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The traditional ecological spur dike is improved, by using the biological fillers such as the plant materials, combined with microorganisms, to obtain a larger water purification capacity. Most of the researches on spur dikes focused on the hydrodynamic force and the migration and the diffusion of the pollutants, but not so much on the effects of the spur dike materials and the arrangement parameters on the water purification capacity. In this paper the biological zeolite is used to make ecological spur dikes. The laboratory flume experiment shows that compared with the natural zeolite spur dike, the purification effect of the biological zeolite spur dike is significantly improved, and the average removal rate of the NH3-N is kept at 6.8% after 24 h compared with 3.5% of the natural zeolite spur dike. The NH3-N removal rates of a single spur dike, the counterpart spur dikes and the staggered spur dikes decrease with the increase of the inlet flow, and the staggered spur dikes have the best purification effect. Secondly, a numerical model based on the MIKE21 is verified by the experimental results and applied for the Tangjiali Section of the Xutangqiao River in Xinwu District, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province. The orthogonal test shows that the length of the spur dike has the most important effect on the interception of pollutants and the purification, followed by the angle of the spur dike and the spacing of the spur dikes has the least important effect. The geometric arrangement parameters of the ecological spur dike group with the highest efficiency on the pollutant interception and the purification are: 60° (angle), 6.7 m (length) and 20 m (spacing). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The clinical use of gentamicin always lies in its antimicrobial activity in the past as an aminoglycoside antibiotic. However, in the past decade, there were considerable interests in therapeutic approaches in treating hereditary diseases. Some of the genodermatosis is caused by nonsense mutations that create premature termination codons and lead to the production of truncated or non-functional proteins. Gentamicin could induce readthrough of nonsense mutations and enable the synthesis of full-length proteins. We focus on previous publications on topical application of gentamicin and review its utility in genetic skin diseases. Data sources: We search the MEDLINE through PubMed, EMBASE databases, and the Clinical Trials Registry Platform from January 1960 to July 2020 using the key search terms "gentamicin, topical gentamicin, genodermatosis, genetic skin diseases". Results: The application of gentamicin in genodermatosis yielded promising results, both in vivo and in vitro, including Nagashima-type palmoplantar keratosis, epidermolysis bullosa, Hailey–Hailey disease, hereditary hypotrichosis simplex of the scalp, etc. Conclusions: Topical gentamicin is a potential treatment option for genodermatosis caused by nonsense mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Population pharmacokinetic evaluations have been widely used in neonatal pharmacokinetic studies, while machine learning has become a popular approach to solving complex problems in the current era of big data. Objective: The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to evaluate whether combining population pharmacokinetic and machine learning approaches could provide a more accurate prediction of the clearance of renally eliminated drugs in individual neonates. Methods: Six drugs that are primarily eliminated by the kidneys were selected (vancomycin, latamoxef, cefepime, azlocillin, ceftazidime, and amoxicillin) as 'proof of concept' compounds. Individual estimates of clearance obtained from population pharmacokinetic models were used as reference clearances, and diverse machine learning methods and nested cross-validation were adopted and evaluated against these reference clearances. The predictive performance of these combined methods was compared with the performance of two other predictive methods: a covariate-based maturation model and a postmenstrual age and body weight scaling model. Relative error was used to evaluate the different methods. Results: The extra tree regressor was selected as the best-fit machine learning method. Using the combined method, more than 95% of predictions for all six drugs had a relative error of < 50% and the mean relative error was reduced by an average of 44.3% and 71.3% compared with the other two predictive methods. Conclusion: A combined population pharmacokinetic and machine learning approach provided improved predictions of individual clearances of renally cleared drugs in neonates. For a new patient treated in clinical practice, individual clearance can be predicted a priori using our model code combined with demographic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to make full use of brown algae Sargassum fusiforme, in the presence of pectinase and glucoamylase, the polysaccharide (SFP) from S. fusiforme was hydrolyzed to improve its biological activity. Single factor tests and response surface methodology were used to optimize enzymatic hydrolysis conditions based upon the degradation rate of SFP. Conditions for the hydrolysis of SFP were optimized as: hydrolysis temperature 54.2 °C, total enzyme concentration 68.5 U/mL, activity ratio of pectinase to glucoamylase 3.3:1, pH 6.0, degradation time 3 h. Under the optimized conditions, the degradation rate of SFP reached 18.6%. The antioxidant activities of the enzymatically degraded S. fusiforme polysaccharide (ESFP) prepared under the optimized conditions were greatly improved when compared to those of SFP. The IC50 values of ESFP on scavenging HO˙, O 2 · - and DPPH˙ were 4.78, 0.412 and 0.53 mg/mL, respectively; while those for SFP were 6.82, 0.723 and 0.768 mg/mL, respectively. The ferric reducing power of ESFP was also significantly higher than that of SFP. After incubation with RAW264.7 macrophages for 24 and 48 h, ESFP was found to possess significantly stronger activities in promoting cell proliferation, phagocytosis and NO release than those of SFP, indicating the superior immunoregulatory activity of ESFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To identify and quantify lung changes associated with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) with quantitative lung CT during the disease. Methods: This retrospective study reviewed COVID-19 patients who underwent multiple chest CT scans during their disease course. Quantitative lung CT was used to determine the nature and volume of lung involvement. A semi-quantitative scoring system was also used to evaluate lung lesions. Results: This study included eighteen cases (4 cases in mild type, 10 cases in moderate type, 4 cases in severe type, and without critical type cases) with confirmed COVID-19. Patients had a mean hospitalized period of 24.1 ± 7.1 days (range: 14–38 days) and underwent an average CT scans of 3.9 ± 1.6 (range: 2–8). The total volumes of lung abnormalities reached a peak of 8.8 ± 4.1 days (range: 2–14 days). The ground-glass opacity (GGO) volume percentage was higher than the consolidative opacity (CO) volume percentage on the first CT examination (Z = 2.229, P = 0.026), and there was no significant difference between the GGO volume percentage and that of CO at the peak stage (Z = - 0.628, P = 0.53). The volume percentage of lung involvement identified by AI demonstrated a strong correlation with the total CT scores at each stage (r = 0.873, P = 0.0001). Conclusions: Quantitative lung CT can automatically identify the nature of lung involvement and quantify the dynamic changes of lung lesions on CT during COVID-19. For patients who recovered from COVID-19, GGO was the predominant imaging feature on the initial CT scan, while GGO and CO were the main appearances at peak stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melanosis developed in shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) is mainly initiated by polyphenoloxidase (PPO), thus understanding of the characteristics of PPO in shrimp is important for controlling the melanosis of shrimp. The shrimp cephalothorax turns black most rapidly amongst all the tissues during the chilled storage. Crude PPO extracted from this cephalothorax has an optimal pH of 6.0 and an optimal temperature of 50 °C. PPO is relatively stable under neutral and weak alkaline conditions (pH 5.5–9.0) and the temperature range of 25–35 °C. The kinetic parameters Km and Vmax were recorded as 3.02 mM and 54.3 U/mg of protein, respectively, using L-Dopa as a substrate. The molecular weight of PPO was estimated as 200–220 kDa by an activity staining test. A hydroxypyridinone derivative, 5-hydroxy-1-octyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropyridine-2-carbaldehyde O-ethyl oxime, was demonstrated to efficiently inhibit the PPO, indicating that this compound might find application as a shrimp preservative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reactions of transition metal macrocyclic complexes [ML](ClO4)2 (L = 1,8-diethyl-1,3,6,8,10,13-hexaazacyclotetradecane, M=Ni, Cu) with NH4VO3 gave two coordination polymers, formulated as [NiL]3[VO3]6·0.5H2O (1) and [CuL]3[VO3]6·2H2O (2). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the central Ni(II)/Cu(II) atom achieves a distorted six-coordinate octahedral coordination geometry by the coordination of four nitrogen atoms from L, plus two oxygen atoms from [VO4] tetrahedra. Six [VO4] tetrahedra form a hexanuclear [V6O18]6− ring by sharing six μ2-oxygen atoms. The [NiL]2+ and [CuL]2+ moieties bridge the [V6O18]6− rings to form three-dimensional frameworks with one-dimensional hexagonal channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of prepared hairtail protein hydrolysate-Fe (PH-Fe) complexes on growth and non-specific immune responses of crayfish ( Procambarus clarkii). The diets with five different levels of PH-Fe (200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 mg/kg) were fed to crayfish for 60 days. The results indicated that the survival rate, weight gain percentage, specific growth rate, and muscle index of crayfish with 400-1000 mg/kg of PH-Fe feeding were significantly higher, 9.94-10.10, 8.55-8.72, 0.24-0.29 %/day, and 2.39-3.05 %, respectively, than the control values after 60 days of feeding. Additionally, after 30 days of feeding, 200-400 mg/kg of PH-Fe showed no significant ( P > 0.05) improvement effect on activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), phenoloxidase (PO), lysozyme (LSZ), and acid phosphatase (ACP) in serum or hepatopancreas of crayfish. However, significant improvement effects were observed in 800-1000 mg/kg groups. After 60 days of feeding, 400-600 mg/kg of PH-Fe significantly ( P < 0.05) improved the activity of SOD and LSZ, but did not affect the activity of PO and ACP significantly ( P > 0.05). Moreover, the activities of SOD, PO, LSZ, and ACP in serum and hepatopancreas were all significantly enhanced upon treatment with 800-1000 mg/kg of PH-Fe. For these reasons, PH-Fe can be recommended as a supplement in crayfish feed to increase the growth and immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of natural Chinese zeolite to remove ammonium from rainfall runoff following urea applications to a paddy rice field is assessed in this study. Laboratory batch kinetic and isotherm experiments were carried out first to investigate the ammonium adsorption capacity of the natural zeolite. Field experiments using zeolite adsorption barriers installed at drain outlets in a paddy rice field were also carried out during natural rainfall events to evaluate the barrier's dynamic removal capacity of ammonium. The results demonstrate that the adsorption kinetics are accurately described by the Elovich model, with a coefficient of determination ( R) ranging from 0.9705 to 0.9709, whereas the adsorption isotherm results indicate that the Langmuir-Freundlich model provides the best fit ( R = 0.992) for the equilibrium data. The field experiments show that both the flow rate and the barrier volume are important controls on ammonium removal from rainfall runoff. A low flow rate leads to a higher ammonium removal efficiency at the beginning of the tests, while a high flow rate leads to a higher quantity of ammonium adsorbed over the entire runoff process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solvothermal reaction of Cd(OAc)·2HO and biphenyl-2,3,3′,5′-tetracarboxylic acid (Hbptca) in DMF/HO afforded one novel coordination polymer [Cd(bptca)(DMF)] ( 1). X-ray structural analysis reveals that complex 1 is a chiral bilayer supported by rare asymmetrical tetranuclear [Cd(μ-O)(μ-O)]. Topologically, the net can be considered as a 3,6-connected Shubnikov plane with the Schläfli symbol {4}{4.6.8}. Further, the overlapping of 2D grids gives an open 3D framework with 1D channels occupying by dangling DMF. The physical studies of complex 1 showed the good thermal stability and fluorescent properties. Graphical Abstract: One novel 2D Cd(II) chiral coordination polymer with biphenyltetracarboxylate was synthesized and structurally characterized. The bilayering net supported by the rare asymmetrical tetranuclear cluster [Cd(μ-O)(μ-O)], can be considered as a 3,6-connected Shubnikov plane with the Schläfli symbol {4}{4.6.8}. The overlapping of 2D grids gives an open 3D framework with 1D infinite channels occupying by terminal DMF moieties. The physical studies of complex 1 showed the good thermal stability and fluorescent properties.[Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to use computer simulation to describe the fluid dynamic characteristics in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and to evaluate the difference between during quiet respiration and the Muller maneuver (MM). Seven patients with OSAS were involved to perform computed tomographic (CT) scanning during quiet respiration and the MM. CT data in DICOM format were transformed into an anatomically three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the upper airway. The velocity magnitude, relative pressure, and flow distribution were obtained. Numerical simulation of airflow was performed to discuss how the MM affected airflow in the upper airway. To measure the discrepancy, the SPSS19.0 software package was utilized for statistic analysis. The results showed that the shape of the upper airway became narrower, and the pressure decreased during the MM. The minimal cross-sectional area (MCSA) of velopharynx was significantly decreased ( P<0.05) and the airflow velocity in MCSAs of velopharynx and glossopharynx significantly accelerated ( P<0.05) during the MM. This study demonstrated the possibility of CFD model combined with the MM for understanding pharyngeal aerodynamics in the pathophysiology of OSAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the optimum treatment for viral myocarditis (VMC). Methods: A total of 126 VMC patients were randomly divided into the control group (42 cases) that was treated with conventional Western medicine, and the intervention group (84 cases) that was treated with a combination of Chinese medicine (CM) and Western medicine intervention termed optimum proposal of integration of disease and syndrome (OPIDS). Before and after 4 weeks of treatment, the integral of CM syndrome, self-rating depression and anxiety scales (SDS and SAS, respectively), echocardiograms (ECGs), heart rate variability and left ventricular systolic function were observed. Results: Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significant reductions on the SDS and SAS ( P <0.05); improvement of premature ventricular beats, atrioventricular blocks, ST-segment abnormalities, and significant T wave changes ( P <0.05); greater reductions in standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN), standard deviation for per 5 min averages NN intervals (SDANN), and root-mean-square of successive difference of NN intervals (rMSSD) ( P <0.05); and increases in cardiac output, stroke volume, and ejection fraction, the last of which was statistically significant ( P <0.05). Overall, the treatment efficacy rate was significantly better P<0.05) in the intervention group (75.61%) compared with the control group (69.70%). Conclusion: OPIDS is quite effective in treating VMC and improves symptoms such as anxiety and depression, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, premature ventricular contraction, and cardiac autonomic nervous system dysfunction. [Registration: Chinese clinical trial center (No. ChiCTR-TRC-00000298)] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing evidence that free radicals play an important role in neuronal damages induced by diabetes mellitus or cerebral ischemia insults. Antioxidants with free radical scavenging activities have been shown to be beneficial and neuroprotective for these pathological conditions. Here, we report free radical scavenging activity and neuroprotective potential of D138, one copper(II)/zinc(II) Schiff-base complex derived from N, N′-2(2-hydroxynaphthylmethylidene)-1,3-propanediamine. The data from three in vitro assays, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay, nitro blue tetrazolium assay and hydroxyl radical scavenging assay, indicated that D138 presented a potent free radical scavenging activity. The neuroprotective and antioxidative effects of D138 were further evaluated in vivo using bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) mouse model and streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic mouse model. Our results indicated that treatment of D138 significantly ameliorated the hippocampal neuronal damage and the oxidative stress levels in these animal models. Moreover, D138 also reversed the behavioral deficiencies induced by BCCAO or STZ, as assessed by Y-maze test and fear conditioning test. In conclusion, all these findings support that D138 exerts free radical scavenging and neuroprotective activities and has the potentials to be a potent therapeutic candidate for brain oxidative damage induced by cerebral ischemia or diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the separate and combined effects of nitrate (NO) and cytokinin additions on continuous ryegrass regrowth after defoliation and the underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that frequent defoliation reduced the biomass of newly grown leaves and roots, the root soluble carbohydrate contents, the root vitality (an indicator of root absorption capacity), and the leaf contents of NO, zeatin and zeatin riboside (Z + ZR), and isopentenyl adenine and isopentenyl adenosine (IP + IPA). NOaddition to the roots or leaves increased the biomass of newly grown leaves as well as the leaf contents of NO, Z + ZR, and IP + IPA without increasing the root-to-shoot delivery of endogenous cytokinin. Interestingly, cytokinin directly added to the leaves also increased the biomass of newly grown leaves and their Z + ZR and IP + IPA contents, suggesting that nitrate-induced leaf cytokinin production mediates the growth-promoting effects of nitrate. We also found that cytokinin had a direct whereas NO had an indirect effect on the biomass of newly grown leaves. Taken together, our results indicate that leaf cytokinin production induced by NO absorbed through the roots plays a key role in continuous ryegrass regrowth after defoliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aims to investigate the effect of anti-osteoporotic agents of collared and non-collared femoral stem prostheses on periprosthetic bone mineral density (BMD) after total hip arthroplasty (THA). 80 patients who received THA due to femur neck subcapital fractures were involved. The treatment groups were given fosamax, caltrate D and Xianlinggubao for oral administration, whereas the control groups were only given caltrate D. BMD at the greater trochiter around the femoral stem prosthesis and at the femoral shaft 1.5-1.0 cm away from the distal femoral stem was tested using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. Meanwhile, BMD at the same sites on the uninjured side was also tested. The BMD at both sites in all groups decreased after implantation. In the collared groups, no significant difference was shown between the injured and uninjured sides at 12 days or 3 months ( p > 0.001). At 6 months after implantation, significant differences were displayed at both sites between the treatment and control groups ( p < 0.001). In the non-collared groups, significant differences were displayed at both sites between the treatment and control groups at 6-months postimplantation ( p < 0.001). No significant difference showed between the collared and non-collared groups show any at either site on either side ( p > 0.05). DEXA scan can quantitatively determine bone loss around the prosthesis after THA. BMD around the prosthesis is correlated with administration of anti-osteoporotic agents. Fosamax + caltrate D + Xianlinggubao can prevent early bone loss around the prosthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the potential presence of mixing automatic identification system (AIS) signals, a new demodulation scheme was proposed for separating other interfering signals in satellite systems. The combined iterative cross-correlation demodulation scheme, referred to as CICCD, yielded a set of single short signals based on the prior information of AIS, after the frequency, code rate and modulation index were estimated. It demodulates the corresponding short codes according to the maximum peak of cross-correlation, which is simple and easy to implement. Numerical simulations show that the bit error rate of proposed algorithm improves by about 40% compared with existing ones, and about 3 dB beyond the standard AIS receiver. In addition, the proposed demodulation scheme shows the satisfying performance and engineering value in mixing AIS environment and can also perform well in low signal-to-noise conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grazing tolerance mechanism of ryegrass was investigated by examining the effects of roots on leaves under frequent defoliation. The study consisted of four treatments: (1) with root breaking and cytokinin spraying, (2) root breaking without cytokinin spraying, (3) cytokinin spraying with no root breaking, and (4) no root breaking and no cytokinin spraying. Results showed that root breaking or frequent defoliation inhibited the ryegrass regrowth, which resulted in low biomass of the newly grown leaves and roots, as well as low soluble carbohydrate content and xylem sap quantity in the roots. Spraying with exogenous cytokinin promoted the increase in newly grown leaf biomass, but decreased root biomass, root soluble carbohydrate content, and root xylem sap quantity. Determination of gibberellic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, abscisic acid, and zeatin riboside (ZR) in roots, newly grown leaves, and stubbles showed that cytokinin is a key factor in ryegrass regrowth under frequent defoliation. Root breaking and frequent defoliation both decreased the ZR content in roots and in newly grown leaves, whereas spraying with exogenous cytokinin increased the ZR content in roots and in newly grown leaves. Therefore, cytokinin enhances the above ground productivity at the cost of root growth under frequent defoliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most efficient indeces and query techniques over XML (extensible markup language) data are based on a certain labeling scheme, which can quickly determine ancestor-descendant and parent-child relationship between two nodes. The current basic labeling schemes such as containment scheme and prefix scheme cannot avoid relabeling when XML documents are updated. After analyzing the essence of existing dynamic XML labels such as compact dynamic binary string (CDBS) and vector encoding, this paper gives a common unifying framework for the numeric-based generalized dynamic label, which can be implemented into a variety of dynamic labels according to the different user-defined value comparison methods. This paper also proposes a novel dynamic labeling scheme called radical sign label. Extensive experiments show that the radical sign label performs well for the initialization, insertion and query operations, and especially for skewed insertion where the storage cost of the radical sign label is better than that of former methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for hiding multiple images into one image is presented. The method is based on interference principle and double random phase mask method. A uniform plane wave interferes with two beams of light wave carrying information of two encrypted images on an output plane. The obtained interference distribution image contains information of two encrypted images. By using frequency spectrum center shift technique, the two encrypted images can be recovered successfully. Then, the interference distribution is encoded into an index matrix through a host image. The optical encryption system parameters and the host image can all be used as encryption keys, which make encrypted image information safer. Numerical simulation indicates that the method can encrypt more information into one image and reconstruct the encryption image information successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new tridentate pyridyl Schiff base, N-isopropyl- N′-(1-pyridin-2-ylethylidene)ethane-1,2-diamine (L), was used to synthesize two dinuclear cadmium(II) complexes, [CdL( μ-N)(N)] ( 1) and [CdL( μ-NCS)(NCS)] ( 2). X-ray single crystal structure determination reveals that in both centrosymmetric complexes, the Cd atom is in a distorted octahedral coordination. In the crystal structures of 1 and 2, the dinuclear cadmium(II) complex molecules are linked, respectively, through intermolecular N-H···N and N-H···S hydrogen bonds to form infinite 1D chains. The preliminary fluorescence properties of the complexes were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), a key enzyme in folate metabolism, synthesizes 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, the main circulatory form of folate which is required for maintaining nontoxic levels of homocysteine and providing one-carbon units for methylation. A common 677C → T variant in MTHFR confers mild MTHFR deficiency and has been associated with a number of human disorders, including neural tube defects and vascular disease. Two promoters of Mthfr, designated as upstream and downstream promoters, are located upstream of a transcription start site cluster and have previously demonstrated cell-specific activities. In this study we used a unique approach for targeted, single-copy transgene insertion to generate transgenic mice carrying a Mthfr upstream or Mthfr downstream promoter-reporter construct located 5′ to the endogenous Hprt (hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase) locus. The Mthfr downstream promoter demonstrated activity in the neural tube, neural crest cells, dorsal root ganglia, heart, and endothelial cells of blood vessels in 10.5-days post coitum embryos and placentas. Upstream promoter activity was absent at this developmental stage. Postnatally, both promoters demonstrated activity in the brain stem, hippocampus, and thalamus of 1-week-old brain that became stronger in the adult. The Mthfr upstream promoter also showed activity in the cerebellum and cerebral cortex. Both promoters were active in male reproductive tissues, including 1-week-old epididymides, and there was upstream promoter-specific activity in the adult testis. Our investigation of Mthfr regulation in an in vivo mouse model revealed temporal- and tissue-specific regulation that supports important roles for MTHFR in the developing embryo, and in postnatal brain and male reproductive tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum was inoculated into the media with and without supplementation of medicinal insect extracts to screen stimulators from Chinese medicinal insects for mycelial growth and triterpenoids production in submerged fermentation. The methanol and ether extracts of the tested insects had no significant stimulatory effect on the mycelial biomass production ( P > 0.05), and those of H. remigator and Mylabris phalerata markedly inhibited the mycelial growth. However, the ether extract of Catharsius molossus at a concentration of 200 mg l led to a significant increase in triterpenoids concentration from 231.7 ± 9.77 to 313.7 ± 10.6 mg l ( P < 0.01). Analysis of fermentation kinetics of G. lucidum suggests that glucose concentration in the extract of C. molossus-added group decreased more quickly as compared to the control group from day 2 to day 7 of fermentation process, while the triterpenoids biosynthesis was promoted at the same culture period. However, the culture pH profile was not affected by the addition of the extract. Chemical study of the extract show that cis-9,10-methylenehexadecanoic acid (9,10-MEA) and hexadecanoic acid (especially 9,10-MEA) were the key active compounds of the extract responsible for the stimulatory effect on the triterpenoids production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is one of the major transporters of cholesterol in the body and is essential for maintaining various neural functions in the brain. Given that hypercholesterolemia is a risk factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD), it has been suggested that altered cholesterol metabolism may be involved in the development of the pathogenesis, including neural degeneration, commonly observed in AD patients. Neurotrophic factors and their receptors, which are known to regulate various neural functions, are also known to be altered in various neurodegenerative diseases. We therefore hypothesized that cholesterol metabolism may itself influence the neurotrophin system within the brain. We decided to investigate this possibility by modulating the amount of dietary cholesterol given to apoE-knockout (apoE-KO) and wild-type (WT) mice, and examining the mRNA expression of various neurotrophin ligands and receptors in their hippocampal formations. Groups of eight-week-old apoE-KO and WT mice were fed a diet containing either 'high' (HCD) or 'normal' (ND) levels of cholesterol for a period of 12 weeks. We found that high dietary cholesterol intake elevated BDNF mRNA expression in both apoE-KO and WT mice and TrkB mRNA expression in apoE-KO animals. On the other hand, NGF and TrkA mRNA levels remained unchanged irrespective of both diet and mouse type. These findings indicate that altered cholesterol metabolism induced by HCD ingestion combined with apoE deficiency can elicit a differential response in the various neurotrophin ligand/receptor systems in the mouse hippocampus. Whether such changes can lead to neural degeneration, and the mechanisms that may be involved in this, awaits further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim:To examine whether two naturally occurring sesquiterpenoids (ST1 and ST2) with anti-proliferative activity in prostate cancer cells inhibit androgen receptor (AR) signaling.Methods:Human prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP and PC3 were used. The expression of AR, AR translocation into the nucleus, and expression levels of AR coactivators ARA70 and steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) in LNCaP cells were examined using real-time PCR and Western blot. Changes in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) protein levels, PSA promoter activity, and androgen response element (ARE)-mediated reporter gene activity were examined using enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) and transient transfection assays. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to analyze the interaction between AR and the AR coactivators in ST1- and ST2-treated cells.Results:In LNCaP cells, ST1 and ST2 (40 μmol/L) led to a significant decrease in the expression of AR as well as a reduction of AR translocation into the nucleus, but had no effect on AR protein translation. ST1 and ST2 treatment also resulted in a significant decrease in the level of PSA protein secreted into the medium and was able to suppress PSA promoter-dependent and ARE-dependent luciferase activity. Furthermore, decreased expression of ARA70 and SRC-1 was observed when LNCaP cells were exposed to ST1 and ST2, which interfered with their ability to interact with AR.Conclusion:The observations suggest that suppression of AR transactivation by ST1 and ST2 may be mediated, in part, by inhibiting AR nuclear translocation and/or interfering with the interaction between AR and its coactivators ARA70 and SRC-1. Therefore, sesquiterpenoids could be developed as novel therapeutic agents for treating prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let g and h be two transcendental entire functions. Suppose that the Fatou set F(g ∘ h) contains multiply connected components. In this article, we will consider the growth of the functions g and h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C are closely related with the development and metastasis of tumors. The gene expression of COX-2 and VEGF-C in gastric cancer and the correlation between them were investigated; 64 paraffin-embedded gastric cancer samples and 22 flesh gastric cancer samples were tested by using immunohistochemistry and the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technology, respectively. The mean expressive density of COX-2 and VEGF-C mRNA in gastric cancer, with beta-actin coamplified as an internal standard, were both significantly higher than those in non-cancerous gastric mucosa (1.363 +/- 0.351 vs 0.763 +/- 0.304, 0.972 +/- 0.331 vs 0.314 +/- 0.215, p < 0.001). The positive rates of COX-2 and VEGF-C in 64 gastric cancer samples were 72% and 64% respectively. Their expression in the lymph-node metastasis groups were higher than that of the non-lymph-node metastasis groups (p < 0.05). Moreover, there was a close correlation between COX-2 and VEGF-C expression levels (p < 0.05). The study indicates gastric tumor tissues that produce COX-2 and VEGF-C may have a higher lymphatic invasion and metastatic potential. COX-2 may participate in VEGF-C lymphangiogenic pathway and the high expression of them may play an important role in the lymphatic proliferation and spread in gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed 314,254 soybean expressed sequence tags (ESTs), including 29,540 from our laboratory and 284,714 from GenBank. These ESTs were assembled into 56,147 unigenes. About 76.92% of the unigenes were homologous to genes from Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). The putative products of these unigenes were annotated according to their homology with the categorized proteins of Arabidopsis. Genes corresponding to cell growth and/or maintenance, enzymes and cell communication belonged to the slow-evolving class, whereas genes related to transcription regulation, cell, binding and death appeared to be fast-evolving. Soybean unigenes with no match to genes within the Arabidopsis genome were identified as soybean-specific genes. These genes were mainly involved in nodule development and the synthesis of seed storage proteins. In addition, we also identified 61 genes regulated by salicylic acid, 1,322 transcription factor genes and 326 disease resistance-like genes from soybean unigenes. SSR analysis showed that the soybean genome was more complex than the Arabidopsis and the Medicago truncatula genomes. GC content in soybean unigene sequences is similar to that in Arabidopsis and M. truncatula. Furthermore, the combined analysis of the EST database and the BAC-contig sequences revealed that the total gene number in the soybean genome is about 63,501. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the dynamic changes and its clinical significance of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine (TCM-WM) on IL-2 system, T cell and erythrocyte immune system in patients of lung cancer. Methods: Forty-eight patients with lung cancer were randomly divided into two groups: TCM-WM group (Group I ) and the chemotherapy group(Group II). The relevant immune indices, clinical symptoms and signs, changes of solid tumor and quality of life were dynamically observed and compared with those in 20 healthy subjects for control. Results: The serum IL-2 level of lung cancer patients were originally significantly lower, while sIL-2R level higher than that of the healthy subjects. And they were raised and lowered respectively after treatment, especially in Group I, but still remained different from the control group yet. And there were highly negative correlation between IL-2 and sIL-2R levels. The percentage of CD3, CD4 and the CD4/CD8 ratio were decreased markedly in both groups. And the percentage of RBC-C3bRR was obviously lower, while that of RBC-ICR obviously higher. But the above-mentioned indices could be improved after treatment, especially in Group I, and there were highly positive correlation between CD4/CD8 ratio and RBC-C3bRR. However, in regard to the degree of improvement, the patients of Group I were in better position than those of Group II. At the same time, improvement of their clinical symptoms and signs, change of entity tumor and quality of life of Group I all proved to be better than those of Group II. Conclusion: The therapeutic superiority of TCM-WM on lung cancer may be related to the modulation on immune function. The effect of TCM-WM is better than that of chemotherapy alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]