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Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) has an adverse effect on reproductive function, in particular causing reduced male reproductive function, but relatively few studies have directly targeted its effects on female reproduction. To investigate the effects of PM 2.5 exposure on female reproduction, we exposed female mice to PM 2.5 by intratracheal instillation for 28 days, and evaluated apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells and oocytes and the quality embryos after insemination. Our results showed increased numbers of apoptotic granulosa cells and oocytes after exposure to elevated concentrations of PM 2.5 , which had adverse effects on female fertility via compromising embryo development and quality. We conclude that PM 2.5 induced apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells and oocytes leading to disrupted embryo development and female fertility in mice., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Recent studies highlighted long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in many biological processes and diseases. However, atherosclerosis is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but the detailed mechanism of atherosclerosis progression remained unclear. In this study, we mainly focused on the role of lncRNA Chaer in atherosclerosis., Patients and Methods: RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of lncRNA Chaer in atherosclerosis patients and animal model. Moreover, the expression of Chaer in vascular smooth muscle cell dysfunction model was also measured. Proliferation ability was tested by CCK-8 and cyclin D1 assay, through loss- and gain-of-function approaches. Western-blot was used to measure the expression of H3 lysine 27 methylation, when Chaer was in different levels. RIP and ChIP assay discovered an interaction between Chaer and PRC2 through mTOR signaling., Results: Here we identified a heart-enriched long non-coding RNA, named Cardiac Hypertrophy Associated Epigenetic Regulator (Chaer). We found that the Chaer was highly expressed in serum samples from 28 patients with atherosclerosis, compared with 28 healthy volunteers. Chaer was dramatically upregulated in atherosclerotic plaques of ApoE-/- mice. We also found that the expression of Chaer was upregulated in vascular smooth muscle cell injury model. Through loss- and gain-of-function approaches, we showed that Chaer promotes cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in vitro. Mechanistically, Chaer interacts with Polycomb Repressor Complex 2 (PRC2) through inhibiting histone H3 lysine 27 methylation. Further, this interaction is induced upon mTOR signaling pathway., Conclusions: According to the results, we found that lncRNA Chaer was closely related to the progression of atherosclerosis, which could be a previously uncharacterized lncRNA-dependent epigenetic checkpoint.

Recently, graphene nanomaterials have attracted tremendous attention and have been utilized in various fields because of their excellent mechanical, thermal, chemical, optical properties, and good biocompatibility, especially in biomedical aspects. However, there is a concern that the unique characteristics of nanomaterials may have undesirable effects. Therefore, in this study, we sought to systematically investigate the effects of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) on the maturation of mouse oocytes and development of the offspring via in vitro and in vivo studies. In vitro, we found that the first polar body extrusion rate in the high dosage exposure groups (1.0-1.5 mg/ml) 2 decreased significantly and the failure of spindle migration and actin cap formation after GQDs exposure was observed. The underlying mechanisms might be associated with reactive oxygen species accumulation and DNA damage. Moreover, transmission electron microscope studies showed that GQDs may have been internalized into oocytes, tending to accumulate in the nucleus and severely affecting mitochondrial morphology, which included swollen and vacuolated mitochondria accompanied by cristae alteration with a lower amount of dense mitochondrial matrix. In vivo, when pregnant mice were exposed to GQDs at 8.5 days of gestation (GD, 8.5), we found that high dosage of GQD exposure (30 mg/kg) significantly affected mean fetal length; however, all the second generation of female mice grew up normal, attained sexual maturity, and gave birth to a healthy offspring after mating with a healthy male mouse. The results presented in this study are important for the future investigation of GQDs for the biomedical applications., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Herein, the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and its second-order perturbation (CASPT2) methods combined with time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations were employed to investigate the isomerization reaction mechanisms of an asymmetric N,C-chelate organoboron compound, B(ppy)MesPh, in the ground (S0) state and the first singlet excited (S1) state. Our calculations show that isomerizations proceed via different pathways in the S0 and S1 states,; however, the energy barriers for mesityl isomerization are higher than those for phenyl isomerization in both states; this is in good agreement with the experimentally observed regioselectivity (S. Wang, et al. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2017, 56, 6093-6097). Photoisomerization is motivated by charge transfer from two phenyl rings to the pyridyl moiety and initiated by the cleavage of the B-Cppy bond, followed by the formation of a boracyclopropane ring via an (S1/S0)X conical intersection and a biradical intermediate. Both steric and electronic features were found to be important for regioselective photoisomerization. Our results not only shed light on the experimental observations, but also provide valuable details on the excited state dynamics of organoboron compounds and can facilitate further syntheses and applications.

Di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP) is extensively used in industrial applications as plasticizer and stabilizer and its presence in the environment may present health risks for human. Previous studies have demonstrated its mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic ability. However, its effect on mammalian oocyte maturation remains unknown. In this study, we examined the effect of DBP on oocyte maturation both in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that DBP could significantly reduce mice oocyte germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and polar body extrusion (PBE) rates. In addition, oocyte cytoskeleton was damaged and cortical granule-free domains (CGFDs) were also disrupted. Finally, DBP induced early apoptosis of oocyte and granulosa cells (GCs). Collectively, these data demonstrate that DBP could reduce meiosis competence and mouse oocyte development., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: Atherosclerosis is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but its mechanism of progression remained unclear. However, many long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently been implicated in different processes for cardiovascular disease. In this study, we mainly focused on the role of lncRNA TUG1 in atherosclerosis., Patients and Methods: qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of lncRNA TUG1 in atherosclerosis patients and animal model. Moreover, the expression of TUG1 in vascular smooth muscle cell dysfunction model was also measured. Proliferation ability was tested by CCK-8 and cyclin D1 assay, through loss- and gain-of function approaches. Western-blot was used to measure the expression of PTEN, when TUG1 was in different levels., Results: We found that the lncRNA TUG1 was highly expressed in serum samples from 38 patients with atherosclerosis, compared with 24 healthy volunteers.  LncRNA TUG1 was dramatically upregulated in atherosclerotic plaques of ApoE-/- mice. We also found that the expression of TUG1 was upregulated in vascular smooth muscle cell injury model. Through loss- and gain-of function approaches, we showed that TUG1 promotes cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in vitro. What's more, TUG1 expression level was reversely correlated with PTEN expression in patients with atherosclerosis. LncRNA TUG1 could compete with PTEN for miR-21 binding., Conclusions: We found that lncRNA TUG1 was closely related to the progression of atherosclerosis, which could be a potential target for treating atherosclerosis.

Salt toxicity is the major factor limiting crop productivity in saline soils. In this paper, 295 accessions including a heuristic core set (137 accessions) and 158 bred varieties were re-sequenced and ~1.65 million SNPs/indels were used to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of salt-tolerance-related phenotypes in rice during the germination stage. A total of 12 associated peaks distributed on seven chromosomes using a compressed mixed linear model were detected. Determined by linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks analysis, we finally obtained a total of 79 candidate genes. By detecting the highly associated variations located inside the genic region that overlapped with the results of LD block analysis, we characterized 17 genes that may contribute to salt tolerance during the seed germination stage. At the same time, we conducted a haplotype analysis of the genes with functional variations together with phenotypic correlation and orthologous sequence analyses. Among these genes, OsMADS31 , which is a MADS-box family transcription factor, had a down-regulated expression under the salt condition and it was predicted to be involved in the salt tolerance at the rice germination stage. Our study revealed some novel candidate genes and their substantial natural variations in the rice genome at the germination stage. The GWAS in rice at the germination stage would provide important resources for molecular breeding and functional analysis of the salt tolerance during rice germination.

The reproductive capacity of captive giant pandas is poor and sperm cryopreservation is necessary for the reproduction and conservation of this species. Cryopreservation, however, leads to a significant decrease in sperm quality, including sperm motility, acrosome integrity and DNA integrity. In the present study, a method was developed based on colloid single layer centrifugation that could significantly improve frozen-thawed sperm quality. Two colloids were compared for post-thaw giant panda sperm preparation; the sperm samples had greater total motility (Colloid 1: 44.5 ± 16.0%, Colloid 2: 42.4 ± 10.1% compared with Control: 25.4 ± 8.4%, P < 0.05), linear velocity (Colloid 1: 17.2 ± 8.3 μm/s; Colloid 2: 19.0 ± 9.0 μm/s compared with Control: 6.6 ± 1.7 μm/s, P < 0.05) and membrane integrity (Colloid: 46.9 ± 13.2%; Colloid 2: 54.3 ± 5.7% compared with Control: 36.0 ± 9.1%; P < 0.05). This method could be a useful tool to enable the use of poor quality sperm samples and benefit this population by using available genetic material., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To search for an effective method for cryopreservation of rare human sperm (RHS) by comparing the effect of RHS cryopreservation technology with that of conventional cryopreservation technology on post-thaw sperm from patients with severe oligozoospermia., Methods: Semen samples obtained from 82 patients with severe oligozoospermia were preserved by RHS cryopreservation technology, and another 24 samples cryopreserved by conventional technology, the former divided into groups A (sperm concentration < 1×10⁶/ml, n = 54) and B (1×10⁶/ml ≤ sperm concentration < 5×10⁶/ml, n = 28), and the latter included in group C (sperm concentration < 15×106 /ml, n = 24). The survival rate of post-thaw sperm and recovery rate of progressively motile sperm (PMS) were compared among the three groups., Results: The survival rate of post-thaw sperm was significantly higher in groups A and B than in C (［62.8 ± 18.7］% and ［61.9 ± 17.2］% vs ［50.7 ± 13.5］%, P < 0.05), and so was the recovery rate of PMS (［68.7 ± 18.4］% and ［70.7 ± 15.5］% vs ［29.2 ± 12.4］% , P < 0.05), but there were no statistically significant differences between groups A and B in either of the two parameters (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: The cryopreservation technology for rare human sperm may yield relatively stable post-thaw results and deserves a wide clinical application in preserving male fertility.

Aim: To investigate the utility of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) in predicting the early response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)., Materials and Methods: Thirty-three patients with OSCC who received CRT underwent IVIM-DWI at three time points (before CRT, at the end of radiotherapy 20 Gy, and immediately after CRT). After CRT, the patients were divided into the responders (complete response or partial response) and the non-responders (stable disease) based on RECIST 1.1. The IVIM-DWI parameters (apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC], true diffusion coefficient [D], the pseudo-diffusion coefficient [D*], and the perfusion fraction [f]) values and their percentage changes (Δvalue) at different time points were compared between the responders and the non-responders. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the efficacy of IVIM-DWI parameters in identifying the response to CRT., Results: The tumour regression ratio showed negative correlations with ADC pre (r=-0.610, p=0.000), ADC 20 Gy (r=-0.518, p=0.002), D pre (r=-0.584, p=0.000), and D 20 Gy (r=-0.454, p=0.008), and positive correlation with ΔD 20 Gy (r=0.361, p=0.039) and ΔD post (r=0.626, p=0.000). Compared to the non-responders, the responders exhibited lower ADC pre , D pre , ADC 20 Gy , and D 20 Gy , as well as higher ΔADC 20 Gy , ΔD 20 Gy , and ΔD post (all p<0.05). D pre had the highest sensitivity (92.9%) and value of area under the ROC curve (0.865) in differentiating the responders from the non-responders., Conclusion: Diffusion-related IVIM-DWI parameters (ADC and D) are potentially helpful in predicting the early treatment effect of CRT in OSCC., (Copyright © 2018 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore the levels of T-lymphocyte subsets and IL-17, IL-35, IFN-γ in peripheral blood of patients with multiple myeloma(MM) and their clinical significance., Methods: A total of 86 MM patients in our hospital from January 2014 to January 2017 were enrolled in MM group and 30 healthy persons were enrolled in control group, the CD4 + /CD8 + T cells ratio, CD4 + CD25 high/+ CD127 low/- Treg level in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometer. The levels of IL-17, IL-35 and IFN-γ in peripheral serum were detected by ELISA, and the differences of detected indicators between different groups were compared., Results: Compared with control group, the proportion of CD4 + T cells and CD4 + /CD8 + T cells ratio decreased, the proportion of CD8 + T cells and Treg increased in MM group. The differences of T lymphocyte subsets level between group III stage of MM and control group were statistically significant (P<0.05). With enhancing of clinical stages, Treg level showed a increasing trend, especially in III stage (P<0.05), the serum level of IL-17 as followed in turn: III stage>II stage>I stage>control, the serum level of IL-35 and IFN-γ as followed in turn: control>I stage>II stage>III stage (P<0.05). In terms of disease status, the propurtion of Treg cells as fllowed in turn: disease progression stage>stable stage>control (P<0.05), the serum level of IL-17 as followed in turn also: disease progression stage>stable stage (P<0.05), while the serum level of IL-35 and IFN-γ as followed in turn: control>disease table stage>progression stage (P<0.05)., Conclusion: The abnomal level of T-lymphocyte subsets, Treg, IL-17, IL-35 and IFN-γ are related with progression and prognosis of MM patients.

Isolation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from milk offers an effective way to monitor aspects of quality control and traceability to ensure food safety. A few methods of DNA isolation from milk have been reported, but many of them are time consuming and expensive. Here, we report a rapid, simple, and efficient method of mtDNA extraction from raw and processed milk (pasteurized, retorted, and UHT milk) to generate substrate for analysis using any PCR analysis platform. Various techniques used for the separation of mitochondria were explored and combined with a sodium dodecyl sulfate method for mtDNA extraction from raw and processed milk. The optimized protocol supports the efficient amplification of mtDNA independent of sample origin and is sufficiently straightforward to allow its widespread adoption by industry., (Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Funneliformis mosseae on three parameters: Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd accumulation, translocation and plant growth in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), showy stonecrop (Hylotelephium spectabile) and Purple Heart (Tradescantia pallida). The purpose of this work is to enhance site-specific phytostabilization of lead/zinc mine tailings using native plant species. The results showed that mycorrhizal fungi inoculation significantly increased plant biomass of F. arundinacea, H. spectabile and T. pallida. The Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd concentrations in roots were higher than those in shoots both with and without mycorrhizae, with the exception of the Zn concentration in H. spectabile. Mycorrhizae generally increased metal concentrations in roots and decreased metal concentrations in shoots of L. perenne and F. arundinacea. In addition, it was found that the majority of the bioconcentration and translocation factors were lower than 1 and mycorrhizal fungi inoculation further reduced these values. These results suggest that appropriate plant species inoculated with mycorrhiza might be a potential approach to revegetating mine tailing sites and that H. spectabile is an appropriate plant for phytostabilization of Pb/Zn tailings in northern China due to its higher biomass production and lower metal accumulation in shoots.

SKAP2 (Src kinase-associated phosphoprotein 2), a substrate of Src family kinases, has been suggested to be involved in actin-mediated cellular processes. However, little is known about its role in mouse oocyte maturation. In this study, we thus investigated the expression, localization, and functions of SKAP2 during mouse oocyte asymmetric division. SKAP2 protein expression was detected at all developmental stages in mouse oocytes. Immunofluorescent staining showed that SKAP2 was mainly distributed at the cortex of the oocytes during maturation. Treatment with cytochalasin B in oocytes confirmed that SKAP2 was co-localized with actin. Depletion of SKAP2 by injection with specific short interfering RNA caused failure of spindle migration, polar body extrusion, and cytokinesis defects. Meanwhile, the staining of actin filaments at the oocyte membrane and in the cytoplasm was significantly reduced after these treatments. SKAP2 depletion also disrupted actin cap and cortical granule-free domain formation, and arrested a large proportion of oocytes at the telophase stage. Moreover, Arp2/3 complex and WAVE2 expression was decreased after the depletion of SKAP2 activity. Our results indicate that SKAP2 regulates the Arp2/3 complex and is essential for actin-mediated asymmetric cytokinesis by interacting with WAVE2 in mouse oocytes.

KIF2A, a member of the kinesin-13 family, has been reported to play a role in spindle assembly in mitosis. However, its function in mammalian meiosis remains unknown. In this research, we examined the expression, localization and function of KIF2A during mouse oocyte meiosis. KIF2A was expressed in some key stages in mouse oocyte meiosis. Immunofluorescent staining showed that KIF2A distributed in the germinal vesicle at the germinal vesicle stage and as the spindle assembling after meiosis resumption, KIF2A gradually accumulated to the entire spindle. The treatment of oocytes with taxol and nocodazole demonstrated that KIF2A was co-localized with α-tubulin. Depletion of KIF2A by specific short interfering (si) RNA injection resulted in abnormal spindle assembly, failure of spindle migration, misaligned chromosomes and asymmetric cell division. Meanwhile, SKA1 expression level was decreased and the TACC3 localization was disrupted. Moreover, depletion of KIF2A disrupted the actin cap formation, arrested oocytes at metaphase I with spindle assembly checkpoint protein BubR1 activated and finally reduced the rate of the first polar body extrusion. Our data indicate that KIF2A regulates the spindle assembly, asymmetric cytokinesis and the metaphase I-anaphase I transition in mouse oocyte.

Objective: To determine the stability of androgen indexes by analyzing the relationship of androgen indexes with the results of late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) questionnaire investigations, and offer some reference for the application of the diagnostic criteria for LOH released by The Chinese Society of Andrology in 2009., Methods: This study included 1 003 males aged 40 years or older who had accomplished the questionnaires of Androgen Deficiency in Aging Males (ADAM), Aging Males' Symptoms Scale (AMS), and International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5). We evaluated the correlation of androgen indexes with the results of the questionnaire investigation, repeated the examination of androgen indexes for the subjects with total testosterone (TT) ≤11.5 nmol/L after an average of 1.5 years, and analyzed the factors inducing changes of androgen indexes., Results: Free testosterone index (FTI) ≤ 0.42 (OR, 1.369) and calculated free testosterone (cFT) ≤ 0.3 nmol/L (OR, 1.302) were considered as the risk factors of LOH in AMS, and so were testosterone secretion index (TSI) ≤ 2.8 nmol/IU (OR, 1.679) and cFT ≤ 0.3 nmol/L (OR, 1.371) in IIEF-5. Paired t-test on the results of the examination performed twice showed significant differences in the levels of TT, TSI, cFT, and FT (P<0.05)., Conclusions: Decreased testosterone may cause the diversity of LOH symptoms and hence the fluctuation of androgens. Therefore, the diagnosis of LOH depends on androgen indexes, varied symptoms in the questionnaires, and relief of the symptoms after testosterone therapy.

Methoxychlor (MXC) is used worldwide against insects and other pests. This organochlorine pesticide acts as a xenoestrogen, promotes oxidative stress, and is considered cytotoxic and genotoxic, causing abortions and stillbirths in females. Mechanistically related estrogens and oxidants affect oocyte meiosis, so we investigated the effects of MXC on mouse oocyte meiotic maturation. Our results showed that maturation rates of MXC-treated oocytes were lower than those of controls, which was due to abnormal spindle morphologies and DNA double-strand breaks, as confirmed by increased γ-H2AX foci. Our findings also suggest that MXC may affect oocyte quality by causing the accumulation of superoxide radicals and other reactive oxygen species, aberrant mitochondrial distribution, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased lipid peroxidation. Thus, exposure to MXC negatively affects oocyte meiotic maturation, primarily through impairments in cellular ROS metabolism. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 768-779, 2016 © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: To compare the effectiveness and complications of TVT-Abbrevo (tension-free vaginal tape-Abbrevo) and TVT-Obturator (tension-free vaginal tape-obturator) for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI)., Methods: From Nov.2012 to Nov.2013, 117 patients suffering from SUI were treated with TVT-Abbrebo (n=79) or TVT-Obturator (n=38) procedure, the clinical efficacy and operation-correlated complications were observed., Results: A total of 117 cases, 107 cases of urinary incontinence symptoms disappeared completely, 10 cases were improved. 72 cases (91.1%) were cured and 7 cases (8.9%) were improved in TVT-Abbrevo group; 35 cases (92.1%) were cured and 3 cases (7.9%) were improved in TVT-Obturator group. No significant differences could be found for the curing rates between two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the TVT-Obturator group, the TVT-Abbrevo group had less patients complaining of inner thigh pain at 24 h and 1 w after surgery (P<0.05). No significant differences were observed for the incidence of inner thigh pain at 1m and 1y after surgery between TVT-Abbrevo and TVT-Obturator group (P>0.05). No intraoperative complications such as blood vessel, nerve, bladder damage were recorded and no postoperative retropubic hematoma, tape adjustment and other complications occurred in two goups. No recurrence after 1 year follow-up., Conclusions: The study shows that TVT-Abbrevo procedure is safe and efficacy in treatment of SUI, and associated with low incidence of recent postoperative inner thigh pain.

Background: Rice germplasm collections continue to grow in number and size around the world. Since maintaining and screening such massive resources remains challenging, it is important to establish practical methods to manage them. A core collection, by definition, refers to a subset of the entire population that preserves the majority of genetic diversity, enhancing the efficiency of germplasm utilization., Results: Here, we report whole-genome resequencing of the 137 rice mini core collection or Korean rice core set (KRICE&#95;CORE) that represents 25,604 rice germplasms deposited in the Korean genebank of the Rural Development Administration (RDA). We implemented the Illumina HiSeq 2000 and 2500 platform to produce short reads and then assembled those with 9.8 depths using Nipponbare as a reference. Comparisons of the sequences with the reference genome yielded more than 15 million (M) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1.3 M INDELs. Phylogenetic and population analyses using 2,046,529 high-quality SNPs successfully assigned rice accessions to the relevant rice subgroups, suggesting that these SNPs capture evolutionary signatures that have accumulated in rice subpopulations. Furthermore, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for four exemplary agronomic traits in the KRIC&#95;CORE manifest the utility of KRICE&#95;CORE; that is, identifying previously defined genes or novel genetic factors that potentially regulate important phenotypes., Conclusion: This study provides strong evidence that the size of KRICE&#95;CORE is small but contains high genetic and functional diversity across the genome. Thus, our resequencing results will be useful for future breeding, as well as functional and evolutionary studies, in the post-genomic era.

In this study, comparative analyses of highway runoff samples obtained from seventeen storm events have been conducted between the traditional water quality assessment method and biotoxicity tests, using zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and luminous bacteria (Vibrio qinghaiensis. Q67) to provide useful information for ecotoxicity assessment of urban highway runoff. The study results showed that the Nemerow pollution index based on US EPA recommended Criteria Maximum Concentrations (CMC) (as traditional water quality assessment method) had no significant correlation with luminous bacteria acute toxicity test results, while significant correlation has been observed with two indicators of 72 hpf (hours post fertilization) hour hatching rate and 96 hpf abnormality rate from the toxicity test with zebrafish embryos. It is therefore concluded that the level of mixture toxicity of highway runoff could not be adequately measured by the Nemerow assessment method. Moreover, the key pollutants identified from the water quality assessment and from the biotoxicity evaluation were not consistent. For biotoxic effect evaluation of highway runoff, three indexes were found to be sensitive, i.e. 24 hpf lethality and 96 hpf abnormality of zebrafish embryos, as well as the inhibition rate for luminous bacteria Q67. It is therefore recommended that these indexes could be incorporated into the traditional Nemerow method to provide a more reasonable evaluation of the highway runoff quality and ecotoxicity., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the utility of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) for differentiating nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from lymphoma., Methods: Intravoxel incoherent motion-based parameters including the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), pure diffusion coefficient (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), perfusion fraction (f), and fD* (the product of D* and f) were retrospectively compared between 102 patients (82 with NPC, 20 with lymphoma) who received pretreatment IVIM DWI., Results: Compared with lymphoma, NPC exhibited higher ADC, D, D*, fD* values (P < 0.001) and f value (P = 0.047). The optimal cutoff values (area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity, respectively) for distinguishing the 2 tumors were as follows: ADC value of 0.761 × 10 mm/s (0.781, 93.90%, 55.00%); D, 0.66 × 10 mm/s (0.802, 54.88%, 100.00%); D*, 7.89 × 10 mm/s (0.898, 82.93%, 85.00%); f, 0.29 (0.644, 41.46%, 95.00%); and fD*, 1.99 × 10 mm/s (0.960, 85.37%, 100.00%)., Conclusions: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma exhibits different IVIM-based imaging features from lymphoma. Intravoxel incoherent motion DWI is useful for differentiating lymphoma from NPC.

Objective: To construct a MYH9 gene knockout model in MGC803 cell line using transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) and observe its effect on cell cycle and apoptosis., Methods: According to FastTALE(TM) TALEN Kit, we designed TALEN pairs and constructed the plasmids targeting to MYH9 gene. After detecting their activity in MGC803 cells by plasmid transfection, DNA sequencing, RT-PCR and western blot, we selected the monoclonal cells and studied the changes in the cell cycle and apoptosis., Results: MYH9 gene could not be knocked out but knocked down in selected MGC803 monoclonal cells, which caused cell cycle arrested at G2/M phase (P<0.05) and a significant increase in the cell number with early apoptosis (P<0.01)., Conclusion: We successfully generated a MYH9 knockdown model in MGC803 cell lines by TALEN, which could be in favor of MYH9 function study in gastric cancer.

Objectives: To investigate the value of quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (QDCE-MRI) and diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) in differentiating nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from lymphoma., Methods: We retrospectively analysed the data from 102 patients (82 with NPC and 20 with lymphoma) who underwent pre-treatment QDCE-MRI and DW-MRI on a 1.5-T MR unit. QDEC-MRI parameters [influx transfer constant (K(trans)), efflux rate constant (Kep), fractional volume of extravascular extracellular space (Ve) and fractional volume of plasma (fPV)] based on pharmacokinetic model and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were compared between the two nasopharyngeal malignancies., Results: The K(trans), Kep, Ve, fPV and ADC values (mean ± standard deviation) for NPC were 0.366 ± 0.155 min(-1), 1.353 ± 0.468 min(-1), 0.292 ± 0.117, 0.027 ± 0.024 and 0.981 ± 0.184 × 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1), respectively. The K(trans), Kep, Ve, fPV and ADC values (mean ± standard deviation) for lymphoma were 0.212 ± 0.059 min(-1), 1.073 ± 0.238 min(-1), 0.213 ± 0.104, 0.008 ± 0.007 and 0.760 ± 0.182 × 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1), respectively. Optimal cut-off values (area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity) for distinguishing the two tumours were as follows: K(trans) = 0.262 min(-1) (0.866, 80.49%, 85.00%), Kep = 1.401 min(-1) (0.681, 43.90%, 100.00%), Ve = 0.211 (0.784, 76.83%, 85.00%), fPV = 0.012 (0.779, 60.98%, 85.00%), ADC = 0.761 × 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1) (0.781, 93.90%, 55.00%)., Conclusions: QDCE-MRI together with DW-MRI is useful for differentiation between NPC and lymphoma.

Aim: To evaluate the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in gastric cancer patients., Methods: We detected tumor cells for expression of four epithelial (E(+)) transcripts (keratins 8, 18, and 19 and epithelial cell adhesion molecule) and two mesenchymal (M(+)) transcripts (Vimentin and Twist) by a quantifiable, dual-colorimetric RNA-in situ hybridization assay. Between July 2014 and October 2014, 44 patients with gastric cancer were recruited for CTC evaluation. Blood samples were obtained from selected patients during the treatment course [before surgery, after surgery and at the 6(th) cycle of XELOX based chemotherapy (about 6 mo postoperatively)]., Results: We found the EMT phenomenon in which there were a few biphenotypic E(+)/M(+) cells in primary human gastric cancer specimens. Of the 44 patients, the presence of CTCs was reported in 35 (79.5%) patients at baseline. Five types of cells including from exclusively E(+) CTCs to intermediate CTCs and exclusively M(+) CTCs were identified (4 patients with M(+) CTCs and 10 patients with M(+) or M(+) > E(+) CTCs). Further, a chemotherapy patient having progressive disease showed a proportional increase of mesenchymal CTCs in the post-treatment blood specimens. We used NCI-N87 cells to analyze the linearity and sensitivity of CanPatrol(TM) system and the correlation coefficient (R(2)) was 0.999., Conclusion: The findings suggest that the EMT phenomenon was both in a few cells of primary tumors and abundantly in CTCs from the blood of gastric cancer patients, which might be used to monitor therapy response.

Black pepper is a perennial climbing vine. It is widely cultivated because its berries can be utilized not only as a spice in food but also for medicinal use. This study aimed to construct a standardized, high-quality cDNA library to facilitated identification of new Piper hainanense transcripts. For this, 262 unigenes were used to generate raw reads. The average length of these 262 unigenes was 774.8 bp. Of these, 94 genes (35.9%) were newly identified, according to the NCBI protein database. Thus, identification of new genes may broaden the molecular knowledge of P. hainanense on the basis of Clusters of Orthologous Groups and Gene Ontology categories. In addition, certain basic genes linked to physiological processes, which can contribute to disease resistance and thereby to the breeding of black pepper. A total of 26 unigenes were found to be SSR markers. Dinucleotide SSR was the main repeat motif, accounting for 61.54%, followed by trinucleotide SSR (23.07%). Eight primer pairs successfully amplified DNA fragments and detected significant amounts of polymorphism among twenty-one piper germplasm. These results present a novel sequence information of P. hainanense, which can serve as the foundation for further genetic research on this species.

Minimally invasive valvular intervention commonly requires intra-procedural navigation to provide spatial and temporal information of relevant cardiac structures and device components. Recently intra-procedural trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been exploited for this purpose due to its accessibility, low cost, ease of use, and real-time imaging capacity. However, the position and orientation of tissue targets relative to surgical tools can be challenging to perceive, particularly using 2D imaging planes. In this paper, we propose the use of CT images to provide a high-quality 3D context to enhance ultrasound images through image registration, providing an augmented guidance system with minimal impact on standard clinical workflow. We also describe an approach to generate synthetic 4D CT images through non-rigid registration of available ultrasound. This can be employed to avoid a requirement for higher radiation. Synthetic CT images were validated through direct comparison of synthetic and real multi-phase CT images. Validation of CT and ultrasound image registration was performed for both dynamic and synthetic CT image datasets. Our results demonstrated that the synthetically generated dynamic CT images provide similar anatomical representation for relevant cardiac anatomy relative to real dynamic CT images, and similar high registration accuracy that can be achieved for intra-procedural TEE to this versus real dynamic CT images.

Objective: To investigate the association between the level of serum testosterone and atherosclerosis in middle-aged and elderly men., Methods: We conducted a population-based study of 413 males aged 40-75 years in a community in Guangzhou. We obtained the sociodemographic characteristics, clinical data, physical measurements, and laboratory results of sex hormones, blood glucose, and blood lipid of the subjects. We also measured the carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) by color Doppler ultrasonography., Results: The subjects were divided into a carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) group (CIMT ≥ 0.9 mm) and a non-CAS group (CIMT < 0.9 mm). The medians of free testosterone (FT) were 57.41 and 59.72 pmol/L in the CAS and non-CAS groups, respectively (P = 0.005), and no significant difference was found between the two groups in total testosterone (TT). The levels of serum FT and TT were negatively correlated to CIMT, with Spearman's rank correlation coefficients of -0.126 (P = 0.011) and -0.188 (P < 0.001), respectively. The incidence rates of CAS were 23.30, 13.46, 17.48, and 7.77% in the Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups, respectively according to the quartile of FT (P for trend = 0.008) and 17.48, 18.27, 16.50, and 9.71% respectively according to the quartile of TT (P for trend = 0.116). Based on the quartile of FT and after adjustment for age, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and HbAlc, the risk of CAS was significantly increased in the Q1 group as compared with Q4 (OR = 2.491, 95% CI 1.01-6.149), but no statistically significant differences were observed according to the quartile of TT., Conclusion: A low serum FT level may be a risk factor of atherosclerosis in Chinese men aged 40 years or older.

Purpose: To explore the effect of different depth and width of meiso-occlusal (Class II) cavity type on the tooth tissue resistance stress after restoration with composite resin inlays., Methods: The 3-D finite element model of mandibular first molar with meiso-occlusal (Class II) cavity restored with composite resin inlay was established by using CBCT scanning and reverse engineering software Mimics, Geomagic Studio, and finite element analysis software ANSYS. Comparative analysis of restoration with different depth and width meiso-occlusal (Class II) cavity under the same load of perpendicular and 45° deviation was explored, and finally the main stress and Von-mises stress changed as well as stress distribution were analyzed., Results: The main stress was located in the gingival wall opposite to the inlay, while the major stress concentration area of the tooth was distributed near the canal at the bottom of the cavity. With the increase of the depth and width, the main stress and Von-mises stress distribution areas of tooth were getting larger. The Von-mises stress of tooth was influenced by the width variation of the cavity, while that depth change of cavity was affected by Von Mises stress of the inlay., Conclusions: With the increase of the depth and width of the cavity as well as lateral loading force, the peak stress of tooth with inlays increased and the distribution of stress concentration is modified after meiso-occlusal (Class II) cavity being inlayed with composite resin.

Purpose: To develop and validate a real-time mitral valve annulus (MVA) tracking approach based on biplane transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) data and magnetic tracking systems (MTS) to be used in minimally invasive off-pump beating heart mitral valve repair (MVR)., Methods: The authors' guidance system consists of three major components: TEE, magnetic tracking system, and an image guidance software platform. TEE provides real-time intraoperative images to show the cardiac motion and intracardiac surgical tools. The magnetic tracking system tracks the TEE probe and the surgical tools. The software platform integrates the TEE image planes and the virtual model of the tools and the MVA model on the screen. The authors' MVA tracking approach, which aims to update the MVA model in near real-time, comprises of three steps: image based gating, predictive reinitialization, and registration based MVA tracking. The image based gating step uses a small patch centered at each MVA point in the TEE images to identify images at optimal cardiac phases for updating the position of the MVA. The predictive reinitialization step uses the position and orientation of the TEE probe provided by the magnetic tracking system to predict the position of the MVA points in the TEE images and uses them for the initialization of the registration component. The registration based MVA tracking step aims to locate the MVA points in the images selected by the image based gating component by performing image based registration., Results: The validation of the MVA tracking approach was performed in a phantom study and a retrospective study on porcine data. In the phantom study, controlled translations were applied to the phantom and the tracked MVA was compared to its "true" position estimated based on a magnetic sensor attached to the phantom. The MVA tracking accuracy was 1.29 ± 0.58 mm when the translation distance is about 1 cm, and increased to 2.85 ± 1.19 mm when the translation distance is about 3 cm. In the study on porcine data, the authors compared the tracked MVA to a manually segmented MVA. The overall accuracy is 2.37 ± 1.67 mm for single plane images and 2.35 ± 1.55 mm for biplane images. The interoperator variation in manual segmentation was 2.32 ± 1.24 mm for single plane images and 1.73 ± 1.18 mm for biplane images. The computational efficiency of the algorithm on a desktop computer with an Intel(®) Xeon(®) CPU @3.47 GHz and an NVIDIA GeForce 690 graphic card is such that the time required for registering four MVA points was about 60 ms., Conclusions: The authors developed a rapid MVA tracking algorithm for use in the guidance of off-pump beating heart transapical mitral valve repair. This approach uses 2D biplane TEE images and was tested on a dynamic heart phantom and interventional porcine image data. Results regarding the accuracy and efficiency of the authors' MVA tracking algorithm are promising, and fulfill the requirements for surgical navigation.

Recent studies have suggested that combination antiplatelet therapy may be superior to monotherapy in the treatment of acute stroke. However, additional prospective studies are needed to confirm this finding. The present trial compared the efficacy and safety of clopidogrel plus aspirin versus aspirin alone in the treatment of non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke within 72 hours of onset. Six hundred and ninety patients aged ⩾ 40 years with minor stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) were identified for enrollment. Experienced physicians determined baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores at the time of admission. All patients were randomly allocated (1:1) to receive aspirin alone (300 mg/day) or clopidogrel (300 mg for the first day, 75 mg/day thereafter) plus aspirin (100mg/day). The main endpoints were neurological deterioration, recurrent stroke, and development of stroke in patients with TIA within 14 days of admission. After 43 patients were excluded, 321 patients in the dual therapy group and 326 patients in the monotherapy group completed the treatment. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. During the 2 week period, stroke deterioration occurred in nine patients in the dual therapy group and 19 patients in the monotherapy group. Stroke occurred after TIA in one patient in the dual therapy group and three patients in the monotherapy group. Similar numbers of adverse events occurred in both groups. This study showed that early dual antiplatelet treatment reduced early neurological deterioration in patients with acute ischemic stroke, compared with antiplatelet monotherapy. These results imply that dual antiplatelet therapy is superior to monotherapy in the early treatment of acute ischemic stroke., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A sugary mutant with low total starch and high sugar contents was compared with its wild type Sindongjin for grain-filling caryopses. In the present study, developing seeds of Sindongjin and sugary mutant from the 11th day after flowering (DAF) were subjected to RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). A total of 30,385 and 32,243 genes were identified in Sindongjin and sugary mutant. Transcriptomic change analysis showed that 7713 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (log₂ fold change ≥1, false discovery rate (FDR)≤0.001) were identified based on our RNA-Seq data, with 7239 genes up-regulated and 474 down-regulated in the sugary mutant. A large number of DEGs were found related to metabolic, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, plant-pathogen interaction, plant hormone signal transduction and starch/sugar metabolism. Detailed pathway dissection and quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) demonstrated that most genes involved in sucrose to starch synthesis are up-regulated, whereas the expression of the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase small subunit (OsAGPS2b) catalyzing the first committed step of starch biosynthesis was specifically inhibited during the grain-filling stage in sugary mutant. Further analysis suggested that the OsAGPS2b is a considerable candidate gene responsible for phenotype of sugary mutant., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The authors studied the effects of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the bioavailability of bisphenol A (BPA) and chloramphenicol by measuring the freely dissolved concentrations of the contaminants in solutions containing DOM that had been isolated from a mesocosm in a eutrophic lake. The abundance and aromaticity of the chromophoric DOM increased over the 25-d mesocosm experiment. The BPA freely dissolved concentration was 72.3% lower and the chloramphenicol freely dissolved concentration was 56.2% lower using DOM collected on day 25 than using DOM collected on day 1 of the mesocosm experiment. The freely dissolved concentrations negatively correlated with the ultraviolent absorption coefficient at 254 nm and positively correlated with the spectral slope of chromophoric DOM, suggesting that the bioavailability of these emerging organic contaminants depends on the characteristics of the DOM present. The DOM-water partition coefficients (log KOC ) for the emerging organic contaminants positively correlated with the aromaticity of the DOM, measured as humic acid-like fluorescent components C1 (excitation/emission=250[313]/412 nm) and C2 (excitation/emission=268[379]/456 nm). The authors conclude that the bioavailability of emerging organic contaminants in eutrophic lakes can be affected by changes in the DOM., (© 2014 SETAC.)

Objective: To observe the effects of navel-warming therapy on clinical efficacy in patients with yang-deficiency tympanites based on regular treatment of western medication., Methods: One hundred and twenty cases of yang-deficiency tympanites were randomly divided into a navel-warming therapy group and a western medication group, sixty cases in each one. The regular treatment of western medicine was applied in the western medication group, including oral administration of antiviral drug and diuretics as well as intravenous drip of hepatic protector. Based on western medicine treatment, the navel-warming therapy was applied in the navel-warming group. A medical cake was laid on Shenque (CV 8), and then a medical cylinder was placed above the medical cake and ignited. The treatment was given once daily. One month was considered as a treatment session in both groups and totally one session was required. The TCM symptom score, B-ultrasound ascites and temporary use of diuretics before and after treatment were observed in both groups; also the efficacy was evaluated., Results: The total effective rate was 81.7% (49/60) in the navel-warming therapy group, which was superior to 56.7% (34/60) in the western medication group (P < 0.05). After the treatment, the TCM symptom score and ascites were improved in both groups (all P < 0.05), which was more significant in the navel-warming therapy group (all P < 0.05). The temporary use of diuretics was statistically different between the two groups (P < 0.05), indicating the navel-warming therapy group could obviously reduce or stop the use of diuretics., Conclusion: Based on regular treatment of western medication, the navel-warming therapy could significantly improve therapeutic efficacy, effectively relieve clinical symptoms and ease ascites.

This study analyzed 394 Korean rice landrace accessions, including 93 waxy varieties, for polymorphisms using 29 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. In total, 381 alleles served as raw data for estimating the genetic diversity (GD) and population structure. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 44 (average = 13.14). The expected heterozygosity and polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.0341 to 0.9358 (mean = 0.5623) and from 0.0783 to 0.9367 (mean = 0.5839), respectively. The mean GDs in waxy, low amylose content, intermediate amylose content, and high amylose content (HAC) varieties were 0.6014, 0.5922, 0.5858, and 0.7232, respectively, whereas the mean PIC values for each SSR locus were 0.5701, 0.5594, 0.5550, and 0.6926, respectively. HAC varieties had the highest GD and PIC. Consistent with clustering by genetic distances, a model-based structural analysis revealed 3 subpopulations. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that the between-population component of genetic variance was 22.35%, and that of the within-population component was 77.65%. Significant correlations were observed between eating quality and protein content (r = -0.262), K(+) (r = -0.655), Mg(2+) (r = -0.680), 1000-GW (r = 0.159), and amylose content (r = -0.134). The overall FST value was 0.2235, indicating moderate differentiation among the groups. Analysis of variance of the 3 genetic groups (mean of 9 phenotypic and 5 physicochemical traits) by the Duncan multiple range test showed significant differences in 10 traits. This preliminary study represents a first step toward more efficient conservation and greater utilization of rice landraces to broaden the genetic bases of commercially grown varieties.

RNase E, a central component involved in bacterial RNA metabolism, usually has a highly conserved N-terminal catalytic domain but an extremely divergent C-terminal domain. While the C-terminal domain of RNase E in Escherichia coli recruits other components to form an RNA degradation complex, it is unknown if a similar function can be found for RNase E in other organisms due to the divergent feature of this domain. Here, we provide evidence showing that RNase E forms a complex with another essential ribonuclease-the polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase)-in cyanobacteria, a group of ecologically important and phylogenetically ancient organisms. Sequence alignment for all cyanobacterial RNase E proteins revealed several conserved and variable subregions in their noncatalytic domains. One such subregion, an extremely conserved nonapeptide (RRRRRRSSA) located near the very end of RNase E, serves as the PNPase recognition site in both the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC7120 and the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803. These results indicate that RNase E and PNPase form a ribonuclease complex via a common mechanism in cyanobacteria. The PNPase-recognition motif in cyanobacterial RNase E is distinct from those previously identified in Proteobacteria, implying a mechanism of coevolution for PNPase and RNase E in different organisms.

We propose a novel multi-region image segmentation approach to extract myocardial scar tissue from 3-D whole-heart cardiac late-enhancement magnetic resonance images in an interactive manner. For this purpose, we developed a graphical user interface to initialize a fast max-flow-based segmentation algorithm and segment scar accurately with progressive interaction. We propose a partially-ordered Potts (POP) model to multi-region segmentation to properly encode the known spatial consistency of cardiac regions. Its generalization introduces a custom label/region order constraint to Potts model to multi-region segmentation. The combinatorial optimization problem associated with the proposed POP model is solved by means of convex relaxation, for which a novel multi-level continuous max-flow formulation, i.e., the hierarchical continuous max-flow (HMF) model, is proposed and studied. We demonstrate that the proposed HMF model is dual or equivalent to the convex relaxed POP model and introduces a new and efficient hierarchical continuous max-flow based algorithm by modern convex optimization theory. In practice, the introduced hierarchical continuous max-flow based algorithm can be implemented on the parallel GPU to achieve significant acceleration in numerics. Experiments are performed in 50 whole heart 3-D LE datasets, 35 with left-ventricular and 15 with right-ventricular scar. The experimental results are compared to full-width-at-half-maximum and Signal-threshold to reference-mean methods using manual expert myocardial segmentations and operator variabilities and the effect of user interaction are assessed. The results indicate a substantial reduction in image processing time with robust accuracy for detection of myocardial scar. This is achieved without the need for additional region constraints and using a single optimization procedure, substantially reducing the potential for error.

Objective: To investigate the association between the KCNE1 gene G38S and the KCNE4 gene E145D and atrial fibrillation in Uygur and Han populations living in Xinjiang., Methods: KCNE1 gene G38S and the KCNE4 gene E145D genotype and frequency were determined using PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 488 atrial fibrillation patients (237 Uygur and 251 Han residents) and 488 age-and-gender matched controls (237 Uygur and 251 Han residents)., Results: Genotype and allele frequency of KCNE1 gene G38S were similar between atrial fibrillation group and control group in the Han population (P = 0.556, P = 0.946). In the Uygur population, there was a statistical difference between atrial fibrillation group and control group (P = 0.018, P = 0.003). Logistic regression analysis revealed the KCNE1 38 G was one of the independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation in the Uygur population (OR = 1.634, 95%CI: 1.192-2.240, P = 0.002). The KCNE4 gene E145D, genotype and allele frequency were significantly different between atrial fibrillation group and control group in the Uygur population and Han population (P = 0.041, P = 0.015;P = 0.032, P = 0.013) . Logistic regression analysis revealed the KCNE4 145D was one of the independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation in the Uygur population and Han population (OR = 1.636, 95%CI:1.173-2.281, P = 0.004; OR = 1.491, 95%CI:1.076-2.065, P = 0.016) ., Conclusions: KCNE1 G38S is not associated with atrial fibrillation in the Han population while the KCNE1 G38S is associated with atrial fibrillation in the Uygur population. KCNE4 gene E145D is associated with atrial fibrillation in both Uygur population and Han population.

About four year's field observation was conducted from July 2007 to September 2011, in a small enclosed eutrophic lake located in Qianwei Village, Chongming Island. The temporal and spatial distribution of environmental factors (including physical-chemical factors and hydrodynamic condition) and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) were studied and their correlation was analyzed. Results indicated that there were significant differences in the spatial and temporal distribution of Chl-a in the lake. Significantly positive correlation was found between Chl-a and water temperature, turbidity, TN and TP. Water temperature and nutrients were the main limited factors of seasonal changes of phytoplankton. It could be the result of phytoplankton growth that caused the seasonal change of turbidity. It was found that hydrological changes were the primary factor affecting the spatial difference of Chl-a concentration. Lower average Chl-a concentration (35. 30 microg.L-1) was recorded in the north watercourse, in condition with higher wind driven flow velocity ranging from 0. 08 m.s- 1 to 0. 22 m.s -1. A strong negative correlation was found between Chl-a concentration and flow velocity. Higher average Chl-a concentration (53. 11 microg.L-1) was frequently found under flow conditions ranged from 0 m.s-1 to 0. 10 m.s-1. These findings indicated that increasing hydrodynamic condition would significantly inhibit the growth of phytoplankton and reduce the risk of algae blooming in summer in these eutrophic water bodies.

Action potential (AP) contours vary considerably between the fibers of normal adult and aged left atria. The underlying ionic and molecular mechanisms that mediate these differences remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the L-type calcium current (I Ca.L ) and the L-type Ca 2+ channel of the left atria may be altered with age to contribute to atrial fibrillation (AF). Two groups of mongrel dogs (normal adults, 2-2.5 years old and older dogs, >8 years old) were used in this study. The inducibility of AF was quantitated using the cumulative window of vulnerability (WOV). A whole-cell patch-clamp was used to record APs and I Ca.L in left atrial (LA) cells obtained from the two groups of dogs. Protein and mRNA expression levels of the a1C (Cav1.2) subunit of the L-type calcium channel were assessed using western blotting and quantitative PCR (qPCR), respectively. Although the resting potential, AP amplitude and did not differ with age, the plateau potential was more negative and the APD 90 was longer in the aged cells compared with that in normal adult cells. Aged LA cells exhibited lower peak I Ca.L current densities than normal adult LA cells (P<0.05). In addition, the Cav1.2 mRNA and protein expression levels in LA cells were decreased in the aged group compared with those in the normal adult group. The lower AP plateau potential and the decreased I Ca.L of LA cells in aged dogs may contribute to the slow and discontinuous conduction of the left atria. Furthermore, the reduction of the expression levels of Cav1.2 with age may be the molecular mechanism that mediates the decline in I Ca.L with increasing age.

Restraint stress modulates pain and inflammation. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of acute restraint stress on inflammatory pain induced by subcutaneous injection of bee venom (BV). First, we investigated the effect of 1 h restraint on the spontaneous paw-flinching reflex (SPFR), decrease in paw withdrawal mechanical threshold (PWMT) and increase in paw volume (PV) of the injected paw induced by BV. SPFR was measured immediately after BV injection, and PWMT and PV were measured 2 h before BV and 2-8 h after BV. The results showed that acute restraint inhibited significantly the SPFR but failed to affect mechanical hyperalgesia. In contrast, stress enhanced significantly inflammatory swelling of the injected paw. In a second series of experiments, the effects of pretreatment with capsaicin locally applied to the sciatic nerve, systemic 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), and systemic naloxone were examined on the antinociception and proinflammation produced by acute restraint stress. Local capsaicin pretreatment inhibited BV-induced nociception and inflammatory edema, and had additive effects with stress on nociception but reduced stress enhancement of edema. Systemic 6-OHDA treatment attenuated the proinflammatory effect of stress, but did not affect the antinociceptive effect. Systemic naloxone pretreatment eliminated the antinociceptive effect of stress, but did not affect proinflammation. Taken together, our data indicate that acute restraint stress contributes to antinociception via activating an endogenous opioid system, while sympathetic postganglionic fibers may contribute to enhanced inflammation in the BV pain model.

Objective: To evaluate the short-term effect of the black film covering combined with niclosamide on Oncomelania hupensis snail control in marshland and lake regions., Methods: A ditch with snails in Anxiang County was selected as the experimental sites. The ditch was divided into 3 groups: a film group, a niclosamide group, and a niclosamide and film group. The snails were surveyed before the test and 1, 3, 5, 7 days after the experiment., Results: After the film covering, the highest temperature of the surface of soil was 63.7 degrees C on the first day, and the temperature higher than 40 degrees C lasted 4.34 hours. On the second day, the highest temperature was 52.3 degrees C, and the temperature higher than 40 degrees C lasted 4.96 hours. On the fourth day and fifth day, the temperature was lower than 30 degrees C, while the temperature was lower than 34 degrees C on the sixth day. On the seventh day of the experiment, the snail death rates of the film group, the niclosamide group, and the niclosamide and film group on the soil surface were 16.36%, 58.40% and 53.57%, respectively. On the seventh day, the snail death rates of the film group, and the niclosamide and film group under the soil were 20.00% and 40.00%, respectively, while no snails were found under the soil in the niclosamide group 3 days after the experiment. In mesh bags, the snail death rates of the film group, the niclosamide group, and the niclosamide and film group were 84.00%, 95.33% and 95.33%, respectively., Conclusion: The short-term effect of the black film covering on snail control is not obvious, and the black film covering does no promote the molluscicidal effect of niclosamide.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and clinical results of subsequent retroperitoneoscopic surgery for patients with previous ipsilateral retroperitoneal surgery through frank incision., Methods: A total of 10 patents were selected for subsequent laparoscopic surgery through retroperitoneal approach. Among them, there were recurrent renal cysts (n = 4) including a history of open surgery (n = 1) and retroperitoneal surgery (n = 3) and nonfunctional kidneys (n = 6) including open nephropyelopolasty (n = 3), retroperitoneoscopic nephropyelopolasty (n = 1) and retroperitoneoscopic ureterolithotomy (n = 2). The mean surgical duration was (12-85) 38.6 months. All patients underwent retroperitoneoscopy. Decortication was performed for renal cysts and nephrectomy for nonfunctional kidneys., Results: All operations were successfully performed with a mean surgical duration of 97 (40-185) minutes and a mean volume of blood loss 125 (20-460) ml. Among 4 cases with intraoperative peritoneal rupture, one case had renal cyst on ventral side. After enlargement, the procedure was performed through peritoneal cavity. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 5.6 (3-9) days. Nine patients received a mean follow-up period of 21.5 (3-47) months. All symptoms were relieved without any occurrence of postoperative complications., Conclusion: For patients with previous ipsilateral retroperitoneal surgery, retroperitoneoscopy may be feasible for properly selected cases.

It is well known that spinal glia plays a key role in the pathogenesis of pain. The present study was designed to determine the roles of spinal microglia in bee venom-induced persistent spontaneous nociception (PSN), mechanical hyperalgesia and inflammation. We determined the effects of microglia inhibitor minocycline on BV-induced PSN, mechanical hyperalgesia and inflammatory swelling. Pre-treatment with intrathecal administration of minocyline at different doses significantly inhibited BV-induced PSN and mechanical hyperalgesia, but had no effect on BV-induced inflammatory swelling. These data suggest that the activation of spinal microglia may play a key role in BV-induced nociception, but not inflammation., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the relationship of erectile dysfunction (ED) with blood vessel-, nerve- and androgen-related factors in young and middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in order to provide some clinical evidence for early prevention and treatment of ED., Methods: We divided 53 male T2DM patients under 50 years into an ED group (IIEF-5 score < or = 21, n = 28) and a non-ED (NED) group (IIEF-5 score > or = 22, n = 25). We detected the levels of blood lipid, glucose, total testosterone (TT), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), sulfate dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA-S), calculated free testosterone (cFT), and examined the complications of macroangiopathy (MA), diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), and compared the above indicators between the two groups., Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in age, diabetes duration, body mass index, blood pressure, and blood lipid and glucose levels (P > 0.05). The incidence rate of DR was significantly higher in the ED than in the NED group (39.3% vs 4.0%, P < 0.05), but no statistically significant differences were found in the levels of TT, cFT, SHBG and DHEA-S and the incidence rates of MA and DPN between the two groups (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: The incidence of ED is closely related to DR in young and middle-aged men with T2DM. Therefore particular attention should be paid to the erectile function of T2DM patients with DR as early as possible.

Ruptured thoracic aortic tuberculous pseudoaneurysms as a complication of mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of the spine are rare. Conventional treatment of a ruptured tuberculous pseudoaneurysm involves surgery with graft interposition or patch repair. We report successful repair of a ruptured tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta by endovascular stent graft placement and provide a literature review of such entities., (© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Leonurine (Leo) is a special alkaloid principle of Herba leonuri that has recently been suggested to improve cardiovascular functions. To date, there is no direct ionic evidence of Leo on regulating calcium channels in the heart. In the present study, we examined the effects of Leo on action potentials and membrane currents recorded from isolated rat ventricular myocytes with the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Leo 100 µM shortened the action potential duration in a dose-dependent manner. Leo up to 200 µM had no significant effect on the Na+ current (INa) and K+ current (IK). However, Leo depressed the L-type Ca2+ current (ICa,L). In the presence of 20 and 100 µM Leo, the current density was decreased and the voltage at half maximal inactivation V0.5 shift to more negative potential. The recovery time constant was also delayed. In addition, the transcription and protein expression levels of L-type calcium channel (Cav1.2) in primary cultured neonatal myocytes from Sprague-Dawley rats were reduced by Leo treatment in a dose-dependent fashion as assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot assays. We conclude that Leo inhibits L-type calcium channels in cardiomyocytes.

Introduction and Hypothesis: The purpose of the study was to evaluate and compare the clinical values of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT), tension-free vaginal tape-transobturator (TVT-O), or tension-free vaginal tape-Secur (TVT-Secur) as treatment for female stress urinary incontinence., Methods: The pre-operative and 1-year post-operative follow-up protocols for patients who were treated with serial mid-urethral tension-free tape procedures in two hospitals from October 2008 to December 2009 were prospectively studied. These patients were randomly allocated to TVT, TVT-O, or TVT-Secur., Results: A total of 102 women participated. At the 1-year follow-up, complications were not statistically different across the three groups except for pain in the thigh, which was more common in the TVT-O group. The overall efficacy and cure rate were similar between the TVT and TVT-O groups, but were significantly lower in the TVT-Secur group., Conclusions: A comparison of the three procedures shows that TVT-O is easy to operate and is as safe as TVT-Secur, and it has similar long-term efficacy to TVT, though, as one of the third-generation mid-urethral tension-free tapes, TVT-Secur is still being evaluated. Basing on the outcome of our study, it had rare complications but unsatisfactory efficacy, and we suggest that TVT-Secur is not fit for severe cases. However, observation and comparison of these groups in a larger sample size on a longer term are needed.

We report a case of a 23-year-old male with Uhl's anomaly who presented with nonparoxysmal atrioventricular junctional tachycardia with Mobitz I. The patient underwent successful total cavopulmonary conversion., (© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Purpose: Li-Fraumeni syndrome is a rare hereditary cancer syndrome associated with germline mutations in the TP53 gene. Although sarcomas, brain tumors, leukemias, breast and adrenal cortical carcinomas are typically recognized as Li-Fraumeni syndrome-associated tumors, the occurrence of gastrointestinal neoplasms has not been fully evaluated. In this analysis, we investigated the frequency and characteristics of gastric cancer in Li-Fraumeni syndrome., Methods: Pedigrees and medical records of 62 TP53 mutation-positive families were retrospectively reviewed from the Dana-Farber/National Cancer Institute Li-Fraumeni syndrome registry. We identified subjects with gastric cancer documented either by pathology report or death certificate and performed pathology review of the available specimens., Results: Among 62 TP53 mutation-positive families, there were 429 cancer-affected individuals. Gastric cancer was the diagnosis in the lineages of 21 (4.9%) subjects from 14 families (22.6%). The mean and median ages at gastric cancer diagnosis were 43 and 36 years, respectively (range: 24-74 years), significantly younger compared with the median age at diagnosis in the general population based on Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results data (71 years). Five (8.1%) families reported two or more cases of gastric cancer, and six (9.7%) families had cases of both colorectal and gastric cancers. No association was seen between phenotype and type/location of the TP53 mutations. Pathology review of the available tumors revealed both intestinal and diffuse histologies., Conclusions: Early-onset gastric cancer seems to be a component of Li-Fraumeni syndrome, suggesting the need for early and regular endoscopic screening in individuals with germline TP53 mutations, particularly among those with a family history of gastric cancer.