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Objective To compare the immune effects of recombinant PKF protein of Acinetobacter baumannii with different immune modes and different adjuvants. Methods After recombinant PKF protein was obtained by plasmid expression and purification, the protein was then combined with aluminum hydroxide (Al) or with AS03 to immunize mice by intramuscular (im) injection.In another experiment, the combination of PKF and LTK63 or PKF and LP1-34 was adopted to intranasally (in) immunize mice, respectively.The total animals were thus divided into 7 groups: PBS group; PKF group (im), PKF+Al group (im), PKF+AS03 group (im), PKF group (in), PKF+LTK63 group (in), and PKF+LP1-34 group (in).The levels of serum specific IgG and mucosal sIgA in the immunized mice were detected by ELISA.Moreover, the sublethal model of Acinetobacter baumannii pulmonary infection was established, and then the bacterial colonization amount in blood and lung of mice after challenge was measured to evaluate the protective immune efficacy of the recombinant vaccine. Results In the intramuscular immunization group, AS03-assisted PKF produced the highest specific IgG antibody level (P < 0.01), and in the nasal immunization group, LTK63 significantly increased the level of specific sIgA in the alveolar lavage fluid (P < 0.01).Bacterial challenge test showed that the bacterial colonization amount was similar in the PKF+AS03(im) group and PKF (im) alone group, while the PKF+LTK63 group (in) obtained remarkably reduced bacterial colonization amount (P < 0.01). Conclusion LTK63 assists PKF to better protect against Acinetobacter baumannii pulmonary infection, suggesting that vaccine-mediated mucosal immune response may play a more important role in the infection protection.

ObjectiveTo investigate the willingness of middle school students to engage in medicine and its influencing factors during COVID-19 pandemic in Lanzhou， so as to provide references for the early career planning education on middle school students.MethodsConvenient sampling method was used to choose 1 795 middle school students from 5 schools in Lanzhou from July 21 to July 31， 2022 for this study where an online questionnaire survey was distributed to collect data. A self-compiled questionnaire was used to gather the general information， assess the willingness to engage in medicine and seek the underlying reasons. The psychological resilience level of students was assessed using Resilience Scale for Adolescents. Then multivariate Logistic regression analysis was conducted to screen the factors associated with the willingness of middle school students to engage in medicine.ResultsAfter the local outbreak of COVID-19 in Lanzhou， 835 （46.52%） middle school students demonstrated their willingness to engage in medicine， and the top three reasons for their willingness were being affected by medical staff during the pandemic （75.69%）， having interests in medical sciences （67.31%）， and the potential increase of attention to national medical development after the epidemic （43.23%）. Logistical regression analysis showed that female gender （OR=1.438， P

Objective To investigate the effects of running on the volume change of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), as well as amyloid beta protein (Aβ) and microglia in mPFC in mouse model of Alzheimer′s disease (AD). Methods Male APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice aged 10 months were randomly divided into AD running group (AD Run, given active running intervention for 4 months) and AD control group (AD Ctrl), while non-transgenic mice at the same age were set as normal control group (Ctrl). The mice from the AD Ctrl and Ctrl groups received no treatment. Morris water maze test was used to evaluate the abilities of spatial learning and memory of mice, and Y maze test was adopted to assess the working memory and reference memory in the mice. The volume of mPFC and the total number of microglia (IBA1+cells) in the mPFC were quantified with stereological methods. The number of activated microglia (CD68+/IBA1+ cells) in the mPFC, cell body area, and process number of microglia, number and area of Aβ plaques, and area of Aβ plaques in IBA1+ microglia were quantitatively measured by immunofluorescence multiple labeling and laser confocal microscopy, and the ratio of area of Aβ plaques in IBA1+ microglia to the total area of Aβ plaques was calculated. Results The AD Run group and Ctrl group performed better than the AD Ctrl group in Morris water maze and Y maze tests. The volume of mPFC was significantly less in the AD Ctrl group than the Ctrl group (P < 0.05), while that of the AD Run group was obviously larger than that of the AD Ctrl (P < 0.01). The AD Ctrl group had greatly larger numbers of IBA1+ cells and CD68+/IBA1+ cells in the mPFC than the Ctrl group (P < 0.05), whereas the AD Run group had much larger numbers of those cells than the AD Ctrl group (P < 0.05). The total and average area of Aβ plaques in the mPFC was greatly diminished in the AD Run group than the AD Ctrl group (P < 0.05). In addition, the AD Run group also presented larger numbers of IBA1+ cells and CD68+/IBA1+ cells around Aβ, larger average body area of single microglia and CD68+/IBA1+ cells, and elevated area of Aβ plaques in IBA1+ cells, along with its ratio to the total area of Aβ plaques in mPFC improved (P < 0.05). Conclusion Running exercise increases the number of CD68+ microglia in the mPFC, reduces the Aβ plaques, delays the atrophy of mPFC, and thus improves the spatial learning and memory abilities as well as working memory and reference memory in APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice.

Background Aquatic therapeutic exercise is an emerging physical therapy technique, which provides new ideas for improving the motor function and quality of life of patients with stroke. However, it is not clear that the rehabilitation benefits obtained by patients with stroke from aquatic therapeutic exercise, and the levels of methodological quality and evidence quality of relevant studies. Objective To overview the systematic reviews of aquatic therapeutic exercise in improving the rehabilitation in patients with stroke. Methods In June 2021, Systematic reviews assessing the effects of aquatic therapeutic exercise in stroke rehabilitation were searched in databases of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EmBase, CINAHL, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang Data, CQVIP and SinoMed from inception to June 15, 2021. Two researchers screened systematic reviews according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and extracted data separately. The methodological quality was evaluated using AMSTAR 2. The reporting quality was evaluated using the PRISMA. The quality of evidence for major outcomes was evaluated using the GRADE system. Results A total of 9 reviews were included, 2 of which were in Chinese and 7 were in English. The analysis showed that the methodological quality of 1, 1, and 7 reviews were moderate, low, and extremely low, respectively. The reporting quality of 7 reviews were relatively complete, 1 review had some flaws, and 1 review had a serious information flaw. There were a total of 9 outcome indicators, and 49 bodies of evidence, and the quality of bodies of evidence was mostly low or very low. Aquatic therapeutic exercise improved the balance function, mobility and muscle strength of stroke patients to a certain extent. And the rehabilitation benefits had proven to be more when it was used in combination with dryland trainings. Conclusion Aquatic therapeutic exercise has proven to be effective in improving balance function, mobility and muscle strength in stroke patients with good safety. But the overall methodological quality and quality of evidence for major outcomes of included systematic reviews are unsatisfactory. It is suggested that future studies use a larger sample size and an improved design, which will provide evidence-based guidance for clinical management of stroke rehabilitation with aquatic therapeutic exercise.

In this paper, pea protein (PPI) with sodium alginate (SA) and phosphate complex (CP) was used as raw material to improve the quality of pea protein simulated meat products. The quality of the organised pea protein was evaluated by examining the rehydration, oil retention, nitrogen solubility index, textural properties, colour difference, sensory and microstructure of the organised product. The results showed that the addition of 0.1% SA increased the rehydration of the organised product by 44.15%, and the extrudates with 0.3% SA achieved the maximum NSI (5.10), degree of organisation (1.793) and sensory score (7.85). The denaturation of the protein in the extruder barrel and the exposure of the hydrophobic groups while the molecular chains unfolded enhanced the interaction between the protein and the oil causing a 19.39% increase in the oil-holding properties. The addition of 0.3% CP resulted in a maximum of 1.806 organisational degree of the protein product, which was observed by scanning electron microscopy to have a more pronounced fibrous structure. Thus, appropriate levels of sodium alginate (0.3%) and phosphate complex (0.3%) improved the quality characteristics of the organised pea protein product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coastal area of Jiangsu Province was selected as the research area, which has a unique muddy coastal zone and diverse beach wetland ecosystem with good development advantages and potential. We construct the evaluation system with five indexes such as wetland, forest land, key functional areas, rivers entering the sea and soil. By using space technologies of GIS, the evaluation unit was composed of districts, counties and grids of Nantong, Yancheng and Lianyungang, and the ecological carrying capacity was calculated through evaluation of single index and comprehensive evaluation of multiple indexes. This paper analyzed the spatial pattern heterogeneity of ecological carrying suitability in coastal areas, revealed the influencing factors causing the difference of spatial bearing state. The results showed that the ecological carrying capacity of the study area in terms of "suitable", "less suitable", "general suitable", "controlled" and "unsuitable" is 16.59%, 11.22%, 38.50%, 17.15% and 16.54% respectively. There is significant heterogeneity in the spatial pattern of the bearing capacity, and the distribution showed characteristics of " low in the middle, high in the north and south". The bearing capacity of Nantong in the south is relatively higher than that of Lianyun in the north, mainly for "suitable" and "more suitable" distribution areas. The ecological carrying capacity of the central Yancheng area is significantly lower than that of other areas, mainly for the "unsuitable" and "controlled" distribution areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to effectively solve the desiliconization and ore dissolution performance of low-grade high-silica bauxite, the roasting alkali leaching desiliconization technology scheme was used to investigate the influence of roasting temperature, roasting time, and roasting ore particle size on the desiliconization effect. The research results show that the best roasting and desiliconization conditions are temperature 950 °C, time 60 s, and ore particle size 150 µm. During the calcination process, the silicon-containing phase transforms into amorphous silica, NaAl2 and (AlSi3 O10)(OH)2 is preferentially formed when alumina and silica coexist during the alkaline leaching process. Under the optimal desilication conditions, the desilication rate of ore is 47.12%, which is 97.68% higher than that of raw ore and roasted ore concentrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To observe the the clinical effect of Jianpi Liqi formula in treatment of precancerous lesions of chronic atrophic gastritis. Methods A total of 66 patients collected by this hopital from September 2012 to June 2014 were equally randomized into the treatment group and the control group, each of 33 cases. The treatment group was given Jianpi Liqi formula while the control group with Weifuchun tablets. The treatment period lasted 12 weeks. The comprehensive effect, clinical symptoms ,gastroscopic images results, pathological changes of gastric mucous membranes and Hp-eradicating rates of the two groups were observed. Results The comprehensive effect,clinical symptoms,gastroscopic images results,pathological integral and Hp-eradicating rates of the treatment group were better than those of the control group,whose differece had statistical significance(P<0.05). Conclusion Jianpi Liqi formula may improve the patients' symptoms with precancerous lesions of chronic atrophic gastritis and relieve the development degree of intestinal metaplasia and atypical hyperplasia, which has an accurate effect in treatment of precancerous lesions of chronic atrophic gastritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the shortage of research on the seismic performance of medical imaging equipment, this paper investigates and summarizes the seismic regulatory requirements and seismic tests of medical imaging equipment, and focuses on the parameter selection, detection steps, result evaluation and detection equipment requirements of seismic detection of medical imaging equipment. The seismic test data of medical imaging equipment with various installation modes are analyzed, and the seismic performance of medical imaging equipment is analyzed and summarized.

Severe inflammatory responses are considered responsible for acute lung damage in COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 enters lung cells via ACE2, and the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and the pro-caspase-1 are then activated, followed by release of mature IL-1β and IL-18 and other inflammatory cytokines, thereby leading to inflammation and apoptosis. This inflammatory process induces syndromes such as inflammatory cell infiltration, congestion, and edema in the lungs of COVID-19 patients. Some severe cases reported complications including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and diffuse intravascular coagulation (DIC). There is no specific drug available for the treatment of COVID-19 at present. MCC950, colchicine and other NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors, have been widely used in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases, and are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Here we reviewed the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV activation pathway of NLRP3 inflammasome, in order to reveal the role and mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome in the process of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and provide a theoretical basis for the development of related targeted drugs.

In recent years, peptide self-assembly has received much attention because of its ability to form regular and ordered structures with diverse functions. Self-assembled peptides can form aggregates with defined structures under specific conditions. They show different characteristics and advantages (e.g., good biocompatibility and high stability) compared with monomeric peptides, which form the basis for potential application in the fields of drug delivery, tissue engineering, and antiseptics. In this paper, the molecular mechanisms, types and influencing factors of forming self-assembled peptides were reviewed, followed by introducing the latest advances on fibrous peptide hydrogels and self-assembled antimicrobial peptides. Furthermore, the challenges and perspectives for peptide self-assembly technology were discussed.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between violence exposure, self-control, social anxiety and school bully., Methods: In the urban and rural areas of Xinxiang between September and December, 2018, a total of 1631 students from grade 1 to grade 3 from 3 junior high schools and 3 senior high schools were selected by convenient sampling. Violence exposure scale, middle school students& apos; self-control scale, adolescents' social anxiety scale and middle school students& apos; school bully scale. Among them, there were 770 boys and 861 girls. The number of junior high school students was 891, and the number of senior high school students was 740.There were 922 urban students and 709 rural students. There recovery data was analyzed by independent sampled t-test, correlation analysis and the structural equation model was established., Results: (1) The male in the scores of violence exposure(34.45±12.97), social anxiety(11.04±3.61), traditional bully(24.09±8.86) and cyberbully(14.94±6.25) were higher than the female [(32.07±11.09), (10.30±3.58), (21.57±7.98), (13.00±4.30)], and the difference was statistically significant(P& lt; 0.05). The junior high school students in the scores of violence exposure(35.21±13.83), social anxiety(11.24±3.58), traditional bully(26.40±8.68) and cyberbully(15.06±6.26) were higher than the senior high school students [(30.52±8.51), (9.92±3.53), (19.26±6.14), (12.55±3.73)], but the junior high school students in the scores of self-control(121.98±17.22) was lower than senior high school students(129.84±19.02) and the difference was statistically significant(P& lt; 0.05). The urban students in the scores of self-control(126.30±18.54) was lower than rural students(122.99±18.04), but the junior high school students in the scores of social anxiety(10.38±3.53) and traditional bully(22.41±8.28) were higher than senior high school students [(11.06±3.67), (23.25±10.01)] and the difference was statistically significant(P& lt; 0.05). (2) The scores of violence exposure, social anxiety, traditional bully and cyberbully were positively correlated each other(r=0.24-0.59, P& lt; 0.01), but separately negatively correlated with the scores of self-control(r=-0.36--0.19, P& lt; 0.01). (3) Social anxiety played a partial mediating role between violence exposure and school bully. The direct effect of violence exposure on school bullying was β=0.45, 95%CI 0.38-0.53, t=17.19, P& lt; 0.001.The mediating effect of social anxiety was 0.02, accounting for 4.26% of the total effect. Self-control played a moderating role in the second half of the relationship between violence exposure and school bully. Interaction between social anxiety and self-control can significantly positively predict school bully(β=0.08, 95%CI 0.03-0.12, t=3.05, P& lt; 0.01)., Conclusion: Violence exposure positively predicts school bully. Violence exposure also plays a mediating effect on them through social anxiety and a moderating effect on them through self-control. The moderating effect of self-control is not significant in boys and junior high school students.

Objective: To explore the risk factors of anxiety and depression in patients with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) so as to achieve early intervention and better clinical prognosis., Methods: Seventy-six patients with suspected COVID-19 in fever isolation wards of Second Hospital of Lanzhou University were enrolled From January 31, 2020 to February 22, 2020. Their clinical baseline data were collected. The anxiety of patients was assessed by Hamilton Anxiety Scale, and the depression of patients was assessed by Hamilton Depression Scale. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the risk factors of anxiety and depression in these patients., Results: Female patients are more likely to have anxiety ( OR =3.206, 95% CI : 1.073-9.583, P <0.05) and depression ( OR =9.111, 95% CI : 2.143-38.729, P <0.01) than male patients; patients with known contact history of epidemic area and personnel in epidemic area are more likely to have depression ( OR =3.267, 95% CI : 1.082-9.597, P <0.05)., Conclusions: During the isolation treatment of suspected COVID-19 patients, early psychological intervention should be carried out for the female patients with known contact history of epidemic area and personnel in epidemic area, and drug treatment should be given in advance if necessary.

Biorefinery technologies provide promising solutions to achieve sustainable development facing energy and environment crisis, while abundant sugar feedstock is an essential basis for biorefinery industries. Photosynthetic production of sucrose with cyanobacteria is an alternative sugar feedstock supply route with great potentials. Driven by solar energy, cyanobacteria photosynthetic cell factory could directly convert carbon dioxide and water into sucrose, and such a process could simultaneously reduce carbon emissions and supply sugar feedstocks. Here we introduced the history and updated the state-of-the-art on development of cyanobacteria cell factories for photosynthetic production of sucrose, summarized the progress and problems on mechanisms of sucrose synthesis, metabolic engineering strategies and technology expansions, and finally forecasted the future development direction in this area.

Objective: To investigate the role of self-esteem and empathy in the relationship between loneliness and cyberbullying among junior and senior school students., Methods: In the city of Shenyang, Chaoyang, Yingkou and Panjin in Liaoning Province, between March and May, 2017, a total of 961 middle school students from 12 to 18 age(grade 1 in middle school to grade 3 in high school) were selected by convenient sampling. Among them, there were 446 boys and 515 girls and there were 512 junior school students and 449 senior school students. Middle School Students' Cyberbullying Behavior Questionnaire(MSSCBQ), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale(SES), UCLA Loneliness Scale(UCLA) and Basic Empathy Scale(BES) were used for the study. The recovery data was analysed by independent sample t-test, correlation analysis, regression analysis and the structural equation model was established., Results: (1) The male in the scores of cyberbully, cybervictim and loneliness were higher than the femal((17.1±7.0) vs.(14.8±5.6);(17.9±6.2) vs.(15.9±5.7);(45.2±9.7) vs.(42.9±9.8)), but the male in the scores in self-esteem and empathy were lower than the female((27.4±5.1) vs.(28.2±4.8);(63.1±9.5) vs.(66.0±11.0)) and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). The junior school students in the scores of cyberbully, cybervictim were higher than the senior school students((16.4±6.6) vs.(15.3±6.1);(17.7±6.0) vs.(16.0±5.9)), but the junior school students in the scores in self-esteem and empathy were lower than senior school students((27.2±4.5) vs.(28.5±5.3);(61.8±10.3) vs.(67.1±10.0)), and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).(2) The scores of CBQ, CBVQ and UCLA were positively correlated each other(r=0.20-0.33, P<0.01), and negatively correlated with the scores of SES and BES(r=-0.28--0.13, P<0.01).(3) Among junior and senior school students, the direct effect of loneliness on the cyberbully and cybervictim were 0.12 and 0.13. Self-esteem(indirect effect 0.09, 95% CI 0.37-0.79) and empathy(indirect effect 0.05, 95% CI 0.16-0.44) played mediating roles in the relationship between loneliness and cyberbully; Self-esteem(indirect effect 0.05, 95% CI 0.13-0.58) and empathy(indirect effect 0.03, 95% CI 0-0.03) played mediating roles in the relationship between loneliness and cybervictim., Conclusion: Negative prediction of self-esteem and empathy are to cyberbully and cybervictim, and positive prediction of loneliness is to cyberbully and cybervictim. The levels of self-esteem and empathy enhanced could mitigate the effect of loneliness on cyberbully and cybervictim.

Objective: To study the regulating effect of thyroid pathway on electroacupuncture (EA) for mammary gland hyperplasia (MGH) so as to provide new research ideas for the mechanism of EA for MGH and to provide the evidence for clinical application., Methods: Sixty adult female SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group, an EA group, an EA with thyroidectomy group, an EA with sham operation group, 12 rats in each one. Except the blank group, the MGH model was established. Thyroid ablation was performed in the EA with thyroidectomy group, and sham operation was used in the EA with sham operation group, exposing thyroid without excision, 1 day after model establishment. EA was applied in the EA, the EA with thyroidectomy, and the EA with sham operation groups on the 4th day after model establishment, and not used in the other groups, but catching, routine disinfection and fixation were all the same as the above groups. The acupoints in the group A were bilateral "Tianzong" (SI 11), "Ganshu" (BL 18) and "Zusanli" (ST 36); and those in the group B were bilateral "Wuyi" (ST 15), "Hegu" (LI 4) and "Danzhong" (CV 17). The two groups of points were alternately used. EA, continuous wave, 2 Hz and 1 mA, was connected at "Tianzong" (SI 11) and "Ganshu" (BL 18), "Wuyi" (ST 15) and "Hegu" (LI 4) at the same side, 2 pairs EA a time, 20 min a time, once a day. All the intervention was given for 4 courses, 5 times as 1 course with 2 days between courses. After intervention, the height and diameter of the rat papilla were measured. Estrogen (E 2 ) and progestational hormone (P) in the serum were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the contents and protein expression of estrogen receptor α (ERα) and progesterone receptor (PR) in the mammary glands were detected by immunofluorescence and Western-blot., Results: (1) The height and diameter of papilla in the model group increased compared with those in the blank group (both P <0.01). The height and diameter of papilla in the EA, EA with sham operation groups reduced compared with those in the model group (all P <0.01). Those in the EA with thyroidectomy group were lower than those in the model group, without statistical significance (both P >0.05). (2) Compared with the blank group, E 2 increased and P decreased in the model group (both P <0.01). Compared with the model group, E 2 decreased and P increased in the EA and EA with sham operation groups (all P <0.01). The contents of E 2 and P had no statistical significance between the model and the EA with thyroidectomy groups (both P >0.05). (3) Compared with the blank group, the ERα content and protein expression increased and the PR content and protein expression decreased in the model group (all P <0.01). Compared with the model group, the ERα content and protein expression decreased and the PR content and protein expression increased in the EA and EA with sham operation groups (all P <0.01). The ERα and PR content and protein expression had no statistical significance between the model and the EA with thyroidectomy groups (all P >0.05)., Conclusion: The effect of EA for MGH may be closely related to the regulation of thyroid.

Objective: To research the important of prenatal diagnosis and effect of intervention to fetal hydrothorax., Methods: The cases of fetal hydrothorax (n=5) were obtained from the Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University between December 2014 and May 2015. All pregnancies were uncomplicated, excluded congenital organic and chromosomal abnormalities during prenatal diagnosis and with a 37 average gestational weeks. The case 1, 2, 4 were unilateral hydrothorax and the case 3, 5 were bilateral. We performed an antenatal thracocentesis to case 1, 2, 3. In case1, the hydrothorax increased rapidly after 5 days, and the patient underwent a cesarean section and ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT); in case 2, the fetal heart rate was decreased to 40-50 bpm suddenly during thracocentesis, and we performed an emergent cesarean section and EXIT for the patient; in case 3, the patient underwent thracocentesis and a meanwhile cesarean section and EXIT procedure. We performed a conservative management to case 4, 5, the hydrothorax resolved spontaneously during the pregnancy and after birth, both patients underwent cesarean section., Results: All fetuses were survived, the neonates of case 1, 2 and 3 underwent assited mechanical ventilation, thoracic close drainage, then discharged after hydrothorax resolved and feeding tolerance; in case 4, there was no respiratory distress and hospital treatment; in case 5, the neonate underwent assited mechanical ventilation and conservative management, the hydrothorax has resolved gradually., Conclusions: The prenatal diagnosis and antenatal intervention (thracocentesis) may play an important role in fetal hydrothorax treatment. In clinical, we should choose different plan according to the gestation weeks and classification of hydrothorax of the patient.

It is important to design a long-period transparent bioactive material for corneal repair in the process of corneal tissue renovation. This article discusses the silk fibroin and formamide blend membranes as a corneal stroma repair material. Silk fibroin solution was mixed with formamide in different proportions to obtain insoluble transparent silk fibroin film by casting method. The blending membranes had excellent mechanical properties, cell compatibility and long-term transparent properties. Rabbit corneal stromal cells were seeded on the sterilized composite films. The rate of cell surface adhesion was over 90% after cells were placed on it for 5 hours. When cells were seeded on blend membranes from one day to seven days, Alma Blue was added to complete medium. Compared with the cell culture plate, there was no significant difference in cell proliferation on formamide/silk films. The results indicated that formamide/silk films might be used as a corneal stroma repair material and worth of further investigatinn

Objective: To observe the neurological protection effects of "paraplegia-triple-needling method" on rats with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), so as to make a preliminary exploration on its mechanism., Methods: A total of 45 SD rats were randomly divided into a paraplegia-triple-needling method group (group A), a regular acupuncture group (group B) and a model group (group C), 15 rats in each one. The rats model of incomplete spinal cord injury was established by modified Allen's method. The acupoints of governor vessel and back-shu points next to the vertebras of upper end and lower end of injured segment as well as motor points in key muscle of lower extremities were treated with acupuncture in the group A; the acupoints of governor vessel and back-shu points next to the vertebras of upper end and lower end of injured segment as well as "Huantiao" (GB 30), "Housanli" (ST 36), "Yanglingquan" (GB 34) and "Genduan"(Extra) were treated with acupuncture in the group B; rats in the group C received no treatment after model establishment but grabbing and immobilization. The needles were retained for 15 min in the group A and group B, once a day for 14 times. 1 d, 7 d and 14 d after model establishment, Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) scores were observed in each group; the morphologic change of injured spinal cord and expression of positive cells of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were observed. Results (1) One day after SCI, there was no significant difference of BBB scores among three groups (P> 0. 05); 7 days and 14 days after SCI, BBB scores in the group A and group B were significantly superior to those in the group C (all P<0. 05), and the BBB scores in the group A were superior to those in the group B ( both P<0. 05). (2) There was expression of CGRP positive cells in all three groups, and that in the group A and group B was significantly higher than that in group C (both P<0. 05); 14 days after treatment, the expression in the group A was higher than that in the group B (P<0. 05)., Conclusion: The "paraplegia-triple-needling method" could obviously! improve the motor function of rats with SCI, especially the expression of neuroprotective factor CGRP, which is likely to be one of the mechanisms of neurological protection effect.

Objective: To investigate the effects of GW4064, a farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist, on adiponectin and its receptors during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and on adiponectin receptors in HepG2 cells., Methods: The mRNA expressions of FXR, PPARγ2, adiponectin, AdipoR1, and AdipoR2 and the protein levels of adiponectin on days 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes treated with GW4064 were detected by fluorescent real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively. The mRNA expressions of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 in HepG2 cells were also examined at 0, 12, 24, and 48 h after GW4064 treatment., Results: The mRNA expressions of FXR, PPARγ2, adiponectin, and AdipoR2 in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and AdipoR2 in HepG2 cells treated with GW4064 was significantly increased compared with the control group (all P<0.05). The protein level of adiponectin was also significantly increased after GW4064 treatment. The expression of AdipoR1 in either 3T3-L1 preadipocytes or HepG2 cells showed no significant changes after GW4064 treatment., Conclusion: GW4064 can up-regulate the expressions of FXR, PPARγ2, adiponectin, AdipoR2 in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and AdipoR2 in HepG2 cells. As adiponectin and its receptors are two important factors in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, FXR agonist may potentially produce therapeutic effect on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and can regulate adipocytes via up-regulating PPARγ during adipocyte differentiation.

Objective: To screen and identity genes related to CD133(+)CD200(+) colorectal cancer stem cells., Methods: The two subpopulations of colorectal cancer cells, namely CD133(+)CD200(+) and CD133(-)CD200(-) cells, were sorted and verified by flow cytometry. The gene expression profiles of CD133(+)CD200(+)and CD133(-)CD200(-) colorectal cancer cells were examined using Affymetrix Human U133 Plus2.0 genome-wide genechip. The differentially expressed genes between the two cell subpopulations were analyzed to identify the genes responsible for the main effect in association with colorectal cancer stem cells. Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to confirm some of the differentially expressed genes identified by genechip., Results: The genechip result showed that 655 genes were differentially expressed in CD133(+)CD200(+) colorectal cancer stem cells by at least 3 folds, including 290 up-regulated and 365 down-regulated ones. Bioinformatics analysis and gene co-expression network building identified 3 genes (MDM2, PRKACG, and CACNA1G) with specific expression in CD133(+)CD200(+) colorectal cancer stem cells, and this result was confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR analysis., Conclusion: A specific gene expression profile of colorectal cancer stem cells has been established through screening and identifying genes related to CD133(+)CD200(+)colorectal cancer stem cells by gene genechip technique, which provides a basis for further study of gene targeting therapy of colorectal cancer.

The link between nonresolving inflammation and cancer is well documented. On the one hand, epidemiologic evidence supports that approximately 25% of all human cancer worldwide is caused by nonresolving inflammation. On the other hand, inflammatory cells are found in the microenvironment of most, if not all, tumors. In the tumor micro-environment, inflammatory cells and molecules influence almost every aspect of cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) participate in the initiation and progression of nonresolving inflammation-related cancer by regulating the key genes and related signaling pathways. Further investigation into the molecular mechanisms by which miRNAs carry out their functions will be of great value in the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of tumors.

Objective: To investigate the expression pattern of CD133 and ALDH1 in colorectal cancer cells line Colo205 cultured in serum-free medium (SFM) containing recombinant human epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)., Methods: Colo205 cells were cultured in serum-free medium (SFM) containing human recombinant EGF and bFGF or in serum-supplemented medium (SSM). The expression of CD133 was analyzed in both groups, and CD133(+) and CD133(-) cells sorted from the SFM group using flow cytometry and observed microscopically for their growth status. The expression of CD133 and ALDH1 in CD133(+) cells and CD133(-) cells was detected by immunofluorescence assay. CD133(+) cells and CD133(-) cells were then injected subcutaneously into NOD/SCID mice and the expression of ALDH1 in the tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry., Results: The cells in SFM group showed a significantly higher percentage of CD133(+) cells than those in SSM group (P<0.05). In SFM, CD133(+) cells were capable of forming tumor spheres while CD133(-) cells could not; CD133(+)cells strongly expressed CD133 and ALDH1 and CD133(-) cells did not. In mice, tumors generated by CD133(+) cells, but not by CD133(-) cells, positively expressed ALDH1., Conclusions: CD133(+) Colo205 colorectal cancer cells in SFM containing human recombinant EGF and bFGF can form tumor spheres and strongly express ALDH1. ALDH1 may be one of the candidate markers of colorectal cancer stem cells.

Background: Conventional cytology is valuable in diagnosing the cancer cells in pleural fluid of patients with lung cancer. However, the diagnostic value of detecting pleura micrometastasis is limited. The aim of this study is to investigate clinical significance of CK19 mRNA expression in pleural fluid of patients with lung cancer., Methods: Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect CK19 mRNA in pleural fluid from 86 patients with lung cancer and 40 patients with benign lung diseases, and the results were compared with the results of conventional cytologic diagnosis., Results: The positive rates of CK19 mRNA in pleural fluid were 93.0%(80/86) from patients with lung cancer and 20.0% (8/40) from patients with benign lung diseases, which showed an obvious difference between two groups (Chi-square=65.69, P < 0.01). The positive rates of CK19 mRNA in pleural fluid of patients with lung cancer had no correlation with histopathology types (P > 0.05). The sensitivity and accuracy of CK19 mRNA were obviously higher than those of diagnosis of conventional cytology in pleural fluid of patients with lung cancer (P < 0.01)., Conclusions: CK19 mRNA can be taken for a molecular marker to detect pleura micrometastasis, it may be helpful to diagnose the cancer cells in pleural fluid of patients with lung cancer and evaluate the clinical staging more correctly.