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A two-dimensional (2D) coordination polymer [Co2(OH)(H2O)2(cbca)·2H2O]n (CP 1) (H3cbca: 4′-(1-carboxyethoxy)-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3,5-dicarboxylic acid) with a topological (3,6) connection point structure was synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Single-crystal X-ray analysis revealed that the 2D structure is comprised of tetranuclear cobalt clusters and semi-rigid cbca ligands connected through strong Co–O bonds. It has been found that CP 1 can be used as an effective multiple fluorescent sensor for detecting iron ions, specific nitro compounds, antibiotics and pesticides. Further investigations show that the fluorescence quenching originates from different mechanisms. Among them, the redshift phenomenon generated during the detection of some analytes can also effectively distinguish analytes, which is rarely mentioned in previous studies.

Tricuspid valve regurgitation is one of the common valvular diseases ([1][1]). Severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is associated with a 5-year survival rate of

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential application of (+)-camphor as a penetration enhancer for the transdermal delivery of drugs with differing lipophilicity. The skin irritation of camphor was evaluated by in vitro cytotoxicity assays and in vivo transdermal water loss (TEWL) measurements. A series of model drugs with a wide span of lipophilicity (logP value ranging from 3.80 to -0.95), namely indometacin, lidocaine, aspirin, antipyrine, tegafur and 5-fluorouracil, were tested using in vitro transdermal permeation experiments to assess the penetration-enhancing profile of camphor. Meanwhile, the in vivo skin microdialysis was carried out to further investigate the enhancing effect of camphor on the lipophilic and hydrophilic model drugs (i.e. lidocaine and tegafur). SC (stratum corneum)/vehicle partition coefficient and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were performed to probe the regulation action of camphor in the skin permeability barrier. It was found that camphor produced a relatively low skin irritation, compared with the frequently-used and standard penetration enhancer laurocapram. In vitro skin permeation studies showed that camphor could significantly facilitate the transdermal absorption of model drugs with differing lipophilicity, and the penetration-enhancing activities were in a parabola curve going downwards with the drug logP values, which displayed the optimal penetration-enhancing efficiency for the weak lipophilic or hydrophilic drugs (an estimated logP value of 0). In vivo skin microdialysis showed that camphor had a similar penetration behavior on transdermal absorption of model drugs. Meanwhile, the partition of lipophilic drugs into SC was increased after treatment with camphor, and camphor also produced a shift of CH2 vibration of SC lipid to higher wavenumbers and decreased the peak area of the CH2 vibration, probably resulting in the alteration of the skin permeability barrier. This suggests that camphor might be a safe and effective penetration enhancer for transdermal drug delivery.

Inconsistent results regarding the relations between consumption of dairy products and the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) have been reported. In this report, we summarized the evidence by a meta-analysis of observational studies.Eligible studies published up to January 31, 2013 were retrieved via both computer searches and a manual review of references. Random-effects models were used to calculate the summary relative risk (SRR) based on high versus low and dose-response analysis.A total of 19 studies with 4315 ESCC cases were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, there were no significant associations between intakes of total dairy products, milk, cheese and butter and ESCC for the highest versus lowest intake categories (total dairy products: SRR 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.60-1.77; milk: SRR 0.93, 95% CI: 0.74-1.16; cheese: SRR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.61-1.15; butter: SRR 1.77, 95% CI 0.85-3.75). A significant inverse association was found for yogurt consumption (SRR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.54-0.98). There was high heterogeneity among studies on total dairy products, milk and butter; however, little or no heterogeneity was observed among studies on cheese and yogurt.No associations between consumption of milk, dairy products, butter or cheese and risk of ESCC were found, while yogurt consumption may have a protective effect. However, these associations may be subject to high levels of heterogeneity or confounding, and further efforts should be made to confirm these findings.

Chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment for patients with incurable disease of esophageal carcinoma. Most patients respond poorly to chemotherapy, it is necessary to figure out biomarkers for chemotherapy sensitivity or resistance to perform the individualized therapy. In present work, the sensitivities of two ESCC cell lines to 9 chemotherapy drugs were identified and the transcriptome of these two cell lines were investigated by RNA-seq, the correlation between the sensitivity to drugs and expression of some genes was attempted to construct. Eca-1 was more resistant to most of the chemotherapy drugs than Eca-109 cell line. RNA-seq results showed that there is dramatic difference in the basal expression between these two ESCC cell lines. Pathway analysis demonstrated that these differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in Gαi signaling, calcium signaling, cAMP-mediated signaling, G-protein coupled receptor signaling and actin cytoskeleton signaling pathways. The molecules in Gαi signaling (ADCY1 and SSTR3) and actin cytoskeleton signaling (MYH6 and MYH7) were highly expressed in multidrug-resistant Eca-1 cells, which were validated by quantitative PCR. Activation of these two pathways results in the upregulation of downstream signaling, PKA signaling and Src-STAT3, and downregulation of RAF-ERK signaling, which was validated by immunoblotting experiments. Our work proposed that activation of Gαi signaling or actin cytoskeleton signaling may confer ESCC cells resistance to most chemotherapy drugs. Our work might provide potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for treatment of EC patients.

Objective: Nonsyndromic craniosynostosis is characterized by premature closure of one or more cranial sutures in infants. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate cellular and molecular events that lead to pathogenesis of nonsyndromic craniosynostosis. Design: This study utilized discarded samples of normal and affected cranial sutures from 12 patients (7 boys, 5 girls) with nonsyndromic craniosynostosis. Results: Histological evaluation of affected sutures revealed complete osseous obliteration instead of a zone of connective tissue and osteogenic cells as seen in normal sutures. Although proliferation of normal and affected osteoblasts did not vary substantially, elevated osteocalcin production and increased in vitro bone nodule formation indicated that the differentiation and the bone-forming potential of affected osteoblasts was significantly higher than that of normal cells. We therefore investigated the levels and activity of Cbfa1, a transcription factor that plays an integral role in osteoblast differentiation. Northern blot analysis of messenger RNA from both normal and affected sutural osteoblasts revealed a twofold increase in the expression of Cbfa1 in affected cells. This increase in the level of Cbfa1 transcript correlated with an increase in its transcriptional activity on the osteocalcin gene promoter, as assessed using gene transfer methods. Conclusion: Our results indicated that osteoblasts from synostosed sutures exhibit an increased potential for differentiation and bone formation. The increased level and activity of Cbfa1 could play a vital role in the aberrant function of these affected osteoblasts and may explain their altered behavior compared to the normal cells.

Background: We sought to develop and validate a logistic model and a simple score system for prediction of significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients undergoing operations for rheumatic aortic valve disease. Hypothesis: The simple score model we established based on the logistic model was efficient and practical. Methods: A total of 669 rheumatic patients (mean age 51 ± 9 years), who underwent routine coronary angiography (CAG) before aortic valve surgery between 1998 and 2010, were analyzed. A bootstrap-validated logistic regression model on the basis of clinical risk factors was developed to identify low-risk (≤5%) patients, from which an additive model was derived. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to compare discrimination, and precision was quantified by the Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic. Significant coronary atherosclerosis was defined as 50% or more luminal narrowing in 1 or more major epicardial vessels determined by means of coronary angiography. Results: Eighty-eight (13.2%) patients had significant coronary atherosclerosis. Independent predictors of CAD include age, angina, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. A total of 325 patients were designated as low risk according to the bootstrap logistic regression and additive models. Of these patients, only 4 (1.2%) had single-vessel disease, and none had high-risk CAD (ie, left main trunk, proximal left anterior descending, or multivessel disease). The bootstrap logistic regression and additive models show good discrimination, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.948 and 0.942, respectively. Conclusions: Our logistic regression model can reliably estimate the prevalence of significant CAD in rheumatic patients undergoing aortic valve operation, while the additive simple score system could reliably identify the low-risk patients in whom routine preoperative angiography might be safely avoided. Clin. Cardiol. 2012 doi: 10.1002/clc.22033 The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose. Dr. Guan-xin Zhang and Dr. Bai-ling Li have contributed equally to the work. Dr. Lin-han is co-corresponding author (sh_hanlin@hotmail.com).

To explore the feature of the edge-to-edge technique and its effect for mitral regurgitation due to myxomatous degeneration.The in-patient data and follow-up outcomes of 58 patients after the edge-to-edge technique for mitral regurgitation due to myxomatous degeneration from January 2000 to January 2009 were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 58 patients, 32 patients were male and 26 patients were female, and the age range was from 43 years to 65 years with a mean of (56 ± 6) years, and moderate mitral regurgitation was observed in 18 patients and severe regurgitation in 40 patients, and the prolapse of the anterior leaflet was observed in 50 patients and the prolapse of the bileaflet in 8 patients. The edge-to-edge technique was performed in all patients and the annuloplasty was performed in 44 patients.There was no perioperative death and serious complication. Postoperative transthoracic echocardiography of all the survivors indicated that the dimensions of left atrial and left ventricular were obviously decreased (P0.05) and mitral insufficiency was obviously improved (no regurgitation was observed in 9 patients and trace regurgitation in 30 patients and mild regurgitation in 19 patients) and there was no mitral stenosis. Totally 58 patients were followed up from 24 months to 95 months with a mean of (58 ± 20) months. During the follow-up, there were 2 deaths for noncardiac factors. Freedom from recurrent moderate or severe mitral regurgitation at 5 years after operations was 91.9%. According to undergoing combined annuloplasty or not, 58 patients were divided into the edge-to-edge technique group (14 cases) and the edge-to-edge technique + annuloplasty group (44 cases), and the survival analysis shows there was significant difference on freedom from long-term recurrent moderate or severe mitral regurgitation after operations between two groups (χ(2) = 4.034, P = 0.045) and long-term effect of the latter group was better.The edge-to-edge technique can be conveniently used and bring about satisfactory perioperative and long-term effects for mitral regurgitation due to myxomatous degeneration. The combination of the edge-to-edge technique and the annuloplasty can improve the long-term effect significantly.

To observe the trend of change in perioperative blood glucose level in patients undergoing deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA), in order to evaluate the influencing factors of inciting hyperglycemia and the clinical effects of insulin control.In the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of Changhai Hospital, 176 patients underwent aortic operation under DHCA from January 2000 to January 2010. Blood glucose, arterial blood gas and lactate levels were determined at four time points, including pre-cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), pre-DHCA, post-DHCA, and at admission to intensive care unit (ICU). Hyperglycemia after surgery was controlled at the level of 6-8 mmol/L by intermittent subcutaneous injection or intravenous micropump injection of insulin. At the same time, the cumulative amount of insulin within 24 hours after surgery was recorded.The blood glucose (mmol/L) level at pre-DHCA time point was significantly higher than that of pre-CPB (9.62 ± 1.79 vs. 5.04 ± 1.401,P0.05), and the blood glucose level was further elevated at the time point of post-DHCA (14.91 ± 2.36,P0.01) and in-ICU (15.32 ± 2.47) compared with that of pre-CPB (P0.01). The level of blood glucose elevation was positively correlated with blood lactate level. One hundred and thirty-four patients (76.1%) insulin was given with intravenous micropump due to poor effect of intermittent subcutaneous injection of insulin in controlling blood glucose. Among whom 30 patients (17.0%) developed the phenomenon of insulin resistance. Perioperative hyperglycemia during DHCA was associated with old age (≥ 50 years old), primary hypertension, serious aortic valve disease, diabetes or coronary heart disease, emergency operation, CPB time ≥ 3 hours and DHCA time ≥ 45 minutes. The cumulative amount of insulin within 24 hours after surgery was increased significantly. The results of blood glucose (mmol/L) in-ICU were as follows : age ≥ 50 years old or50 years old (18.66 ± 2.52 vs. 12.90 ± 2.27); hypertension with and without (18.98 ± 2.55 vs. 12.31 ± 2.34); serious aortic valve disease with and without (19.59 ± 2.95 vs. 12.13 ± 2.23); diabetes with and without (20.62 ± 1.76 vs. 11.75 ± 1.11); coronary heart disease with and without (19.77 ± 2.98 vs. 12.01 ± 2.02); emergency operation with and without (19.78 ± 1.97 vs. 12.23 ± 1.38); CPB time ≥ 3 hours or3 hours (19.86 ± 1.89 vs. 11.70 ± 1.15); DHCA time ≥ 45 minutes or45 minutes (19.92 ± 1.88 vs. 11.64 ± 1.12), and all of them should statistical difference (all P0.05). The cumulative amount of insulin (U) within 24 hours after surgery was as follows: age ≥ 50 years old or50 years old (169.5 ± 56.6 vs. 110.2 ± 38.5); hypertension with and without (171.6 ± 64.0 vs. 104.8 ± 34.3); aortic valve disease with and without (171.4 ± 36.8 vs. 109.4 ± 27.6); diabetes with and without (202.5 ± 46.7 vs. 100.4 ± 31.5); coronary heart disease with and without (178.5 ± 38.6 vs. 104.6 ± 26.4 ); emergency operation with and without (178.3 ± 35.7 vs. 102.7 ± 26.8); CPB time ≥ 3 hours or3 hours (168.6 ± 37.2 vs. 107.3 ± 27.5); DHCA time ≥ 45 minutes or45 minutes (172.5 ± 36.1 vs. 105.4 ± 28.7), and all of them showed significant statistical difference (all P0.05). and all of them showed significant statistical difference (all P0.05).DHCA may cause significant increase in perioperative blood glucose and lactate, and even may lead to insulin resistance. Patients often require continuous intravenous administration of large doses of insulin. Perioperative hyperglycemia during DHCA is related to many factors, which should be considered in control of blood glucose.

To explore the clinical effects of alprostadil injection on acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgical procedures by a prospective randomized controlled trial.A total of 63 AKI-patients after cardiac surgical procedures were randomly divided into the control group (n = 31) and the study group (n = 32). All patients received routine therapy while patients in the study group were additionally given alprostadil injection (10 µg i.v. once every 12 hours) for 7 days. A 11-year-old patient weighing 29 kg was given half of the conventional dose. During the period of control treatment (7 days), 1 patient in the control group and 2 patients in the study group were excluded because of hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Urine volume, urine β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, urine α(1)-microglobulin, urine β(2)-microglobulin, serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were measured before and after the control treatment. And the ICU stay duration and the percentage of dialysis after the control treatment were calculated. Adverse reactions of alprostadil injection were observed simultaneously in the study group.After the treatment, urine volume in the study group was obviously more than that in the control group [(65.9 ± 3.1) ml/h vs (58.8 ± 4.5) ml/h, P0.05] while urine β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, urine α(1)-microglobulin, urine β(2)-microglobulin, serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen in the study group were obviously lower than those in the control group (all P0.05). The ICU stay duration in the study group was obviously less than that in the control group [(12 ± 5) d vs (17 ± 5) d, P0.05]. But there was no significant difference in the percentage of dialysis after the control treatment between two groups (3.3% vs 6.7%, P0.05). And no serious adverse reaction was reported in the study group.On the basis of routine therapy, alprostadil injection may promote the recovery of renal function in AKI-patients after cardiac surgical procedures.

To study the inhibition of angiogenin (ANG) expression in human lung squamous cancer cell strain-A549 through adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated RNA-interference, and therefore to observe its effect on the growth of cancer cells and tumor formation.Recombinant AAV expressing H1-promoter-induced small-interference- RNA (siRNA) targeting ANG (AAV-shANG) was constructed, and then transfected into A549 cells. A549 cells and cells transfected with AAV-Null were used as the control groups. The effects of the reduced expression of ANG by RNAi from AAV-shANG on the growth, formation, reproduction, apoptosis, and microvessel-density of the carcinoma were observed.In vitro experiment showed that AAV-shANG was constructed successfully, There was an significant decrease in the expression of ANG protein 72 h after transfection, compared with the normal A459 cells and AAV-Null cells (P0.01). Cell cycle analysis showed that the proliferation index (PI) of normal A549 cells, AAV-Null cells and AAVshANG cells were 0.32 +/- 0.29, 0.35 +/- 0.38 and 0.31 +/- 0.43, respectively. There was no statistic difference in the PIs among the 3 groups (P0.05). In vivo experiment using thymus-defect mice showed that, there was an remarkable reduction in the mass and volume of tumors in AAV-shANG transfected group, compared to the control groups. Microvessel-density was 9.4 +/- 1.5, 9.8 +/- 2.1 and 5.7 +/- 1.9, respectively in the 3 groups, a statistic difference among the AAV-shANG-transfected group, the normal A549 group and the AAV-Null transfected group. The percentages of apoptotic cells in each group were (7.7 +/- 3.1)%, (8.5 +/- 5.4)%, (17.1 +/- 8.6)%, respectively, the experimental group being higher than those of the control groups. Positive rates of PCNA were (84.8 +/- 9.7)%, (85.8 +/- 9.8)%, and (70.4 +/- 10.1)%, respectively, the AAV-shANG transfected cancer cells showing a lower PCNA index than the control groups.AAV-mediated expression of siRNA could reduce the expression of ANG in cancer cells, significantly enough to inhibit cell proliferation, promote cell apoptosis and inhibit tumor growth.

To investigate the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the atherosclerotic risk factors in the patients undergoing valvular surgery due to rheumatic heart disease.Consecutive 651 patients with rheumatic heart disease aged40 who were scheduled for valve surgery underwent diagnostic coronary angiography to delineate coronary arteries. Significant coronary artery disease was considered to be present if one or more single coronary branches showed 50% or more luminal stenosis. Symptoms, such chest pain, were evaluated. Established risk factors for CAD, such as diabetes mellitus, systemic hypertension, smoking, and dyslipidemia were evaluated. Previous history of myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass surgery was also recorded.Seventy-one patients (10.91%), 54 males and 17 females, were detected as with CAD. The mean age of the patients with CAD was (63 +/- 9), significantly higher than that of the patients with normal coronary arteries [(54 +/- 9), P0.01]. The atheromatous lesion mostly involved the left descending branch (38.12%), and 38 patients (53.52%) showed lesions in 2 or more branches. The prevalence rates of diabetes mellitus and hypertension in the CAD group were 32.39% and 29.58% respectively, both significantly higher than those in the non-CAD group (7.41% and 19.48% respectively; P0.01 and P = 0.047). The smoking rate of the CAD group was 36.62%, significantly higher than that of the non-CAD group (12.93%; P0.01). However, there were not significant differences in the prevalence rates of dyslipidemia and ECG ST-T changes between these 2 groups (both P0.05). No relation was found between the rheumatic disease and coronary disease distribution (P0.05).Coronary angiography should be performed in all patients clinically suspected with CAD, aged50 and the patients with angina and/or coronary risk factors in order to decrease the occurrence of operative complications.

Several pitches, used to make high-grade cokes, are characterized by 13 C and 1 H n.m.r. spectroscopy. Average molecular parameters of solvent fractions of the pitches indicate distinct differences in molecular structure. Principal differences between A-240 petroleum and medium coal-tar pitches are composition of fractions, aromaticity, degree of aromatic condensation and amount of naphthenic groups. The mild conditions of production of A-240 petroleum pitch leads to the formation of methylene bridges and biaryl linkages between two aromatic moieties in constituent molecules.