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A simplified approach is presented for the analysis of the settlement of vertically loaded pile groups. In order to simulate the nonlinear pile-to-pile interaction in pile groups, the soils along the piles are assumed to behave as a series of nonlinear springs subjected to the shaft shear stress at the pile/soil interface. Considering the displacement reduction induced by the pile-to-pile interaction, the shear-deformation method is adopted to approximate the displacement field of the layered soils around the piles, and the equivalent stiffness of the springs is obtained. Furthermore, the load-settlement response of pile groups is deduced by modifying the load-transfer functions to account for the pile-to-pile interaction. The settlements of a laboratory pile groups computed by the presented approach are in a good agreement with measured results. The analysis on contrastive parameters shows that the settlements of pile group decrease with the increase of the pile space and pile length, and the part of piles exceeding the critical pile length has little contribution to the bearing capacity of the pile groups.

The article realize the application in breeding center based on the technique of ZigBee and wireless sensor net. The monitoring system can track and monitor the environmental factors and production process which influence the growth of seedling in real-time and continuously. The article introduces the structure and composition of system, the design of software and hardware. The monitoring system is simple, stable in practical application process, which has a very important significance on the management to breeding center.

The early responses of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to various biopolymers are important to their proliferation and differentiation. Here, the adhesions of rat MSCs on the electrode of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) decorated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT)/chitosan (CS), CNT/CS/hyaluronic acid (HA) and CNT/CS/fibronectin (FN) layers were investigated and compared with other techniques at a serum-free condition for 12-h incubation. The numbers of adhered rMSCs on CNT/CS/FN and CNT electrodes were 76 and 26% of the initial values, respectively, determined by cell-count technique while MTS assay could not detect the differences. The weights of adhered rMSCs on CNT/CS/FN electrodes of QCM were 50% higher than those on other surfaces that were consistent with cell-count technique. The morphology of adhered rMSCs on the CNT/CS/FN surfaces markedly differed from those on other surfaces. In conclusion, the electrodes of QCM decorated with CNT/CS/FN or CNT/CS/carbohydrate polymers could be quantified the early adhesion of rMSCs on their surfaces.

This study presents an improved finite beam element method developed to calculate lateral displacement of pile subjected to eccentric and inclined loads. The relationships between the moment and shear to the lateral displacements of pile are derived from the mechanical deferential equation of the pile by taking into account the P-Δ effect of the pile due to geometric nonlinearity, and the stiffness of the pile element discretized into the finite beam elements is obtained, followed by solving, lateral displacement of pile is deduced by the improved finite beam element equations. By comparing to results of a model test on piles under eccentric and inclined loads, it is shown that the improved finite beam element method accurately predicts the pile’s lateral displacements.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of "BUSHEN HUOXUE YIN"(BHY,a Chinese traditional medicine) combined with western medicine on patients with Parkinson’s disease(PD).Methods One hundred PD patients were enrolled in the randomized control trial(RCT).The patients were randomly divided into two groups(50 each): treatment group(BHY and western medicine,peros) and control group(western medicine only,peros).At the end of the 3rd month,47 patients in treated group and 44 patients in control group completed the trials,as 5 patients were excluded and 4 patients lost follow-up.The Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale(UPDRS) scoring and the Hoehn & Yahr stage(H-Y) were compared before and after treatment to evaluate the improvement of motor function and clinical efficacy.Results The effective power was significantly higher in treatment group(44.68%) than in control group(11.36%,P0.05).Conclusion BHY has an obvious therapeutic effect on PD patients.BHY combined with western medicine can improve motor function and daily living activity in PD patients better than western medicine only.

Three biphenanthrene compounds (1-3) and a triphenanthrene compound (4), together with six known biphenanthrene compounds (5-10), were isolated from the tubers of Monomeria barbata Lindl. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis (1D-, 2D-NMR, and HR-ESI-MS). These four new compounds were tested in vitro for the cytotoxic activity against liver carcinoma (HepG-2), promyelocytic leukaemia (HL60), ovarian carcinoma (Skov-3) and epidermoid carcinoma (A431) cancer cell lines and the antioxidant activity in DPPH radical scavenging. Compounds 1-4 exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against HepG-2 and HL60 cell lines, and potent antioxidant activity in DPPH radical scavenging.

Relevance to ethnopharmacology Dahuangzhechong pill (DHZCP), a well-known and canonical Chinese medicine formula from “The Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber”, is officially approved and recommended by Chinese association of integrative medicine for the prevention and treatment of hepatic fibrosis in China. Aim of the study To test the hypothesis that therapeutic effects of DHZCP on hepatic fibrosis are conferred by regulating cytokine profile through a mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Materials and methods Hepatic fibrosis is inducted by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rats which then were randomly divided into six groups: hepatic fibrosis model group, high dose DHZCP group, low dose DHZCP group, Fufang Biejia Ruangan Pian (FBRP) group, Colchicine group and control group. Pathological, immunohistochemical, multiplex immunoassay and protein expression studies (Western blotting) are performed. Results DHZCP significantly decreases the levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, hyaluronic acid, laminin, type IV collagen and procollagen III, and reverses hepatic fibrosis in rat model. DHZCP also could reduce the expression of α-smooth muscle actin, and lower the serum level of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 13 (IL-13). The expressions of phosphorylated p38 MAPK and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) are down-regulated, while no significant changes are found in phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Conclusions DHZCP can alleviate hepatic fibrosis induced by CCl4. The anti-fibrotic effects of DHZCP are conferred by decreasing the secretion of TNF-α and IL-13 through down-regulating p38 and ERK phosphorylation.

To evaluate the efficacy of compound Dixiong Decoction (地芎汤, a Chinese herbal decoction) on early prevention of radiation pneumonitis. Forty-six patients with non-small cell lung cancer who were planning to receive radiotherapy were randomly assigned to the treatment group treated with the compound Dixiong Decoction and the control group treated with a commonly used herbal decoction which has the effects of supplementing qi and nourishing yin, clearing heat and detoxifying at the time of radiotherapy. Primary measure was the incidence of radiation pneumonitis after radiotherapy. Secondary outcomes included Watters clinical radiographic physiologic (CRP) dyspnea score, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) grading score, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score, and the application of corticosteroids. The incidence of radiation pneumonitis in the treatment group was 10.0%, while that in the control group was 26.3% (P=0.0032). The Watters CRP dyspnea score and RTOG grading score in the treatment group were significantly =lower than those in the control group (P

In seismic design of tapered high pier, the analysis of natural vibration frequency is of great importance. According to the engineering features of tapered high pier in mountainous area, a vibration calculation model was set up considering the tapered pier characteristics and pile-soil interaction. Based on Southwell frequency composition theory, it consists of elastic deformation of bridge pier and the rigid deformation of group piles, which are respectively solved by the finite-element method and energy method, and then the natural frequency is derived. The comparison between the measured and calculated results shows that the calculation errors with and without considering pile-soil interaction are 4.9% and 14.7%, respectively. Additionally, the main parameters (pier height, section variation coefficient and lateral foundation horizontal proportional coefficient) affecting natural frequency were investigated. The result shows that natural frequency ascends with the increase of the lateral foundation horizontal proportional coefficient; and it is quite necessary to consider the pile-soil interaction in natural frequency calculation of tapered high pier.

Three new monophenanthrene compounds were isolated from an acetone extract of the tubers of Monomeria barbata Lindl. (Orchidaceae). Using spectroscopic methods, the structures of compounds 1 – 3 were determined as 1,4,7-trihydroxy-2-methoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene ( 1 ), 1-( p -hydroxybenzoyl)-2-methoxy-4,7-dihydroxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene ( 2 ), 1,3,8-tri( p -hydroxybenzyl)-4-methoxy-phenanthrene-4,7-diol ( 3 ). These compounds showed cytotoxicities on four tumor cell lines (HepG2, HL-60, Skov-3, A431).

Objective To examine the expression of FLICE-inhibitory protein (FLIP) in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and analyze its correlation with synovial inflammation. Methods The expression of FLIP was assessed in 11 JIA and 3 normal synovial tissue samples by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. The cell types expressing FLIP were further characterized, and the correlation of FLIP expression with the degree of synovial inflammation, as well as the activity of caspase 8 was then analyzed. Results RT-PCR revealed the expression of FLIP mRNA in all 11 JIA samples, but not in 3 normal synovial tissues. In JIA, FLIP expression could be found in both the lining and sublining layers, mainly in the macrophage-like cells. Moreover, the expression of FLIP in JIA synovial tissues was positively correlated with the degree of synovial inflammation (r=0.563, P Conclusion The expression of antiapoptotic FLIP in JIA synovial tissue and its correlation to accumulation of inflammatory cells in synovial tissue suggests that FLIP potentially extends the lifespan of syno-vial cells and thus contributes to the progression of joint destruction.

The dynamic model experiment of the rock filling embankment was carried out to investigate the vibration compaction mechanism. The rock filling materials were compacted by the plate-vibrated compactor, and the characteristics of the rock filling materials, such as settlement, pressure change and response waveform, were measured by the dynamic earth pressure gauge and accelerometer. Moreover, a new method for detecting the compactness of the rock filling embankment was proposed based on the maximum dry density and modulus of deformation. The results show that the process of vibration compaction includes compact, elastic deformation and loose stages, and the vibratory pressure transfers to the surroundings from the vibration center in non-linear rule. Furthermore, the test results obtained by the present method are basically in agreement with those obtained by the traditional method, and the maximum relative error between them is about 0.5%.

On the basis of the non-covalent interaction between template and monomer, porous molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were synthesized by a thermal-initiated polymerization method using huperzine A as template, acrylamide, or methacrylic acid as function monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linking agent. The interaction between template and functional monomers was studied by UV spectrophotometry, which showed a formation of huperzine A-monomer complexes with stoichiometric ratio of 1 : 2 in the pre-polymerized systems. The resultant MIP particles were tested in the equilibrium binding experiment to analyze their adsorption ability to huperzine A, and were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) study. The recognition properties of MIP were estimated in solid-phase extraction by selecting four compounds (isolated from the Chinese herb Huperzia serrata) as substrates, and were compared with and prior to those of the NIP. High affinity and adsorption of MIP1 which was prepared in chloroform with huperzine A as imprinted molecule, and acrylamide (AM) as functional monomer, made an attractive application of MIP1 in separation processes. In final, using MIP1 solid-phase extraction micro-column, huperzine A was enriched and separated from the real extraction sample of Huperzia serrata. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry is used to rapidly characterize the human neutrophil peptides - HNP 1, 2, and 3 - in saliva. The saliva excreted from the parotid and sublingual/submandibular glands of 70 individuals were collected and examined using MALDI-TOF. The MALDI approach requires no sample pretreatment other than mixing the saliva-absorbing material with the matrix and drying under ambient conditions. Tissue paper was the best material for collecting the saliva samples because of its strong texture and high absorbance, and sinapinic acid was the best MALDI matrix for the analysis of the HNPs. HNPs were detected in almost all the samples collected from the parotid glands, with no obvious differences among age or gender. In contrast, the distribution of the HNPs in the samples collected from the sublingual/submandibular glands was age-dependent: no HNPs were detected for those collected from individuals younger than 30, but the HNPs were present in all of the samples collected from those older than 60 years. The increased probability of detecting saliva HNPs with age suggests that HNPs may function as a biomarker for aging.

Veratridine is a lipid-soluble alkaloid extracted from Veratrum officinale and other species of the family Liliaceae. Veratridine prevents inactivation of Na(+) channel via binding the receptor site 2, causes influx of sodium ion and depolarization and induces apoptosis of neuronal cells. In the present study, we investigated the metabolism of veratridine and the effects of selective cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibitors on the metabolism of veratridine in rat liver microsomes. The metabolites were separated and assayed by liquid-chromatography-electrospray ionization-ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QIT-MSn), and further identified by their mass spectra and chromatographic behaviors. Result showed that four CYP isoforms (CYP1A, CYP2B, CYP2E1, CYP3A) were involved in the metabolism of veratridine in vitro and seven metabolites of veratridine were detected incubating with rat liver microsomes. Some of the metabolites were presumed to be potential mediates of neurotoxicity via protein binging. Further research in vivo needs to link the metabolism of veratridine to its toxicity.

Mono-/bi-layer Au nanoparticle films with large areas were prepared by the assembly of Au nanoparticles in aqueous colloid at toluene/water interfaces, which can be transferred onto the hydrophilic solid surface and adhere strongly to the substrate without any binding agent. The transferred Au nanoparticle films exhibited satisfactory catalytic performance for electro-oxidizing nitric oxide (NO) in solution, and had a low detection limit (2.7 × 10−8 mol/L), a rapid response time (less than 0.5 s) and a wide linear range (5.0 × 10−8–1.0 × 10−5 mol/L) for the detection of NO in solution. UV–vis spectra, cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were conducted to characterize the prepared Au nanoparticle films.

To enhance the detection accuracy and deduce false positive rate of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack detection, a new machine learning method was proposed. With the analysis of support vector machine (SVM) and the wavelet kernel function theory, an admissive support vector kernel, which is a wavelet kernel constructed in this article, implements the combination of the wavelet technique with SVM. Then, wavelet support vector machine (WSVM) is applied to DDoS attack detections and as a classifying means to test the validity of the wavelet kernel function. Simulation experiments show that under the same conditions, the predictive ability of WSVM is improved and the computation burden is alleviated. The detection accuracy of WSVM is higher than the traditional SVM by about 4%, while its false positive is lower than the traditional SVM. Thus, for DDoS detections, WSVM shows better detection performance and is more adaptive to the changing network environment.

Poly-thionine nanowire/HRP/nano-Au composite nanomaterial was developed to fabricate the H 2 O 2 biosensor. Poly-thionine nanowires (PTHNWs) have been synthesized by electrodeposition in porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The morphological characterization of PTHNWs was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The nanowires prepared by this method can be used to encapsulate horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and nano-Au by in situ electrochemical copolymerization. The resulting PTHNWs–HRP–nano-Au material facilitates electron-transfer process in electrochemical sensor design. The PTHNWs–HRP–nano-Au film-modified electrode showed to be excellent amperometric sensors for H 2 O 2 . In pH 6.98 phosphate buffer, almost interference-free determination of H 2 O 2 is realized at −0.1 V versus SCE with a linear range of 5 × 10 −7 to 1.3 × 10 −2 M, a correlation coefficient of 0.998 and response time 2 O 2 biosensor is up to 168 μA mM −1 cm −2 and the detection limit is 0.3 μM. Furthermore, the biosensor exhibited long-term stability, and good reproducibility.

This paper is addressed to a design of K-band dual mode radar used in traffic information collection. The radar can work in both Frequency Modulate Continual Wave (FMCW) mode and Continual Wave (CW) mode. As VCO is seldom used as the oscillator in CW radar for velocity measurement, this paper studied the effect of phase noise and detecting distance on velocity error in CW mode in VCO design. The analysis shows that the effect of phase noise on velocity error can be reduced by shortening the detecting distance. There’s little difference in short-range velocity measurement between the dual mode radar with MMIC VCO and the CW radar with low phase noise oscillator.

A new flavone C-glycoside, apigenin 6-C-α-arabinofuranosyl 8-C-α-arabinopyranoside (1) and a new bibenzyl, bulbotetusine (2), were isolated from the tubers of Bulbophyllum retusiusculum. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses. The absolute configuration of 2 was determined by the comparison of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism. Compounds 1 and 2 showed no obvious cytotoxic activity against any five human tumour cell lines with IC50 values >40 μM.

The microenvironment of neuron cells plays a crucial role in regulating neural development and regeneration. Hyaluronic acid (HA) biomaterial has been applied in a wide range of medical and biological fields and plays important roles in neural regeneration. PC12 cells have been reported to be capable of endogenous NGF synthesis and secretion. The purpose of this research was to assess the effect of HA biomaterial combining with PC12 cells conditioned media (PC12 CM) in neural regeneration. Using SH-SY5Y cells as an experimental model, we found that supporting with PC12 CM enhanced HA function in SH-SY5Y cell proliferation and adhesion. Through RP-nano-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analyses, we identified increased expression of HSP60 and RanBP2 in SH-SY5Y cells grown on HA-modified surface with cotreatment of PC12 CM. Moreover, we also identified factors that were secreted from PC12 cells and may promote SH-SY5Y cell proliferation and adhesion. Here, we proposed a biomaterial surface enriched with neurotrophic factors for nerve regeneration application.

Four molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were prepared in MeOH with esculin (=6,7-dihydroxycoumarin 6-(β-D-glucopyranoside)=6-(β-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-7-hydroxy-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one) as the imprinted molecule, methacrylic acid (=2-methylprop-2-enoic acid; MAA), acrylamide (=prop-2-enamide; AM), 4-vinylpyridine (=4-ethenylpyridine; 4-VP), or 2-vinylpyridine (=2-ethenylpyridine; 2-VP) as the functional monomer, respectively, as well as ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (=2-methylprop-2-enoic acid ethane-1,2-diyl ester; EGDMA) as the cross-linking agent. The interaction between the template and the functional monomers was investigated by fluorescence and UV spectrophotometry, respectively, which revealed the presence of esculin/monomer complexes in the stoichiometric ratio 1 : 2 in the pre-polymerization mixture. The resultant polymers were studied in equilibrium binding experiments to evaluate the recognition ability and the binding capacity towards esculin. The results showed that MIP1, prepared with MAA as the functional monomer, exhibited advantageous characteristics of high binding capacity, optimal imprinting effect, and good selectivity towards esculin. The Scatchard analysis indicated that there are two types of binding sites in MIP1, and its binding parameters including the apparent maximum numbers of binding sites and the dissociation constants were calculated. Finally, by packing an SPE column (SPE=solid-phase extraction) with MIP1, the esculin was separated and enriched successfully by this sorbent from samples of Cortex fraxini, and the average recovery was up to 74.7%.

Samples originating from body fluids often contain a complex mixture of inorganic salts, buffers, chaotropic agents, surfactant/detergents, preservatives, and other solubilizing agents. The presence of those contaminants often precludes direct analysis by matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on coinage metal can provide versatile modeling systems for studies of interfacial electron transfer, biological interactions, molecular recognition and other interfacial phenomena. In this study, SAMs surface was used for MALDI-TOF MS sample cleanup application. Experimental results from MALDI-TOF MS have revealed the better S/N ratio and resolution of using functionalized SAMs surface for the demonstration of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in artificial human urine sample. This paper reports a surface modification and cleanup method that greatly simplifies this sample preparation process.

Background Canine distemper (CD) is one of the most contagious and lethal viral diseases in dogs. Despite the widespread use of vaccines, the prevalence of the CD virus (CDV) has increased at an alarming rate in recent years. In this phylodynamic study, we investigated the spatiotemporal modes of dispersal, viral demographic trends, and effectiveness of vaccines for CDV. A total of 188 full-length CDV hemagglutinin (H) gene sequences dataset were subjected to recombination analysis, including seven from modified live vaccine (MLV) strains and 12 from Taiwan specimens. After excluding the MLV strains and potential recombinant strains, alignments of 176 of 188 previous CDV strains were further used to analyze phylodynamic characteristics, and evidence of selection, and co-evolution. Results The CDV genotype consisted of MLV-associated genotypes such as America-1 and Rockborn-like strains, which were characterized by long terminal branches and no distinct geographical patterns among lineages. In contrast, wild-type isolates clustered into lineages with a spatiotemporal structure and short terminal branches. Co-circulation and extensive diversification were simultaneously observed. The sequence variation signature was shaped by both geographic diversity and host tropism. Codon 506 was identified as a multi-epistatic interacting in the H protein. Conclusions The topological signature revealed in this study suggests different epidemic scenarios. For example, a ladder-like backbone is a hallmark of directional selection, and cladogenesis at long terminal branches indicates the emergence of a surviving lineage. The stable effective viral population of CDV indicate the effectiveness of vaccines currently used to control the virus. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0491-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

To study the supplementing Qi and activating blood circulation herbs on lung protection in acute lung injury (ALI) ventilation patients.67 cases of ALI patients were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups. Routine treatment was for 32 cases of control group while treatment with adding supplementing Qi and activating blood circulation herbs was for 35 cases of treatment group, by 60 mL per time for 14 consecutive days with each day three times. Hemodynamics, changes of arterial blood gas, assay of pdymorphonuclears (PMN) value and the image of bronchoscopes between two groups in T0, T3, T7 and T14 were compared.PMN, HR, SVR, PaO2 , PO2/FiO2 and pH of treatment group were significantly improved compared with control group during T0, T3, T7 and T14 (P0. 05). The compared differences were remarkable on hemodynamics, changes of arterial blood gas and assay of PMN value between treatment group and control group. The image of bronchoscopes in treatment group was improved significantly.The intervention of supplementing Qi and activating blood circulation herbs can effectively protect the lung function from ALI patients who received ventilation.

The mechanism of long-short composite piled raft foundation was discussed. Assuming the relationship between shear stress and shear strain of the surrounding soil was elasto-plastic, shear displacement method was employed to establish the different explicit relational equations between the load and the displacement at the top of pile in either elastic or elasto-plastic period. Then Mylonakis & Gazetas model was introduced to simulate the interaction between two piles or between piles and soil. Considering the effect of cushion, the flexible coefficients of interaction were provided. With the addition of a relevant program, the settlement calculation for long-short composite piled raft foundation was developed which could be used to account for the interaction of piles, soil and cushion. Finally, the calculation method was used to analyze an engineering example. The calculated value of settlement is 10.2 mm, which is close to the observed value 8.8 mm.

To identify the proapoptotic effects of Gynostemma pentaphyllum Makino (GpM) on human hepatoma cells. The effects of GpM on the cell apoptosis of human hepatoma cell line Huh-7 was assessed by flow cytomety. The expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, Bax and Bad molecules in hepatoma cells treated with GpM was detected by Western blot. After treatment with 20 mg/mL GpM for 24 h, 56% of Huh-7 cells were undergoing apoptosis, while cell death was only observed in 12% of human fibroblast cells treated with GpM. Western blot demonstrated that, Bcl-2 was markedly decreased in Huh-7 cells treated with GpM. Whereas, Bax was significantly up-regulated in Huh-7 cells treated with GpM. Treatment of human hepatoma cells with GpM induced apoptosis through the down-regulation of Bcl-2, and up-regulation of Bax.

The load transfer analytical method is applied to study the bearing mechanism of piles with vertical load in this paper. According to the different hardening rules of soil or rock around the pile shaft, such as work-softening, ideal elasto-plastic and work-hardening, a universal tri-linear load transfer model is suggested for the development of side and tip resistance by various types of soil (rock) with the consideration of sediment at the bottom of the pile. Based on the model, a formula is derived for the relationship between the settlement and load on the pile top to determine the vertical bearing capacity, taking into account such factors as the characteristics of the stratum, the side resistance along the shaft, and tip resistance under the pile tip. A close agreement of the calculated results with the measured data from a field test pile lends confidence to the future application of the present approach in engineering practice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia of late life. The aim of this study was to utilize the proteomic approaches to establish serum protein patterns of AD. By using nano-high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry followed by peptide fragmentation pattern software to analyze proteome in human serum, the activity-dependent neuroprotector homeobox protein was found to exhibit significant differential expression compared with the control group and was confirmed by Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. It may play an important role in slowing the progression of clinical symptoms of AD.

The biocompatibility of material plays an important role in the bone–implant interface for the prosthetic implant fixation. The biocompatibility of implants is associated with the chemical composition, surface topography, surface energy and surface roughness of biomaterials. The effects of two factors, surface roughness and serum contents, on osteoblast behavior at the surface of Ti-6Al-4V and plasma sprayed HA coating were investigated in the experiment. The osteoblasts derived from neonatal rat calvarial were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium (DMEM) with fetal bovine serum (FBS) on the surface of polished Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-p), grit-blasted Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-b), polished HA coating (HAC-p), and as-sprayed HA coating (HAC). Under culture medium containing 4% FBS, the level of cell attachment to the polished surface is significantly higher than the rough surface of the same experimental materials during all culture periods. Increasing the contents of FBS up to 10%, the difference of osteoblast attachment is not found between Ti-p and Ti-b. Under 4% serum condition, the cell morphology attached to smooth surfaces (Ti-p and HAC-p) is spread faster and are more flattened than the one to rough surface of the same experimental materials by SEM. After 24 h culture, the corroded cracks are easily observed at the surface of polished HA coatings, and the cell morphology on HAC-p coatings are elongated and less flattened compared with Ti-p. The result is consistent with statistical difference of cell attachment between Ti-p and HAC-p under 4% serum condition.

A novel flavanol bearing phenylpropionic acid moiety at C-4 through a C–C bonding, named brainin A ( 1 ), was isolated from the rhizomes of Brainea insignis . Its structure was elucidated on the basis of spectral data including 2D NMR and HR-ESI-MS.

Objective To investigate the effects of Zhuyeshigao granule (ZSG) on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-2, IL-6, and IL-8 in rats with radiation esophagitis. Methods Fifty Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (10 rats in each group): control (without radiation), saline-treated, and low, medium, and high-dose ISG-treated groups. Rats were given normal saline (10 mL/kg) or 1.15, 2.3, or 4.6 g/kg ZSG by intragastric administration once a day for 7 days. A rat model of radiation esophagitis was established by local irradiation of Co60 (490.25 cGy/min, totaling 30 Gy). The administration of ZSG was continued for another 7 days and on the 7th day post-irradiation, inferior vena cava blood was collected. The serum was separated, and TNF-α, IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, and IL-8 protein levels were determined. Results Inflammatory response factors were found in the serum of each group. However, levels in ZSG-treated groups were significantly lower than in the saline-treated group ( P Conclusion ZSG may prevent the development of radiation esophagitis, perhaps by inhibiting the generation and release of the inflammatory response factors TNF-α, IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, and IL-8.

Background Activated hepatic stellate cells are the main source of excessive collagen deposition in liver fibrosis. Here we report the inhibitory effects of the combinational treatment of two natural products, astragalus polysaccharide (APS) and β-elemene (ELE) on the activation of human liver hepatic stellate cell line LX-2 cells. Methods Cultured LX-2 cells were treated with different concentrations of APS or ELE for 24 or 48 hours. Cell viability/apoptosis was measured by MTT assay and Annexin V/PI staining , activation related genes including α-SMA and CD44 expressions were measured by real-time PCR and western blot respectively. Results The majority of LX-2 cells showed morphological change in the presence of APS or ELE for 24 hours. Treatment with APS + ELE for 24 or 48 hours significantly inhabited the cell proliferation compared with APS or ELE treatment alone on LX-2 cells. APS + ELE may block the up-regulation of α-SMA and CD44 both in mRNA and protein levels through TGF-β pathway in LX-2 cells. Conclusion APS or ELE treatment alone on LX-2 cells could inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. The combinational treatment using APS + ELE significantly increased the killing efficiency on LX-2 cells. α-SMA and CD44 expressions was inhibited upon APS + ELE treatment through TGF-β pathway in LX-2 cells. The results indicated a novel treatment using natural products for liver diseases with anti-fibrotic effect.

The total phenolic content of 31 species of fern plants was determined, and their antioxidant activities were assessed by DPPH radical scavenging analysis.

This study demonstrates the single photon emissions form site-controlled InGaAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on an apex plane of a GaAs multifaceted structure by pattern-growth techniques, multifaceted structure comprises the top (001) plane, and {111} and {011} side wall facets. The QDs formed on the apex plane rather than the side wall facet because the growth rate of apex plane is exceeded that of side wall facet. Microphotoluminescence (μ PL), μ PL excitation (μ PLE) and theoretical calculations are adopted to estimate the growth rate of the {111} ({011}) facets as ∼82% (∼69%) lower than that of the (001) plane. Since the (001) plane growth rate is higher than that of the side wall facets, the QDs can be carefully controlled. This method is effective in the fabrication of a single photon source. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A cyclic dipeptide often has the multiple configurations and the abundant conformations. The density functional theory (DFT) method is used to search the preferred conformation of the most probable configuration for cordycedipeptide A isolated from the culture liquid of Cordyceps sinensis. The time-dependent DFT approach is exploited to describe the profile of electronic circular dichroism (CD). The calculated results show that the most probable configuration is 3S6R7S, whose preferred conformation has a negative optical rotation and a positive lowest energy electronic CD band.

It is becoming increasingly evident that certain phytochemicals possess cancer chemopreventive properties. In this study, the antiproliferative activity of extracts from different parts of the jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) plant was evaluated for its effect on human oral carcinoma cell lines. The cytotoxicities of various plant extract concentrations were examined and the 50% maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was determined. Water extracts of jaboticaba seeds showed concentration-dependent antiproliferative effects. Annexin V/propidium iodide positivity with active caspase-3 induction indicated that the treated cells underwent apoptosis. Several important regulatory proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Bid, and survivin) involved in apoptosis were also evaluated. The antioxidant activity of jaboticaba was investigated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) assays, and the drug concentration eliciting 50% maximum stimulation (SC50) was determined. The present findings suggest that water extracts of jaboticaba seeds exhibit an antiproliferative effect against oral cancer cells by inducing apoptosis through downregulating survivin expression and thereby activating caspase-mediated Bid cleavage.

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells, which cause high mortality rates. The purpose of this study is to characterize the proteins secreted from the HepG2, MCF-7 and HT-29 cells, which may relate to cell differentiation and tumor metastasis. In the proteomic analysis, the secretome proteins were identified by reverse phase nano-high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (RP-nano-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) followed by peptide fragmentation pattern analysis. Moreover, identifications of tumor cell protein expressions by proteomic approaches were indicated that several proteins may activate or enhance the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway has been shown to be related to the cancer cell metastasis and proliferation, and the ubiquitin C (UBC) may serve as potential protein diagnostic biomarker to be examined in further investigations.

Photochromic aldehyde-substituted spiropyran molecules were incorporated in a self-assembled monolayer structure and the rate of imine formation was determined by the shift in absorbance for the photomerocyanine upon UV irradiation.

Chitosan nanoparticle, a biocompatible material, was used as a potential drug delivery system widely. Our current investigation studies were the bioeffects of the chitosan nanoparticle uptake by liver cells. In this experiment, the characterizations of chitosan nanoparticles were measured by transmission electron microscopy and particle size analyzer. The average size of the chitosan nanoparticle was224.6±11.2 nm, and the average zeta potential was+14.08±0.7 mV. Moreover, using proteomic approaches to analyze the differential protein expression patterns resulted from the chitosan nanoparticle uptaken by HepG2 and CCL-13 cells identified several proteins involved in the PI3K/AKT1/mTOR pathway. Our experimental results have demonstrated that the chitosan nanoparticle may involve in the liver cancer cell metastasis and proliferation.

To investigate the effect of Modified Zhuye Shigao Decoction (MZSD) and its components on preventing radiation esophagitis of rats.One hundred Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, including the control group, radiation model group, MZSD group, Zhuye Shigao Decoction (ZSD) group, and added ingredients group, 20 rats in each group. The model of radiation esophagitis of rat was established by once local radiation of 40 Gy (330 Mu/min) with a high energy linear accelerator. The administration of Chinese medicine was continued for 14 days from 7 days before radiation application in the three treatment groups. On the 7th and 14th day, the serum was isolated and the levels of inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and IL-8 were tested. The pathological slices of esophagus were obtained, and the pathological changes were observed. During the whole process, weight and food intake were recorded each day.On the 7th day after radiation, the esophagus of rats in the MZSD group was almost intact, and the pathological injury score was significantly lower than that of the radiation model group, ZSD group and added ingredients group (P0.01). Compared with the control group, the body weight and food intake of rats in the radiation model group were significantly decreased, and the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-8 were significantly increased (P0.05 or P0.01), while the MZSD group showed a significant increase in body weight and food intake, and a significant decrease in the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-8 compared with the radiation model group, ZSD group and added ingredients group (P0.05 or P0.01).MZSD prevents the development of radiation esophagitis probably by inhibiting the generation and release of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-8.

To explore advantages of Chinese medicine (CM) by analyzing differences in the origin of philosophy for human health between CM and Western medicine (WM). Methodologically, a distinctive feature of CM is its systems theory, which is also the difference between CM and WM. Since the birth of CM, it has taken the human body as a whole from the key concepts of "qi, blood, yin-yang, viscera (Zang-Fu), and meridian and channel", rather than a single cell or a particular organ. WM evolves from the Western philosophic way of thinking and merely uses natural sciences as the foundation. The development of WM is based on human structures, or anatomy, and therefore, research of WM is also based on the way of thinking of decomposing the whole human body into several independent parts, which is the impetus of promoting the development of WM. The core of CM includes the holistic view and the dialectical view. Chinese herbal medicines contain various components and treat a disease from multiple targets and links. Therefore, Chinese herbal medicines treat a diseased state by regulating and mobilizing the whole body rather than just regulating a single factor, since the diseased state is not only a problem in a local part of the body but a local reflection of imbalance of the whole body.

To investigate the effects of Danshen Injection (DSI) on the proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA FLSs) cultured in RA patients' serum.The RA FLSs harvested from RA patients' synovial fluid were primarily cultured by routines. The cells were cultured with 10% inactivated human serum (the healthy human serum and the RA patients' serum) for 24 h. Then DSI at the final concentration of 0. 4 mg/mL was added in the cells for further 24 h culture. By taking 10% fetal calf serum as the control, the morphological changes were observed under optical microscope. The proliferation was analyzed by MTT. The apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The total RNA was extracted and reverse transcription was performed. The Bax mRNA expression was detected by fluorescent quantitative PCR.(1) After human serum was added in the healthy human serum and RA patients' serum, cells could grow adhering to the wall. Compared with the fetal calf serum group (FCS), the cell density was higher in the healthy human serum group than in the fetal calf serum group, with no obvious morphological changes. (2) MTT results showed that, compared with the fetal calf serum group, the absorbance value (OD) obviously increased in the healthy human serum group and the RA patients' serum group, showing statistical difference (P0.01). After adding DSI at the final concentration of 0.4 mg/mL, cells from different serums were inhibited to various degrees (with OD significantly decreased, P0.05). The OD value significantly increased more in the healthy human serum group and the RA patients' serum group than in the fetal calf serum group, showing statistical difference (P0.01). There was statistical difference between the healthy human serum group and the RA patients' serum group (P0.01). (3) The apoptosis rate in the RA patients' serum group obviously decreased with statistical difference, when compared with the Salvia miltiorrhiza free fetal calf serum group (P0. 01). The apoptosis rate in the fetal calf serum group and the RA patients' serum group significantly increased after adding 0.4 mg/mL Salvia miltiorrhiza, showing statistical difference when compared with the Salvia miltiorrhiza free fetal calf serum group and the Salvia miltiorrhiza free RA patients' serum group (P0.05). The FLSs were effected by 0.4 mg/mL Salvia miltiorrhiza, the apoptosis rate significantly decreased in the healthy human serum group and the RA patients' serum group, showing statistical difference when compared with the fetal calf serum group (P0. 05, P0.01). (4) The expression of Bax gene significantly increased in the RA patients' serum group and the fetal calf serum group after action of 0.4 mg/mL Salvia miltiorrhiza, showing statistical difference (P0. 01). When 0.4 mg/mL Salvia miltiorrhiza was added, the expression of Bax mRNA obviously increased in the healthy human serum group and the RA patients' serum group, showing statistical difference when compared with the fetal calf serum group (P0.01).(1) Although healthy human serum can be favorable to the growth of RA FLSs, the fetal calf serum could reflect the actual results better in the cyto biological research on specific diseases (if there is no serum from patients with corresponding disease). (2) DSI could inhibit the proliferation of RA FLSs through promoting their apoptosis.

Surgical treatment of acetabular fracture has long been a challenging area in the field of orthopedic trauma. The aim of this research was to investigate the operative methods for delayed acetabular fractures and to assess the operation results.The operative approaches, procedures, results, and complications of the delayed acetabular fractures between 1995 and 2005 were retrospectively evaluated at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital. Quality of life was assessed for each patient with the Merle d'Aubingne and Postel fracture function rating scale and the radiological result was assessed using the Matta radiological score.Sixty-eight cases (70 hips) were followed up with a minimal duration of five years (average of 5.8 years). Excellent functional results were observed in 10 hip joints, good results in 40, fair results in 11, and poor results in nine. The risks of poor prognosis include impact fracture or osteochondral fracture of femoral head, a time beyond 42 days from injury to operative management, and dislocation of femoral head during the injury. Some of the problems, which were observed included postoperative infection in two hips, iatrogenic sciatic nerve injury in eight hips, traumatic arthritis in 15 hips, heterotopic ossification in 17 hips, and necrosis of the femoral head in six hips.A careful selection of operative indications for delayed acetabular fractures in combination with a proper operative approach and appropriate reduction and fixation could guarantee relatively good results.

The eye contains numerous water channel proteins and the roles of AQPs (aquaporins) in the retina are blurred, especially under disease conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of AQP9 gene and proteins affected by elevated IOP (intraocular pressure) in a rat model of glaucoma induced by intravitreous injection of hypertonic saline into the episcleral veins. The gene and protein expressions of AQP9 were investigated by real-time PCR and Western blotting. The immunoreactive expression of AQP9, AQP4 and GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein) in the optic nerve of rats exposed to experimentally elevated IOP was detected by immunofluorescence microscopy. The mRNA and protein expression levels of AQP9 were up-regulated in the retina of an animal model of glaucoma. The immunoreactivities of the AQP9, AQP4 and GFAP were also detected and increased in the optic nerve region. The expression of AQP9 was up-regulated in this glaucoma model and the immunoreactivities of the AQP4 and GFAP were also detected as co-localizing with AQP9 in the optic nerve region, indicating retina ganglion cells were surrounded by activated astrocytes. This may indicate that the injured neurons may rely on the astrocytes. The alterations of AQP expression may compensate the glaucomatous damage.

To investigate the effects of Abrus cantoniensis (AC) on blood lipid metabolism, pathomorphological change of the liver and fenestrae of liver sinus endothelial cell (LSEC) in fatty liver disease rats.SD rats were divided into 7 groups: blank control group,fatty liver model group, simvastatin group (7.2 mg/kg), Gynostemma pentaphyllum group (16.2 mg/kg), high dose (40 g/kg), middle dose (20 g/kg) and low dose (10 g/kg) of AC groups. All rats except blank control group were fed with high fat diet for the first 3 weeks, then treated with different conditions as previously mentioned for the next 3 weeks while keep on feeding with high fat diet. At the 43rd day,the abdominal aortic blood was collected for measuring the serum concentration of AST, ALT, TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, and liver tissues were taken to make pathological sections for observation by optical microscope or were prepared for scanning electronic microscope.The levels of AST, ALT, TC, TG, LDL-C were obviously decreased while HDL-C were increased in fatty liver rats by AC high dose. Meanwhile the cell morphology of liver tissues and the fenestraes of LSEC were improved as well.AC can ameliorate the levels of blood lipid in fatty liver rats and improve the pathological change of liver tissues. To some extent AC has the function of prevention and treatment of fatty liver.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an increasingly accepted modality of renal replacement therapy. It provides the advantages of having a flexible lifestyle, stable hemodynamics, and better preservation of residual renal function. To enhance our understanding of the peritoneal dialysate of diabetes mellitus (DM), peritoneal dialysate proteins were identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) combined with reverse-phase nano-ultra performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (RP-nano-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) followed by peptide fragmentation patterning. To validate the differential proteins, ELISA and Western blotting analyses were applied to detect candidate proteins that may be related to DM. We performed 2DE on the peritoneal dialysate samples, with detection of more than 300 spots. From this, 13 spots were excised, in-gel digested, and identified by RP-nano-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Ten of these showed significant differential expression between the DM and chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) peritoneal dialysate samples. In this study, we conducted a comparative proteomic study on these two groups of dialysate that may provide evidence for understanding the different peritoneal protein changes. These proteins may not be new biomarkers; however, they may indicate a situation for possible drug treatment and can be the predictors of peritonitis for a validation study in the future.