (M.W.) of 19.5, 20.8 and 21.7kDa, respectively. The 956 and 323bp partial cDNAs were respectively sequenced from ls-tcp1alpha and ls-tcp1zeta. The expression profiles during cold hardening revealed that ls-tcp1s did not respond to cold stress. However, the three small hsps were significantly induced by cold, and ls-hsp20.8 was more cold-sensitive than the others. These results suggest that different shsp members may be responsible for cold stresses of different intensity. The expression of hsps during developmental processes revealed that the mRNA levels of small hsps reached a peak in the pupal stage, whereas the levels of large hsps, including two ls-tcp1s, hsp60 and hsp90 increased gradually with the developmental process. These results suggest that, in addition to a heat shock response, these HSPs may be involved in the development of L. sativae.

An analytical method for kanamycin A, amikacin and tobramycin of aminoglycoside (AG) antibiotics in milk samples was proposed using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with post-column derivatization and laser-induced fluorescence detection. A simple and convenient homemade coaxial-gap reactor was adopted in the post-column derivatization of the AGs with 1.0 mmol/L naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde and 8.0 mmol/L 2-mercaptoethanol in 35 mmol/L sodium tetraborate buffer (pH 10.0) of 30% (v/v) methanol. 50 mmol/L sodium acetate (pH 5.0) containing 0.5 mmol/L cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide was used as the separation buffer. The linear calibration concentrations and detection limits were from 2.1 x 10(-5) to 5.0 x 10(-2)g/L and in the range of 7 x 10(-6) to 2 x 10(-5)g/L, respectively. The recoveries of the AGs in milk samples were from 81.6 to 93.1% (n=3).

The two closely related moth species, Helicoverpa armigera and H. assulta, are sympatric in China. Both species use a mixture of (Z)-11-hexadecenal (Z11-16:Ald) and (Z)-9-hexadecenal (Z9-16:Ald) as their sex pheromones but in widely different ratios. Hybridization and backcrossing experiments between H. armigera and H. assulta were conducted and sex pheromone compositions of the parent species, their F(1) hybrids and backcrosses were compared to study the genetic basis of the production of their sex pheromone blend composition. Results show that the difference in sex pheromone blend ratios of these Helicoverpa species is mainly controlled by an autosomal locus with two alleles, with the allele from H. armigera being almost completely dominant over that derived from H. assulta.

A convenient and automated method for on-line pretreatment and determination of three parabens (i.e. methyl, ethyl and propyl p-hydroxybenzoate) in cosmetic products is proposed by using flow injection analysis (FIA), solid-phase extraction (SPE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). An improved split-flow interface is used to couple SPE on C(8)-bonded silica with MEKC separation, which can avoid running buffer contamination and reduce buffer consumption, especially, containing expensive reagents. The analytes are loaded onto a C(8) column at 0.6 mL/min for 60s and eluted with a mixed eluent of 40% (v/v) 10 mmol/L sodium tetraborate buffer (pH 9.3) and 60% (v/v) ethanol at 0.75 mL/min. The MEKC separation is accomplished with a running buffer of 20 mmol/L sodium tetraborate (pH 9.3) containing 100 mmol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at 15 kV. For butyl p-hydroxybenzoate did not be detected in the cosmetic products, it was used as an internal standard (IS) added into the real samples. This FIA-SPE-MEKC method using IS allows the sample separation within 12 min and the sample throughput of five samples per hour with the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) less than 2.3% (n=5). The limits of detection (LOD) are in the range from 0.07 to 0.1 microg/mL (S/N=3 and n=11). The proposed method has been used to determine three parabens in real cosmetic products satisfactorily.

A post-column reactor with coaxial-gap mode is developed for laser-induced fluorescence detection (LIF) in capillary electrophoresis (CE). The reactor can be assembled simply and conveniently, in which a thin polyimide sleeve of 10-mm length obtained from the capillary coating is used to align separation and reaction capillary with a 20 microm gap. Naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde and 2-mercaptoethanol are used as derivatization reagents and delivered into the reaction capillary through the annulus between the separation capillary and polyimide sleeve and the gap of two capillaries by gravity. A reaction distance from the gap to detection point is 5mm. For the post-column reactor of CE-LIF, several configuration parameters are optimized, including liquid level difference between the derivatization solution and outlet buffer, annular dimension between the outer diameter of etched separation capillary and the inner diameter of polyimide sleeve, and reaction distance, etc. The detection limits in the range from 8.0x10(-8) to 1.0x10(-6) mol/L and linear calibration range more than two orders of magnitude are obtained for amino acids. The separation efficiency ranges from 1.35x10(5) to 1.67x10(5) theoretical plates.

Polydnaviruses, symbionts of parasitic ichneumonid (ichnoviruses, IVs) and braconid (bracoviruses, BVs), are injected into hosts along with wasp eggs. Within the host, PDV genes are expressed and their products function to alter lepidopteran host physiology and enable endoparasitoid development. In the present study, we describe two Campoletis chlorideae ichnovirus (CcIV) viral ankyrin (vankyrin) genes and their transcription. The CcIV vankyrin genes possess ankyrin repeat domains that resemble the inhibitory domains of the Drosophila melanogaster NF-kappaB transcription factor inhibitor (IkappaB) cactus. The expression of CcIV vankyrin genes could be detected in Helicoverpa armigera during the whole course of parasitization with two expression peaks, 30 min post-parasitization (p.p.) and 2 days p.p. Our data indicate that the CcIV vankyrin genes are differentially expressed in the tissues of parasitized hosts and both are mainly expressed in hemocytes. The temporal and spatial variation in expression of the two CcIV vankyrin genes suggests that CcIV vankyrin genes could be involved in early protection of parasitoid eggs from host cellular immune response by suppressing NF-kappaB signaling cascades, thereby altering development and immune responses of parasitized lepidopteran hosts.

In children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), functional neuroimaging studies have revealed abnormalities in various brain regions, including prefrontal-striatal circuit, cerebellum, and brainstem. In the current study, we used a new marker of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), amplitude of low-frequency (0.01-0.08Hz) fluctuation (ALFF) to investigate the baseline brain function of this disorder. Thirteen boys with ADHD (13.0+/-1.4 years) were examined by resting-state fMRI and compared with age-matched controls. As a result, we found that patients with ADHD had decreased ALFF in the right inferior frontal cortex, [corrected] and bilateral cerebellum and the vermis as well as increased ALFF in the right anterior cingulated cortex, left sensorimotor cortex, and bilateral brainstem. This resting-state fMRI study suggests that the changed spontaneous neuronal activity of these regions may be implicated in the underlying pathophysiology in children with ADHD.

Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa assulta are sympatric sibling species, and in the laboratory they can interbreed and produce viable offspring. To assess the contributions of temporal barriers and sexual barriers to premating isolation, we investigated both the temporal rhythms of calling behavior and pheromone titers of H. armigera and H. assulta females and the behavioral responses of males to conspecific and heterospecific calling females in a wind tunnel. Both H. armigera and H. assulta females called throughout the scotophase, and there was more calling during the second half of the scotophase than during the first half. Maximal pheromone titer and maximal calling activity in H. armigera synchronously occurred at the sixth hour into the scotophase, whereas, in H. assulta, the maximal pheromone titer occurred 2 h before the peak of calling. Pheromone blend ratios of the two species were opposite and, within each species, changes in the ratio within the scotophase and at different ages were relatively small. Males of both H. armigera and H. assulta responded strongly to their conspecific calling females in the wind tunnel and completed the whole courtship sequence. In contrast, they did not land and had no copulation attempts in response to heterospecific calling females. These results show that the two species do not have obvious temporal differences in calling behavior and pheromone production, and the specificity of sex pheromone blend emitted by females plays a key role in their premating isolation. In addition, we summarized the potential isolation mechanisms of H. armigera and H. assulta.

Green leaf volatiles (GLVs), generally occurring C6 alcohols, aldehydes and acetates from plants, play an important role in plant-plant communication. These compounds induce intact plants to produce jasmonic acid, and induce defense-related gene expression and the release of volatile compounds. Here, we address wound-induced GLVs cause the release of acetylated derivatives and a terpenoid, (E)-4,8-dimethylnona-1,3,7-triene (DMNT) in intact maize, which may be a type of plant-plant interaction mediated by airborne GLVs. Upon exposure of intact maize seedlings to wound-induced GLVs, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate was consistently the most abundant compound released. Exogenous application of individual alcohols and aldehydes mostly resulted in the release of corresponding acetate esters. C6-alcohols with a double bond between the second and third, or the third and fourth carbon atoms, C5- or C6-aldehydes, and (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate triggered the release of DMNT. When (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate and hexyl acetate were used to treat maize seedlings, they were recovered from the plants. These data demonstrated that: (1) apart from direct adsorption and re-release of acetate esters, absorption and conversion of exogenous alcohols and aldehydes into acetate esters occurred, and (2) DMNT was induced by a range of aldehydes and unsaturated alcohols.

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) in selected patients before laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC)., Methods: Patients with risk factors for common bile duct (CBD) stones scheduled for elective LC from March 1999 to May 2001, underwent MRC followed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) to detect the stones and the accuracy of MRC. Selection of suspected patients was based on clinical, ultrasonographic, and laboratory criteria., Results: During a 26-month period, a total of 267 patients were studied. Seventy-eight MRC identified patients were found to have CBD stones by ERC or laparoscopic cholangiography in the study. Seven of 78 patients were misdiagnosed as having CBD stones by MRC. In this study, MRC had a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 96.3%, a positive predictive value of 91.8%, and a negative predictive value of 100% for the detection of common bile duct stones., Conclusions: With the use of LC, ERC is frequently performed before LC to detect CBD stones; but it is invasive with a well-documented complication rate. MRC is a simple non-invasive method for preoperative screening for CBD stones in at-risk patients. In this study if ERC had been limited to patients with a positive MRC, it would have reduced the need for ERC by 68.2%, and the complications of preoperative examination would be minimized significantly.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of aberrant bile duct and its management during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC)., Methods: In 10 000 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy from 1992 to July 2001, 3 had the involvement of the right accessory hepatic duct. In patient 1, the aberrant duct drained into the cystic duct was confirmed by open operation. In patient 2, the aberrant duct, which drained to the common bile duct (CBD), was injured and treated with suture and ligature under laparoscopy. In patient 3, the aberrant duct, which also drained to the CBD, was confirmed and preserved., Results: All patients recovered well except patient 1 who had a transient elevation of ALT. No bile leakage or other complication occurred., Conclusions: Only variation near the confluence and the entrance of the cystic duct into the bile duct is discovered during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Right accessory hepatic duct is common and should be preserved during the operation. The accidentally injured small accessory hepatic duct can be treated with ligature without severe disturbance to liver function.