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Guo-Jun Wei,1 Meng Yao,1 Yan-Song Wang,1 Chang-Wei Zhou,1 De-Yu Wan,1 Peng-Zhen Lei,1 Jian Wen,1 Hong-Wei Lei,2 Da-Ming Dong1 1Department of Orthopaedics, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Rheumatology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, People's Republic of China Background: Peripheral nerve injury is a common trauma, but presents a significant challenge to the clinic. Silk-based materials have recently become an important biomaterial for tissue engineering applications due to silk’s biocompatibility and impressive mechanical and degradative properties. In the present study, a silk fibroin peptide (SF16) was designed and used as a component of the hydrogel scaffold for the repair of peripheral nerve injury. Methods: The SF16 peptide’s structure was characterized using spectrophotometry and atomic force microscopy, and the SF16 hydrogel was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. The effects of the SF16 hydrogel on the viability and growth of live cells was first assessed in vitro, on PC12 cells. The in vivo test model involved the repair of a nerve gap with tubular nerve guides, through which it was possible to identify if the SF16 hydrogel would have the potential to enhance nerve regeneration. In this model physiological saline was set as the negative control, and collagen as the positive control. Walking track analysis and electrophysiological methods were used to evaluate the functional recovery of the nerve at 4 and 8 weeks after surgery. Results: Analysis of the SF16 peptide’s characteristics indicated that it consisted of a well-defined secondary structure and exhibited self-assembly. Results of scanning electron microscopy showed that the peptide based hydrogel may represent a porous scaffold that is viable for repair of peripheral nerve injury. Analysis of cell culture also supported that the hydrogel was an effective matrix to maintain the viability, morphology and proliferation of PC12 cells. Electrophysiology demonstrated that the use of the hydrogel scaffold (SF16 or collagen) resulted in a significant improvement in amplitude recovery in the in vivo model compared to physiological saline. Moreover, nerve cells in the SF16 hydrogel group displayed greater axon density, larger average axon diameter and thicker myelin compared to those of the group that received physiological saline. Conclusion: The SF16 hydrogel scaffold may promote excellent axonal regeneration and functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury, and the SF16 peptide may be a candidate for nerve tissue engineering applications. Keywords: peripheral nerve injury, silk fibroin, peptide, hydrogel, scaffold

The nonlinear dynamics of two mutually injected semiconductor lasers subject to external optical feedback are studied numerically. Three types of dynamics are investigated, which are induced by external optical feedback, mutual coupling and a combination of both mechanisms, respectively. In an optical feedback system, a period-doubling route and a variety of nonlinear states are observed. In a mutually injected semiconductor laser system, both lasers show a period-doubling route to chaos; moreover, the frequency detuning plays an important role in determining the system behaviours, i.e. it can increase the system complexity or drive both lasers to exhibit periodic oscillations. When both effects are considered simultaneously, the system behaviours are determined by their relative strength. When one dominates in the competition, the hybrid system exhibits similar behaviours to those it introduced. It is also found that one of the two nonlinear mechanisms can be used to suppress the dynamics introduced by the other, or to produce a highly complex chaos. Finally, a high quality of synchronization between the two chaotic outputs is achieved, although the bias currents of the two lasers are different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a global public health threat. Hence, more effective and specific antivirals are urgently needed. Here, COVID-19 hyperimmune globulin (COVID-HIG), a passive immunotherapy, is prepared from the plasma of healthy donors vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine). COVID-HIG shows high-affinity binding to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein, the receptor-binding domain (RBD), the N-terminal domain of the S protein, and the nucleocapsid protein; and blocks RBD binding to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2). Pseudotyped and authentic virus-based assays show that COVID-HIG displays broad-spectrum neutralization effects on a wide variety of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including D614G, Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), Kappa (B.1.617.1), Delta (B.1.617.2), and Omicron (B.1.1.529) in vitro. However, a significant reduction in the neutralization titer is detected against Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants. Additionally, assessments of the prophylactic and treatment efficacy of COVID-HIG in an Adv5-hACE2-transduced IFNAR -/- mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection show significantly reduced weight loss, lung viral loads, and lung pathological injury. Moreover, COVID-HIG exhibits neutralization potency similar to that of anti-SARS-CoV-2 hyperimmune globulin from pooled convalescent plasma. Overall, the results demonstrate the potential of COVID-HIG against SARS-CoV-2 infection and provide reference for subsequent clinical trials., (© 2022 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by chondrocyte injury. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including OA. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential role of circATRNL1 in OA pathology in vitro., Methods: Human chondrocytes were isolated and treated with interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) to mimic OA in vitro. High-throughput RNA sequencing was performed to identify differentially expressed circRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs between IL and 1β-treated chondrocytes and normal chondrocytes. The expression of circATRNL1, miR-153-3p and KLF5 was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). For functional analyses, cell apoptosis was assessed using a flow cytometry assay. Extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation was monitored by measuring the levels of ECM-associated proteins by Western blot. The potential target miRNAs of circATRNL1 were screened by bioinformatics analysis and verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay., Results: The expression of circATRNL1 was decreased in IL-1β-treated chondrocytes. CircATRNL1 overexpression ameliorated cell apoptosis and ECM degradation, which were promoted by IL-1β treatment. Mechanistic analysis revealed that circATRNL1 directly targeted miR-153-3p and that miR-153-3p could reverse the inhibitory effects of circATRNL1 overexpression on inflammatory responses, cell apoptosis and ECM degradation. KLF5 is a target of miR-153-3p., Conclusion: Taken together, the results in this study suggested that circATRNL1 might ameliorate the development and progression of OA through regulating miR-153-3p/KLF5 axis. Our study increased the understanding of circRNAs as therapeutic targets in the treatment of OA., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Propofol is among the most frequently used anesthetic agents, and it has the potential for abuse. The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are key mediators neural plasticity, neuronal development, addiction, and neurodegeneration. In the present study, we explored the role of these receptors in the context of rat propofol self-administration., Methods: Sprague-Dawley Rats were trained to self-administer propofol (1.7 mg/kg/infusion) using a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule over the course of 14 sessions (3 h/day). After training, rats were intraperitoneally administered the non-competitive NDMA receptor antagonist MK-801, followed 10 min later by a propofol self-administration session., Results: After training, rats successfully underwent acquisition of propofol self-administration, as evidenced by a significant and stable rise in the number of active nose-pokes resulting in propofol administration relative to the number of control inactive nose-pokes (P < 0.01). As compared to control rats, rats that had been injected with 0.2 mg/kg MK-801 exhibited a significantly greater number of propofol infusions (F (3, 28) = 4.372, P < 0.01), whereas infusions were comparable in the groups administered 0.1 mg/kg and 0.4 mg/kg of this compound. In addition, MK-801 failed to alter the numbers of active (F (3, 28) = 1.353, P > 0.05) or inactive (F (3, 28) = 0.047, P > 0.05) responses in these study groups. Animals administered 0.4 mg/kg MK-801 exhibited significantly fewer infusions than animals administered 0.2 mg/kg MK-801 (P = 0.006, P < 0.01). In contrast, however, animals in the 0.4 mg/kg MK-801 group displayed a significant reduction in the number of active nose-poke responses (F (3, 20) = 20.8673, P < 0.01) and the number of sucrose pellets (F (3, 20) = 23.77, P < 0.01), while their locomotor activity was increased (F (3, 20) = 22.812, P < 0.01)., Conclusion: These findings indicate that NMDA receptors may play a role in regulating rat self-administration of propofol.

Background/aims: Transplantation of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) promotes neural cell regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). Recently, we showed that suppression of microRNA-383 (miR-383) in MSCs increased the protein levels of glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), resulting in improved therapeutic effects on SCI. However, the overall effects of miR-383 suppression in MSCs on SCI therapy were not determined yet. Here, we addressed this question., Methods: We used bioinformatics tools to predict all miR-383-targeting genes, confirmed the functional bindings in a dual luciferase reporter assay. The effects of alteration of candidate genes in MSCs on cell proliferation were analyzed by MTT assay and by Western blotting for PCNA. The effects on angiogenesis were assessed by HUVEC assay. The effects on SCI in vivo were analyzed by transplantation of the modified MSCs into nude rats that underwent SCI., Results: Suppression of miR-383 in MSCs not only upregulated GDNF protein, but also increased vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and cyclin-dependent kinase 19 (CDK19), two other miR-383 targets. MiR-383-suppression-induced increases in CDK19 resulted in a slight but significant increase in MSC proliferation, while miR-383-suppression-induced increases in VEGF-A resulted in a slight but significant increase in MSC-mediated angiogenesis., Conclusions: Upregulation of CDK19 and VEGF-A by miR-383 suppression in MSCs further improve the therapeutic potential of MSCs in treating SCI in rats., (© 2018 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background/aims: Transplantation of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been used to treat spinal cord injury (SCI) to enhance tissue repair and neural cell regeneration. Glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is an identified neural growth and survival factor. Here, we examined whether modification of GDNF levels in MSCs may further increase the potential of MSCs in promoting neural cell regeneration and subsequently the therapeutic outcome., Methods: We examined the mRNA and protein levels of GDNF in human MSCs by RT-qPCR and Western blot, respectively. Bioinformatics analyses were done to predict microRNAs (miRNAs) that target GDNF in MSCs. The functional binding of miRNAs to GDNF mRNA was examined by a dual luciferase reporter assay. MSCs were transduced with adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying null or antisense for miR-383 (as-miR-383), which were transplanted into nude rats that underwent SCI. The intact tissue, cavity volume, and recovery of locomotor activity were assessed., Results: MSCs expressed very low GDNF protein, but surprisingly high levels of GDNF mRNA. Bioinformatics analyses showed that miR-383 inhibited protein translation of GDNF, through binding to the 3'-UTR of the GDNF mRNA. MSCs transduced with AAV-as-miR-383 further increased the intact tissue percentage, decreased cavity volume, and enhanced the recovery of locomotor activity in nude rats that underwent SCI, compared to MSCs., Conclusions: Suppression of miR-383 may increase the therapeutic potential of human bone-marrow-derived MSCs in treating SCI via augmentation of GDNF protein levels., (© 2017 The Author(s)Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

The aim was to find a nondestructive way to improve the accuracy of detecting the winter wheat aboveground fresh biomass(AGFB). In this study, data fusion technology of the spectroscopy technology and the machine vision technology were used to analyze the AGFB and solve the problem that the accuracy of the prediction model of a single technology is not high. In this experiment, canopy spectra and canopy pictures of 93 samples at seeding stage were collected. Canopy spectra and side images of 200 samples at medium and later growth stage were collected. Spectral reflectance as the spectral absorption parameter was used to construct the AGFB prediction models based on the spectra technology at different stages; The wheat coverage were extracted from canopy pictures and side images by using image processing technology to build the AGFB prediction models. Multivariate regression analysis (MRA) and Partial least-squares regression analysis(PLS) were implemented on the feature variables from the spectral information and image information. The results showed that, compared with the individual image model and spectral model, the AGFB prediction models of PLS based on multi-information at different stages shows better performance. At the seeding stage, the determination coefficient (R2) of PLS models based on multi-information was 0.881，and the RMSE was 0.015 kg. The R2 of PLS models based on multi-information was 0.791, the RMSE was 0.059 kg at middle and final stages. It demonstrated that the precision of model based on multi-information fusion technology, which increased utilization of image and spectral information, was improved for AGFB detecting, which is than the individual image model and spectral model.

Grapes vaporize volatiles in specific compositions and concentrations during deterioration processes. Our previous study demonstrated that it is possible to analyze grapes spoilage stages by using the infrared spectra of their volatiles. However, only the spectral characteristics of alcohol, ethyl acetate and carbon dioxide were observed in the experiment because of the low concentration of the volatiles. In this paper, the sensitivity of the spectrometry system was enhanced by increasing the optical-path with multi-reflecting mirrors. We used the new spectrometry system to study the details of the infrared spectra of the volatiles from grapes during spoilage, and observed the spectral characteristics of several kinds of ethanol, esters, aldehyde and ethylene. The concentrations of some components in the volatiles changes with storage time, which can be a biomarker to represent the spoilage stages of grapes. Chemometrics were used to analyze the spectral bands of ethanol and esters, demonstrating there are obvious differences between fresh and decayed grapes. Furthermore, we developed a simplified E-nose system comprised by sensor array, based on the results of spectral analysis. The classification and discrimination of grape spoilage were tested with E-nose. This was a further study of the previous publication and had given a more precise observation of the infrared spectral characteristics of the volatiles from decayed grapes. This study provided a basis for developing real-time monitoring techniques of fruits deterioration.

The excessive emission of N₂O (Nitrous oxide) will destroy the ozone layer, reasonable fertilization and adopting measures of emission reduction of N₂O are of great significance to slowing down the greenhouse effect. The article studied the impact of fertilization and water on the emission of N2 0 from the cabbage farmland using FTIR spectrometry. To enhance the sensitivity of the measuring system, we used multi-reflecting mirrors to increase the optical pathlength. By comparing the infrared spectra between the before and after fertilizer application and the NIST spectral library, finally, the band at 2160-2225 cm⁻¹ was chosen as the spectral characteristics band of quantitative calculation of N₂O through analyzing. The research found that fertilization and water could promote the emission of N2 0 from the cabbage farmland soil, which could supply theory bases for emission reduction of N₂O and slowing down the greenhouse effect. Finally, we also studied the diurnal emission rules of N₂O from the fertilized soil; the results showed that the emission of N₂O was lower at night and the results were compared with that of previous' studies, which verifies the feasibility of this method. The results proved that FTIR with long optical path was a rapid and effective method to measure the emission rules of N₂O from the cabbage farmland soil, which can measure the gas emissions of N₂O from the fertilized cabbage farmland soil and compared with other traditional measuring methods, it had the advantages such as rapidness and convenience.

Actinomycin D (ActD), a well known transcription inhibitors, has been widely reported to induce cell apoptosis in several types of tumor cells by inhibiting the anti-apoptotic gene transcriptions. However, how ActD affects osteosarcoma cells survival and its molecular mechanism is currently unclear. In the present study, results of proliferation assays and Hoechst stainings suggested that MG63 human osteosarcoma cells showed impaired cell proliferations and significant apoptosis after ActD treatment. Moreover, biochemical results showed that cleaved caspase-3 is gradually increased with the increasing ActD concentrations and treated times. Importantly, results of western blots indicated that protein levels of cyclin factors, such as cyclin A, D1 and E, were all reduced after ActD treatment. And ActD treatments may inhibit mRNA transcription levels of these cyclin factors, which may finally lead to cell cycle arrest and consequently apoptosis. The present study have revealed a novel mechanism by which ActD inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferations and induces apoptosis, and will provide an useful clue to chemotherapy in future treatment of osteosarcoma.

In the present work, fresh and spoiled wine samples from three wines produced by different companies were studied u- sing Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. We analyzed the physicochemical property change in the process of spoil- age, and then, gave out the attribution of some main FTIR absorption peaks. A novel determination method was explored based on the comparisons of some absorbance ratios at different wavebands although the absorbance ratios in this method were relative. Through the compare of the wine spectra before and after spoiled, the authors found that they were informative at the bands of 3,020~2,790, 1,760~1,620 and 1,550~800 cm(-1). In order to find the relation between these informative spectral bands and the wine deterioration and achieve the discriminant analysis, chemometrics methods were introduced. Principal compounds analysis (PCA) and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) were used for classifying different-quality wines. And partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was applied to identify spoiled wines and good wines. Results showed that FTIR technique combined with chemometrics methods could effectively distinguish spoiled wines from fresh samples. The effect of classification at the wave band of 1 550-800 cm(-1) was the best. The recognition rate of SIMCA and PLSDA were respectively 94% and 100%. This study demonstrates that Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is an effective tool for monitoring red wine's spoilage and provides theoretical support for developing early-warning equipments.

Based on sucrose solution as the research object, this paper measured the trans-reflective spectrum of sucrose solution of different concentration by the technique of near infrared spectrum in three optical path (4, 5, 6 mm). Five kinds of pretreatment method (vector normalization, baseline offset correction, multiplicative scatter correction, standard normal variate transformation, a derivative) were used to eliminate the influence of the optical path difference, and to establish model of the calibration set in combination with the PLS (Partial Least Squares)method. Five kinds of pretreatment method could restrain the inter ference of light path in varying degrees. Compared with the PLS model of original spectra, the model of multiple scattering correction combined with PLS method is the optimal model. The results of quantitative analysis of original spectra: the number of principal component PC= 6, the determination coefficient R2 = 0.891 278, the determination coefficient of cross validation R2CV = 0.888 374, root mean square error of calibration RMSEC = 1.704%, root mean square error of cross validation RMSECV = 1.827%; The results of quantitative analysis of spectra after MSC pretreatment: the number of principal component PC = 3, the determination coefficient R2 = 0.987 535, the determination coefficient of cross validation R2CV = 0.983 343, root mean square er- ror of calibration RMSEC = 0.89%, root mean square error of cross validation RMSECV = 1.05%. The correlation coefficient of the prediction set is as much as 0.976 22. root mean square error of prediction is 0.01, lesser than 0.014 36. The results show that the MSC can eliminate the influence of optical path difference, improve the prediction precision and improve the stability.

The real-time measurement of potassium in farmland soil has great importance. A method to determine the potassium content in farmland soil based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was studied using a LIBS equipment consisting of a 1,064 nm laser generator and a high resolution spectrometer. The farmland soil samples with potassium content in the range of 8.74-34.56 g.kg-1 were analyzed. The 766.49 nm was chosen as the analysis line, by comparing the potassium atom characteristic lines of 404.40, 404.72, 766.49 and 769.90 nm. The errors of characteristic line strength caused by the laser stability and random noise was analyzed. The silicon, which is nearly constant in farmland soil, was chosen as the standard element, and a calibration model between the ratio of potassium to silicon (K/Si) and the potassium content was established. The linear fitting degree of the calibration curve was 0.935, and the relative standard deviation of the calibration model for prediction set samples was 9.26%.

The content of sugar is an important quality index for pears. However, the traditional sugar measurement methods are time-consuming and destructive. In the present study, the authors measured the sugar content of pears using visible and near infrared diffuse reflection spectroscopy. The pretreatment methods of multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), baseline correction, standard normal variate (SNV) transformation, and moving average algorithms were used on the original absorbance spectrum. Results indicate that the absorbance spectra after pretreatment are better than the original absorbance spectra for prediction. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was also used on the original absorbance spectrum and the absorbance spectrum after moving average and baseline correction. It follows that the forecast accuracy of the absorbance spectra after moving average is higher than that of the original absorbance spectra. The models gave good predictions of the sugar content of pears, with corresponding r values of 0.990 8, and standard errors of predictions of 0.019 0.

Online measurement of soil moisture is significant for agricultural production. The abundance and deficiency of leaf water shortage has been able to effect measured by fluorescence, but the research of correlation between soil moisture and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy has not been carried out yet. In this paper, the relationship between laser-induced plant chlorophyll fluorescence and soil moisture was studied. In the experiment with rice as the research object, the chlorophyll fluorescence induced by a 450 nm LED light source was measured by a Y-shaped fiber probe, and the soil moisture was obtained by TDR sensors. The changes in the peak intensity near 743 nm of chlorophyll fluorescence under continuous water stress and intermittent water stress were studied. The result showed that the intensity decreased with the soil moisture content. Finally, the model between the soil water content and the intensity of chlorophyll fluorescence under continuous water stress was created by using Lorentzian equation, and the coefficient of determination (R2) of the model was high. The result indicated that the method mentioned in paper can be applied to measure soil moisture in agricultural production.

The title mononuclear complex, [Cu(C(18)H(12)N(2)O(2))(C(12)H(8)N(2))]·CH(3)OH, contains one N'-[(2-oxidonaphthalen-1-yl)methyl-idene]benzohydrazidate ligand (L(2-)), a Cu(2+) cation, one 1,10-phenanthroline ligand and a methanol solvent mol-ecule. The Cu(II) ion adopts a CuO(2)N(3) distorted square-pyramidal coordination. An O-H⋯O hydrogen bond is formed between the methanol solvent mol-ecule and the hydrazide O atom of the L(2-) ligand.

The sorption kinetics and thermodynamics of 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB), m-nitrotoluene (mNT), p-nitrophenol (pNP), and nitrobenzene (NB) on as-grown and nitric acid-oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were investigated. The sorption kinetics was well described by a pseudo-second-order rate model, while both Langmuir and Freundlich models described the sorption isotherms well and the sorption thermodynamic parameters of equilibrium constant (K(0)), standard free energy (DeltaG), standard enthalpy (DeltaH), and standard entropy changes (DeltaS) were measured. The values of DeltaH and DeltaG suggested that the sorption of nitroaromatics (NACs) onto MWCNTs was exothermic and spontaneous. The structure, number, and position of nitro groups of NACs were the main factors affecting the sorption rate and capacity. Treatment of the MWCNTs with nitric acid increased both the surface area and the pore volume and introduced oxygen-containing functional groups to the MWCNTs, which depressed the sorption of NACs onto MWCNTs.

Being able to identify pollutant gases quickly and accurately is a basic request of spectroscopic technique for envirment monitoring for spectral classifier. Piecewise linear classifier is simple needs less computational time and approachs nonlinear boundary beautifully. Combining piecewise linear classifier and linear support vector machine which is based on the principle of maximizing margin, an optimizing algorithm for single side piecewise linear classifier was devised. Experimental results indicate that the piecewise linear classifier trained by the optimizing algorithm proposed in this paper can approach nonolinear boundary with fewer super&#95;planes and has higher veracity for classification and recognition.

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) has been shown to play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of lumbar disc disease (LDD). Increased expression and activity of MMP-2 has been documented in degenerative discs. The polymorphism -1306C/T in the promoter region of MMP-2 gene was reported to influence gene transcription and expression. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate the possible association of MMP-2 -1306C/T polymorphism with the occurrence and the clinical characteristics of LDD. MMP-2 genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct DNA sequencing in a case-control study involving 162 younger patients with LDD and 318 age- and sex-matched healthy adults. The results showed that the frequency of MMP-2 -1306CC genotype was significantly higher in LDD patients when compared with controls. Subjects with the CC genotype had nearly threefold increased risk for LDD (odds ratio 3.08; 95% confidence interval 1.84-5.16) compared with subjects carrying at least one variant T allele. Furthermore, this genotype was found to correlate with more severe grades of disc degeneration observed on magnetic resonance imaging scan. These findings suggest that MMP-2 -1306C/T polymorphism may be a genetic risk factor related to LDD susceptibility in the young adult population.

Objective: To investigate the characteristic changes of expression of the genes with specific functions in acute spinal cord injury (SCI)., Methods: Nine SD rats were randomly divided into 3 equal groups: SCI 8-hour group in which modified Allen's falling strike method was used to establish spinal cord contusion model, the spinal cords were taken out 8 hours later to undergo examination of the gene expression profile by using cDNA microarray including 13 200 gene, 12 genes were selected to undergo semi-quantitative RT-PCR, and the up-regulation of the candidate gene C/EBPdelta was verified by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry.; SCI 72-hour group undergoing the same treatment, however, with the spinal cord taken out 72 hours later; and control group undergoing only sham operation with the spinal cord taken out immediately., Results: In the SCI 8 hour group the expression of 52 genes differed in comparison with the control group, 30 genes, including those related to transcription factors, oxidative stress, complement, pro-inflammatory reaction, and anti-inflammatory reaction, were up-regulated and 22 genes related to ion channel, synaptic proteins, and cytoskeletal proteins, were down-regulated. In the SCI 72-hour group the expression of 44 genes with known functions related to growth/differentiation/survival, axonal guidance, neuron regeneration, signal transduction, ubiquitin-proteasome system, and tumor suppressor differed, 26 genes were up-regulated and 18 down-regulated, in comparison with the control group. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR results of the 12 genes were consistent with those by the microarray examination., Conclusion: Significant changes occur in the early stage of SCI. Expressed at a high level in SCI, C/EBPdelta may be a therapeutic target of SCI.

Surface coatings and surficial sediments were obtained in four natural waters in Xianghai Wetland in China to study the role of surface coatings and surficial sediments in controlling the transporting and cycling of heavy metals in aquatic environments. Pb and Cd adsorption to the surface coatings and surficial sediments were measured under controlled laboratory conditions(mineral salts solution with defined speciation, ionic strength 0.05 mol/L, 25 degrees C and pH 6.0 for surface coatings; and 0.005 mol/L CaCl2 solution, 25 degrees C and pH 6.0 for surficial sediments). The Langmuir adsorption isotherm was applied to estimate equilibrium coefficients of Pb and Cd adsorption to the surface coatings and surficial sediments, and the component analyses of surface coatings and surficial sediments were also carried out. Correlation analyses between the maximum adsorption of Pb and Cd (adsorption max ) and the components in the surface coatings and surficial sediments suggested that there was a statistically significant trend for Pb and Cd adsorption( adsorption max ) to the surface coatings to increase with increasing in contents of Fe and Mn oxides in the surface coatings and surficial sediments. And the metal adsorption abilities of surface coatings were much stronger than those of surficial sediments, highlighting that in the same water, i.e. at the same pH and initial metal concentrations, the metals (such as lead and cadmium) in supernatant were feasible to be adsorbed by surface coatings than surficial sediments. The more importance of surface coatings than surficial sediments for adsorbing and cycling of heavy metals in aquatic environments was evidenced.

Metal oxides( Fe, Mn oxides) in natural surface coatings(biofilms and associated minerals) are believed to play a significant role in the fate and transport of trace metal in aquatic environments. Seasonal variation of Fe, Mn oxides and organic materials in surface coatings, which were developed periodically on glass slides in Nanhu Lake, Jilin Province, China over the time frame of three seasons, was investigated in order to understand the influence of metal oxides on Pb and Cd adsorption to heterogeneous surface coating materials (biofilm). Pb and Cd adsorption was measured under controlled laboratory conditions(mineral salts solution with defined speciation, ionic strength 0.05 mol/L, 25 degrees C and pH 6.0). The classical Langmuir adsorption isotherm was applied to estimate equilibrium coefficients of Pb and Cd adsorption to the surface coatings. In general, components in the surface coatings varied greatly with seasons altering and obtained higher concentrations in summer while the content of iron oxides always exceeded that of manganese oxides. Correlation analyses between the maximum adsorption of Pb and Cd and components in the surface coatings developed periodically indicated that Pb phase association with Mn oxides and Cd phase association with Fe oxides as well as Mn oxides were statistically significant. Effect of Mn oxides on Cd adsorption was confirmed in view of its higher content in the surface coatings. The importance of ferromanganese oxides for Pb and Cd adsorption to the natural surface coatings developed in different seasons was evidenced.

Pb adsorption capacities of Fe oxide, Mn oxide and organic materials in natural surface coatings( biofilms and associated minerals) collected in three lakes, two ponds and a river in Jilin Province, China and Cayuga Lake in US were studied. A novel extraction technique was employed to remove one or more component(s) from the surface coatings. Pb adsorption to surface coatings before and after extraction was performed to determine the adsorptive properties of the extracted component(s). The statistical analysis of observed Pb adsorption was carried out using nonlinear least squares fitting(NLSF) to estimate the Pb adsorption capacity of each component of surface coatings. For each body of water, the estimated Pb adsorption capacity of Mn oxide(mol Pb/mol Mn) was significantly higher than that of Fe oxide(mol Pb/ mol Fe). The value of estimated adsorption capacities of organic materials with the unit mol Pb per kg COD was similar to or less than that of Fe oxides with the unit mol Pb per mol Fe. Comparison of components of surface coatings in different waters showed that the estimated Pb adsorption capacities of components in surface coatings developed in different natural waters were different, especially for Mn oxides.

A new approach applying fuzzy mathematic theorems, including the Primary Matrix Element Theorem and the Fisher Classification Method, was established to solve the optimization problem of atmospheric environmental sampling sites. According to its basis, an application in the optimization of sampling sites in the atmospheric environmental monitoring was discussed. The method was proven to be suitable and effective. The results were admitted and applied by the Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) of many cities of China. A set of computer software of this approach was also completely compiled and used.