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Objective: Annual cancer incidence and mortality in 2008 were provided by National Central Cancer Registry in China, which data were collected from population-based cancer registries in 2011., Methods: There were 56 registries submitted their data in 2008. After checking and evaluating the data quality, total 41 registries' data were accepted and pooled for analysis. Incidence and mortality rates by area (urban or rural areas) were assessed, as well as the age- and sex-specific rates, age-standardized rates, proportions and cumulative rate., Results: The coverage population of the 41 registries was 66,138,784 with 52,158,495 in urban areas and 13,980,289 in rural areas. There were 197,833 new cancer cases and 122,136 deaths in cancer with mortality to incidence ratio of 0.62. The morphological verified rate was 69.33%, and 2.23% of cases were identified by death certificate only. The crude cancer incidence rate in all areas was 299.12/100,000 (330.16/100,000 in male and 267.56/100,000 in female) and the age-standardized incidence rates by Chinese standard population (ASIRC) and world standard population (ASIRW) were 148.75/100,000 and 194.99/100,000, respectively. The cumulative incidence rate (0-74 years old) was of 22.27%. The crude incidence rate in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas. However, after adjusted by age, the incidence rate in urban was lower than that in rural. The crude cancer mortality was 184.67/100,000 (228.14/100,000 in male and 140.48/100,000 in female), and the age-standardized mortality rates by Chinese standard population (ASMRC) and by world population were 84.36/100,000 and 114.32/100,000, respectively. The cumulative mortality rate (0-74 years old) was of 12.89%. Age-adjusted mortality rates in urban areas were lower than that in rural areas. The most common cancer sites were lung, stomach, colon-rectum, liver, esophagus, pancreas, brain, lymphoma, breast and cervix which accounted for 75% of all cancer incidence. Lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death, followed by gastric cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer and pancreas cancer, which accounted for 80% of all cancer deaths. The cancer spectrum varied by areas and sex in rural areas, cancers from digestive system were more common, such as esophageal cancer, gastric cancer and liver cancer, while incidence rates of lung cancer and colorectal cancer were much higher in urban areas. In addition, breast cancer was the most common cancer in urban women followed by liver cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer., Conclusion: Lung cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer and female breast cancer contributed to the increased incidence of cancer, which should be paid more attention to in further national cancer prevention and control program. Different cancer control strategies should be carried out due to the varied cancer spectrum in different groups.

It is very important to develop an effective, specific, and robust expression cassette that ensures a high level of expression in the mammary glands. In this study, we designed and constructed a series of mammary gland-specific vectors containing a complex hybrid promoter/enhancer by utilizing promoter sequences from milk proteins (i.e., goat β-casein, bovine αs1-casein, or goat β-lactoglobulin) and cytomegalovirus enhancer sequences; vectors containing a single milk protein promoter served as controls. Chicken β-globin insulator sequences were also included in some of these vectors. The expression of constructs was analyzed through the generation of transgenic mice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis revealed that the hybrid promoter/enhancer could drive the expression of recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) cDNA at high levels (1.17-8.10 mg/ml) in the milk of transgenic mice, whereas control promoters achieved a very low rhLF expression (7-40 ng/ml). Moreover, the expression of rhLF was not detected in the serum or saliva of any transgenic animal. This result shows that all constructs, driven by the hybrid promoter/enhancer, had high mammary gland-specific expression pattern. Together, our results suggest that the use of a hybrid promoter/enhancer is a valuable alternative approach for increasing mammary-specific expression of recombinant hLF in a transgenic mouse model., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

An analytic description for the yield, P(p), of high-energy electrons ionized from an atom by a short (few-cycle) laser pulse is obtained quantum mechanically. Factorization of P(p) in terms of an electron wave packet and the cross section for elastic electron scattering (EES) is shown to occur only for an ultrashort pulse, while in general P(p) involves interference of EES amplitudes with laser-field-dependent momenta. The analytic predictions agree well with accurate numerical results.

A 4-year field experiment was conducted at the Heyang Research Station in Weibei dryland to study the effects of organic fertilizer application rate on the leaf photosynthetic characteristics and grain yield of dryland maize. Comparing with applying chemical fertilizer, applying organic fertilizer increased the leaf photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance, but decreased the leaf intercellular CO2 concentration at each growth stage of maize significantly. With the increasing application rate of organic fertilizer, the leaf photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance at each growth stage of maize had a gradual increase, while the leaf intercellular CO2 concentration had a gradual decrease. The leaf photosynthesis of maize at each growth stage was controlled by non-stomatal factors, and the application of organic fertilizer reduced the non-stomatal limitation on the photosynthesis performance significantly. The 4-year application of organic fertilizer improved soil nutrient status, and soil nutrients were no longer the main factors limiting the leaf photosynthetic rate and grain yield of maize.

Background: Previous studies assessing associations between matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) polymorphisms and lung cancer risk reported conflicting results. A meta-analysis was therefore performed to derive a more precise estimation., Method: Case-control studies assessing associations between MMP-2 C735T and C1306T polymorphisms and lung cancer risk were included. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated., Results: 7 studies with a total of 3,189 lung cancer cases and 3,013 controls were finally included into this meta-analysis. Overall, the MMP-2 C735T polymorphism was associated with lung cancer risk under the homozygote model (CC versus TT: OR =1.44, 95% CI = 1.03-2.02, I2 = 0%), while the MMP- 2 C1306T polymorphism also associated demonstrated links with all four models (all P values less than 0.05). Subgroup analyses by race suggested obvious associations between MMP-2 C735T and C1306T polymorphisms and lung cancer risk in Asians but not in Caucasians. There was no evidence for publication bias., Conclusion: Currently available evidence supports teh conclusion that MMP-2 C735T and C1306T polymorphisms influence susceptibility to lung cancer in Asians.

Objective: Occult hepatitis B infection of voluntary blood donors has been plagued in the serum screening. Determined the OBI through the highly sensitive detection methods Nest-PCR among the blood donors, and then learned occult HBV infection and analysed the genotypes of this area., Methods: 10 080 serums of donors were determined respectively by the imported Abbott HBsAg kit and Beijing Wantai anti-HBc and anti-HBs reagents, obtained the gene and detected DNA sequences by the high sensitive Nest-PCR method., Results: Among 10 080 cases of unpaid blood donors, 108 cases were detected HBsAg positively by Abbott sensitivity kit (positive rate of 1.07%), 767 cases were anti-HBc single - positive (positive rate of 7.67%). 25 patients screened blood donors who tested negative for serum HBsAg and positive for HBV DNA in the 10 080 cases. Occult HBV infection incidence rate was 0.25%. 12 cases were HBV genotype C (48%), 13 cases were genotype B (52%), and no other genotypes. Genotype B has no statistically significant difference to genotype C (P > 0.05). Sequence analysis showed that 5 patients in the HBsAg epitope "a" (aa124 - aa147) have mutation (20%)., Conclusion: The high proportion of occult hepatitis B infected among voluntary blood donors in our country. Also genotype and mutation was differences in different regions.

Context: Omentin-1, an adipokine secreted from visceral adipose tissue, has been reported to be associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) and metabolic disorders., Objective: To clarify the relationship between serum omentin-1 levels and the presence and severity of CAD in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS)., Methods: We measured serum omentin-1 levels in 175 consecutive patients with MetS and in 46 controls., Results: Serum omentin-1 levels are inversely associated with the presence and angiographic severity of CAD in MetS patients., Conclusions: Serum omentin-1 might be a potential biomarker to predict the development and progression of CAD in MetS patients.

The dynamics of low-energy photoelectrons (PEs) ionized by a single attosecond pulse in the presence of an intense infrared (IR) laser field is investigated. Whereas attosecond streaking usually involves momentum shifts of high-energy PEs, when PEs have low initial kinetic energies, the IR field can control the continuum-electron dynamics by inducing PE scattering from the residual ion. A semiclassical model is used to show that particular PE trajectories in the continuum involving electron-ion scattering explain the interference patterns exhibited in the low-energy PE spectrum. We confirm the effects of the trajectories by means of a full quantum simulation.

A series of novel 7-(3-aminopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrazol-5(2H,4H,6H)-yl)-6-fluoro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylic acid derivatives was designed, synthesized and characterized by (1)H-NMR, MS and HRMS. These fluoroquinolones were evaluated for their in-vitro antibacterial activity against representative Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. Generally, all of the target compounds display rather weak potency against the tested Gram-negative strains, but most of them exhibit good potency in inhibiting the growth of S. aureus including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis including methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) (MIC: 0.125-8 µg/mL). In particular, the compound 9g is 2 to 32 fold more potent than gemifloxacin (GM), moxifloxacin (MX), gatifloxacin (GT), and levofloxacin (LV) against S. pneumoniae 08-3, K. pneumoniae 09-23, and P. aeruginosa ATCC27853, 4 to 32 fold more potent than MX, GM, and LV against K. pneumoniae 09-21, and more active than or comparable to the four reference drugs against P. aeruginosa 09-32., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Objective: To investigate the effects of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent-shunt (TIPS) in emergency treatment of esophagogastric varices bleeding for the cirrhosis patients., Methods: 39 cases with esophageal and gastric varices bleeding due to liver cirrhosis received TIPS and were followed-up for 1 to 12 months, the short-term effects including 24 hours haemostasis rates post TIPS, pressure gradient between portal vein and systemic circulation, average pressure of portal vein were observed. The levels of albumin, cholinesterase, total bilirubin and prothrombin time post TIPS were also evaluated were observed and evaluated., Results: 37 cases received TIPS successfully among the 39 patients, with a total effective rate of 94.87% (37/39) and the rate of hemostasis in 24 hours was 100%. PSG dropped from (30.44+/-7.68) cm H2O to (18.78+/-4.71) cm H2O, mean portal pressure declined from (38.22+/-7.40) cm H2O to (27.00+/-5.38) cm H2O (P is less than 0.01). No significant differences existed at the level of albumin(A) and cholinesterase (CHE) before and after operation (P is more than 0.05). The relapse rate of frame stenosis was 5.71% (2/35). The incidence rate of hepatic encephalopathy was 13.51% (5/37). The relapse rate of rehaemorrhagia was 2.86% (1/35). The incidence rate of hepatic failure was 2.70% (1/37). The death rate was 5.71% (2/35)., Conclusion: The effect of TIPS in treating portal hypertension caused by liver cirrhosis is prominent and safe, and is worthy of clinical application.

Human longevity has been associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) coding region polymorphisms, as well as the C150T polymorphism in the non-coding region in previous studies especially in Europeans. This study investigated the potential association between the mtDNA C150T polymorphism and longevity in a Han Chinese population. Leukocyte mtDNAs from two groups of a Han Chinese population living in Dujiangyan city of Sichuan province, including 556 longevous individuals (90-108 years-old) and 403 unrelated controls, were analyzed and mtDNA haplogroups were determined by sequencing control regions and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in coding regions. Our results did not show a universal association between the mitochondrial C150T polymorphism and longevity in this population. Even when mtDNA haplogroups defined by C150T and gender were taken into account, there was no significant association with longevity. In conclusion, the mtDNA C150T polymorphism could not present an accumulation in an elderly Han Chinese population. Previous association studies might have been influenced by nuclear DNA and/or environment factors., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To prepare monoclonal antibody (mAb) against HCV HVR1 synthetic peptide and characterize its property., Methods: 8 week-old female BALB/c mice were immunized with HCV HVR1 synthetic peptide which was linked to bovine serum albumin (BSA) as immunogen. The splenocytes of immunized mice were fused with Sp2/0 cells by hybridoma technique. Monoclonal hybridoma cell line was obtained by limiting dilution, HAT and HT -selective culture. The specificity of mAb was identified by indirect ELISA, immunohistochemical staining and inhibitory reactivity., Results: One hybridoma cell (1A9G9F11) was obtained. The mAb belonged to Ig G3. The titers of mAb in ascetic and the relative affinity constant of mAb were 3.125×10(-5) and 1.0×10(6) L/mol respectively.Indirect ELISA detecition demonstrated that the mAb had no cross-reactivates with other viral antigens, such as HBsAg, HBeAg and HAAg, and with other protein, such as BSA, casein and thymopentin., Conclusion: One hybridoma cell secreting mAb against-HCV HVR1 has been established successfully, which lays the foundation for for the further study.

Acute bacterial meningitis caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is a major health threat with a high mortality rate and severe neuro-cognitive sequelae. The intense pro-inflammatory cytokine released from calcium-mediated microglial activation plays an important role in eliciting neuronal damage in the hippocampal region. Considering melatonin possesses anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory properties, the present study determined whether melatonin can effectively decrease inflammatory responses and prevent hippocampal damage in animals subjected to K. pneumoniae. Adult rats inoculated with K. pneumoniae received a melatonin injection immediately thereafter at doses of 5, 25, 50, or 100 mg/kg. Following 24 h of survival, all experimental animals were processed for time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (for detecting glial calcium intensity), isolectin-B4 histochemistry (reliable marker for microglial activation), pro-inflammatory cytokine measurement as well as cytochrome oxidase and in situ dUTP end-labeling (representing neuronal bio-energetic status and apoptotic changes, respectively). Results indicate that in K. pneumoniae-infected rats, numerous calcium-enriched microglia, enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokine, and various apoptotic neurons with low bio-energetic activity were detected in hippocampus. Following melatonin administration, however, all parameters including glial calcium intensity, microglial activation, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and number of apoptotic neurons were successfully decreased with maximal change observed at a melatonin dose of 100 mg/kg. Enzymatic data corresponded well with above findings in which all surviving neurons displayed high bio-energetic activity. As effectively reducing glia-mediated inflammatory response is neuro-protective to hippocampal neurons, the present study supports the clinical use of melatonin as a potential therapeutic agent to counteract K. pneumoniae meningitis-induced neuro-cognitive damage., (© 2010 The Authors. Journal of Pineal Research © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Aim: To study the anti-tumor mechanisms of ascidiacea analog SC002., Methods: After treated the tumor cells with ascidiacea analog SC002, the changes of a serials of tumor associated cell signal molecules, including VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), P53, P21 and Bcl-2 et al, were detected by Western blot; further more the expression of serum VEGF in tumor-bearing mice and the activity of Caspase-3, 8, 9 in tumor tissue were investigated by ELISA; at last., Results: Ascidiacea analog SC002 can obviously induce the expression of P53, while decreasing the expression of Bcl-2 and VEGF, but have on effect on p21 in tumor tissue; ELISA shown that SC002 can also reduce the concentration of serum VEGF in tumor bearing mice, but did not affected the activity of Caspase-3, 8 and 9., Conclusion: SC002 have the anti-tumor function through promoting the expression of tumor suppressor gene p53, supress the expression of Bcl-2 and VEGF. This founding will provided an important base theory for it's further use as a novel anti-tumor drugs.

Aim: To investigate the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and to determine the relationship between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and p38 MAPK activation., Methods: Cardiomyocytes were isolated from neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats and cultured by differential adhesion. Expression of TNF-α was determined in culture medium by ELISA. Activation of p38 MAPK was determined by Western blot analysis with phospho-specific antibody. ROS generation in cardiomyocytes was determined by peroxide specific probe 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCF-DA)., Results: In cardiomyocytes stimulated with LPS, the content of TNF-α in culture medium correlated with the activity of p38 MAPK in a time-dependent manner. The activation of p38 was observed after stimulation of 1 mg/L LPS for 1 h. TNF-α accumulated significantly in culture medium at 3 h after stimulation of LPS (P<0.05), which was remarkably attenuated by pretreatment with p38 MAPK specific inhibitor SB203580 (P<0.01). Furthermore, the production of ROS in cardiomyocytes stimulated with LPS was also increased at 1 h after stimulation of LPS, consistent with p38 MAPK activity. Pretreatment with antioxidants such as N-acetylcysteine and diphenyleneiodonium significantly inhibited the activation of p38 MAPK compared with LPS control (P<0.05). There was no significance in the activity of p38 MAPK among antioxidants pretreatment and non-LPS control groups., Conclusion: The activation of p38 MAPK plays an important role in TNF-α expression in LPS-stimulated cardiomyocytes and the increase of ROS production is prerequisite for the activation of p38 MAPK.

A series of novel 7-[3-(N'-alkoxycarbamimidoyl)-4-(alkoxyimino)pyrrolidin-1-yl] fluoroquinolone derivatives were designed, synthesized and characterized by (1)H NMR, MS and HRMS. These fluoroquinolones were screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity. Most of them exhibit good potency in inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis (MIC: 0.06-4.00 μg/mL). The activity of compounds 33 and 43 against S. aureus including MRSA and S. epidermidis including MRSE (MIC: 0.06-0.125 μg/mL) is more than or comparable to the reference drugs levofloxacin and gemifloxacin. In addition, compound 33 is 32 and 16-32 fold more potent than both the reference drugs against Enterococcus faecium 08-7 and Klebsiella pneumoniae 09-22, respectively., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Tumour suppressor ING4 is one of ING family genes, which are involved in cell cycle arrest, gene transcription regulation, DNA repair and apoptosis. ING4 inhibition has been reported in various tumours, including gliomas, breast tumours, and stomach adenocarcinoma. The aim was to evaluate ING4 expression in lung cancers., Method and Results: By immunohistochemistry of 246 lung tumour tissues, reduced ING4 nuclear and cytoplasmic expression were both revealed in lung cancer and associated with tumour grade. Interestingly, compared with normal tissues, we found more tumours with ING4 expression in the cytoplasm higher than in the nucleus. Nuclear ING4 inhibition correlated with the tumour stage and lymph node metastasis. Consistent with these findings, semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting demonstrated decreased ING4 mRNA and expression in 100% (50/50) tumour tissues. Furthermore, ING4 expression was lower in grade III than in grades I-II tumours. Reduced ING4 mRNA correlated with lymph node metastasis., Conclusions: Our results indicate that overall inhibition of ING4 expression and ING4 expression higher in cytoplasm than in nucleus of tumour cells may be involved in the initiation and progression of lung cancers, and thus, analysis for ING4 expression may be useful as a clinical diagnostic and prognostic tool for lung cancer.

In the title compound, C(17)H(16)ClNO(3), the 4-hy-droxy-3-meth-oxy-benzyl group is planar [maximum atomic deviation = 0.0138 (16) Å] and is nearly perpendicular to the chloro-benzene ring, making a dihedral angle of 84.67 (4)°. The chloro-benzene and amide groups are located on the opposite sides of the C=C bond, showing an E configuration. The relatively long C=O bond distance of 1.2364 (19) Å and the short C-N bond distance of 1.341 (2) Å suggest electron delocalization in the amide fragment. Inter-molecular O-H⋯O, N-H⋯O and weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonding is present in the crystal structure.

Four dsRNA bands were extracted from Pleurotus ostreatus TD300 by the dsRNA isolation technique with sizes of 8.2 kb, 2.5 kb, 2.1 kb, and 1.1 kb, respectively. Four virus-eliminated methods, i. e. hyphal tips cut (HTC), protoplast regeneration (PR), single spore hybridization (SSH), and frozen and lyophilized (FL), were applied to prepare virus-eliminated strains, and one virus-eliminated strain was selected for each virus-elimination method. The virus-eliminated strains were named as HTC8, PR15, FL01, and SSH11, respectively. There were low concentration of 8.2 kb dsRNA remained in HTC8, as well as low concentration of 8.2 kb and 2.5 kb dsRNA remained in FL01. However, no dsRNA remained in PR15 and SSH11. The hyphal growth rate and laccase activity of the virus-eliminated strains increased, especially HTC8 and PR15, whose hyphal growth rate was higher by 22.73% and 18.18%, and laccase activities higher by 145.83% and 134.38% than that of the original strain, respectively. The conclusion is that hyphal tips cut and protoplast regeneration are suitable to prepare virus-eliminated strains of edible fungi.

We investigate the momentum and energy distributions of the two electrons in multiphoton double ionization of He by intense attosecond xuv pulses, based on a two-dimensional model. Two different patterns of the momentum distributions are identified, corresponding to the uncorrelated and correlated channels, respectively. Our analysis of the electron correlations focuses on two-photon and three-photon double ionization processes for different pulse durations and for different time delays after the pulses. For both two-photon and three-photon cases, a clear correlation valley in energy distributions is found when both electrons are ejected in opposite directions. This is mostly attributed to the electron correlations during the ionization of the first electron. We also find that when two electrons are ejected in the same direction, their Coulomb repulsion has an significant influence on the electron energy distributions during the postionization stage. Finally, in the case of three photon double ionization, we observe that the effects of the Coulomb repulsion become much more complicated, and a new catch-up collision phenomena is observed in the energy distributions.

In the title compound, C(26)H(20)O(4), the complete molecule is generated by a crystallographic 2-fold axis and the naphthalene ring system is planar within 0.05 (4) Å. The dihedral angles between the -COO plane, the benzene ring and naphthalene ring system are 12.83 (3) and 12.93 (1)°, respectively. The -COO plane and the benzene ring are almost coplanar, forming a dihedral angle of 2.59 (8)°.

Background: Previous studies have suggested a probable association between the polymorphism of a microsatellite locus located in the promoter of IGF1 (Insulin-like growth factor 1) gene and the serum level of IGF1, as well as many age-related diseases. Based on these results, we hypothesized that this polymorphism may influence longevity in humans. We performed an association study in a Han Chinese population to test this hypothesis., Findings: We recruited 493 elderly Han Chinese individuals (females >/= 94; males >/= 90) and 425 young individuals (controls) from Dujiangyan (Sichuan province, China). The genotype distributions and allele frequencies of the microsatellite site in the elderly and control groups were compared by chi square test.Our results suggested that there was no association between the microsatellite polymorphism and longevity in our Han Chinese population. However, there were more male persons with 18/21 genotype in elderly group than that in control group (11.11 vs. 5.45%, p = 0.011). As the difference was not significant when corrected by Bonferroni method, we speculate that the 18/21 genotype can not be functional in longevity; however, it may link with the real functional loci as there is a long haplotype block embracing the microsatellite locus., Conclusions: There was no association between polymorphism of the microsatellite in promoter of IGF1 gene and longevity in our study. Future association studies containing the long haplotype block are deserved and can test our speculation of the potential linkage of 18/21 genotype and functional loci.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnosis and surgical treatment of obstructive azoospermia., Methods: We analyzed the clinical data of 56 cases of obstructive azoospermia, 43 of them with ejaculatory duct obstruction (EDO), and the other 13 suspected of epididymal obstruction. The diagnostic methods included semen analyses, measurement of fructose and neutral alpha-glucosidase in the seminal plasma, transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS), and vasography when necessary. The 43 patients with EDO were treated by transurethral resection of the ejaculatory duct (TURED), and 11 of the 13 cases of suspected epididymal obstruction were confirmed by scrotal exploration and underwent either bilateral or unilateral vasoepididymostomy. The patients were followed up for 3 -51 months for postoperative semen quality and impregnation., Results: Of the 43 azoospermia patients with EDO treated by TURED, 36 (83.7%) showed improved semen parameters and 11 (25.6%) achieved pregnancies. Among the 11 cases of azoospermia with confirmed epididymal obstruction treated by vasoepididymostomy, 6 (54.5%) had sperm in the semen assay and 3 (27.3%) achieved pregnancies., Conclusion: Semen analyses, measurement of fructose and neutral alpha-glucosidase in the seminal plasma, TRUS and vasography are important diagnostic methods for obstructive azoospermia. TURED is effective for azoospermia with EDO, while vasoepididymostomy is preferable for the treatment of azoospermia with epididymal obstruction.

Background: DC-SIGNR (also called CD209L) has been extensively studied on its role in host genetic predisposition to viral infection. In particular, variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) of the neck-region of DC-SIGNR is highly polymorphic and the polymorphism has been investigated for genetic predisposition to various infectious diseases, though conflicting results had been reported. As infection is a major cause of human death and a mechanism of natural selection, we hypothesized that VNTR polymorphism of DC-SIGNR might have an effect on human life span., Methods: Here we collected 361 peri-centenarian individuals (age >or=94 for female and age >or=90 for male) and 342 geographically matched controls (age 22-53, mean 35.0 +/- 12.0) from Han Chinese. The VNTR polymorphism of the neck region was determined by PCR and genotype was called by separating the PCR products in agarose gel., Results: A total of 11 genotypes and 5 alleles were found in our population. The genotype distribution, allele frequencies and homozygote proportion did not show a significant difference between peri-centenarian and control group. As gender differences in lifespan are ubiquitously observed throughout the animal kingdom, we then stratified the samples by gender. There was more 6/7 genotypes in female peri-centenarian group than that in female control group, at a marginal level of significance (5.56 vs. 1.28%, p = 0.041). The difference was not significant after correction by Bonferroni method. It suggests a possible differential effect of DC-SIGNR VNTR genotypes between sexes. Further studies are warranted to confirm our preliminary findings and investigate the mechanisms of the underlying functions., Conclusions: Our study indicated that there was absence of association between the neck region polymorphism of DC-SIGNR and longevity in Han Chinese population. But the question of whether the DC-SIGNR could affect longevity in a gender-specific pattern remains open.

Crystals of the title compound, C(15)H(12)N(4)O·H(2)O, were obtained from a condensation reaction of isonicotinylhydrazine and 3-indolylformaldehyde. The mol-ecule assumes an E configuration, with the isonicotinoylhydrazine and indole units located on the opposite sites of the C=N double bond. In the mol-ecular structure the pyridine ring is twisted with respect to the indole ring system, forming a dihedral angle of 44.72 (7)°. Extensive classical N-H⋯N, N-H⋯O, O-H⋯O and O-H⋯N hydrogen bonding and weak C-H⋯O inter-actions are present in the crystal structure.

In the mol-ecular structure of the title compound, C(15)H(15)NO(3), the two benzene rings are twisted with respect to each other, making a dihedral angle of 75.11 (10)°. In the amide fragment, the C=O and C-N bond distances are 1.248 (3) and 1.321 (3) Å, respectively, indicating electron delocalization. A partially ovelapped arrangement between parallel hydroxy-methoxy-benzene rings is observed in the crystal structure, and the face-to-face distance of 3.531 (16) Å suggests the existence of weak π-π stacking. N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonding is also present in the crystal structure.

We propose a control scheme for selecting populations of molecular rotational states by wave-packet interference. A series of coherent rotational wave packets is created by nonadiabatic rotational excitation of molecules using two strong femtosecond laser pulses. By adjusting the time delay between the two laser pulses, constructive or destructive interference among these wave packets enables the population to be enhanced or suppressed for a specific rotational state. The evolution of the rotational wave packet with selected populations produces interference patterns with controlled spatial symmetries. This method provides an approach to prepare a molecular ensemble with selected quantum-state distributions and controlled spatial distributions under field-free condition.

Objective: To investigate the association between the expressions of leukemia inhibitory factor and the occurrence of tubal pregnancy., Design: Prospective observational study., Setting: University-based obstetrics and gynecology hospital., Patient(s): Thirty women undergoing salpingectomy for tubal pregnancy and 30 nonpregnant patients with benign uterine or appendix disease., Intervention(s): Oviduct tissues with ectopic gestation were separated into implantation sites and nonimplantation sites. Samples of ampullary fallopian tubes during midsecretory phase were collected as control groups. Immunohistochemical and Western blot analysis were performed., Main Outcome Measure(s): The differences of leukemia inhibitory factor expression between the implantation and nonimplantation sites of oviduct tissues and the normal and chronically inflamed fallopian tubes., Result(s): The expression of leukemia inhibitory factor in the implantation group is significantly higher than that in the nonimplantation group or in the normal group. A statistically significant difference was also found for leukemia inhibitory factor between the chronic inflammation group and the normal group by Western blot analysis but no difference between the chronic inflammation group and the implantation group or the nonimplantation group., Conclusion(s): Leukemia inhibitory factor might be one of the reasons that cause patients with salpingitis to be more susceptible to tubal pregnancy and might be involved in the implantation process of tubal pregnancy.

Introduction: The insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been reported to associate with human longevity. However, little information is available in a Han Chinese longevity population.Therefore, we investigated the association of the ACE gene insertion/ deletion polymorphism with longevity in a Han Chinese population., Materials and Methods: We compared the distribution of ACE insertion/deletion genotype and allele frequencies in two groups: a longevity group (399 subjects) aged over 90 years and a control group (302 subjects) aged less than 60 years., Results: No difference in genotype and allele frequencies of the ACE gene insertion/deletion polymorphism was observed between the longevity group and the control group.When adjusting for gender, the difference between the longevity group and the control group was also not significant regarding the frequencies of the genotypes (male, p=0.994 and female, p=0.797) as well as allele frequencies (male, p=0.969 and female, p=0.884)., Conclusions: No association of the ACE gene insertion/deletion polymorphism with longevity was observed in our Han Chinese population.

We present an efficient and accurate grid method for computations of eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the generalized spheroidal wave equation. Different from previous studies, our method is based on the expansion of the spheroidal wave function by discrete-variable-representation basis functions constructed from the associated Legendre polynomials. The differential operator can be expressed analytically on the grid points, which are the zeros of the associated Legendre polynomials. The resultant potential matrix is simply diagonal and evaluated directly on the same grid. The corresponding differential equation is thus converted to an eigenvalue problem of a small matrix, whose eigenvalues and eigenvectors are converged very fast. The wave functions can then be evaluated accurately at any desired point from the expansion formula with the computed eigenvectors. Compared to previous methods, our method is direct and efficient for any parameter c , either small or large.

Objective: To study the effects of experimental liver injury on the intestinal barrier, and to evaluate the significance of plasma D(-)-lactate, diamine oxidase (DAO) and endotoxin in live injury., Methods: Fifty-five rats were randomized into the acute liver failure group (group C, n = 25), acute liver injury group (group B, n = 15), and control group (group A, n = 15). The concentrations of D(-)-lactate, DAO and endotoxin in plasma were detected by spectrophotograph. The morphology and subcellular structure were observed under optical microscope and transmission electron microscope., Results: Acute liver failure and acute liver injury models were established successfully. The concentrations of D(-)-lactate and DAO in the plasma of experimental groups (group B and C) were significantly higher than those in the control group (P less than 0.05); the concentration of intestinal DAO in experimental groups were significantly lower than that in the control group (P less than 0.05); the level of endotoxin in C group was significantly higher than that in group A and group B (P less than 0.05)., Conclusion: Liver injury induces hyperpermeability of the rat intestinal mucosal barrier, plasma D(-)-lactate and DAO are sensitive markers for early diagnosis of liver injury, plasma endotoxin may accelerate deterioration of liver function.

The phase morphologies of symmetric linear diblock copolymers subjected to the oscillatory shear are investigated with the aid of dissipative particle dynamics simulations. The frequency dependent reorientations of the lamellar phase (LAM) have been identified. We find that the parallel orientation of LAM (i.e., the lamellar normal is parallel to the velocity gradient) appears at high shear frequency, whereas the perpendicular orientation of LAM (the lamellar normal being perpendicular to the velocity gradient) takes place at low shear frequency. In both of the cases, the reorientations undergo similar processes: the original LAM phase prepared in equilibrium breaks down rapidly, and it takes a very long time for the perfectly oriented LAM being reformed. Moreover, the shear-induced isotropic to lamellar phase transitions are observed when the oscillatory shear amplitude is large enough. It indicates that the shear amplitude plays a dominant role in the order-disorder transition. The viscosity and the modulus of the melt are found to be dependent on the shear amplitude and the shear frequency in a complex way.

Previous studies have indicated that genetic variations in the factors of insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling pathway could influence human life-span by affecting IGF-1 levels. The promoter region of the IGF-1 gene is an obvious candidate and has not been studied clearly. To explore the potential role of the promoter region variation of IGF-1 gene in longevity, we investigated 485 longevity subjects and 392 younger individuals from Dujiangyan, China. By sequencing about 2.5 kb (kilo base pairs) upstream the transcription start site of exon 1 of the IGF-1 gene in 30 individuals from both groups respectively, we acquired three previously described SNPs (-439T/A (rs2288377), -541T/C (rs5742612) and -1246C/T (rs35767)). We examined the association between these three SNPs and longevity by comparing the distribution of genotypes, alleles, and haplotypes in both the longevity and control groups. None of these variants were found to be associated with longevity. Our results suggest that there is no association between SNPs in the promoter region of IGF-1 gene and longevity in the Han Chinese population.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) has been shown to directly induce neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) proliferation, a major component involved in cardiac hypertrophy. Herein, we explored whether AVP is also a growth factor for adult rat CFs and, if so, whether the growth effect could be inhibited by simvastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor. AVP significantly increased DNA synthesis in adult rat CFs by 73.5 +/- 5.1% (P < or = 0.05), an effect inhibited by V1 receptor antagonist, d(CH(2))(5)[Tyr(2)(Me), Arg(8)]-vasopressin. AVP also activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) as assessed by MBP phosphotransferase activity (5.1 +/- 0.6 fold over basal level, P < or = 0.05) and Western blot analysis, and effects were mimicked by protein kinase C (PKC) activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), but abolished by inhibiting cellular PKC through chronic PMA incubation. In addition, AVP induced PKC activation (27.2 +/- 3.8% from a basal value of 9.3 +/- 0.7%, P < or = 0.05). AVP-induced increase in DNA synthesis could be attenuated by the specific inhibitors of ERK1/2 (PD98059), PI3K (LY294002), and AKT (1L-6-hydroxymethyl-chiro-inositol 2-(R)-2-O-methyl-3-O-octadecylcarbonate, HIMO). Simvastatin inhibited the effects of AVP on DNA synthesis, ERK1/2, and PKC activation in a dose-dependent manner. Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent AKT activation induced by AVP was also inhibited by simvastatin. The effects of simvastatin on ERK1/2, PKC, and AKT activation and DNA synthesis could be reversed by mevalonate. These results support a growth-inducing effect of AVP on adult rat CFs through ERK and AKT signalings and the growth effect could be attenuated by simvastatin via inhibiting these two pathways.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP), a neurohormone and hemodynamic factor implicated in the pathophysiology of hypertension and congestive heart failure, can also act as a growth-stimulating factor. Our previous work demonstrated that AVP is a mitogen for neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). In the present study, we extended our investigations to adult rat CFs to explore whether AVP could induce adult rat CF proliferation and, if so, to identify the mechanism involved. Adult rat CFs were isolated, cultured and subjected to AVP treatment. DNA synthesis and cell cycle distribution were analyzed by [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation and flow cytometry. Cellular extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) activity was measured by in vitro kinase assay using myelin basic protein (MBP) as a substrate. Protein expressions of total- and phospho-ERK1/2, p27(Kip1), cyclins D1, A, E were assessed by Western blot. The results showed that AVP stimulated DNA synthesis in adult rat CFs, and the effect was abolished by a V1 receptor antagonist, d(CH(2))(5)[Tyr(2)(Me), Arg(8)]-vasopressin (0.1 μmol/L), but not by a V2 receptor antagonist, desglycinamide-[d(CH(2))(5), D-Ile(2), Ile(4), Arg8]-vasopressin (0.1 μmol/L). AVP induced an activation of ERK1/2, which could be mimicked by the protein kinase C (PKC) activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, 30 nmol/L, 5 min), but abolished by depletion of PKC via chronic PMA incubation (2.5 μmol/L, 24 h). In addition, AVP down-regulated protein expression of p27(Kip1), increased protein expressions of cyclins D1, A and E, and induced cell cycle progression from G(0)/G(1) into S stage. Inhibition of ERK1/2 activation by PD98059 (30 μmol/L) abolished the effect of AVP on DNA synthesis, protein expressions of p27(Kip1), cyclins D1, A and E as well as cell cycle progression. These results suggest that AVP is also a growth factor for adult rat CFs. The mitogenic effect of AVP is mediated via V1 receptors and PKC-ERK1/2 pathway. Moreover, AVP modulates the expressions of cell cycle regulatory proteins p27(Kip1) and cyclins D1, A and E, which lie downstream of ERK1/2 activation, and induces cell cycle progression in adult rat CFs.

Objective: Clinical and liver pathological features of 60 primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) patients were reviewed to identify prognostic factors in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the disease., Methods: The general conditions, clinical manifestations, serum biochemical and immunological changes, and liver pathological findings were assessed in 60 PBC patients. All cases were followed up and 5 variables were studied by univariate analysis; the variables linked with survival were included in a Cox model., Results: Forty-eight patients were females (80%), 12 were males (20%), and the mean age at their diagnoses was (52.5+/-9.4). The symptoms most frequently complained about were jaundice (61.6%), fatigue (51.6%), anorexia (43.3%) and pruritus (25%). Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) levels were markedly elevated in the majority of the patients [(242.3+/-137.1) U/L and (250.6+/-216.1) U/L, respectively], whereas ALT and AST levels were mildly to moderately elevated [(185.8+/-269.1) U/L and (172.5+/-163.6) U/L, respectively]. Thirty-two patients (53.3%) had a total bilirubin level of > or = 34.2 micromol/L. Twenty-eight patients (59.5%) had elevated serum IgM and 41 patients (68.3%) were anti-mitochondrial antibody AMA/AMA-M2 positive. Forty-two of the 60 patients had liver biopsies. The liver pathological changes: 33.3% of the cases were in I or II stage and 66.6% in III or IV stage. The follow up results: Five patients died of liver failure or massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding; 45 were still alive; the average survival period was 3.92 years; 10 patients were lost in the follow-up. With multivariate analysis (Cox model), age, level of total bilirubin and the stage of the liver pathological changes were found to be independent factors linked to the survival of the patients., Conclusion: PBC may not be a rare liver disease in China. The awareness to recognize PBC is important in making an early diagnosis and treatment.

SYUIQ-5, a novel telomerase inhibitor, has demonstrated antitumor activity in nude mouse studies. The objective of the present study was to examine the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of SYUIQ-5 in rats. The plasma pharmacokinetics of SYUIQ-5 was nonlinear following i.p. administration at 15, 30 and 60 mg/kg. SYUIQ-5 metabolism in rat liver microsomes followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with Km and Vmax values of 12.3 microM and 2.01 nmol/min/mg protein, respectively. Ketoconazole significantly inhibited the metabolism of SYUIQ-5 in liver microsomes from rats pretreated with control vehicle or various inducers, whereas sulphaphenazole, ticlopidine, quinidine, and methylpyrazole had no inhibitory effects on SYUIQ-5 metabolism. Dexamethasone and beta-naphthoflavone (BNF), but not phenobarbital and ethanol, significantly induced SYUIQ-5 metabolism in rats. Alpha-naphthoflavone significantly inhibited SYUIQ-5 metabolism in liver microsomes from BNF-pretreated rats. Similar to other secondary amines, SYUIQ-5 underwent N-demethylation and O-oxygenation to at least two metabolites by rat liver microsomes. Pretreatment of rats with SYUIQ-5 at 0.1, 5 or 10 mg/kg for 5 days significantly induced the expression and activity of rat Cyp1A1/2, and induced Cyp3A1/2 expression at 10 mg/kg, but not Cyp2E1 and 2B1/2. These results indicate that that SYUIQ-5 exhibits dose-dependent pharmacokinetics in rats and it is mainly metabolized by Cyp3A1/2.

Objective: To measure the energy expenditure of reading and watching TV for young women., Methods: All 30 girls in the college were selected according to questionnaire, medical examination, blood test, liver function and thyroid gland level. Energy expenditure of reading and watching TV was measured respectively by the Cosmid K4b2 portable gas analysis system from Italy. Basic metabolic rate (BMR) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) were measured as to analyzing results conveniently., Results: The energy expenditure in reading was (226.35 +/- 56.07) kJ/h and the heart rate was (69 +/- 5) bmp. For watching TV it was (220.79 +/- 65.69) kJ/h and the heart rate was (68 +/- 5) bmp. BMR was (178.53 +/- 53.51) kJ/h and the heart rate was (62 +/- 6) bmp. RMR was (214.76 +/- 44.56) kJ/h and the heart rate was (65 +/- 6) bpm., Conclusions: The energy expenditure in reading should be higher than that of watching TV, however, the difference was not obvious. The expenditure rates might get closer to those of RMR. It might be regarded as an expenditure of very light physical active in Chinese.

Mast cell-derived chymase is implicated in myocardial fibrosis (MF), but the underlying mechanism of intracellular signaling remains unclear. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) is identified as the most important profibrotic cytokine, and Smad proteins are essential, but not exclusive downstream components of TGF-beta 1 signaling. Moreover, novel evidence indicates that there is a cross talk between Smad and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade. We investigated whether chymase activated TGF-beta 1/Smad pathway and its potential role in MF by evaluating cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) proliferation and collagen synthesis in neonatal rats. MTT assay and 3H-Proline incorporation revealed that chymase induced CFs proliferation and collagen synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. RT-PCR and Western blot assay demonstrated that chymase not only increased TGF-beta1 expression but also upregulated phosphorylated-Smad2/3 protein. Furthermore, pretreatment with TGF-beta 1 neutralizing antibody suppressed chymase-induced cell growth, collagen production, and Smad activation. In contrast, the blockade of angiotensin II receptor had no effects on chymase-induced production of TGF-beta 1 and profibrotic action. Additionally, the inhibition of MAPK signaling had no effect on Smad activation elicited by chymase. These results suggest that chymase can promote CFs proliferation and collagen synthesis via TGF-beta 1/Smad pathway rather than angiotensin II, which is implicated in the process of MF.

Objective: To study the stereoselective glucuronidation of carvedilol (CARV) by three Chinese liver microsomes., Methods: The metabolites of CARV were identified by a hydrolysis reaction with beta-glucuronidase and HPLC-MS/MS. The enzyme kinetics for CARV enantiomers glucuronidation was determined by a reversed phase-high pressure liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) assay using (S)-propafenone as internal standard after precolumn derivatization with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosylisothiocyanate., Results: Two CARV glucuronides were found in three Chinese liver microsomes incubated with CARV. The non-linear regression analysis showed that the values of K(m) and V(max) for (S)-CARV and (R)-CARV enantiomers were (118+/-44) micromol/L, (2 500+/-833) pmol/(min.mg protein) and (24+/-7) micromol/L, (953+/-399) pmol/(min.mg protein), respectively., Conclusion: These results suggested that there was a significant (P<0.05) stereoselective glucuronidation of CARV enantiomers in three Chinese liver microsomes, which might partly explain the enantioselective pharmacokinetics of CARV.

Polyamines (PAs) are assumed to perform their functions through their oxidative product such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) formation. However, there is only limited information on the interrelation between PA degradation and GABA accumulation under salt stress. In order to reveal a quantitative correlation between PA oxidation and GABA accumulation, the effects of treatments with different NaCl concentrations, along with aminoguanidine (AG, a specific inhibitor of diamine oxidases (DAO; EC: 1.4.3.6)) and a recovery test from salt stress on endogenous free PAs, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) accumulation and DAO activity were determined in roots of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivar Suxie-1. The results showed that the levels of putrescine (Put), cadaverine (Cad), and spermidine (Spd) decreased significantly with increasing salt concentrations. This occurred because salt stress strongly promoted DAO activity to stimulate PA degradation. GABA accumulation increased with growing NaCl concentrations, about an 11- to 17-fold increase as compared with the control plants. AG treatment increased the accumulation of endogenous free PAs as a result of a strong retardation of DAO activity, but decreased GABA accumulation. The recovery for 6 days in 1/2 Hoagland solution from 100mM NaCl stress resulted in a decrease in DAO activity, a rebound of PA levels and a simultaneous reduction of GABA content. A close correlation was observed between the changes in DAO activity and GABA accumulation. The results indicated that higher GABA accumulation (about 39%) induced by salt stress could come from PA degradation, suggesting that PAs might perform their functions through GABA formation under salt stress.

Previous studies have shown that arginine vasopressin (AVP) promotes myocardial fibrosis (MF), whereas nitric oxide (NO) inhibits MF. Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are the main target cells of MF. However, the modulatory effect of AVP on NO production in CFs and the role of this effect in MF are still unknown. In the present study, CFs obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats were stimulated with or without AVP and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), a specific inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappaB). NO production and NOS activity were detected with absorption spectrometry, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein with Western blot analysis, iNOS mRNA with real-time PCR, CF collagen synthesis with [(3)H]proline incorporation, and NF-kappaB activation with immunofluorescence staining and Western blot analysis. The results showed that AVP increased NO production in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with maximal effects at 10(-7) mol/l after 24-h stimulation. AVP also increased NOS activity, protein and mRNA levels of iNOS in a coincident manner. Furthermore, AVP also increased CF collagen synthesis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, it was found that NF-kappaB was activated by AVP, and that PDTC could inhibit NO production, NOS activity, protein and mRNA levels of iNOS stimulated by AVP in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory effects of PDTC on NF-kappaB translocation were coincident with the effects of PDTC on iNOS-NO system activity. It is suggested that AVP increases NO production via the regulation of iNOS gene expression, and the upregulation of iNOS gene expression stimulated by AVP is mediated through NF-kappaB activation. NO production induced by AVP may counteract the profibrotic effects of AVP, thus the development of MF perhaps depends on the balance between profibrotic AVP and antifibrotic NO effects on MF.

The study on the density of ambient particles settling upon the leaf surface of six conifers in Beijing, the micro-configurations of the leaf surface, and the mineral and element compositions of the particles showed that at the same sites and for the same tree species, the density of the particles settling upon leaf surface increased with increasing ambient pollution, but for various tree species, it differed significantly, with the sequence of Sabina chinensis and Platycladus orientalis > Cedrus deodara and Pinus bungeana > P. tabulaeformis and Picea koraiensis. Due to the effects of road dust, low height leaf had a larger density of particles. The density of the particles was smaller in summer than in winter because of the rainfall and new leaf growth. The larger the roughness of leaf surface, the larger density of the particles was. In the particles, the overall content of SiO2, CaCO3, CaMg(CO3,), NaCl, 2CaSO4 . H2O, CaSO4 . 2H2O and Fe2O3 was about 10%-30%, and the main minerals were montmorillonite, illite, kaolinite and feldspar. The total content of 21 test elements in the particles reached 16%-37%, among which, Ca, Al, Fe, Mg, K, Na and S occupied 97% or more, while the others were very few and less affected by sampling sites and tree species.

In order to induce new bone formation, mesenchymal stem cells were seeded onto atelocollagen honeycomb scaffold. We evaluated the mechanism of bone induction by KUSA/A1 cells combined with honeycomb atelocollagen scaffold. Scaffold alone, KUSA/A1 cells alone and with scaffold were implanted in the subcutaneous pockets of 4-week-old male SCID mice. The transplants were subjected to radiographical, histological and immunohistochemical examinations after 2 and 4 weeks of implantation. Radiographically, both KUSA/A1 cells alone and KUSA/A1-Scaffold showed some radiopaque areas formation but the latter disclosed a larger amount. Scaffold alone did not show any radiopacity. Histologically, Scaffold alone demonstrated only fibrous connective tissues in the periphery of the scaffold. KUSA/A1 cells alone showed few small islands of new bone formation surrounded by a thin layer of cellular proliferation. On the other hand, KUSA/A1-Scaffold revealed abundant new bone formation as well as cellular proliferation. We also determined the immunolocalization of type I collagen, CD34, Osteocalcin and PCNA in this newly formed bone. Our results indicated that less amount of stem cells are capable to induce the more amount of new bone in tissue engineering. This study support that atelocollagen honeycomb scaffold plays an important role in cellular anchorage and in vessel invasion, giving the precise shape and size for the new bone formation.

Objective: To study the effect of different fertilizer assortment (nitrogenous, phosphorus and potassium) on Bupleuram scorzonerifolium yield., Methods: Three factors were designed by quadratic regression and D-optimum designation., Results: As far as the biomass concerned, the best design of fertilizer was N 120. 3 - 333. 3 kg/hm(2) P2O5 0-939. 45 kg/hm(2), K2O 0 - 227. 25 kg/hm(2). As to R/T, the best design was N 62. 66 -333. 3 kg/hm(2), P2O5 0 -922. 54 kg/hm(2) , K2O 0 -227. 25 kg/hm(2). And for the root weight, the best design was N 34. 5 -333. 3 kg/hm(2), P2O5, 0 -939. 45 kg/hm2 , K2O 0-227. 25 kg/hm(2)., Conclusion: Application quality of nitrogenous, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer are closely related with yield of B. Scorzonerifolium.

With 27 eggplant varieties as test objects, this paper studied the effects of their leaf pubescent on the field population density of Polyphagotarsonemus latus, its injury index on eggplant leaf, and population growth rate. The results showed that the density and length of leaf pubescent differed with eggplant varieties. For the same variety, leaf pubescence had a higher density but a shorter length on reverse side than on obverse side. Among the test varieties, 7 resistant varieties had a significantly higher mean pubescence density than 6 susceptive varieties on their reverse side leaf. The higher the pubescence density on reverse side eggplant leaf, the less field population density of P. latus and the lower injury index of eggplant leaf, suggesting a positive correlation between the pubescence density on reverse side eggplant leaf and the resistance of eggplant to P. latus.