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Objective. To observe the effect of trastuzumab and cisplatin combined with irinotecan in the treatment of advanced Her-2 positive gastric cancer and its influence on disease control rate. Methods. From January 2018 to January 2021, 120 patients with advanced Her-2 positive gastric cancer admitted to our hospital were selected as the research subjects. According to the treatment plan of the patients, they were divided into a control group and a joint group, with 60 cases in each group; the control group was given trastuzumab + cisplatin, the joint group was treated with irinotecan on this basis, and the clinical effects and disease control rate of the two groups were observed. Results. After treatment, there were 4 patients with CR in the joint group and 0 patients with CR in the control group. The ORR and DCR of the joint group were significantly higher than those of the control group ( P < 0.05 ). The expression levels of CA199, CEA, and CA724 after treatment in the two groups were significantly reduced ( P < 0.05 ), and the reduction in the joint group after treatment was more evident as compared with the control group ( P < 0.05 ). The joint group witnessed better memory function, physical function, behavioral function, emotional function, and communication function than the control group ( P < 0.05 ), and the scores of all dimensions of the two groups of patients after treatment were superior to those before treatment ( P < 0.05 ). The occurrence of side effects was not statistically different between the two groups of patients ( P > 0.05 ). The 1-year survival rate of the control group was 41.67%, the PFS was 6.33 ± 1.02 months, and the OS was 15.51 ± 2.16 months; the 1-year survival rate of the joint group was 43.33%, and the PFS was 8.05 ± 1.07 months, and OS was 16.03 ± 2.44 months; there was no significant difference in the 1-year survival rate between the two groups ( P > 0.05 ), the difference in PFS between the groups was significant (t = 9.013, P < 0.001 ), and the difference in OS between the groups was not significant (t = 1.236, P = 0.219 ). Conclusion. Trastuzumab + cisplatin combined with irinotecan yields a promising result in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. It can effectively regulate the expression level of tumor markers, delay disease progression, and improve the quality of life of patients. Moreover, irinotecan will not bring more toxic side effects.

Background: Shoulder hand syndrome (SHS) is one of the common complications after a stroke, with the incidence rate up to 75% in China. The stage Ⅰ level is manifested as chronic pain and limitation of movement, which could cause irreversible muscle atrophy, joint deformation and even loss of motor function if progress to stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ. Auricular acupuncture, as one important component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a micro acupuncture therapy which combines acupuncture and holographic theory. However, the clinical efficacy of auricular acupuncture is still controversial and the length of improvement by auricular acupuncture has not been validated by clinical studies. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy and duration of auricular acupuncture for pain relief and for motor function improvement in stage Ⅰ of SHS after ischemic stroke.Methods:This is a randomized, sham-controlled, patient-blinded trial. A total of 108 eligible patients with stage Ⅰ of SHS after ischemic stroke will be recruited from September 2018 to December 2020 and will be randomly allocated to three groups, A, B, or C, with a 1:1:1 ratio. Only body acupuncture will be applied in group A as a control group. Non-needle-insertion for sham auricular acupuncture will be combined with body acupuncture and applied to group B, whereas auricular acupuncture combined with body acupuncture will be applied in group C. Patients will be treated for 30 min per session, for 5 sessions per week for 3 weeks, and followed up for 6 weeks. The primary outcome will be the visual analog scale (VAS) for the shoulder and hand pain. The secondary outcomes will include the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) and Modified Brathel Index (MBI). Eligible patients would be evaluated before treatment, immediately after treatment, and followed up after 1 week, 2 weeks and 6 weeks to verify the duration of auricular acupuncture effect.Discussion:This trial will help to identify the effectiveness and duration of auricular acupuncture effect for stage Ⅰ of SHS after ischemic stroke. Trial registration:www.chictr.org.cn, Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2000037946. Retrospectively registered on 4 March 2020.

This study aimed to investigate the correlation of long noncoding RNA zinc finger antisense 1 (lncRNA ZFAS1) expression with disease risk, disease severity and inflammatory cytokines levels in lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) patients. 83 LDD patients underwent surgery and 28 traumatized, non-LDD patients underwent lumbar disc surgery (controls) were consecutively enrolled in this case-control study. Lumbar disc tissue was obtained during surgery and herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) was isolated to detect lncRNA ZFAS1 expression and inflammatory cytokines mRNA levels by RT-qPCR, and determine protein levels of inflammatory cytokines by western blot. HNP lncRNA ZFAS1 expression in LDD patients was up-regulated compared with controls (P

Since the reform and opening up policy was adopted, Chinese economy has been keeping on developing with high speed, so as to its international trade. Therefore, English business contracts are widely used in the foreign economic and trade activities. However, we also find that there are still many foreign-related economic disputes which mainly caused by the ambiguity of translation happening in these trades. Due to the unclear rules of the parties’ obligations and rights, the improper translation of the contract, the meaning vague and the loose broad, the parties are tracked in this situation where any part of them could intentionally or unintentionally exploited a contractual loophole to avoid responsibility and obligation, which would lead to a dispute. The distortion of translation can lead to the fuzziness and uncertainty of contract which can be easily exploited by commercial fraud to evade responsibility; this situation is happened in reality and practice which has negative impact on foreign relations and trade. In order to make the business activities carried out more effectively, this article will discuss it mainly from the perspective of lexical characteristics and translation principal of business contract in order to make the translation be more accurate to benefit international business trade.

BACKGROUND Sodium glucose transporter-2 inhibitors are the newest antidiabetic drugs that seem to be cardioprotective and can prevent type 2 diabetes in patients with high cardiovascular risks. Previous clinical trials have shown that these inhibitors can alleviate endothelial dysfunction, but the mechanism of action remains unknown. How SGLT inhibitor influences the release of NO in PA-induced HUVECs has never been reported. MATERIAL AND METHODS To explore the potential effects of the endothelial-protective mechanism of phlorizin and its impact on nitric oxide (NO), human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with palmitic acid (PA) and then treated with phlorizin. Western blotting was performed to assess the phosphorylation of AKT, eNOS, and IRS-1. To further explore potential targets, siRNA transfection was used to demonstrate the role of SGLT1 and SGLT2. RESULTS Phlorizin suppressed the expression of SGLT1 and SGLT2, activated the PI3K/AKT/eNOS signaling pathway, increased the output of NO, and promoted the consumption of glucose in PA-induced HUVECs. Through demonstrating siRNA suppression of the expression of SGLT1 and SGLT2 in PA-induced HUVECs, this study provides a new understanding of the mechanism behind SGLT1 and SGLT2. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate that phlorizin ameliorates the endothelial dysfunction link with the activation of the PI3K/AKT/eNOS signaling pathway and augmentation of the release of NO, partially through suppressing the expression of SGLT1 and SGLT2 in PA-induced HUVECS.

Estradiol is an ovarian steroid hormone that regulates physiological functions in the central nervous system, including mood, cognition, sleep and mental state. Emerging evidence has revealed that there is an enrichment of cells that express the estrogen receptor in the lateral habenula (LHb) region, however, the precise biological functions of estradiol on neurons in the LHb remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to determine the effects of estradiol on LHb neurons, by observing neuronal firing activity, and c‑Fos mRNA and protein expression levels in the LHb using whole cell recording, reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Ovariectomized female Wistar rats were supplemented with a range of estradiol doses across five groups: Ovariectomized (no treatment); Oil (sesame oil); low estradiol; medial estradiol (ME) and high estradiol. Circulating serum estradiol levels were assessed over a 33 day period following surgery. Estradiol suppressed spontaneous firing activity in LHb neurons (P

Vascular dementia (VD) models were made first by repeating cerebral ischemia-reperfusion and followed by treating with estrogen. Learning-memory ability was measured by Morris water maze. Concentration of Ca

Anaerobic bacterium (strain SN10) with simultaneous capabilities of denitrification and sulfate reduction was enriched and isolated by anaerobic Hungate technology. The characterisation of SN10 was conducted from the morphologial, physiological, phylogenetic aspects and HPAM degradation efficiency. It was a rod-shaped, gram-negative, 0.40~1.0μm in width and 1.5~2.5 μm in length. Most of the fatty acids of SN10 was distributed among C12:0~C19-CYC-FAME and the main of them was consisted of C14:0 FAME, C16:0-FAME, C18:1c-FAME, C18:0-FAME and C19-CYC-FAME. Based on the morphologial, physiological characteristics and the phylogenetic analysis, SN10 was identified as Paenibacillus sp. (EU124565), Because its 16S rDNA can reach 97% of the similarity to that of Paenibacillus lautus SN10 (Accession No.DQ450463). The removal efficiencies of NO3 - and SO4 2- were up to 98.52% and 96.49 % when the initial concentrations of NO3 - and SO4 2- were 5830.92 mg/L and 682.83 mg/L, HPAM solution density was 2400mg/L, three days strain biodegradation rate was 68.27%, which can result in obviously decreased viscosity. The SN10 strain isolated would have provided the new microorganism resources for the polyacrylamide biodegradation.

This study aimed to observe the effect of melatonin on chronic stress rats. 60 male rats were randomly divided into five groups: control group (CON group), chronic stress group (CS group), melatonin high dose group (HMT group, 10mg/kg), melatonin middle dose group (MMT group, 5mg/kg), and melatonin low dose group (LMT group, 1mg/kg). Melatonin was daily intragastrically administrated for 4w with stress induction. Ability of spatial learning and memory of rats were determined by morris water maze. Concentration of Ca2+, contents of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and nitric oxide (NO), and the number of CA3 neurons in hippocampus were tested. Compared with CON group rats, ability of learning and memory were significantly decreased, concentration of Ca2+ and contents of NOS and NO in the hippocampus were significantly increased in CS group rats. The number of CA3 neurons in hippocampus was decreased in CS group rats. As compared with CS group rats, ability of learning and memory were improved in MMT group and LMT group rats, and concentration of Ca2+, contents of NOS and NO in the hippocampus were significantly decreased, and the number of CA3 neurons was decreased in hippocampus. It shows that melatonin improving learning and memory impairment is likely by reducing the calcium and NO in hippocampus.

The hippocampus is a key structure for encoding and processing memory and for spatial orientation, which are among the cognitive functions most sensitive to cerebral ischemia, hypoxia, and vascular dementia (VD). Since hippocampal formation is one of the principle forebrain targets for arginine-vasopressin (AVP) innervations arising in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), we explored the contributions of AVP to VD pathogenesis. To this end, we randomly assigned pathogen-free, male Wistar rats to one of seven groups in a VD model and tested AVP treatment effects on spatial learning and memory using the Morris water maze. We also measured the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in brain samples and monitored the expression of AVP-positive neurons in the hippocampus by immunohistochemistry. The VD model with repeated cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury evoked impairment of cognitive function and reduced cerebral concentrations of the antioxidation markers. Lesioning the rat PVN showed a similar effect on learning and memory and reduced antioxidation markers in the brain tissue. However, AVP injection into the PVN improved cognitive performance in VD rats, while enhancing/rectifying the changes in antioxidation markers. We conclude that our VD model may decrease AVP secretion in the PVN and subsequently reduce antioxidant capacity in the hippocampus, leading to impaired cognitive function.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Da-Cheng-Qi decoction (DCQD) on enteroparalysis and levels of the serum inflammatory cytokines C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Methods: A total of 48 patients diagnosed with SAP who hospitalized in First Affiliated Hospital of Henan Traditional Chinese Medicine University from May 1, 2016 to May 30, 2018 were randomly assigned to the control or treatment groups. Patients in the control group (n = 22) received conventional treatment and those in the treatment group (n = 26) received conventional treatment as well as additional DCQD for 10 days. The duration of abdominal pain and distension, the time when bowel sounds returned to normal, changes in the levels of serum amylase, lipase, C-reactive protein (CRP), CCL2 and IL-8, as well as acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II scores of patients on days 1 and 10 were recorded and compared. Results: The duration of abdominal pain and distension, the time when bowel sounds returned to normal, the levels of blood amylase, lipase and CRP, and APACHE II scores of patients in the treatment group decreased significantly compared with those of patients in the control group. Though there were no statistical differences in serum CCL2 and IL-8 concentrations on day 1 between patients in these two groups, the levels of serum CCL2 and IL-8 in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group on day 10. Conclusion: DCQD may decrease the levels of CCL2, CRP, and IL-8 in patients with SAP, quickly relieve enteroparalysis, and shorten hospitalization duration.

In this review, we discuss the central role of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling in mammalian tooth development. The FGF family consists of 22 members, most of which bind to four different receptor tyrosine kinases, which in turn signal through a cascade of intracellular proteins. This signaling regulates a number of cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, cell adhesion and cell mobility. FGF signaling first becomes important in the presumptive dental epithelium at the initiation stage of tooth development, and subsequently, it controls the invagination of the dental epithelium into the underlying mesenchyme. Later, FGFs are critical in tooth shape formation and differentiation of ameloblasts and odontoblasts, as well as in the development and homeostasis of the stem cell niche that fuels the continuously growing mouse incisor. In addition, FGF signaling is critical in human teeth, as mutations in genes encoding FGF ligands or receptors result in several congenital syndromes characterized by alterations in tooth number, morphology or enamel structure. The parallel roles of FGF signaling in mouse and human tooth development demonstrate the conserved importance of FGF signaling in mammalian odontogenesis.

Background The aim of this study was to systematically assess the efficacy and safety of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) for patients with heart failure (HF) and diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods We conducted a comprehensive search for controlled studies that evaluated the efficacy and safety of MRAs in patients with DM and HF. Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched. Two reviewers independently identified citations, extracted data and evaluated quality. Risk estimations were abstracted and pooled where appropriate. Results Four observational studies were included. MRAs use was associated with reduced mortality compared with controls (RR = 0.78; 95 % CI: 0.69–0.88; I 2 = 0 %; P

Stem cells are essential for the regeneration and homeostasis of many organs, such as tooth, hair, skin, and intestine. Although human tooth regeneration is limited, a number of animals have evolved continuously growing teeth that provide models of stem cell-based organ renewal. A well-studied model is the mouse incisor, which contains dental epithelial stem cells in structures known as cervical loops. These stem cells produce progeny that proliferate and migrate along the proximo-distal axis of the incisor and differentiate into enamel-forming ameloblasts. Here, we studied the role of E-cadherin in behavior of the stem cells and their progeny. Levels of E-cadherin are highly dynamic in the incisor, such that E-cadherin is expressed in the stem cells, downregulated in the transit-amplifying cells, re-expressed in the pre-ameloblasts and then downregulated again in the ameloblasts. Conditional inactivation of E-cadherin in the cervical loop led to decreased numbers of label-retaining stem cells, increased proliferation, and decreased cell migration in the mouse incisor. Using both genetic and pharmacological approaches, we showed that Fibroblast Growth Factors regulate E-cadherin expression, cell proliferation and migration in the incisor. Together, our data indicate that E-cadherin is an important regulator of stem cells and their progeny during growth of the mouse incisor.

This report describes for the first time an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis among neonates associated with human astrovirus (HAstV) serotype 1b at a maternity hospital in Inner Mongolia, China. Of 40 specimens, 28 were astrovirus positive and rotavirus, calicivirus, and adenovirus negative. Poor hygiene likely contributed to the spread and persistence of HAstV in the neonatal care room.

Both Akt and Aurora A kinase have been shown to be important targets for intervention for cancer therapy. We report here that Compound A (A-443654), a specific Akt inhibitor, interferes with mitotic progression and bipolar spindle formation. Compound A induces G2/M accumulation, defects in centrosome separation, and formation of either monopolar arrays or disorganized spindles. On the basis of gene expression array studies, we identified Aurora A as one of the genes regulated transcriptionally by Akt inhibitors including Compound A. Inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, either by PI3K inhibitor LY294002 or by Compound A, dramatically inhibits the promoter activity of Aurora A, whereas the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor has little effect, suggesting that Akt might be responsible for up-regulating Aurora A for mitotic progression. Further analysis of the Aurora A promoter region indicates that the Ets element but not the Sp1 element is required for Compound A-sensitive transcriptional control of Aurora A. Overexpression of Aurora A in cells treated with Compound A attenuates the mitotic arrest and the defects in bipolar spindle formation induced by Akt inhibition. Our studies suggest that that Akt may promote mitotic progression through the transcriptional regulation of Aurora A.

The present study assessed the safety/toxicity of Senecio scandens, a well-known Chinese herb that is used as an anti-inflammatory, antibiosis, and antipyretic drug. A 90-d subchronic oral toxicity study of S. scandens was performed in Wistar rats. The extract of S. scandens was administered orally to male and female rats at a single dose of 225, 450, and 900 mg/kg/d. There was no obvious toxicity. Certain changes in hematology and coagulation parameters (red cell distribution width (RDW), platelet count (PLT), monocyte percentage (Mo%), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT)) were observed in some administration groups. In regards to the blood biochemical parameters, the levels of creatinine (CRN), potassium, and chloride were increased in a number of the treated rats. There were no significant changes in other hematology, coagulation, or biochemical parameters in rats orally administered S. scandens. S. scandens has a slight effect on rat coagulation and metabolism systems. The herb was safe at all doses tested, but caution should be taken when administering S. scandens at higher doses.

Although RIPK1 (receptor [TNFRSF]-interacting protein kinase 1) is emerging as a critical determinant of cell fate in response to cellular stress resulting from activation of death receptors and DNA damage, its potential role in cell response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress remains undefined. Here we report that RIPK1 functions as an important prosurvival mechanism in melanoma cells undergoing pharmacological ER stress induced by tunicamycin (TM) or thapsigargin (TG) through activation of autophagy. While treatment with TM or TG upregulated RIPK1 and triggered autophagy in melanoma cells, knockdown of RIPK1 inhibited autophagy and rendered the cells sensitive to killing by TM or TG, recapitulating the effect of inhibition of autophagy. Consistently, overexpression of RIPK1 enhanced induction of autophagy and conferred resistance of melanoma cells to TM- or TG-induced cell death. Activation of MAPK8/JNK1 or MAPK9/JNK2, which phosphorylated BCL2L11/BIM leading to its dissociation from BECN1/Beclin 1, was involved in TM- or TG-induced, RIPK1-mediated activation of autophagy; whereas, activation of the transcription factor HSF1 (heat shock factor protein 1) downstream of the ERN1/IRE1-XBP1 axis of the unfolded protein response was responsible for the increase in RIPK1 in melanoma cells undergoing pharmacological ER stress. Collectively, these results identify upregulation of RIPK1 as an important resistance mechanism of melanoma cells to TM- or TG-induced ER stress by protecting against cell death through activation of autophagy, and suggest that targeting the autophagy-activating mechanism of RIPK1 may be a useful strategy to enhance sensitivity of melanoma cells to therapeutic agents that induce ER stress.

Mechanisms of chronic pain, including neuropathic pain, are poorly understood. Upregulation of voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) alpha2delta1 subunit (Ca(v)alpha2delta1) in sensory neurons and dorsal spinal cord by peripheral nerve injury has been suggested to contribute to neuropathic pain. To investigate the mechanisms without the influence of other injury factors, we have created transgenic mice that constitutively overexpress Ca(v)alpha2delta1 in neuronal tissues. Ca(v)alpha2delta1 overexpression resulted in enhanced currents, altered kinetics and voltage-dependence of VGCC activation in sensory neurons; exaggerated and prolonged dorsal horn neuronal responses to mechanical and thermal stimulations at the periphery; and pain behaviors. However, the transgenic mice showed normal dorsal horn neuronal responses to windup stimulation, and behavioral responses to tissue-injury/inflammatory stimuli. The pain behaviors in the transgenic mice had a pharmacological profile suggesting a selective contribution of elevated Ca(v)alpha2delta1 to the abnormal sensations, at least at the spinal cord level. In addition, gabapentin blocked VGCC currents concentration-dependently in transgenic, but not wild-type, sensory neurons. Thus, elevated neuronal Ca(v)alpha2delta1 contributes to specific pain states through a mechanism mediated at least partially by enhanced VGCC activity in sensory neurons and hyperexcitability in dorsal horn neurons in response to peripheral stimulation. Modulation of enhanced VGCC activity by gabapentin may underlie at least partially its antihyperalgesic actions.

High cost of traditional culture medium of flocculant is the key element to limit the bioflocculant production. It's therefore much crucial to seek the economic production materials. In this research, part of the traditional culture medium of bioflocculant is replaced by the fermented liquid of rice straw to conduct the discussion on fermentation matching, optimization of fermentation condition and ability of flocculant production. The optimal proportion of aerobic saccharification liquid and traditional cultural medium of flocculant production is 1: 3. The flocculant rates of the economic culture medium of flocculant production are the highest, 65.49% and 71.24%, which are combined by 67d and 109d fermented saccharification liquid and the traditional cultural medium of flocculant production. The growth of flocculant production bacterium is in better situation for composite culture medium of flocculant production. The amount of bioflocculant is 40kg from per ton. The fermentation cost of flocculant saves by 25% comparing with the traditional culture medium. The simple aerobic fermentation technique opens up a new road for low-cost culture medium of flocculant production.

Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie tooth regeneration and renewal has become a topic of great interest(1-4), and the mouse incisor provides a model for these processes. This remarkable organ grows continuously throughout the animal's life and generates all the necessary cell types from active pools of adult stem cells housed in the labial (toward the lip) and lingual (toward the tongue) cervical loop (CL) regions. Only the dental stem cells from the labial CL give rise to ameloblasts that generate enamel, the outer covering of teeth, on the labial surface. This asymmetric enamel formation allows abrasion at the incisor tip, and progenitors and stem cells in the proximal incisor ensure that the dental tissues are constantly replenished. The ability to isolate and grow these progenitor or stem cells in vitro allows their expansion and opens doors to numerous experiments not achievable in vivo, such as high throughput testing of potential stem cell regulatory factors. Here, we describe and demonstrate a reliable and consistent method to culture cells from the labial CL of the mouse incisor.

Great efforts have been made to develop robust signal-generating fluorescence materials which will help in improving the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) in terms of sensitivity and quantification. In this study, we developed coumarin-derived dendrimer-based fluorescent immunochromatographic strip test (FICT) assay with enhanced sensitivity as a quantitative diagnostic tool in typical RDT environments. The accuracy of the proposed FICT was compared with that of dot blot immunoassay techniques and conventional RDTs. Through conjugation of coumarin-derived dendrimers with latex beads, fluorescent emission covering broad output spectral ranges was obtained which provided a distinct advantage of easy discrimination of the fluorescent emission of the latex beads with a simple insertion of a long-pass optical filter away from the excitation wavelength. The newly developed FICT assay was able to detect 100 ng/10 mu L of influenza A nucleoprotein (NP) antigen within 5 minutes, which corresponded to 2.5-fold higher sensitivity than that of the dot blot immunoassay or conventional RDTs. Moreover, the FICT assay was confirmed to detect at least four avian influenza A subtypes (H5N3, H7N1, H7N7, and H9N2). On applying the FICT to the clinical swab samples infected with respiratory viruses, our FICT assay was confirmed to differentiate influenza H1N1 infection from other respiratory viral diseases. These data demonstrate that the proposed FICT assay is able to detect zoonotic influenza A viruses with a high sensitivity, and it enables the quantitation of the infection intensity by providing the numerical diagnostic values; thus demonstrating enhanced detectability of influenza A viruses.

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) has been shown to act as an inhibitor of apoptosis. We have also observed an inhibitory effect of HSP70 on apoptotic cell death both in preheated U937 and stably transfected HSP70-overexpressing U937 (U937/HSP70) cells. However, the molecular mechanism whereby HSP70 prevents apoptosis still remains to be solved. To address this issue, we investigated the effect of HSP70 on apoptotic processes in an in vitro system. Caspase-3 cleavage and DNA fragmentation were detected in cytosolic fractions from normal cells upon addition of dATP, but not from preheated U937 or U937/hsp70 cells. Moreover, the addition of purified recombinant HSP70 to normal cytosolic fractions prevented caspase-3 cleavage and DNA fragmentation, suggesting that HSP70 prevents apoptosis upstream of caspase-3 processing. Because cytochrome c was still released from mitochondria into the cytosol by lethal heat shock despite prevention of caspase-3 activation and cell death in both preheated U937 and U937/hsp70 cells, it was evident that HSP70 acts downstream of cytochrome c release. Results obtained in vitro with purified deletion mutants of HSP70 showed that the carboxyl one-third region (from amino acids 438 to 641) including the peptide-binding domain and the carboxyl-terminal EEVD sequence was essential to prevent caspase-3 processing. From these results, we conclude that HSP70 acts as a strong suppressor of apoptosis acting downstream of cytochrome c release and upstream of caspase-3 activation.

The title compound, catena-poly[[chloridotetrakis(ethylenediamine-kappa(2)N,N')samarium(III)] [indium(III)-di-mu-tellurido-indium(III)-di-mu-tellurido]], {[SmCl(C(2)H(8)N(2))(4)][In(2)Te(4)]}(n), consists of a one-dimensional sinusoidal {[InTe(2)](-)}(n) anionic chain and [SmCl(en)(4)](2+) cations (en is ethylenediamine). The only other previously reported lanthanide analogue, viz. [LaCl(en)(4)][In(2)Te(4)], contains more usual linear one-dimensional {[InTe(2)](-)}(n) anion chains [Chen, Li, Chen & Proserpio (1998). Inorg. Chim. Acta, 273, 255-258]. The one-dimensional polymeric {[InTe(2)](-)}(n) chain is built of InTe(4) tetrahedra sharing opposite edges. The Sm(III) ion in the [SmCl(en)(4)](2+) cation is nine-coordinated by eight N atoms from four bidentate en molecules and by one chloride ion to form a monocapped square-antiprismatic geometry. The presence or absence of N-H...Cl hydrogen bonding is shown to affect the conformation of the anion.

In the title complex, [Cu(C11H7O2)2(H2O)], the CuII atom exists in a square-pyramidal environment, coordinated by four O atoms from two formyl­naphtholate ligands and one water O atom. Mol­ecules are linked by weak Cu⋯O inter­actions and hydrogen bonding into a two-dimensional network.

INTRODUCTION Constipation is a common poststroke complication. This study was designed to document the incidence and clinical course of poststroke constipation in a rehabilitation ward, as well as identify the factors independently associated with the condition. METHODS This retrospective study involved patients who were admitted to the rehabilitation ward of our institute due to an acute stroke between 1 August 2010 and 31 July 2011. The main outcome measured was the incidence of poststroke constipation, defined as the use of laxative after stroke, fulfilment of the Rome II diagnostic criteria for functional constipation and/or stool impaction. The variables examined were basic demographic data, presence of impairment, degree of disability (evaluated using the Barthel index), walking ability, medications taken and medical complications. RESULTS Out of the 155 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 123 (79.4%) had poststroke constipation. All 123 patients used oral laxatives; 56 received additional rectal medications and 13 discontinued their use of laxatives at discharge. Patients with poststroke constipation were more likely to have major medical complications (p = 0.04). Those who used rectal medications had a higher risk of major medical complications than those who used only oral laxatives (p < 0.01). Infratentorial lesions were an independent predictor of poststroke constipation (p = 0.003). More severe disability increased the severity of constipation, as indicated by the use of rectal medication. CONCLUSION Poststroke constipation is a common complication during inpatient rehabilitation. Healthcare providers should be aware of the incidence of poststroke constipation. Further studies are required to establish standard guidelines for screening and managing bowel function in patients with stroke.