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Phalaenopsis flowers possess extraordinary longevity. However, the changes of sugars, including glucose, fructose and sucrose, in organs of floret during different flowering stages of inflorescences attached to a plant have not been reported. To accomplish this, the sugars level in different floret organs were studied at 4 different stages (1. half open, 2. bloom 1 month, 3. bloom 2 months, and 4. wilting). Glucose and fructose were the major soluble sugars in the sepal, petal, labellum, pedicel, and remainder (including the column, anther cap, pollinia, and stigma) of a floret, but their levels decreased from stages 1 to 4. However, the amount of sucrose increased significantly at stage 4 in the sepal, petal, pedicel, and remainder, with the exception that the labellum remained constant throughout all stages. These results demonstrate that glucose and fructose are the major solutes that contribute to floret opening and blooming, and sucrose is salvaged and exported before floret senescence for opening other florets on the same inflorescence. Meanwhile, labellum possesses different sugar metabolism from other organs of Phalaenopsis floret. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: A retrospective study was conducted to explore the value of sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping with carbon nanoparticles (CNP) in endometrial cancer patients. Methods: Seventy-six endometrial cancer patients who underwent sentinel lymph node mapping with or without systemic pelvic lymphadenectomy were involved in this study. All patients received cervical injection of carbon nanoparticles. The detection frequency for sentinel lymph nodes was calculated for all 76 patients, while the sensitivity and negative predictive value for metastasis were calculated for patients who underwent additional systemic pelvic lymphadenectomy (n=43). Clinical factors associated with sentinel lymph node detection were also evaluated. Results: The overall and bilateral detection frequencies were 71.1% (54/76) and 61.1% (33/54), respectively. A total of 291 sentinel lymph nodes were removed from 54 patients, with the median number removed per patient being 4 (range 3-7). sentinel lymph nodes were mostly located in the external lilac (45.7%) and obturator (41.2%) regions. Fifteen positive lymph nodes including 6 positive sentinel lymph nodes were found in 5 patients. Two of the five patients failed sentinel lymph node mapping but showed positive lymph nodes after systemic pelvic lymphadenectomy. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of sentinel lymph node mapping were therefore both 100%. Conclusion: The detection frequency of sentinel lymph node mapping with carbon nanoparticles in endometrial cancer patients was not as high as for some other cancer types. However, the accuracy of this method was high despite the relatively low detection frequency. More research is needed to improve sentinel lymph node mapping in endometrial cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Objective:  To investigate the effects of Paeoniflorin (Pae) on inflammatory mediators and G protein – coupled signaling in fibroblast – like synoviocytes (FLS) from collagen induced arthritic (CIA) rats. Methods:  SD rats were injected with type II collagen. Pae (25, 50, 100 mg· kg−1) was administered to CIA rats. The inflammation of CIA rats was evaluated by paw swelling, arthritis index and histopathology of joints. FLS were isolated and cultured. Interleukin (IL)-1 activity was measured by the 3H-TdR – intake method Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and cAMP were measured by radioimmunoassay. Protein kinase A (PKA) was assessed by luminescent kinase assay. Gi was detected by Western blot. Results:  Inflammation in CIA rats was accompanied by hyperplastic synovium, pannus and cartilage erosion in joints. IL-1 activity and Gi expression increased, PGE2 and TNF-alpha production were enhanced, but cAMP level and PKA activity decreased. Pae significantly suppressed the inflammatory response and inflammatory mediators (IL-1, TNF-alpha and PGE2) in vivo. Pae inhibited Gi expression and restored cAMP level and PKA activity in FLS of CIA rats in vivo and vitro. Conclusion:  Inflammatory mediators and G protein - coupled signaling were associated with the pathogenesis of synovitis in CIA rats. Pae, as a new monomer, had anti-inflammatory effects on the animal model of CIA in rats, but also had regulatory effects on FLS from CIA rats in vitro. These results highlight Pae as a good candidate for therapeutic intervention in RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fusion reaction may be significantly changed in a solid target due to electron screening on target nuclei while the projectile energy is very low. The electron screening effect of the D(d, p)T reaction in the deuterated metal Sm at low target temperature (T [?] 133.2 K) has been studied in a deuteron energy region from 10 to 20 keV. The thick target yields of protons emitted in the D(d, p)T reaction were measured and compared with those data extrapolated from cross sections and stopping power data at higher energies. It is found that the reaction rates in Sm are enhanced over those of the bare nuclei. The screening potential in Sm under cooled conditions is deduced to be 520 ± 56 eV, which cannot be simply interpreted by the electron screening. The enhanced screening potential might be roughly interpreted with the classical plasma model of Debye, in which the screening potential decreases with increasing temperature while quasi-free metallic electrons are applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Bone-like apatite formation on porous calcium phosphate ceramics was investigated in static simulated body fluid (SBF) and dynamic SBF at different flowing rates. The results of a 14-day immersion in static SBF showed that the formation of bone-like apatite occurred both on the surface and in the pores of the samples. When SBF flow at the physiological flow rate in muscle (2 ml/100 ml min1), bone-like apatite could be detected only in internal surface of the pores of samples. The result that bone-like apatite formation could only be found in the pores when SBF flown at physiological flow rate was consistent with that of porous calcium phosphate ceramics implanted in vivo: osteoinduction was only detected inside the pores of the porous calcium phosphate ceramics. This result implicates that the bone-like apatite may play an important role in the osteoinduction of Ca-P materials. The dynamic model used in this study may be better than usually used static immersion model in imitating the physiological condition of bone-like apatite formation. Dynamic SBF method is very useful to understand bone-like apatite formation in vivo and the mechanism of ectopic bone formation in calcium phosphate ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lower reaches of the Yellow River are basically a discharge zone with a high salt content, and the study area of Yucheng in Shandong Province became arable only after the water diversion project from the Yellow River was implemented in 1972. The sustainability of agriculture in this area is examined through the redistribution of soil moisture and solutes in the vertical profile based on the measurement of soil moisture, potential and solute content in a maize field at the Yucheng Experimental Station. Diurnal moisture fluctuations appear in the surface layers at 30 and 50 cm depths, and the daily water content at 90 cm depth decreases about a month after planting, due mainly to the effect of root water extraction, even reaching a level lower than that at 70 cm depth. Soil moisture obviously increases for the three layers at 30, 50, 90 cm depth, and the relevant peak?time shifts from the surface 30 cm depth to the deep layer at 120 cm depth with a varied time lag in response to rainfall events, but there is little or no signal for the other layers due to the effects of soil properties, roots, and soil storage. The existence of a convergent zero flux plane may explain to some extent the accumulation of moisture and solutes in the layer at 120 cm depth. Though the chemical facies along the profile from the unsaturated surface to the deep saturated zone generally evolves in a direction of decreasing SO42 ? and Cl?, a strong driving force upward and the accumulation of solute at 120 cm may change the redistribution pattern and three groups of this pattern were classified according to the evolution and concentration distribution profiles. The main factors affecting the moisture, solute and their distributions for the three groups are varied: rainfall, irrigation and evapotranspiration for the surface layer till 70 cm depth, root extraction for the accumulation layer of 70–120 cm depth, and the fluctuation of the groundwater table for the deep layer at 120–200 cm depth. The agriculture appears sustainable as long as diverted water from the Yellow River is available, but the high content of solute accumulation in the layer at about 120 cm depth is a potential risk. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the mechanism of rifampicin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae in Taiwan. Methods: Rifampicin resistance was investigated with respect to the rpoB gene in 23 invasive S. pneumoniae isolates collected from 1996 to 2001. PCR and molecular typing were used for genetic and epidemiological analyses. Transformation was used to determine the functional gene for resistance. Results: Twenty-two of 23 isolates carried at least one mutation at either cluster I or III of rpoB; the most frequent mutation found in 21 isolates (91%) was histidine (H499) to asparagine or tyrosine at position 499, followed by isoleucine to valine (I624V) at position 624 in 16 isolates (70%), tyrosine to phenylalanine (Y589F) at position 589 in 14 isolates (60.9%) and isoleucine to valine (I608V) at position 608 in 13 isolates (56.5%). Less-frequent mutations were also identified: D489V, R597F, N623E, N623S, N669D, Q671K, Y674F and A683V. High-level rifampicin resistance was observed in isolates with a mutation at position 499 or 489. Mutations other than at position 499 or 489 played little role in or had no relation to rifampicin resistance. No dominant epidemic strain was observed with ribotyping, multilocus sequence typing, or serotyping. Conclusions: Rifampicin resistance among multidrug-resistant S. pneumoniae in Taiwan was mostly caused by rpoB mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Fas-mediated apoptosis is important in the regulation of immune response. Human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) are able to regulate peritoneal inflammation, but the role of Fas in HPMCs is not clear. This study addresses the mechanisms of Fas-mediated apoptosis in HPMCs. Methods. Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) primed HPMCs were stimulated with agonistic anti-Fas antibody. The expression of Fas was evaluated by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (TaqMan quantitative polymerase chain reaction) and flow cytometry. Apoptosis was assessed by nuclear morphology, TUNEL assay, fractional DNA content and cytokeratin 18 cleavage. Caspase activation and bcl-2 expression were analysed by western blotting. The phagocytosis of apoptotic HPMCs was demonstrated by immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. Results. Cultured HPMCs constitutively expressed Fas, and the Fas expression was upregulated by TNF-α. TNF-α primed HPMCs underwent apoptosis after anti-Fas antibody treatment, and the apoptotic HPMCs could be phagocytosed by macrophages. TNF-α was able to downregulate bcl-2 expression. Activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8 was noted during the apoptotic process. The inhibitors of either caspase-3 or caspase-8 could prevent the Fas-induced apoptosis in HPMCs. We also detected increased HPMC apoptosis in dialysate effluent during the recovery phase of peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients. Conclusions. TNF-α directs HPMCs to commit apoptosis via the Fas/Fas ligand pathway through a modulation of Fas and bcl-2. Our study shows that HPMCs undergo apoptosis during peritonitis and suggests that the apoptosis of HPMCs may be related to the resolution of peritoneal inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we demonstrate experimentally an erbium-doped fiber (EDF) ring laser structure for remote temperature sensing by using fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) in C-band. Based on the proposed EDF laser configuration, the remote temperature sensing distance is achieved at 50 km. Here, ten FBGs are employed at the remote side for temperature sensing. By tuning the optical tunable filter (TF), the corresponding Bragg wavelength from each FBG can be monitored in the proposed EDF laser. As a result, in the temperature range from 20 to 82 °C, the maximum drift of Bragg wavelength can be detected at 0.84 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 38 year old male patient with a history of hypertension was sent to the emergency room for shortness of breath for two days. His history revealed only minor chest trauma two weeks previously. The diagnostic workup suggested severe aortic regurgitation caused by infective endocarditis. Intraoperative trarisoesophageal echocardiography showed that the commissure between the right coronary and non-coronary cusp of the aortic valve was detached from the aortic wall, with resultant right coronary cusp prolapse and severe aortic regurgitation.