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Objective: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at stomach meridian acupoints on expression of oxidation damage factors in serum and gastric mucosal cells in rats with gastric ulcer, and to explore the mechanism of EA at stomach meridian acupoints for oxidative damage in rats with gastric ulcer., Methods: Forty clean-grade SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a stomach meridian group and a gallbladder meridian group, ten rats in each one. Except the normal group, rats in the remaining groups were applied the restraint-cold stress method to establish the model of gastric ulcer. Rats in the normal group and model group received no treatment; rats in the stomach meridian group were treated with EA at "Liangmen" (ST 21) and "Zusanli" (ST 36); rats in the gallbladder meridian group were treated with EA at "Riyue" (GB 24) and "Yanglingquan" (GB 34). The EA was given for 30 min, once a day for 7 days totally. The change of gastric mucosal morphology was observed by routine light microscope; enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the expressions of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-2(IL-2), interleukin-6(IL-6) in serum and gastric mucosal cells of rats., Results: After treatment, compared with the model group, the gastric mucosal damage index was decreased in the stomach meridian group and gallbladder meridian group (both P <0.05), the expressions of MDA, TNF-α, IL-2 and IL-6 in serum and gastric mucosal cells were significantly decreased in the stomach meridian group (all P <0.01), but the contents of GSH-Px in serum and gastric mucosal cells were increased significantly (both P <0.01). Compared with the gallbladder meridian group, the gastric mucosal damage index as well as the expressions of MDA,TNF-α, IL-2 and IL-6 in serum and gastric mucosal cells were significantly decreased in the stomach meridian group rats ( P <0.05, P <0.01), and the contents of GSH-px in serum and gastric mucosal cells were increased significantly (both P <0.01)., Conclusions: EA at stomach meridian acupoints is likely to inhibit the expressions of oxidative damage factors to promote the repair of gastric mucosal injury, which indicates the correlation between meridians and zang-fu .

Objectives: To noninvasively assess global cerebral blood flow (CBF), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) in young adults with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)., Methods: Thirty-six patients and 38 healthy volunteers were included and took part in MR examinations, blood and neuropsychological tests. CBF and OEF were measured by phase-contrast and T2-relaxation-under-spin-tagging MRI techniques, respectively. CMRO2 was computed from CBF, OEF and hematocrit according to Fick's principle. Correlations were performed between MR measurements, blood biochemistry measurements and neuropsychological test scores., Results: Compared with controls, ESRD patients had elevated CBF (72.9 ± 12.5 vs. 63.8 ± 8.5 ml min(-1) 100 g(-1), P < 0.001), elevated OEF (47.2 ± 10.2 vs. 35.8 ± 5.4 %, P < 0.001), but unaffected CMRO2 (199.5 ± 36.4 vs. 193.8 ± 28.6 μmol O2 min(-1) 100 g(-1), P = 0.879). Hematocrit negatively correlated with CBF (r = -0.640, P < 0.001) and OEF (r = -0.701, P < 0.001), but not with CMRO2. Altered neuropsychological test scores of ESRD patients were associated with OEF and CBF, but not with CMRO2. There were weak relationships between eGFR and hematocrit (r = 0.308, P = 0.068) or CBF (r = 0.318, P = 0.059)., Conclusion: Our findings suggested that anaemic young adults with ESRD may afford higher CBF and OEF to maintain a normal CMRO2. Despite this compensatory process, however, cognitive function was still impaired and its severity was correlated with their CBF and OEF abnormality., Key Points: • Anaemic young adults with ESRD may afford higher CBF and OEF. • Anaemic young adults with ESRD maintain a normal CMRO 2 . • Cognitive function was still impaired in young ESRD adults. • The severity of cognitive dysfunction correlated with CBF and OEF changes.

Cerebral hyperperfusion, anemia and hypertension are common in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Young ESRD adults might afford a better hemodynamic tolerance; however, their cerebral vascular disorders are often overlooked. This phase-contrast MRI study investigated relationships between cerebral blood flow (CBF), anemia and hypertension in young adults undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Blood flows, velocities, and cross-sectional areas of bilateral internal carotid arteries and vertebral arteries were quantified on phase maps in 33 patients and 27 healthy controls. Cerebral oxygen delivery (COD) and vascular resistance were (CVR) were computed based on CBF, hemoglobin and mean arterial pressure (MAP). We found strong correlations among hemoglobin, MAP and CBF. Hemoglobin rather than MAP was directly related to CBF. COD was negatively related to MAP, while CVR was positively related to hemoglobin. The cross-sectional areas of arteries were increased which were directly associated with hemoglobin rather than MAP. HD patients were of elevated CBF, decreased COD and unchanged CVR. Although elevated CBF compensated anemia-induced hypoxia, COD of these patients was still lower. Anemia directly contributed to elevated CBF and hypertension affected CBF through anemia. Unaffected CVR of young patients probably indicated that they could maintain basic functions of cerebral circulation under multiple risk factors.

Hyperspectral images possess properties such as rich spectral information, narrow bandwidth, and large numbers of bands. Finding effective methods to retrieve land features from an image by using similarity assessment indices with specific spectral characteristics is an important research question. This paper reports a novel hyperspectral image similarity assessment index based on spectral curve patterns and a reflection-absorption index. First, some spectral reflection-absorption features are extracted to restrict the subsequent curve simplification. Then, the improved Douglas-Peucker algorithm is employed to simplify all spectral curves without setting the thresholds. Finally, the simplified curves with the feature points are matched, and the similarities among the spectral curves are calculated using the matched points. The Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and Reflective Optics System Imaging Spectrometer (ROSIS) hyperspectral image datasets are then selected to test the effect of the proposed index. The practical experiments indicate that the proposed index can achieve higher precision and fewer points than the traditional spectral information divergence and spectral angle match.

Background: Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida) is a Chinese medicinal plant traditionally used in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Recently, studies indicated free radical scavenging was one of the major pathways to alleviate hyperlipidemia. Moreover, hawthorn fruit is a rich source of phenols, which quench free radical and attenuate hyperlipidemia. However, the phenols vary with processing methods, especially solvent type., Objective: Our aim was to compare hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of aqueous and ethanol extracts of hawthorn fruit in hyperlipidemia rats., Materials and Methods: After a 4-week treatment of high-fat emulsion, lipid profile levels and antioxidant levels of two extracts were determined using commercial analysis. Total phenols content in the extract of hawthorn fruit was determined colorimetrically by the Folin-Ciocalteu method., Results: Both ethanol and aqueous extracts of hawthorn fruit possessed hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities. Simultaneously, stronger activities were observed in ethanol extract. Besides, total phenols content in ethanol extract from the same quality of hawthorn fruit was 3.9 times more than that in aqueous extract., Conclusion: The obvious difference of hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects between ethanol extract and aqueous extract of hawthorn fruit was probably due to the presence of total phenols content, under the influence of extraction solvent., Summary: Ethanol extract of hawthorn fruit exhibited more favorable hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects than aqueous extract. The higher effects could be due to the higher content of total phenols that varies with extraction solvent. Abbreviations used: TC: Total cholesterol, TG: Triglyceride, LDL-C: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, GSH-Px: Glutathione peroxidase, SOD: Superoxide dismutase, MDA: Malondialdehyde, CAT: Catalase, NO: Nitric oxide, NOS: Nitric oxide synthase, SR-BI: Scavenger receptor Class B Type I.

Our previous studies have shown that secreted extracellular matrix-associated protein Cysteine rich angiogenic inducer 61 (Cyr61), a novel proinflammatory factor, is involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, whether Cyr61 has any effect in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains unknown. This study aims to assess the level of serum Cyr61 and to investigate the association of serum Cyr61 and clinical disease activity in SLE. We found the level of serum Cyr61 in patients with SLE was significantly higher than healthy controls (P < 0.001), and Cyr61 was high expressed in renal tubule of lupus nephritis compared to control. The sensitivity of Cyr61 in diagnosis of SLE was 47.3%. In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.830, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) from 0.776 to 0.885. Cyr61 was present in 60.0%, 54.5%, and 41.5% of anti-double stranded DNA (dsDNA), anti-antinuclear antibodies (ANA), and anti-Sm negative SLE patients, respectively. Serum Cyr61 levels were significantly higher in high systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) group than that in low SLEDAI group (P = 0.003). Correlation analyzes showed a significant negative correlation between serum Cyr61 and complements (C3) (P = 0.015), C4 (P = 0.04). Moreover, increased Cyr61 level in SLE was associated with serum level of TNF-α, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and IL-17. In conclusion, serum Cyr61 was increased in patients with SLE which was associated with clinical disease activity and inflammation in SLE, suggesting Cyr61 may be a novel potential auxiliary marker for the diagnosis of SLE.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the impacts of CO2 pneumoperitoneum on the growth of ovarian cancer in nude mice and the expression of tumor metastasis suppressor gene (NM23-H1) and matrix metalloproteinase -2 (MMP-2) in SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line cancer tissue., Method: Forty five nude mice were used to establish ovarian cancer xenograft models by intraperitoneal injection of human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV-3. Murine xenograft models were divided into four groups: control group (only anesthetized for 0.5 h), laparotomy group (laparotomy for 0.5 h), CO2 pneumoperitoneum of 0.5 h, and CO2 pneumoperitoneum of 1 h group. Mice were killed after 12 weeks to observe intraperitoneal tumor growth and detected mRNA expression of NM23-H1 and MMP-2 in tumor tissues by RT-PCR., Result: Our data show that xenograft tumors grew faster in the CO2 pneumoperitoneum groups than that in control and laparotomy groups and even faster in the CO2 pneumoperitoneum of 1 h group. The mRNA expression of NM23-H1 in CO2 pneumoperitoneum groups was significantly lower than that in control group and laparotomy group (P < 0.01). Moreover, the longer duration of CO2 pneumoperitoneum negatively correlated with lower expression of NM23-H1 (P < 0.01). In contrast to NM23-H1, MMP-2 expression was significantly higher in CO2 pneumoperitoneum groups than that in the control group and laparotomy group (P < 0.01) and positively correlated with the duration of CO2 pneumoperitoneum (P < 0.01). In addition, there was a negative correlation between the expression of NM23-H1 and MMP-2 (r = -0.984, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The CO2 pneumoperitoneum could promote the proliferation and metastasis of human ovarian cancer in nude mice. This effect was positively correlated with the duration of CO2 pneumoperitoneum.

Objective: To explore the relationship among brain routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion weight imaging (DWI), and parameters of portal hypertension of cirrhosis patients., Methods: Two hundred and seventy-five patients with cirrhosis underwent routine MRI exams were analyzed retrospectively. Signal intensities of putamen and globus pallidus (GP) were measured on T1WI to compute globus pallidus index (GPI). In apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images, regions of interest (ROIs) were placed on the white matter of parietal lobe, frontal lobe, occipital lobe, caudate head, putamen, GP, and thalamus to get ADC values of each location. In abdomen CT images, liver areas of all slices were drawn to multiply slice thickness to get liver volumes, and maximum portal venous caliber and portosystemic shunting collateral caliber were recorded. Independent-samples t test was performed to explore the significance of GPI between GP hyperintensity group and GP non-hyperintensity group, as well as between cirrhosis groups underwent 1.5T and 3.0T MR exams. One-way ANOVA test was performed to evaluate differences among Child-Pugh classes. The difference between baseline and follow-up MR exams were compared with paired-samples t test. Pearson correlation test was performed to explore the relationships among GPI, ADC values, parameters of portal hypertension, and venous blood ammonia levels. Spearman rank correlation test was performed to explore the relationships among GPI, ADC values, and Child-Pugh classes., Results: (1) The GPI in GP hyperintensity group was significantly higher than GP non-hyperintensity group (0.128 ± 0.031 vs 0.057 ± 0.021, t = 22.244, P < 0.01). The ADC values and venous blood ammonia levels showed no significant difference between two groups. GP hyperintensity group showed larger portal venous and collateral calibers than GP non-hyperintensity group ( (18 ± 4)mm vs (17 ± 3) mm, (10 ± 6) mm vs (6 ± 4) mm, t was 2.816 and 5.048 respectively; P was 0.005 and <0.01 respectively). GP hyperintensity group showed less liver volumes than the other group ( (1 113 ± 445)ml vs (14 443 ± 698)ml, t = -4.280, P < 0.01). Child-Pugh classes showed no significant difference among each other (all P > 0.05). (2) The GPI of 1.5T and 3.0T exams showed significant difference between each other (t = -5.15, P < 0.01). Short-term follow-up patients showed no significant difference of GPI between two exams (t = -0.271, P = 0.788). (3) GPI showed negative correlation with liver volumes of cirrhosis patients (r = -0.240;P < 0.01), and GPI positively correlated with portal venous calibers and portosystemic shunting collateral calibers (r = 0.296, 0.355; both P < 0.01). ADC values of parietal lobe, frontal lobe, caudate head, GP, and occipital lobe positively correlated with GPI (r = 0.309, 0.156, 0.174, 0.155, 0.185; all P < 0.05). ADC values of parietal lobe positively correlated with portal venous calibers (r = 0.187, P = 0.025), ADC values of other locations showed no significant correlation with parameters of portal hypertension (all P > 0.05). GPI and thalamus ADC values showed positive correlation with Child-Pugh classes (r = 0.195 and 0.217; both P < 0.05), ADC values of other locations showed no significant correlation with Child-Pugh classes (all P > 0.05)., Conclusions: The GPI of cirrhosis patients was correlated with severity of portal hypertension, and showed significant correlation with ADC values, while ADC values had no relationship with portal hypertension. Besides, venous blood ammonia values and Child-Pugh classes have little effect on GPI and ADC values.

Background: Our systematic review summarizes the evidence concerning the accuracy of serum diagnostic and prognostic tests for colorectal cancer (CRC)., Methods: The databases MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched iteratively to identify the relevant literature for serum markers of CRC published from 1950 to August 2012. The articles that provided adequate information to meet the requirements of the meta-analysis of diagnostic and prognostic markers were included. A 2-by-2 table of each diagnostic marker and its hazard ratio (HR) and the confidence interval (CI) of each prognostic marker was directly or indirectly extracted from the included papers, and the pooled sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic marker and the pooled HR and the CI of the prognostic marker were subsequently calculated using the extracted data., Results: In total, 104 papers related to the diagnostic markers and 49 papers related to the prognostic serum markers of CRC were collected, and only 19 of 92 diagnostic markers were investigated in more than two studies, whereas 21 out of 44 prognostic markers were included in two or more studies. All of the pooled sensitivities of the diagnostic markers with > = 3 repetitions were less than 50%, and the meta-analyses of the prognostic markers with more than 3 studies were performed, VEGF with highest (2.245, CI: 1.347-3.744) and MMP-7 with lowest (1.099, CI: 1.018-1.187)) pooled HRs are presented., Conclusions: The quality of studies addressing the diagnostic and prognostic accuracy of the tests was poor, and the results were highly heterogeneous. The poor characteristics indicate that these tests are of little value for clinical practice.

This publication demonstrates the use of digital waveform manipulation in linear ion guides to trap isolated ions and fragment them before mass analysis by time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). Ion trapping and collection was performed by waveform duty cycle manipulation to create a negative axial potential between the rods and the end-cap electrodes. Ion isolation can be performed by duty cycle manipulation to narrow the range of stable masses while continuing to axially trap the ions. Further ion isolation can then be performed by jumping the quadrupole frequency to each side of the stability zone to eliminate ions above and below the isolated ion mass. Collision-induced dissociation was demonstrated by duty cycle manipulation to either axially or radially excite the ions. The methods for performing these types of excitations are discussed and demonstrated. These techniques can be combined or used separately for MS(n) analysis. The use of frequency and duty cycle manipulation of the applied waveforms simplifies the hardware while greatly increasing the capabilities of linear ion guides and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometers (Q-TOF-MS). Linear quadrupoles can now be used as high efficiency ion traps for collection, isolation, and tandem mass spectrometry at any value of m/z when operated digitally.

Mutations in the reverse transcriptase (rt) region of the DNA polymerase gene are the primary cause of hepatitis B virus (HBV) drug resistance. In this study, we established a novel method that couples coamplification at lower denaturation temperature (COLD)-PCR and Sanger sequencing, and we applied it to the detection of known and unknown HBV mutations. Primers were designed based on the common mutations in the HBV rt sequence at positions 180 to 215. The critical denaturation temperature (Tc) was established as a denaturing temperature for both fast and full COLD-PCR procedures. For single mutations, when a melting temperature (Tm)-reducing mutation occurred (e.g., C-G → T-A), the sensitivities of fast and full COLD-PCR for mutant detection were 1% and 2%, respectively; when the mutation caused no change in Tm (e.g., C-G → G-C) or raised Tm (e.g., T-A → C-G), only full COLD-PCR improved the sensitivity for mutant detection (2%). For combination mutations, the sensitivities of both full and fast COLD-PCR were increased to 0.5%. The limits of detection for fast and full COLD-PCR were 50 IU/ml and 100 IU/ml, respectively. In 30 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) cases, no mutations were detected by conventional PCR, whereas 18 mutations were successfully detected by COLD-PCR, including low-prevalence mutations (<10%), as confirmed by ultradeep pyrosequencing. In conclusion, COLD-PCR provides a highly sensitive, simple, inexpensive, and practical tool for significantly improving amplification efficacy and detecting low-level mutations in clinical CHB cases., (Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

RNF114 [RING (really interesting new gene) finger protein 114] has been shown to be a novel psoriasis susceptibility gene, with a putative role in the regulation of immune responses, though the underlying mechanism was not fully identified. In the present study, to investigate whether RNF114 is involved in T cell activation, a series of fluorescence activated cell sortings (FACS) were performed. The analysis confirmed that RNF114 over-expression had a promotion effect on T cell activation with an average 43.97% increment and the upregulatory roles showed a dose-dependent effect with 18.44% increment. Interestingly, the two C2H2 domains were shown to play important but opposite roles in T cell activation. The deficiency of upstream C2H2 domain increased the efficiency of T cell activation by 12.81%, while the downstream C2H2 domain alone promoted it with an average level 25.12% higher than intact RNF114 protein. Combined with tandem affinity purification (TAP) and mass spectrometry, our investigations found 23 RNF114-interacting proteins that have distinct physiological roles in transcription, translation, DNA repair and signaling pathways. These findings, including recognition of RNF114 as a positive regulatory protein and identification of its interacting proteins, widen the understanding for investigating functions of RNF114 involved in T cell activation., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum (TP). The aim of this study was to establish a clinical approach for serodiagnosis of syphilis by evaluating the performance and diagnostic value of five serological tests for the detection of TP., Methods: Five tests were used to test the serum from syphilis patients and control patients, namely rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test, toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST), TP passive particle agglutination assay (TPPA), TP-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TP-ELISA), and TP-specific chemiluminescent immunoassay (TP-CMIA)., Results: The sensitivity and diagnostic efficiency of TPPA (96.25%/98.38%), TP-ELISA (100%/95.41%), and TP-CMIA (100%/94.86%) were significantly higher than that of RPR (73.13%/86.22%) and TRUST (73.75%/86.49%) (P < 0.05). The minimum detectable concentrations for the five tests were 30 mIU/ml, 20 mIU/ml, 15 mIU/ml, 150 mIU/ml, and 150 mIU/ml, respectively. According to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the optimal cut-off values for syphilis diagnosis by TP-CMIA and TP-ELISA were 2.2 and 2.0 S/CO (where S/CO = Sample/calibrator cut off), and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) were 0.998 for TP-CMIA and 0.999 for TP-ELISA. The titers/positive rates for RPR and TRUST dropped from 1:4 (100%) to 1:1 (23.3%) (both P < 0.05) after treatment. However, there were no significant differences when we compared the positive rate of syphilis patients before and after treatment by TPPA, TP-ELISA, and TP-CMIA., Conclusions: Treponemal tests, such as TPPA, TP-ELISA, and TP-CMIA, are recommended for clinical routine screening of syphilis. However, nontreponemal tests, for example, RPR and TRUST, perform better in therapy response assessment. Serological test should be tailored to respective facilities and clinical demands., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Long-term use of nucleos(t)ide analogues can increase risk of HBV drug-resistance mutations. The rtM204I (ATT coding for isoleucine) is one of the most important resistance mutation sites. Establishing a simple, rapid, reliable and highly sensitive assay to detect the resistant mutants as early as possible is of great clinical significance., Methods: Recombinant plasmids for HBV YMDD (tyrosine-methionine-aspartate-aspartate) and YIDD (tyrosine-isoleucine-aspartate-aspartate) were constructed by TA cloning. Real time allele specific locked nucleic acid quantitative PCR (RT-AS-LNA-qPCR) with SYBR Green I was established by LNA-modified primers and evaluated with standard recombinant plasmids, clinical templates (the clinical wild type and mutant HBV DNA mixture) and 102 serum samples from nucleos(t)ide analogues-experienced patients. The serum samples from a chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patient firstly received LMV mono therapy and then switched to LMV + ADV combined therapy were also dynamically analyzed for 10 times., Results: The linear range of the assay was between 1×10(9) copies/μl and 1 × 10(2) copies/μl. The low detection limit was 1 × 10(1) copies/μl. Sensitivity of the assay were 10(-6), 10(-4) and 10(-2) in the wild-type background of 1 × 10(9) copies/μl, 1 × 10(7) copies/μl and 1 × 10(5) copies/μl, respectively. The sensitivity of the assay in detection of clinical samples was 0.03%. The complete coincidence rate between RT-AS-LNA-qPCR and direct sequencing was 91.2% (93/102), partial coincidence rate was 8.8% (9/102), and no complete discordance was observed. The two assays showed a high concordance (Kappa = 0.676, P = 0.000). Minor variants can be detected 18 weeks earlier than the rebound of HBV DNA load and alanine aminotransferase level., Conclusions: A rapid, cost-effective, high sensitive, specific and reliable method of RT-AS-LNA-qPCR with SYBR Green I for early and absolute quantification of HBV YIDD (ATT coding for isoleucine) variants was established, which can provide valuable information for clinical antiretroviral regimens.

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is a crucial serum marker for the diagnosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. It is imperative to compare test results from different detection methods based on different principles. Four methods, chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA), electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and golden immunochromato-graphic assay (GICA) were applied to test the HBsAg level in 250 specimens. According to the EP12-A2 and EP15-A2 documents from Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), the concentration at which repeated results are 50% positive (C50) of HBsAg detected by CMIA, ECLIA, ELISA and GICA was 0.05, 0.08, 0.15 and 15.0IU/ml, respectively. When the detection concentration of HBsAg was 0.5IU/ml, the imprecision degree of CMIA, ECLIA and ELISA was 8.1%, 5.9% and 14.9% respectively. When detecting high HBsAg level (≥20.0IU/ml) and HBsAg negative specimens, the consistency of the four methods was high, while for the low level (0.05-20.0IU/ml), the consistency was poor (except for the CMIA and ECLIA, P<0.05). When evaluation of the four methods in qualitative diagnosis of HBsAg level in the 116,455 specimens, there was no significant discrepancy among CMIA, CMIA and ECLIA, however, GICA was significantly different from the other 3 methods. Compared with CMIA, the false negative rate of ECLIA, ELISA and GICA was 0.2%, 1.3% and 12.3% respectively. In conclusion, GICA was only suitable for the preliminary screening of HBsAg positive individuals and ELISA can be applied to the qualitative diagnosis of HBsAg. Both CMIA and ECLIA were suitable for the quantitative determination of HBsAg., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Znf45l, containing classical C2H2 domains, is a novel member of Zinc finger proteins in zebrafish. In vertebrates, TGF-β signaling plays a critical role in hematopoiesis. Here, we showed that Znf45l is expressed both maternally and zygotically throughout early development. Znf45l-depleted Zebrafish embryos display shorter tails and necrosis with reduced expression of hematopoietic maker genes. Furthermore, we revealed that znf45l locates downstream of TGF-β ligands and maintains normal level of TGF-β receptor type II phosphorylation. In brief, our results indicate that znf45l affects initial hematopoietic development through regulation of TGF-β signaling.

Nanoscale particles, as drug carriers, have a potential to improve drug therapeutic efficiency. However, the feasible design of the nanostructure containing chemotherapeutic agents and the behavior of the delivery to tumor tissues and cells has not been adequately investigated. In this study, we developed a novel nanoparticle, consisting of a gelatinase-cleavage peptide with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL)-based structure for tumor-targeted EVO (an alkaloid isolated from Evodia rutaecarpa) delivery. We found that EVO-NPs were transformed by gelatinases, which could significantly promote drug release and enhance the cellular uptake of EVO (P < 0.01). In vivo biodistribution study demonstrated that targeted EVO-NPs could accumulate and remain in the tumor regions. Moreover, EVO-NPs exhibited higher tumor growth suppression than EVO on hepatic H22 tumor model via intravenous administration (P < 0.01). Both in vitro and in vivo experiments suggested that the gelatinase-mediated nanoscale delivery system was promising for improvement of antitumor efficacy in various over-expressed gelatinase cancers.

Background: There is a high prevalence of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in China. The aim of this article is to reveal the HBV prevalence and its outcome in southern China by analyzing the HBV serum markers and their relationship to HBV genotype., Methods: HBV serum markers, HBV-DNA and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of 49,164 patients were detected in Fujian Province of China, and HBV genotyping was conducted using melting curve method., Results: 23.46% patients (11,535/49,164) were found HBsAg-positive and the concentration of ALT and HBV-DNA were positively correlated with HBsAg. The concentration of ALT and HBV-DNA markedly decreased when HBeAg turned negative or HBsAg concentration dropped to undetectable. The concentration of HBsAg and HBV-DNA were higher in genotype C than in genotype B and mixed genotype B/C, and the concentration of ALT in genotype C and B was higher than in mixed genotype B/C., Conclusions: The positive rate of HBsAg of Fujian hospitalized patients is higher than in the previous reports. The concentration of HBsAg and HBV-DNA of genotype B is different from that of genotype C, and the concentration of HBsAg could be valuable in predicting the curative efficacy in HBV-infected patients., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Noninvasive laboratory tests have been widely used in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the four serum markers detected on a JETLIA-962 chemiluminescence analyzer and the FibroTest index for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) related liver fibrosis., Methods: A JETLIA-962 chemiluminescence analyzer was used to measure the hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), procollagen III N-terminal peptide (PIIINP), and type IV collagen (CIV) contents in the sera of CHB patients and controls., Results: In our research, it was found that serum HA, LN, PIIINP, and CIV concentrations and the FibroTest index were correlated with fibrosis stage. The FibroTest index had the largest area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for fibrosis and cirrhosis (0.80 and 0.776, respectively). The five indices together were able to exclude fibrosis with a negative likelihood ratio <0.1. The logistic regression equations for diagnosing liver fibrosis and early cirrhosis were separately established., Conclusions: We found that the JETLIA-962 chemiluminescence analyzer was of great value in diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Combining five indices improved the diagnostic efficiency and reduced the incidences of unnecessary liver biopsies. Two logistic regression equations established may be helpful in diagnosing liver fibrosis and early cirrhosis, which need to be further evaluated., (© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is an important but poorly understood condition of pregnancy, which results in significant fetal, neonatal and long-term morbidity and mortality. Novel research has suggested that altered miRNA expression in the plasma and placenta is associated with adverse pregnancy. We hypothesized that aberrant expression of microRNA-141 (miR-141) in the placenta is associated with FGR. Additionally, expression levels of predicted target genes of miR-141 were also analyzed in placental tissues of FGR and normal controls., Methodology/principal Findings: Using quantitative real time PCR, we analyzed the expression level of miR-141 and its target genes in placentas of FGR pregnancies (n = 21) and normal controls (n = 34). Western blot was used to detect the protein expression level of the target genes of miR-141. MiR-141 showed significant up regulation in FGR and significant down regulation of its targets, i.e. E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3) protein, pleiomorphic adenoma gene 1 (PLAG1) mRNA and protein. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between PLAG1 and insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) expression levels (Spearman r = 0.56, p<0.0001). MiR-141 yields an AUC of 0.83 with 88.5% sensitivity and 71.7% specificity for separating FGR from normal controls. This study indicates that miR-141 may be diagnostically important in FGR., Conclusions/significance: Our results indicate that aberrant high expression level of miR-141 might play important roles in the pathogenesis of FGR by suppressing E2F3 and PLAG1. We propose that miR-141 may participate in a miR-141-PLAG1-IGF2 network relating to FGR development. These findings may provide new targets via miR-141 in diagnosis and therapy of FGR in the future.

Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharide (ABPS) was sulfated using the chlorosulfonic acid-pyridine method. The UV-spectrum of sulfated ABPS (sABPS) was characterized with two different absorbance peaks at 196.3 and 262.8 nm. FT-IR spectrum of sABPS exhibited absorption bands at 1236.5 cm(-1) (asymmetrical S=O stretching vibration) and 822.8 cm(-1) (symmetrical C-O-S vibration related to a C-O-SO(3) group). Anti-PRRSV activities of sABPS were tested on MARC-145 cells by MTT method. The results showed that sABPS exhibited significant antiviral activities at lower concentrations in comparison with the non-modified ABPS treated cells, indicating that sulfated modification could enhance antiviral activities of ABPS. These findings may provide the potential value to develop a new-type drug against PRRSV infection., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The proof of principle for high-resolution TOF mass analysis spanning the entire range of intact singly charged proteins has recently been demonstrated. The centers of the isotope distributions of individual proteins in a complex distribution can be defined to within 0.5 Da or better up to 200 kDa with internal calibration. This achievement will have an enormous effect on the process of routine protein analysis over the next few years as the technology mainstreams. The greatest obstacle to high-resolution in the ultra-high mass range (m/z > 20 000) is the expansion-induced kinetic energy (KE) and its spread. The solution to this problem is to trap the ions in a buffer gas so that the motion of the ions can be completely defined by the applied fields. If this can accomplished without mass dependence, then any ion, regardless of size, can be mass analyzed with high resolution. This article discusses the methodology that we used to capture atmosphere sampled singly charged proteins in vacuum at a point just before they enter the mass analyzer to completely eliminate the expansion-induced KE. We then used digitally created quadrupole waveforms to inject the ions into the mass analyzer in a well-collimated plug with a controlled amount of KE. Trapping the ions to remove the expansion-induced KE and then electrodynamically manipulating the ions are the key steps to high-resolution mass analysis at any value of m/z. The impact of this technology will be discussed., (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

This study investigated and compared the antimicrobial resistance patterns and ribotypes of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from pig tonsils and cow's milk in China. A total of 90 isolates of S. aureus was included: 42 strains were isolated from tonsils of pigs and 48 from half-udder milk. The broth microdilution method and the double-disc diffusion test (D test) were used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The mecA gene for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and the ermA, ermB, ermC, and msrA genes for erythromycin-resistant strains were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The isolates were ribotyped with the Riboprinter system. The highest frequency of resistance was observed with clindamycin (91.1%), followed by penicillin (90.0%), and erythromycin (85.6%). All strains were susceptible to vancomycin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The D test showed that 54.5% (42/77) of erythromycin-resistant isolates had the constitutive resistance phenotype and 45.5% (35/77) had the inducible resistance phenotype to clindamycin. A higher proportion of resistance to cephalosporins, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, and pleuromutilins was observed in pig isolates than in milk isolates (P < 0.05). The mecA gene was detected in all MRSA isolates; 89.6% of erythromycin-resistant strains harbored the ermC gene and 16.9% harbored the ermB gene. A total of 35 different ribogroups was found among the isolates investigated; 83.3% of pig strains belonged to 1 cluster with a similarity coefficient of 0.84. In contrast, 3 main clusters were observed among 68.8% of milk strains, which indicates a high degree of host specificity.

This work demonstrates sampling of singly-charged particles up to 200 nm in diameter at atmospheric pressure into vacuum and trapping large numbers (>10(6)) at a point in front of the end cap electrode of a linear quadrupole ion guide/trap for on-demand injection into the acceleration region of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer in a well-collimated ion packet. This procedure was shown to yield trapping efficiencies that ranged from 4-5 percent for 10 nm diameter urea particles (~ 400 kDa) to 1 percent for 200 nm urea particles (~ 3 × 10(9) Da). Analysis of the inlet optimization procedure suggests that the inlet can be adapted to sample and trap beyond the 200 nm range. Review of the most likely places for ion loss in the sampling process suggests that the sampling and trapping efficiencies can be improved well beyond the 4-5 percent shown. Moreover, it suggests that sampling of smaller than 10 nm ions could achieve efficiencies in the 10's of percent range thereby suggesting new levels of sensitivity can be achieved for small ions (< 200 kDa). Finally, demonstration of trapping large numbers of 200 nm (3 × 10(9) Da) ions for on-demand ejection in well collimated temporally discrete ion packets is a prelude to resolved mass analysis in that range.

Aim: To investigate the effect of angiotensin II AT1 receptor blocker valsartan on hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α-mediated gene activation and its association with renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) in diabetic nephropathy rats., Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control (C group), streptozocin-induced diabetic nephropathy (D group), and valsartan-treated D rats (T group). At end of the 4th, 8th and 12th week 6 rats from each group were sacrificed and blood, urine and kidneys were collected. Blood glucose, serum creatinine (Scr) and 24-h urinary protein were measured and kidneys were processed for Masson-stain as well as immunohistochemistry and real time-PCR analyses of the expressions of HIF-1α, and its target genes tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and endothelin (ET)-1 in the kidney., Result: (1) At the 4th, 8th and 12th week, the areas of RIF were significantly increased in D and T groups, which was accompanied by higher levels of 24-h urinary protein, Scr, HIF-1α, ET-1 and TIMP-1 compared with C group. (2) At the 8th and 12th week, the above changes were significantly attenuated in T group compared with D group., Conclusions: Valsartan may reduce HIF-1α-mediated gene activation and consequently improve kidney damage in diabetic nephropathy rats., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, we investigated the feasibility and effect of a novel combination therapy of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) hyperthermia with anticancer drugs for solid malignancies using doxorubicin-loaded alginate-templated magnetic microcapsules (DAMMs) in an animal liver cancer model. Firstly, DAMMs containing 18 nm gamma-Fe2O3 with doxorubicin (Dox) were synthesized and characterized. Then, the particular behavior of Dox release under external alternating current magnetic filed (ACMF) was tested in vitro. Moreover, to obtain accurate thermotherapy, the dose of DAMMs and temperature rise were computed by Hyperthermia treatment plan (HTP) and a fiber optic temperature sensor (FOTS) was used to monitor the temperature rise during treatments on VX-2 liver tumor-bearing rabbits. Furthermore, the therapeutic effect was studied by histopathological examinations and animal survival. The results showed that ACMF can induce Dox fast release during the treatment and the high MNPs content of DMMAs guaranteed the temperature rise for hyperthermia in tumors. The rabbits bearing VX-2 tumors in the magnetic hyperthermia using DMMAs group gained the most tumor necrosis and survival time. It was indicated that DAMMs-based magnetic hyperthermia could be a feasible and effective remedy which could be targeted at liver tumors by dual effects of hyperthermia and chemotherapy.

The proof of principle for high-resolution analysis of intact singly charged proteins of any size is presented. Singly charged protein ions were produced by electrospray ionization followed by surface-induced charge reduction at atmospheric pressure. The inlet and trapping system "stops" the forward momentum of the protein ions over a very broad range to be captured by the digitally produced electric fields of a large radius linear ion trap whereupon they are moved into a smaller radius linear ion trap and collected and concentrated in front of its exit end-cap electrode using digital waveform manipulation. The protein ions are then ejected on demand from the end of the small radius linear quadrupole in a tightly collimated ion beam with an instrumentally defined kinetic energy into the acceleration region of an orthogonal acceleration reflectron time-of-flight mass analyzer where their flight times were measured and detected with a Photonis BiPolar TOF detector. We present results that clearly prove that massive singly charged ions can yield high-resolution mass spectra with very low chemical noise and without loss of sensitivity with increasing mass across the entire spectrum. Analysis of noncovalently bound protein complexes was demonstrated with streptavidin-Cy5 bound with a biotinylated peptide mimic. Our results suggest proteins across the entire range can be directly quantified using our mass analysis technique. We present evidence that solvent molecules noncovalently adduct onto the proteins while yielding consistent flight time distributions. Finally, we provide a look into future that will result from the ability to rapidly measure and quantify protein distributions.

A simple way of synthesizing carbon nanotube (CNT)/graphene (GN) nanoscroll core/shell nanostructures is demonstrated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The simulations show that GN sheets can fully self-scroll onto CNTs when the CNT radius is larger than a threshold of about 10 A, forming a stable core/shell structure. Increasing the length of the GN sheet results in multilayered carbon nanoscroll (CNS) shells that exhibit a tubular structure similar to that of multiwall CNTs. The distances between the CNT and the GN wall or adjacent GN walls are about 3.4 A. It is found that the van der Waals force plays an important role in the formation of the CNT/GN nanoscroll core/shell-composite nanostructures. However, the chirality of the CNT and the GN sheet does not affect the self-scrolling process, which thus provides a simple way of controlling the chirality and physical properties of the resulting core/shell structure. It is expected that this preparation method of CNT/GN nanoscroll core/shell composites will lead to further development of a broad new class of carbon/carbon core/shell composites with enhanced properties and even introduce new functionalities to composite materials.

The feasibility of a new flowchart describing simultaneous hydrogen sulfide removal from biogas and nitrogen removal from wastewater was investigated. It took 30 days for the reactor inoculated with aerobic sludge to attain a removal rate of 60% for H(2)S and NO(x)-N simultaneously. It took 34 and 48 days to attain the same removal rate for the reactor without inoculated sludge and the reactor inoculated with anaerobic sludge respectively. The reactor without inoculated sludge still operated successfully, despite requiring a slightly longer startup time. The packing material was capable of enhancing the removal efficiency of reactors. Based on the concentration of NO(x)-N and H(2)S in the effluent, the loading rate and the ability of the system to resist shock loading, the performance of the reactor filled with hollow plastic balls was greater than that of the reactor filled with elastic packing and the reactor filled with Pall rings.

We demonstrated a novel method to produce core/shell composite nanowires (NWs) by self-scrolling carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto copper NWs via forced-field-based molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. When large diameter CNTs are placed beside the copper NWs, the CNTs approach the NWs, collapse, and self-scroll onto the NWs, resulting in coaxial core/shell composite NWs. It is found that the van der Waals force plays an important role in the formation of the composite NWs. The expected outcome of this novel method is to determine various strategies on how to produce composite NWs. Coaxial core/shell composite NWs represent an important class of nanoscale building blocks with substantial potential for exploring new concepts and functional materials.