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Background: Delayed emergence from general anaesthesia poses a significant perioperative safety hazard. Subanaesthetic doses of ketamine not only deepen anaesthesia but also accelerate recovery from isoflurane anaesthesia; however, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain elusive. Esketamine exhibits a more potent receptor affinity and fewer adverse effects than ketamine and exhibits shorter recovery times after brief periods of anaesthesia. As the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) plays a pivotal role in regulating wakefulness, we studied its role in the emergence process during combined esketamine and isoflurane anaesthesia., Methods: The righting reflex and cortical electroencephalography were used as measures of consciousness in mice during isoflurane anaesthesia with coadministration of esketamine. The expression of c-Fos was used to determine neuronal activity changes in PVT neurones after esketamine administration. The effect of esketamine combined with isoflurane anaesthesia on PVT glutamatergic (PVT Glu ) neuronal activity was monitored by fibre photometry, and chemogenetic technology was used to manipulate PVT Glu neuronal activity., Results: A low dose of esketamine (5 mg kg -1 ) accelerated emergence from isoflurane general anaesthesia (474 [30] s vs 544 [39] s, P=0.001). Esketamine (5 mg kg -1 ) increased PVT c-Fos expression (508 [198] vs 258 [87], P=0.009) and enhanced the population activity of PVT Glu neurones (0.03 [1.7]% vs 6.9 [3.4]%, P=0.002) during isoflurane anaesthesia (1.9 [5.7]% vs -5.1 [5.3]%, P=0.016) and emergence (6.1 [6.2]% vs -1.1 [5.0]%, P=0.022). Chemogenetic suppression of PVT Glu neurones abolished the arousal-promoting effects of esketamine (459 [33] s vs 596 [33] s, P<0.001)., Conclusions: Our results suggest that esketamine promotes recovery from isoflurane anaesthesia by activating PVT Glu neurones. This mechanism could explain the rapid arousability exhibited upon treatment with a low dose of esketamine., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Identification of biomarkers for the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an imperative step in developing effective treatments. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) is a potential early biomarker for AD; generally, older adults with AD have decreased CBF compared to normally aging peers. CBF deviates as the disease process and symptoms progress. However, further characterization of the relationships between CBF and AD risk factors and pathologies is still needed. We assessed the relationships between CBF quantified by arterial spin-labeled magnetic resonance imaging, hypertension, APOEε4, and tau and amyloid positron emission tomography in 77 older adults: cognitively normal, subjective cognitive decline, and mild cognitive impairment. Tau and amyloid aggregation were related to altered CBF, and some of these relationships were dependent on hypertension or APOEε4 status. Our findings suggest a complex relationship between risk factors, AD pathologies, and CBF that warrants future studies of CBF as a potential early biomarker for AD., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is an inevitable process during heart transplant and suppressing I/R injury could greatly improve the survival rate of recipients. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have positive effects on I/R. We aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the protective roles of MSCs in I/R. Both cell model and rat model of myocardial I/R were used. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to measure cell viability and apoptosis, respectively. QRT-PCR and western blotting were employed to measure levels of lncRNA HCP5 (HLA complex P5), miR-497, apoptosis-related proteins, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF1)/PI3K/AKT pathway. Dual luciferase assay was used to validate interactions of HCP5 and miR-497, miR-497 and IGF1. Echocardiography was performed to evaluate cardiac function of rats. Serum levels of CK-MB and LDH were measured. H&E and Masson staining were used to examine morphology of myocardial tissues. hBMSC-derived exosomes (hBMSC-Exos) increased the viability of cardiomyocytes following hypoxia/reperfusion (H/R) and decreased apoptosis. H/R diminished HCP5 expression in cardiomyocytes while hBMSC-Exos recovered the level. Overexpression of HCP5 in hBMSC-Exos further enhanced the protective effects in H/R while HCP5 knockdown suppressed. HCP5 directly bound miR-497 and miR-497 targeted IGF1. miR-497 mimics or si-IGF1 blocked the effects of HCP5 overexpression. Further, hBMSC-Exos alleviated I/R injury in vivo and knockdown of HCP5 in hBMSC-Exos decreased the beneficial effects. AntagomiR-497 blocked the effects of HCP5 knockdown. HCP5 from hBMSC-Exos protects cardiomyocytes against I/R injury via sponging miR-497 to disinhibit IGF1/PI3K/AKT pathway. These results shed light on mechanisms underlying the protective role of hBMSC-Exos in I/R., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K are micronutrients essential for physiological activity, metabolism and growth. Accurate and sensitive analytical methods are needed to support growing research into fat-soluble vitamins and their impact on children's growth and health. Here we report the first method for simultaneous quantification of fat-soluble vitamins A (retinol), 25-hydroxylvitamin D 2 , 25-hydroxylvitamin D 3 , and vitamin E (α-tocopherol) using a Q-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer in high-resolution, parallel reaction monitoring mode. This method can select desired ions with high efficiency, potentially making it superior to triple-quadrupole mass spectrometers that employ multiple reaction monitoring. The proposed method offers excellent accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity, as demonstrated with plasma samples from healthy children., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) bone marrow fat fractions' ability to discern between untreated Gaucher disease patients and healthy controls based on assessment of bone marrow infiltration and evaluate response to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) on serial imaging., Methods: This retrospective case-controlled study compared conventional MRI and bone marrow MRS findings in six pediatric and young adult Gaucher disease patients with age- and sex-matched controls, examining femoral neck and lumbar spine bone marrow fat fractions and bone marrow burden (BMB) scores. Separate analysis of six patients with serial imaging on ERT was performed with analysis of fat fractions, BMB scores, organ volumes, and serum chitotriosidase., Results: Untreated patients had significantly lower femoral and lumbar spine fat fractions than controls (0.32 versus 0.67, p = 0.041 and 0.17 versus 0.34, p = 0.041, respectively). Total BMB scores were significantly higher in patients (8.0 versus 3.5, p = 0.015). In patients on ERT with average follow-up of 3.5 years, femoral neck fat fraction was the sole significant predictor of treatment duration (R square: 0.804, p < 0.001) when adjusted for age. Femoral neck fat fraction also correlated with lumbar spine fat fraction, liver volume and chitotriosidase (p < 0.05). MRS test-retest reliability was excellent (Pearson correlations: 0.96, 0.99; p-values <0.001). BMB inter-rater reliability was good overall with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.79 for total score, although lumbar spine score reliability was poor at 0.45., Conclusion: MRS-derived bone marrow fat fractions appear capable of detecting Gaucher disease severity and monitoring treatment-related changes as a predictor of ERT duration in pediatric and young adult patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest CF has received consulting fees and/or honoraria from Genzyme corporation, Pfizer Inc., and Shire Pharmaceutical, makers of therapies for Gaucher disease. DJ received a research grant from Genzyme corporation for prior research on Gaucher disease. The remaining authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: In ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement, distal placement of the peritoneal catheter will typically be performed by a neurosurgeon. More recently, laparoscopic-assisted (LA) placement of the distal peritoneal catheter by general surgeons has become common. The present study examined whether LA placement of a VPS (LAVPS) is associated with a reduced operative time, lower hospital costs, and fewer distal revisions., Methods: A retrospective review was performed of the data from all patients who had received a new VPS at our institution from 2013 to 2016. Age, sex, diagnosis, previous abdominal surgery, operative time, anesthesia grade, incidence of 30-day shunt failure, and total hospital charges were analyzed., Results: A total of 680 patients had undergone first-time VPS placement, including 199 with LAVPS and 481 with non-LAVPS placement (non-LAVPS). The mean age of the LAVPS patients was significantly older than that of the non-LAVPS patients (64.1 vs. 59.3 years; P = 0.002). The mean operative time was shorter in the LAVPS group than in the non-LAVPS group (55 vs. 75 minutes; P < 0.001). Distal shunt revision within 30 days occurred more often for the non-LAVPS patients (6 of 481 [1.2%]) than for the LAVPS patients (0 of 199 [0%]). A subset analysis of patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus found decreased total hospital charges in the LAVPS group ($67,124 vs. $80,890; P = 0.009)., Conclusions: Compared with non-LAVPS, LAVPS was associated with significantly shorter operative times and fewer distal shunt revisions within 30 days. The findings from a subset analysis supported a decrease in total hospital charges. Additional studies are needed; however, these data suggest that LAVPS is a safer, less-expensive alternative to non-LAVPS., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Eight new highly oxygenated fungal polyketides, namely, 15-hydroxy-1,4,5,6-tetra-epi-koninginin G (1), 14-hydroxykoninginin E (2), koninginin U (3), 4'-hydroxykoninginin U (4), koninginin V (5), 14-ketokoninginin B (6), 14-hydroxykoninginin B (7), and 7-O-methylkoninginin B (8), together with six known related analogues (9-14), were isolated from Trichoderma koningiopsis QA-3, a fungus obtained from the inner root tissue of the well known medicinal plant Artemisia argyi. All these compounds are bicyclic polyketides, with compound 1 contains unusual hemiketal moiety at C-5 and compounds 2-14 having ketone group at C-1 and double bond at C-5(6). The structures and absolute configurations of the new compounds were established by spectroscopic analysis, X-ray crystal diffraction, modified Mosher's method, and ECD calculation. The absolute configurations of the known compounds 9, 10, and 12 were determined by X-ray crystal diffractions for the first time. The antimicrobial activities against human pathogen, marine-derived aquatic bacteria, and plant-pathogenic fungi of compounds 1-14 were evaluated, and compound 1 showed remarkable activity against aquatic pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus with MIC value 1 µg/mL, which is as active as that of the positive control., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Five novel diacetoxyboron complexes of β-diketones incorporated curcumin moiety were designed and synthesized. Their photophysical behaviors were investigated by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy in different solvents and solid state. It was observed that their fluorescence spectra yielded a blue to yellow-green emission in solution and emitted a yellow to red emission in solid state. Especially, the complex 3b displayed the strongest emission and the highest quantum efficiency (Φ u  = 0.98) in toluene among these complexes. The CIE coordinate of the complex 3b in solid state was positioned in an ideal red region of the chromaticity diagram. The maximal emission of these complexes exhibited a large wavelength shift and Stokes shift increased with the increase of the solvent polarity. Their dipole moment differences between the ground and excited states were also estimated by using the Lippert-Mataga equation. Meanwhile, their HOMO, LUMO energy levels and energy band gaps were calculated by cyclic voltammetry., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Recently, the first 7-T MR system was approved for clinical use in the United States. Unfortunately, relatively few metallic implants have undergone testing to determine if they are acceptable or pose hazards to research subjects and patients at this ultra-high-field strength. Therefore, in lieu of not performing a research or clinical MRI exam at 7-T, the supervising physician may make a decision to scan the individual with an untested metallic implant based on an analysis of the risks vs. the benefits. We present a case report of a research subject with bilateral, total knee replacement implants that safely underwent MRI of the brain at 7-T and provide guidelines for healthcare professionals to follow in order to ensure safety in research subjects or patients with metallic implants referred for 7-T scans., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of six new thienothiophene functionalized difluoroboron bis-β-diketonates were synthesized and characterized. Their photophysical properties were investigated by UV-vis absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy and the method of CIE chromaticity in solution and powders. The results showed that these difluoroboron complexes yielded a blue-green emission at 474-500 nm in DMF solution and emitted a green to yellow emission at 541-587 nm in powders. Especially, the complex 3c showed the stronger fluorescence intensity, much higher quantum yield (Φ u  = 0.89) in DMF solution and larger Stokes shifts (∆λ stokes  = 149 nm), longer lifetime value (τ = 3.54 ns) in powders as compared to other complexes. The CIE coordinate of the complex 3c was positioned in an ideal orange-yellow region of the chromaticity diagram. Meanwhile, their electrochemical properties were also studied by the cyclic voltammetry; the HOMO, LUMO energy levels and energy band gaps were determined from the onset oxidation and reduction potentials., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have received increasing attention worldwide recently because of potential risk to aquatic environment and living organisms. Herein, occurrence and spatial distributions of 17 selected PFCs were investigated in surface water adjacent to potential industrial emission categories in Shanghai. The results showed the distributions of PFCs in the ambient rivers were greatly affected by those industrial sources. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and other short-chain PFCs such as perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFBS) were detected as the predominant species in all samples. Specifically, the total concentrations of PFCs (∑PFCs) near the airport ranged from 142 to 264ngL -1 , with PFOA, PFPeA, and PFBS as most prevalent. While near the fluorochemical plant and metal plating, concentrations of ∑PFCs ranged from 200 to 2143ngL -1 and 211ngL -1 to 705ngL -1 ; and PFOA was the predominant individual PFCs, with the highest concentration of 1985ngL -1 . However, concentrations of PFOS were found at relatively low level, which ranged from < 0.06 to 4.44ngL -1 . The Spearman correlation analysis of concentration of individual PFCs showed that PFOA and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) was positive, while the correlation between PFOA and perfluorohexansulfonate (PFHxS) was negative near the airport, indicating PFOA and PFHxA may share common sources. Preliminary ecological risk evaluation of PFCs in adjacent water of the industrial emission areas suggested these emission categories posed higher risks than other area, although the risk level was still relatively safe., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A novel fluorescent chemosensor based on the oxadiazole, 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-5-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole, was designed and synthesized. The interaction of the oxadiazole with different metal ions had been investigated through UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectra in 9:1 (v/v) ethanol-water (pH=7.0) solution. The oxadiazole showed a pronounced fluorescence enhancement at 430nm upon addition of Zn 2+ in aqueous solution, whereas it had no apparent interference from other metal ions. The results indicated that the oxadiazole possessed high selectivity and sensitivity to Zn 2+ ion. The stoichiometric ratio between the oxadiazole and Zn 2+ ion was calculated to be 2:1 by Job plot experiment, meanwhile their binding modes was confirmed by 1 H NMR and mass spectrometry. Their association constant was determined to be 1.95×10 5 M -1 and the detection limit for Zn 2+ ion was 6.14×10 -7 mol/L., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Mixed endometrial stromal and smooth muscle tumor (MESSMT)-a rare mesenchymal uterine tumor of the uterus with atypical clinical symptoms-is susceptible to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. We report a case of a disseminated MESSMT with intravenous and intracardiac extensions treated with staging surgery and review previously documented cases of such tumors with intracardiac extension., Case Report: The case involves a 45-year-old woman with disseminated MESSMT that originated in the uterus and progressed through the iliac vein, inferior vena cava, right atrium, and into the right ventricle, which closely resembled intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) grossly and microscopically. She presented with a 1-year history of dyspnea on exertion. IVL was highly suspected preoperatively based on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings. Two-stage surgeries were performed successfully. The postoperative pathology indicated a disseminated MESSMT., Conclusion: This case illustrates the important role of pathology and immunohistochemistry in the differential diagnosis of a rare tumor that mimics the characteristics of IVL with intracardiac involvement and demonstrates the therapeutic strategy for this rare entity., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A novel bispyrazole derivative 2,6-bis(5-(4-methylphenyl)-1-H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine was synthesized and its structure was confirmed by (1)H NMR, FTIR, MS techniques and elemental analysis. The binding interactions of BMPP with Cd(2+), Co(2+), Pb(2+) and Cu(2+) ions were investigated in MeOH-H2O solution by fluorescence quenching technique at two temperatures (25 and 35°C). Their quenching constants KSV, binding constants K, binding sites n and thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔG and ΔS) were determined. The results indicated that the metal ions quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of the bispyrazole by forming the bispyrazole-metal complexes and their quenching process was a static quenching mechanism. In addition, the process of interaction was spontaneous and mainly ΔS-driven., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A novel single-phase full-color phosphor CaZr4(PO4)6:Dy(3+) has been synthesized by a high-temperature solid-state reaction. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis and FT-IR spectra confirmed the phase formation of CaZr4(PO4)6:Dy(3+) materials. The photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra, the concentration dependence of the emission intensity, decay curves, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and Commission International de I(')Eclairage (CIE) of the phosphor were investigated. The results showed that the phosphor could be efficiently excited by the near ultraviolet (NUV) light region from 340 to 440 nm, and it exhibited blue (487 nm) and yellow (577 nm) emission corresponding to (4)F9/2→(6)H15/2 transitions and (4)F9/2→(6)H13/2 transitions, respectively. The luminescence intensity of Ca(1-x)Zr4(PO4)6:xDy(3+) phosphor firstly increased and then decreased with increasing Dy(3+) concentration, and reached the maximum at x=0.04. The band gap energy of CaZr4(PO4)6 and Ca0.96Zr4(PO4)6:0.04Dy(3+) are about 4.184 eV from the diffuse reflection spectrum. The decay time was also determined for various concentrations of Dy(3+) in CaZr4(PO4)6. The calculated color coordinates lies in the blue white region. Therefore, these obtained results suggest that the prepared phosphors exhibit great potential for use as single-phase full-color phosphor for near ultraviolet white light emitting diodes (NUV WLEDs)., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Six new bis-β-diketones (RCOCH2CO-C7H7N-COCH2COR) were synthesized from 3,5-diacetyl-2,6-dimethylpyridine via Claisen condensation with the corresponding esters, and then reacted with boron trifluoride etherate to afford difluoroboron bis-β-diketonate derivatives. Their spectroscopic properties were investigated by UV-vis, FTIR, (1)H NMR and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. It was found that these boron complexes exhibited violet or blue fluorescence emission at 422-445nm and possessed high extinction coefficients. The results indicate that the extending π-conjugation can increase the fluorescence intensity and quantum yield for these boron complexes. Especially, the compound 2b displayed the stronger fluorescence intensity and the highest fluorescence quantum yield (Φu=0.94) in these boron compounds. However, compounds 2c and 2d had the lower fluorescence intensity and quantum yield as a result of the heavy atom effect of the chlorine atom in the molecules., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The effect of high dose isoflurane on cerebral blood flow (CBF) was investigated in adult macaque monkeys receiving 1% to 2% isoflurane with the pseudo continuous arterial-spin-labeling (pCASL) MRI technique. High concentration (2%) of isoflurane resulted in significant increase in the mean CBF of the global, cortical, subcortical regions and the regional CBF in all subcortical structures and most cortical structures (such as motor cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, but not media prefrontal cortex). In addition, the changes of regional CBF in the affected regions correlated linearly with increasing isoflurane concentrations. The study demonstrates region-specific CBF abnormal increase in adult macaque monkeys under high dose (2%) isoflurane and suggests that the brain functionality in the corresponding structures may be affected and need to be taken consideration in either human or non-human primate neuroimaging studies., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We implemented pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) with 2D and 3D balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) readout for mapping blood flow in the human brain, retina, and kidney, free of distortion and signal dropout, which are typically observed in the most commonly used echo-planar imaging acquisition. High resolution functional brain imaging in the human visual cortex was feasible with 3D bSSFP pCASL. Blood flow of the human retina could be imaged with pCASL and bSSFP in conjunction with a phase cycling approach to suppress the banding artifacts associated with bSSFP. Furthermore, bSSFP based pCASL enabled us to map renal blood flow within a single breath hold. Control and test-retest experiments suggested that the measured blood flow values in retina and kidney were reliable. Because there is no specific imaging tool for mapping human retina blood flow and the standard contrast agent technique for mapping renal blood flow can cause problems for patients with kidney dysfunction, bSSFP based pCASL may provide a useful tool for the diagnosis of retinal and renal diseases and can complement existing imaging techniques., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Total arch replacement to treat type A aortic dissection is a complex procedure. To simplify the procedure, we used a triple-branched stent graft for total aortic arch replacement., Methods: Between February 2010 and June 2011, 27 patients (mean age, 52.7 ± 11.5 years), with acute type A aortic dissection underwent open surgical placement of a triple-branched stent graft for total arch reconstruction., Results: All patients were discharged from the hospital. Mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 160.5 ± 25.2 minutes, aortic cross-clamp time was 85.5 ± 18.4 minutes, and lower body arrest time was 30.2 ± 11.8 minutes. The mean drainage after the operation was 560 ± 120 mL, and the mean blood transfusion was 500 ± 150 mL. The mean length of stay after surgery was 13.5 ± 3.2 days. The mean follow-up time was 19.3 ± 7.6 months (range, 18 to 33 months). Follow-up was 100%. Endoleaks occurred in 3 patients after the operation, and 1 of them died 9 months after the operation. Follow-up computed tomography scans at 3 months showed the elimination of a false lumen in 24 patients., Conclusions: Using triple-branched stent grafts for total arch reconstruction in acute type A aortic dissections may be an effective technique to eliminate flow in the false lumen., (Copyright © 2013 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of the present study was to present a multi-delay multi-parametric pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) protocol with background suppressed 3D GRASE (gradient and spin echo) readout for perfusion imaging in acute ischemic stroke. PCASL data at 4 post-labeling delay times (PLD = 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 s) were acquired within 4.5 min in 24 patients (mean age 79.7 ± 11.4 years; 11 men) with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke who also underwent dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) enhanced perfusion imaging. Arterial transit times (ATT) were estimated through the calculation of weighted delays across the 4 PLDs, which were included in the calculation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and arterial cerebral blood volume (CBV). Mean perfusion parameters derived using pCASL and DSC were measured within MCA territories and infarct regions identified on diffusion weighted MRI. The results showed highly significant correlations between pCASL and DSC CBF measurements (r > = 0.70, p < = 0.0001) and moderately significant correlations between pCASL and DSC CBV measurements (r > = 0.45, p < = 0.027) in both MCA territories and infarct regions. ASL ATT showed correlations with DSC time to the maximum of tissue residual function (Tmax)(r = 0.66, p = 0.0005) and mean transit time (MTT)(r = 0.59, p = 0.0023) in leptomeningeal MCA territories. The present study demonstrated the feasibility for noninvasive multi-parametric perfusion imaging using ASL for acute stroke imaging.

Chemoreception plays an important role in insects for sensing information when searching for host and oviposition sites. An understanding of the chemosensory mechanism could aid in the development of new methods to effectively prevent damage from insects in agriculture. We have constructed a legs cDNA library for Apolygus lucorum and sequenced 1584 ESTs, from which we identified 669 unigenes. From this collection we identified one putative odorant binding protein (AlucOBP5) and three chemosensory proteins (AlucCSP2, AlucCSP3, AlucCSP4) genes. Using real-time PCR method, we assessed the expression of these genes in the head, thorax, abdomen, wing, antenna and mouthparts. Results indicate that the expression of these genes had tissue- and gender-specificity. AlucCSP2 and AlucCSP3 were specifically expressed in female wings. AlucCSP4 was expressed relatively highly in female wings but also expressed in other tissues. AlucOBP5 was expressed in female abdomen and male legs with high levels in the latter. Expression vectors for these proteins were constructed and expressed in BL21(DE3). The purified proteins were then tested for binding properties using bis-ANS as the fluorescent ligand. AlucOBP5 could bind strongly with phenyl acetaldehyde, 1-hexanol, 3-hexenal and β-ionone. AlucCSP2 and AlucCSP3 had low affinity with all general odorants. AlucCSP4 did not bind with any of the standards. All four proteins could bind with gossypol, meletin with high affinity and could also bind with rutin hydrate, although AlucCSP4 had weak binding capacity. AlucCSP3 and AlucCSP4 could bind weakly with catechin, while AlucCSP2 and AlucOBP5 could not., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Five pyridyl-β-diketones were synthesized by Claisen condensation of ethyl nicotinate with various aryl methyl ketones in benzene in the presence of sodium amide as the base, and then reacted with boron trifluoride diethyl etherate in dichloromethane to afford some new boron difluoride pyridyl-β-diketonate derivatives. The compounds obtained were characterized using FTIR, (1)H NMR, elemental analysis and mass spectrometry. Their optical properties were studied in DMF by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that these boron complexes exhibited intense fluorescence in the blue-green region (420-490 nm) under UV radiation with a relatively high quantum yield. Especially, compounds 4b and 5b displayed much higher quantum yield as compared to compounds 1b, 2b and 3b., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare, idiopathic, histiocytic proliferative disorder, the infrequent occurrence of which limits in-depth studies. Consequently, many characteristics of this disease remain unknown, restricting early diagnosis and proper treatment., Methods: In this study, the literature was reviewed and a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 13 patients with RDD conducted to investigate the demographic data, clinical data, laboratory and imaging results, treatment, and prognosis of this disease., Results: Of the 13 cases in our sample, 10 (77%) were purely extranodal RDD, 2 (15%) were both nodal and extranodal, and 1 (8%) was purely nodal. The locations of the 10 purely extranodal RDD lesions included the central nervous system (n = 6, 60%), nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses (n = 3, 30%), and the cutis (n = 1, 10%). The locations of the central nervous system-related RDD lesions included the cerebral subdura (n = 2, 29%), the sellar region (n = 3, 14%), the cerebral parenchyma (n = 1, 14%) and the spinal subdura (n = 1, 14%). Ten patients (77%) had stable conditions, 3 (23%) experienced recurrence, and 2 (15%) experienced recurrence and lesion metastasis., Conclusions: RDD is rare, requiring knowledge of its clinical manifestations for a rapid and correct diagnosis. In light of the possibility of recurrence and lesion metastasis, long-term follow-up is needed. Treatment is still controversial. Future efforts should be directed at investigating the etiology and postoperative treatment for relapsing cases or those with subresected lesions.

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) remains the gold standard to diagnose intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) but is invasive. Existing magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is suboptimal for assessing the hemodynamics of AVMs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of a novel noncontrast four-dimensional (4D) dynamic MRA (dMRA) in the evaluation of intracranial AVMs through comparison with DSA and time-of-flight (TOF) MRA. Nineteen patients (12 women, mean age 26.2±10.7 years) with intracranial AVMs were examined with 4D dMRA, TOF and DSA. Spetzler-Martin grading scale was evaluated using each of the above three methods independently by two raters. Diagnostic confidence scores for three components of AVMs (feeding artery, nidus and draining vein) were also rated. Kendall's coefficient of concordance was calculated to evaluate the reliability between two raters within each modality (dMRA, TOF, TOF plus dMRA). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied to compare the diagnostic confidence scores between each pair of the three modalities. dMRA was able to detect 16 out of 19 AVMs, and the ratings of AVM size and location matched those of DSA. The diagnostic confidence scores by dMRA were adequate for nidus (3.5/5), moderate for feeding arteries (2.5/5) and poor for draining veins (1.5/5). The hemodynamic information provided by dMRA improved diagnostic confidence scores by TOF MRA. As a completely noninvasive method, 4D dMRA offers hemodynamic information with a temporal resolution of 50-100 ms for the evaluation of AVMs and can complement existing methods such as DSA and TOF MRA., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In recent years, sonodynamic activities of many drugs have attracted more and more attention of researchers. The correlative study will promote the development of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) in anti-tumor treatment. In this work, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a protein model to investigate the intensifying effects of ciprofloxacin (CPFX) ultrasonically induced protein damage by UV-vis and fluorescence spectra. Meanwhile, the conformation of BSA is changed upon the addition of CPFX and metal ions under ultrasound (US) so that the damaging site of BSA is considered. Various influencing factors, such as US irradiation time, metal ions, solution temperature and ionic strength, on the ultrasonically induced BSA damage are discussed. It was showed that CPFX could enhance ultrasonically induced BSA damage. The damage degree of BSA was aggravated with the increasing of US irradiation time, solution temperature, ionic strength as well as the addition of metal ions. Furthermore, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in reaction system were detected by oxidation-extraction photometry (OEP). Experimental results also showed that US could activate CPFX to produce ROS, which were mainly determined as superoxide radical anion (.O2-) and hydroxyl radical (.OH)., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sensitive and reliable early diagnostic markers for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remain unavailable. Early identification of recurrence for OSCC is also a challenge. Unlike the other deep cancers, OSCC is located in oral cavity. The DNA, RNA, and protein derived from the living cancer cells and inflammatory cells then can be conveniently obtained from saliva. High-throughput genomic and proteomic approaches have been carried out to identify the potential biomarkers in body fluids such as saliva and blood for diagnosis and prognosis of OSCC. This article reviewed the recently identified biomarkers from saliva for OSCC. In addition, the biomarkers which have been correlated with OSCC tumor malignancy by molecular pathology analysis are also described. Finally, the potential biomarkers that have been demonstrated to associate with the malignant OSCC may be used for salivary screening for high-risk patients are suggested. This article may help to identify the potential biomarkers for screening and the molecular pathology analysis for high-risk patients of OSCC. Effective screening to identify high-risk patients can allow the clinician to provide the appropriate treatment without delay and to reduce the recurrence of OSCC., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: From December 2001 to February 2008, right vertical infraaxillary thoracotomy (RVIAT) was used to perform ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure in selected patients. This retrospective study reviews our results and experiences., Methods: The study included 274 patients (143 females, 131 males) undergoing VSD closure through a RVIAT approach. Patients were a mean age of 10.5 +/- 8.9 years (range, 0.5 to 43 years). Body weight was 37.8 +/- 12.5 kg (range, 8 to 72 kg). The VSD was subpulmonary in 14 patients and perimembranous in 260., Results: No perioperative or late deaths occurred during the follow-up. Cardiac defects were corrected in all patients through RVIAT. The mean incision length was 7.2 +/- 2.9 cm (range, 4.1 to 8.9 cm). Cardiopulmonary bypass time was 61.6 +/- 27.8 minutes (range, 29 to 187 minutes), and aortic clamp time was 33.4 +/- 20.8 minutes (range, 5 to 139 minutes). The mean postoperative hospital stay was 4.9 +/- 2.6 days (range, 2 to 14 days). Postoperative echocardiograms revealed 3 patients with residual shunt with later catheter intervention. The cosmetic advantage of the RVIAT is the short incision under the armpit that is often invisible. All patients were satisfied with the cosmetic results during the follow-up., Conclusions: The RVIAT can be performed with favorable cosmetic and clinical results for VSD closure. It provides a good alternative to standard median sternotomy for VSD patients., (2010 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Previous studies have shown that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression is up-regulated in both multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model for MS, and may exacerbate the disease. However, it remains unknown whether anti-VEGF modalities could serve as a potential treatment for such central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune diseases. We constructed a recombinant adenoviral vector carrying FLAG-tagged sFlt-1(1-3) (the first three extracellular domains of Flt-1, the hVEGF receptor-1). Intramuscular transfection of the recombinant adenoviral vector suppressed VEGF-induced inflammatory cell infiltration in matrigel plugs. When given intracerebrally to EAE rats, recombinant sFlt-1(1-3) adenoviral vector significantly reduced disease severity compared to untreated rats. sFlt-1(1-3) gene transfer blocked VEGF and greatly reduced the number of cells that express VEGF and ED1-positive cells in CNS in EAE rats. This study demonstrates that sFlt-1(1-3) gene transfer into the brain ameliorates the severity of EAE by inhibiting monocyte recruitment in the CNS of dark Agouti rats.

Background: Hilar cholangiocarcinoma is associated with low resectability and poor survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the roles of matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2) and its tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2(TIMP-2) in tumor invasion or as a prognostic factor in patients with human hilar cholangiocarcinoma., Methods: The expressions of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were investigated in patients. Paraffinized tissue sections obtained from 50 patients with human hilar cholangiocarcinoma were analysed. The expressions of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were examined immunohistochemically. Image analysis with image-pro plus analysis software was used to semiquantitatively determine the ratio of MMP-2 to TIMP-2., Results: The expression levels of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were strongly associated with tumor hepatic invasion in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Significant differences in the ratio of MMP-2 to TIMP-2 between some pathologic factors were observed in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma., Conclusions: MMP-2 plays an essential role in tumor invasion and metastasis, while TIMP-2 is shown to strongly inhibit cancer invasion and metastasis. The ratio of MMP-2 to TIMP-2 may be a prognostic indicator for patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: Childhood obesity increases the risk of obesity in adulthood and is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia., Objective: We evaluated the clustering of CVD risk factors among obese schoolchildren in Taiwan., Design: After multistage sampling of 85 junior high schools in Taipei, we randomly selected 1366 children (681 boys and 685 girls) aged 13.3 y (range: 12-16 y). Anthropometric, blood pressure (BP), and biochemical CVD risk factors (including blood glucose, lipid, and lipoprotein concentrations) were measured., Results: Boys had a higher body mass index, systolic BP, and glucose concentrations than girls and girls had higher lipid and lipoprotein concentrations than boys. After adjustment for age, obese boys had a significantly higher BP, ratio of total to HDL cholesterol, and glucose, cholesterol, triacylglycerol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I, and apolipoprotein B concentrations than nonobese boys. BP, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and ratio of total to HDL cholesterol were significantly different between nonobese and obese girls. Approximately 70% of obese boys had one and 25% had two or more CVD risk factors other than obesity. Obese girls had a significantly higher prevalence of high BP and a higher prevalence of CVD risk factor clustering than nonobese girls., Conclusions: Boys had higher glucose concentrations and BP and lower lipid concentrations than girls. We found an association between obesity and higher BP and between obesity and blood glucose and lipid concentrations for both sexes. Clustering of CVD risk factors was especially apparent among the obese children. A clustering of CVD risk factors may begin during early adolescence among the obese.

Glucose intolerance and cardiovascular risk factors were assessed among 215 subjects aged 27-86 years in Ho-long, Taiwan. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was normal in 107 subjects, impaired in 41 subjects, and abnormal in 67 subjects (as noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus, NIDDM). Body fatness, blood pressure, carbohydrate and lipid metabolic factors were examined. One-way ANCOVA was used to compare age- and/or BMI-adjusted differences among these groups. Male subjects with NIDDM and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) had higher systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures, plasma insulin (fasting and 1-hour after OGTT), serum triglycerides (TG), heavier body weight, and larger BMI than normal. IGT subjects were also found to have higher TG, insulin (2-hour) and larger insulin area under curve (IAUC) after OGTT than NIDDM. In females, subjects with NIDDM had higher TG, insulin (fasting and 1-hour after OGTT), and larger IAUC than normal. Moreover, female IGT subjects were also found to have significantly higher SBP, DBP, insulin (1-and 2-hour after OGTT), and larger IAUC than both normal and NIDDM subjects. These results suggest that adverse cardiovascular risk factors are present not only in NIDDM subjects, but also in IGT subjects.

The association of age, body weight, body mass index (BMI) and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) to blood pressure in the general population of the Ho-long area in Taiwan was examined. A total of 1341 subjects, 746 men and 595 women, aged 40-90 years, were studied. Sex-specific multiple regression analyses were carried out on variables both univariately and significantly associated with blood pressure. Results show HbA1c to be significantly associated with SBP in both males and females before age, weight and/or BMI are adjusted (p < 0.05). After controlling for these confounders, the strength of SBP-HbA1c association was slightly reduced in males, but remained significant. In contrast, there was no significance in females. Moreover, no significant relationship in DBP-HbA1c was found in either sex group. These findings suggest that although a positive correlation was found between HbA1c and SBP, HbA1c or glucose status appeared to be a less important contributing factor in hypertension than age or body weight.

Using 3T3 and 3T6 mouse fibroblasts and A431 epidermoid carcinoma cells, we previously observed that extracellular ATP and ADP were mitogens and they synergized with other growth factors (Huang, N., Wang, D. and Heppel, L. A. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86, 7904-7908). We now report that ATP and ADP stimulated Na+ entry, intracellular alkalinization and Na+/K+ pump activity, which are early events that had been proposed to play a central role in DNA synthesis. In addition, ATP, ADP and AMPPNP stimulated uridine uptake by a pathway involving arachidonic acid metabolism. In A431 cells, activation of protein kinase C also contributed to ATP-dependent stimulation of uridine uptake. Concentrations of indomethacin and pertussis toxin which inhibited uridine uptake also blocked arachidonic acid metabolism and DNA synthesis. ATP acted as a competence factor. Interestingly, ATP did not have to be continuously present to stimulate uridine uptake. It was equally effective even when it was washed away after brief treatment of cells.

The polypeptides PDGF, TGF alpha, and EGF have previously been shown by others to stimulate proliferation of fibroblasts and keratinocytes in the process of wound healing. Here we demonstrate that extracellular ATP, ADP or AMPPNP caused synergistic enhancement of DNA synthesis in 3T6 mouse fibroblasts and BALB/MK keratinocytes when combined with any of the above polypeptides. TGF beta showed synergistic stimulation with ATP in fibroblasts but it inhibited keratinocytes. ATP acted as a mitogen for NIE-115 neuroblastoma cultures. In 3T6 cells, ATP stimulated thymidine incorporation in combination with carbachol or norepinephrine. The effect of carbachol was sensitive to atropine. We suggest that extracellular ATP and ADP may play a physiological role in wound healing and as a mitogenic neurotransmitter in the nervous system.

A young woman with shortness of breath was diagnosed preoperatively as having a coronary artery aneurysm. The aneurysm originated from the right coronary artery and was extraordinarily large. The aneurysm was excised successfully under extracorporeal circulation.