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The aim of this work was to research the effect of chemical treatment on the structure and property of sisal fiber. The changes of the surface morphology, chemical composition and wettability of different alkali concentration treated sisal fibers were studied using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Optical Contact Angle Meter (OCA). The results showed that the non-cellulosic materials were removed from fiber surface and many branches along the fibers were caused by high alkali concentration. Deconvolving spectra in OH stretching region exhibited the amount of hydrogen bonding decreased firstly and then increased with the alkali concentration increase. The effect of alkali treatment on the wettability of fibers was characterized by the contact angle analyses. The contact angle of fiber decreased gradually with the concentration increase.

The methods of shale gas content measurement and shale Gas-in-place calculation are introduced in detail. The shale gas content is form 1.05 to 1.84 m3/t. From Gas-in-place calculation the adsorption gas content is a little more than free gas content. The advantage of shale gas accumulation areas are high formation pressure, low water saturation, high porosity and high total organic content. There are some discrepancy between shale gas content testing and gas in place calculation and three reasons may cause this phenomenon.

A new kind of deformed boson operators is proposed to be consistent with the large noncommutativity parameters on noncommutative plane when noncommutativity of momentum spaces is considered. Using this kind of deformed boson operators, the coherent states and squeezed states are constructed, and their properties are discussed in detail.

We have synthesized highly crystalline, monosized Fe3O4(Fe)/Au magnetic-optic multifunctional nanocrystals using a modified polyol process. The formation of the core-shell structure was achieved in two consecutive steps, seeding the Fe3O4(Fe) core followed by coating the gold shell. The characterization demonstrates the core-shell nanostructure and provides particle size and distribution of the nanocrystals. The spectroscopic analysis gives three Fe oxidation states (Fe0, Fe+2 and Fe+3) in the core and the surface plasmon characteristic of the Au nanoshell, while the magnetic measurements show excellent susceptibility of the nanocrystals.

Magnetite nanocrystals of 2–4 nm were synthesized by a chemical coprecipitation method, by which the particle size was controlled by the reaction temperature. The nanocrystals were investigated by XRD, TEM/HRTEM, VSM and SQUID. It is found that the nanocrystals reveal well-defined superparamagnetic behavior before and after annealing, while the observation of the distinct lattices manifest the high crystallinity of the ultrasmall particles.

We synthesized monodisperse CoPt nanoparticles by a modified polyol process, in which Co(acac)3 and Pt(acac)2 were co-reduced by a diol in the presence of PVP surfactants at high temperature (acac = acetylacetonate, PVP = polyvinylpyrrolidone). It is found that the CoPt nanoparticles assume a face-centered cubic phase and possess high crystallinity, with a particle size of 5.3 nm and a tight size distribution. The nanoparticles show superparamagnetism in the as-synthesized state and become ferromagnetic after annealing. The magnetization process of the nanoparticles prior to heat treatment was analyzed by the Langevin equation and their effective magnetic particle size was thus obtained, in close approximation to the results from the XRD and TEM observation.

Fabrication of Co-Pt nanowire arrays with fcc-Co 3 Pt phase was accomplished by DC electrodeposition in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanotemplates. The microstructural and magnetic properties of the nanowires were investigated as a function of the deposition current density (Co concentration). The nanowires possess fcc-Co 3 Pt phases and are ferromagnetic. Their crystallinity and magnetic performance was enhanced after annealing.

Magnetite particles of 2–4 nm were synthesized by an economic, biocompatible chemical coprecipitation route, with their size tuned by the reaction temperature. The microstructure and morphology of the nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), whereas the magnetic properties were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). It is found that the nanoparticles demonstrate well-defined superparamagnetic behavior as prepared and after annealing. Distinct lattices were observed which manifest the high crystallinity of such ultrasmall particles and the finite-size effect was revealed by analyzing the corresponding microstructure and magnetism.

Nanowires are a focus of research interests as one-dimensional nanosystems and promise exciting applications in nanotechnology, ranging from nanoelectronic devices to cell separation and magnetic labeling in biomedicine. Avariety of methods have been devised to prepare them from magnetic, semiconductor, inorganic, organic, polymer, metallic, and dielectric materials to provide nanowires with novel optical, electrical, catalytic, and magnetic properties. Multilayered or barcode arrangements of nanowires which incorporate different material components are a special case as a result of their spatial arraying, multiple functionalities, and enhanced properties in comparison to those of their single-component counterparts. For instance, Co–Cu barcode nanowires were explored for their high magnetoresistance compared to that of the well-studied thin films, 17] while the coding of magnetic and optical properties in a single wire was targeted for the separation, detection, and transport of cells. Interested in the transport properties and potential applications of nanowires in nanodevices and biomedicine, we have investigated magnetic nanowires by electrodeposition. For biomedical purposes, however, two issues have to be addressed for the implementation of such nanowires, namely surface modification and biocompatibility. In this respect, the synthesis of iron–gold (Fe–Au) nanowires is appealing not only in terms of magnetic properties but also with respect to biological compatibility. On one hand, iron is favored as it is unique in the field of magnetic materials owing to its high magnetization and physicochemical potentiality. It can be easily converted into oxides, which have been thoroughly studied in the form of magnetic nanoparticles in the biomedical field for their magnetic properties and exceptional biocompatibility. On the other hand, gold is a wellestablished material that displays attractive optical properties, biological compatibility, catalytic activity, and excellent surface effects. Thus, it was anticipated that the integration of these two materials into a one-dimensional barcode arrangement on the nanoscale would produce a new nanostructured material that retains the optical and magnetic properties of the respective components, offering synergistically enhanced performance and functionalities which go beyond those of the individual components. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of such a kind of multifunctional magnetic–optical Fe–Au barcode nanostructures, that is, nanowires consisting of alternative Fe magnetic and Au optical segments. The Fe–Au barcode nanowires were constructed using anodic alumina oxide (AAO) templates by pulse electrodeposition thus forming iron and gold segments alternatively in a single bath under desired pulse current densities (e.g. 10 mAcm 2 and 0.5 mAcm ) with regulated pulse durations to control the respective segmental lengths (see Experimental Section). The selection of a current density to electrodeposit Fe or Au was based on the evaluation of the composition versus current density profile (Figure 1a), which was acquired from the analysis of the samples each obtained at a given constant current density, by inductively coupled

Rosa roxburghii Tratt is an herbal medicine with anticancer potential. This study investigated the effects of an ethanol extracts and a triterpene (CiLi triterpene) of Rosa roxburghii on proliferation and differentiation of human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells and in umbilical cord blood CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. The CiLi triterpene and ethanol extracts inhibited the proliferation of hepatoma cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner and decreased the release of alpha-fetoprotein from hepatoma cells. Apoptosis was increased only at the highest dose of the ethanol extract in hepatoma cells. The Cili triterpene and ethanol extracts of Rosa roxburghii did not affect the differentiation of cord blood CD34+ cells to granulocytes and monocytes, as evidenced by flow cytometry analysis of CD11b and CD15. Thus the Cili triterpene and ethanol extracts of Rosa roxburghii are effective in the inhibition of human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cell growth, without affecting the differentiation of CD34+ cells.

Objective: In-stent restenosis is caused by the neointimal hyperplasia, which involves abnormal growth of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is known to be a potent inhibitor of cell proliferation. We therefore studied the role of an As2O3 eluting stent in the prevention of restenosis in a rabbit iliac artery model. Methods and results: Bare stents, or stents coated with poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) and either 40 μg of As2O3, 180 μg of paclitaxel or vehicle were implanted into the left proximal iliac arteries of New Zealand rabbits. The delivery of drugs from stents in vitro and in vivo was evaluated by atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Histomorphometric measurements at 7 or 28 days showed that, comparing to rabbits receiving the PLLA stent, in animals treated with As2O3 eluting or paclitaxel eluting stent neointima thickness was reduced by 50% and 46%, the absolute neointimal area was reduced by 53% and 44%, while the absolute luminal area was increased by 46% and 43%, respectively. There were no significant differences in injury or inflammation scores among PLLA, As2O3 eluting and paclitaxel eluting stents. As2O3 eluting stent induced more TUNEL-positive VSMC than the other stents. As2O3 levels measured in the arterial tissue were much higher than those in serum, which were nearly undetectable at 7 days after stent implantation. In in vitro studies, cultured rabbit arterial VSMC were stimulated with As2O3 or paclitaxel and analyzed for their cell cycle progression and apoptosis by flow cytometry and electron microscopy. As2O3 treatment resulted in a reduction of VSMC number in G1 phase with a concomitant increase in apoptosis of VSMC, whereas paclitaxel treatment led to blocking of VSMC in the G2/M phase. Conclusion: In a rabbit iliac artery model PLLA coated As2O3 eluting stent significantly suppressed in-stent restenosis by reducing proliferation and inducing apoptosis of VSMC.

Circular dichroism spectra of the fac and mer isomers of tris-cobalt(III) complexes of S-2,3-Hdap (Hdap = diaminopropionic acid); fac and mer-[Co(S-dap)3] (Λ or Δ), and [Co(en)3]3+ (Λ or Δ, en = ethylenediamine) in an aqueous solution without and upon IR irradiation were measured. The detection of the propelling motion that corresponds to circular dichroism spectral changes of the propeller-type complex, fac-[Co(S-dap)3] in an aqueous solution upon IR irradiation gave good agreement with the computer-simulation result, that is, the propelling (translation and rotation) motion occurs in propeller-type metal complexes in aqueous solution as a consequence of an appropriate energy supply, which had been obtained by theoretical study based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations by the use of AMBER 6 program.

Isolation of four optically active isomers of the 5-substituted 2,2′-bipyridine complexes [Co(cbpy)3]3+ (cbpy = 5-carboxy-2,2′-bipyridine) was achieved using cation-exchange column chromatography (SP-Sephadex C-25) eluting with either sodium (−)-O,O′-dibenzoyltartrate or sodium ((+)-tartrato)antimonate(III). Structure optimization and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the system consisting of the propeller-type complex fac-[Co(cbpy-H)3] (cbpy-H = 2,2′-bipyridine-5-carboxylate anion) and 80 water molecules were performed using the AMBER 6 program. Results of the MD simulation revealed that distinct translating and rotating behaviors can be obtained in this complex in aqueous solution upon IR irradiation.

Four optically active geometric isomers of tris(S-2,3-diaminopropionato)cobalt(III) were prepared and separated by ion-exchange column chromatography on SP-Sephadex (C-25). The identification of the four diastereomers is based on the elution order of the complexes, elemental analysis, electronic spectra, circular dichroism spectra, 13C NMR spectra, X-ray structure analysis and comparison of these properties with those of analogous series consisting of three isomers of the bis(S-2,3-diaminopropionato)cobalt(III) ion. Structure optimization and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of the system, consisting of the propeller-type complex fac-tris(S-2,3-diaminopropionato)cobalt(III) and 240 water molecules, were performed using AMBER 6. The results of the MD simulation suggest that distinct propelling and rotating behavior can be obtained in this complex in aqueous solution.

Bi-phase dispersible Cu-ZnO hybrid nanoparticles were synthesized by one-pot non-aqueous nanoemulsion with the use of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEO-PPO-PEO) as the surfactant. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) show high crystallinity of the Cu-ZnO hybrid nanoparticles and an average particle size of ~19.4 nm. The ultraviolet-visible light absorbance spectrometry (UV-vis) and photoluminescence spectrophotometry (PL) demonstrate well dispersibility and excellent optical performance of Cu-ZnO hybrid nanoparticles both in organic and aqueous solvent. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms Cu(1+) and Cu(2+) in ZnO. The observation using Sudan red (III) as probe molecule reveals that the Cu-ZnO hybrid nanoparticles possess enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability which are promising for potential applications in photocatalysis.

Microbial community structure and ecological functions are influenced by interactions between above and belowground biota. There is an urgent need for intensive monitoring of microbes feedback of soil micro-ecosystem for setting up a good agricultural practice. Recent researches have revealed that many soils characteristic can effect microbial community structure. In the present study factors affecting microbial community structure and soil in Carthamus tinctorius plantations in arid agricultural ecosystem of northern Xinjiang, China were identified. The result of the study revealed that soil type was the key factor in safflower yield; Unscientific field management resulted high fertility level (bacteria dominant) of soil to turn to low fertility level (fungi dominant), and Detruded Canonical Correspondence Analysis (DCCA) showed that soil water content, organic matter, available N, P and K were the dominant factors affecting distribution of microbial community. Soil water content showed a significant positive correlation with soil microbes quantity (P0.01), while others showed a significant quantity correlation with soil microbe quantity (P0.05).

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated sub-5 nm monosize Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were synthesized by reduction of Fe(III) acetylacetonate in the presence of PVP polymer as surfactant in one-pot polyol process. Their microstructure and magnetic properties were characterized by XRD, TEM/HRTEM and VSM. It is found that the nanoparticles have high crystallinity with distinct lattices and the magnetic measurements reveal their well-defined superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature. Such Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles with tailorable size and tunable magnetic properties are promising for biomedical applications.

We have studied the effect of an external magnetic field applied during electrodeposition of Co/Cu barcode nanowires in anodic aluminum oxide nanotemplates. The magnetic properties of the barcode nanowires were greatly enhanced for 50 nm pore diameter regardless of segment aspect ratio, but field deposition has little effect on the 200 nm nanowires. The magnetic improvement is correlated with a structural change, attributed to field modification of the growth habit of the barcode nanowires. A mechanism of growth subject to geometric confinement is proposed.

[Si(bpy)3]4+ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine), synthesized from Sil4 and 2′.-bipyndine. was optically resolved by a chromatographic method using an SP-Sephadex C-25 column as an adsorbent and a 0.16M aqueous solution of sodium (2R,3R)-(-)-O,O′-dibenzoyltartrate as an eluent. The optical isomers were characterized by measurement of their electronic absorption, circular dichroism, and 1H NMR spectra. The chromatographic resolution of [SKbpyb]4+ was also attempted with an aqueous solution of potassium [(2R,3R)-(+)-tartrato]antimonate(III). sodium (2R,3R)-(+)-hydrogentartrate, and sodium (2R,3R)-(+)-tartrate as eluents. Force-field calculations were used to elucidate the chromatographic elution mechanism. [Si(OH)2(bpy)2]I2was also synthesized from Sil4 and 2′,-bipyridine. The optical resolution of this complex was achieved with sodium [(2R,3R)-(+)-tartrato]antimonate(III).

Infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) is a recently observed shrimp virus, which threats the cultured Litopenaeus vannamei and can cause huge economic loss in shrimp farming industry. The specific aim of this study was to develop a new sensitive real-time PCR method for the specific detection of shrimp IMNV. A real-time PCR assay with a pair of primers to specifically amplify a 101bp IMNV cDNA fragment and a corresponding TaqMan probe was developed, which shown to be specific for IMNV without cross reaction with DNA samples prepared from four other shrimp viruses including white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), hepatopancreatic parvovirus (HPV), monodon baculovirus (MBV), and infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic virus (IHHNV). The method could detect as low as one single copy of IMNV plasmid cDNA.

To study the clinical features of hepatitis E virus-related liver failure.134 patients with HEV-related liver failure were analyzed retrospectively.HEV-related liver failure accounted for 8.45 percent of the total number of hepatitis E patients in the hospital. Of the 134 patients, 68 were infected with simple HEV, 66 had the superinfection with HBV. The average age of simple HEV-related liver failure patients (56.12 +/- 14.29) was higher than that of HBV superinfectiong liver failure patients (P0.05). The ratio of elderly patients (or = 60 years) in simple HEV-related liver failure patients (45.59%) was significantly higher than that of the other group (13.64%, P0.05). The ratio of direct bilirubin/total bilirubing (0.72 +/- 0.07, 0.69 +/- 0.08), and serum alanine aminotransferase [(1250.90 +/- 1593.97) U/L, (616.26 +/- 797.62) U/L] were significantly higher in simple HEV-related liver failure patients than in HBV superinfectiong liver failure patients (P0.05), but the total bilirubing had no significant difference (P0.05). The disease outcome and stage were no-significant difference in the two groups (P0.05). CONCLUSION; Simple HEV-related liver failure patients may have older age, higher aminotransferase, higher ratio of direct bilirubin/total bilirubin, but disease outcome and stage were no-significant difference in the two groups.

To study the clinical characteristics of hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure patients with familial aggregation.275 patients with hepatitis B virus--related acute-on-chronic liver failure were investigated. The patients were divided into familial aggregation and non-familial aggregation group basis on their epidemiological features. Clinical data and biochemical indicators between the two groups were analyzed statistically.93 of 275 patients (33.82%) case were family aggregation. There was no significant difference compared with chronic hepatitis B patients (38.3%). The mean age of the two groups was 45.98 and 43.61 years old, respectively (P0.05). The rates of liver cirrhosis in family aggregation group were significant higher than non-familial aggregation group (73.91% vs 58.24%, p0.05). Serum total (TBil) and prothrombin activities (PTA) were no significant difference between the two groups, but ALT level in familial aggregation group was much higher (407.80 U/L vs 256.45 U/L, P 0.05).Familial aggregation were not related to acute-on-chronic liver failure in chronic HBV hepatitis patients. But the rate of liver cirrhosis were higher in patients with familial aggregation.

To construct an hybrid bioartificial liver supporting system, and observe its effectiveness and safety on patients with acute on chronic liver failure.Hybrid bioartificial liver supporting system (HBALSS) was constructed using bioreactor with HepG2 cells transfected with human augmenter of liver regeneration (hALR) gene. 12 acute on chronic liver failure patients were divided into 2 groups randomly. The treatment group was treated with the hybrid bioartificial liver support system. The group underwent plasma exchange was used as control.In the treatment group, four patients recovered, one patient died of hepatic encephalopathy, one patient died of hepatorenal syndrome, one patient recovered, but died of gastrointestnal bleeding after 1 year. In control group, two patients recovered, one patient underwent orthotropic liver transplantation, and three patients died of liver failure.The hybrid bioartificial liver supporting system with HepG2 cell line was established successfully and have certain safety and effectiveness on acute on chronic liver failure patients.

To investigate the types and frequency of gene mutations in children with thalassemia in Kunming, Yunan Province.A biochemical screening for thalassemia was performed by testing RBC fragility, MCV and hemoglobin electrophoresis on 1338 children from Kunming, Yunnan Province. Genetic diagnosis was performed on the children with α-thalassemia by gap-PCR and on the children with β-thalassemia by PCR-RDB.The positive rate of the biochemical screening for thalassemia was 11.36% (152 cases). The positive rate of genetic diagnosis was 8.59% (115 cases). Of the 115 cases, α-thalassemia was found in 43 cases, β-thalassemia in 68 cases and α-combined-β thalassemia in 4 cases.--SEA/αα accounted for 47%, -α4.2/αα accounted for 21%, and HbH disease accounted for 14%. Six genotypes were found in 68 cases of β-thalassemia and the mutation frequency of βE was the highest (32%), followed by CD41-42 (24%), CD17 (23%), IVS-II654 (10%), CD71-72 (10%), and -28 (1%).The frequency of gene mutations for thalassemia is high in children from Kunming, Yunnan Province. Premarital and prenatal screenings and genetic diagnosis for thalassemia should be carried out in this area.

To construct an off-line hybrid bioartificial liver supporting system with human liver cell line, and study it's effect on the plasma from patients with liver failure.We established the bioreactor using Psu-2s (Fresenius) cultured with Hep G2 cell transfected with human augmenter of liver regeneration (hALR) gene, then constructed a hybrid bioartificial liver supporting system, at last using the bioartificial liver support system to purify the plasma treated 2 hours with serum bilirubin absorbent, separated from acute on chronic liver failure patients infected by hepatitis B virus.Bioreactor was successful constructed. The cell viability in perigastrum of bioreactor is 85.2% and cell propagated rapidly. Before and after treating with bilirubin absorbent, serum total bilirubin was (176.19 +/- 54.14) micromol/L and (50.1 +/- 16.85) micromol/L respectively (P = 0.0002). While there were no significance difference in the level of albumin, urea and glucose. At the begin and end of treatment with bioartificial liver, serum total bilirubin was (50.10 +/- 16.85) micromol/L and (30.27 +/- 15.02) micromol/L respectively (P = 0.000), the urea and albumin increased, urea has significantly difference, but the change of albumin hasn't.The off-line hybrid bioartificial liver supporting system with human liver cell line were builded successfully and have synthesis and metabolism functions for acute on chronic liver failure patients.

By using rat testicular germ cells in vitro toxicity testing method based on original cells culture, the reproduction toxicity of sewage treatment plant effluent of Chemical Industrial Park along the Yangtze River was evaluated, through cells changes in morphologic, activity and viability parameters. The results showed that both of the effluents from new developed Chemical Industrial Park A and provincial Chemical Industrial Park B contain reproductive toxic substances. The toxicity of Park A has more significant undergone changes in cells activity of sertoli cells (p0.01), spermatogenic cells (p0.05) and leyding cells (p0.05), lactate dehydrogenase activity (p0.01) and testosterone secretion (p0.01) than that of Park B. Sepermatogenic cells are more sensitive in indicating reproduction toxicity for testicular, compared with leyding cells and sertoli cells. This study demonstrated that, as an indispensable and complementary tool for water quality assessment, rat testicular germ cells in vitro toxicity testing based on original cells culture can be used to comprehensively evaluate the reproduction toxicity of sewage treatment plant effluent, and provide prompt and useful discharge quality information.

To explore the separation and culture method of adult hepatocytes.The isolated adult hepatocytes were cultivated by RPMI 1640 medium at 37 degrees C in vitro. The characteristics of the growing hepatocytes were observed. Their synthesis of urea was detected. The transformation efficiency and density's change of lidocaine were analyzed.Hepatocytes were successful separated from adult liver. And they were cultivated in common condition and hollow fiber reactor. The functional capacity of hepatocytes was for lidocaine metabolism and urea excretion.The adult hepatocytes have been successful separated from liver. And they can be cultivated in common condition and hollow fiber reactor. And it could provide a great quantity and high activity of hepatocytes for bioartificial liver.

We have synthesized highly crystalline, monosized Fe3O4(Fe)/Au magnetic-optic multifunctional nanocrystals using a modified polyol process. The formation of the core-shell structure was achieved in two consecutive steps, seeding the Fe3O4(Fe) core followed by coating the gold shell. The characterization demonstrates the core-shell nanostructure and provides particle size and distribution of the nanocrystals. The spectroscopic analysis gives three Fe oxidation states (Fe0, Fe+2 and Fe+3) in the core and the surface plasmon characteristic of the Au nanoshell, while the magnetic measurements show excellent susceptibility of the nanocrystals.

We explored the feasibility of magnetite (Fe(3)O(4))-gold (Au) core-shell nanocrystals as a useful vehicle for biomedical application such as cell separation. Streptavidin-fluorescein isothiocyanate (STA-FITC) was conjugated to the surface of the Fe(3)O(4)-Au core-shell nanocrystals using a carbodimide activation protocol. These nanocrystals were further tested for their ability to bind CD4+ T lymphocytes, bound to biotin-labeled anti-CD4 mAbs, isolated from the spleen of C57BL/6 mice. Our data show that the Fe(3)O(4)-Au nanocrystals successfully pulled down CD4+ T lymphocytes from the whole splenocytes with high specificity. Therefore, our nanocrystals provide an efficient tool for the cell separation process and further present the dramatic potential to be applied to other areas of biomedical application including diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of human diseases.

To investigate the characteristics of the hepatic pathological and clinical features of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) in immune tolerant stage and find the better measure of diagnosing patients chronic infected by HBV in immune tolerant phase.135 patients with HBV chronic infection and persistently normal serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were involved in this study, whose serum HBeAg and HBV DNA were positive. Statistical analysis included the ages, sex, serum levels of HBVDNA, ALT and histological grade. The grades of inflammation and fibrosis were obtained through hepatic biopsy performed on all the patients.Mean age in those patients was 22.61 +/- 8.95 years old. All those patients were divided into two groups according to histological grade: low- histological grade group, Gor = 1 and Sor = 1; and high-histological grade group, Gor = 2, Sor = to 2. Levels of histological grade were low in most of patients (99/135). Patients of low-histological grade had no difference in age, sex and family history of HBsAg carriers. Compared with low-normal ALT (ALT less than 30U/L), those with high-normal ALT (ALTor = 30U/L) had a greater frequencies of high-histological grade. Compared with high HBVDNA (HBVDNAor = 10(7) copies/ml), those with low HBVDNA (HBVDNA less than 10(7) copies/ml) had a greater frequencies of high-histological grade.Levels of histological grade were low in most of patients with HBV chronic infection, serum HBeAg and HBVDNA positive, persistently normal serum ALT levels, but some of them were high-histological grade. It showed those patients were not all in immune tolerant stage of chronic HBV infection. Examination of ALT and HBVDNA are helpful to evaluate hepatic pathological damage for them.

Acute toxicity of BPA and TBBPA to Daphnia magna, zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio) and development effects of zebrafish embryo and zebrafish. The tested chemicals remarkably restrained the were studied, and safety assessment was also made to Daphnia magna mobilization of Daphnia magna, which may cause them death. 48 h EC50 values for D. magna were 8.91 and 0.69 mg x L(-1) respectively. In addition, the chemicals showed the toxicity effects on zebrafish, and 96 h LC50 values were 9.06 and 1.78 mg x L(-1) respectively. BPA and TBBPA remarkably retarded the development of zebrafish embryos, which may cause embryo abnormality and death. And the most sensitive toxicological endpoints to BPA and TBBPA were found, 72 h EC50 (malformation and embryo do not hatch) values were 2.90 and 0.14 mg x L(-1) respectively. The results showed that zebrafish embryo should be the most sensitive to the tested chemicals. The results indicated that BPA and TBBPA were the pollutants with high toxicity, in which TBBPA had the higher toxicity. BPA is a potential teratogen to zebrafish embryos, while TBBPA restrains embryo from hatch.

To determine whether Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) can penetrate the blood-ocular barrier after orally administration of Fel Ursi.56 rabbits were divided into two groups, 48 rabbits were used in experimental group, and other 8 rabbits were served as control. 100 mg/ml Fel Ursi were a fused into rabbits stomach. 2 ml blood from vein of auris-edge, aqueous humor from left eye and vitreous sample from right eye were obtained at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0 and 8.0 h after Fel Ursi administration. Concentration of TUDCA from all of samples was determined by HPLC.TUDCA Concentrations were (999.1 +/- 17.2) - (1300.6 +/- 78.2) microg/ml, (12.7 +/- 1.4) - (47.8 +/- 4.7) microg/ml, and (10.8 +/- 2.9) - (57.9 +/- 7.9) microg/ml in blood, aqueous humor and vitreous respectively. There was no significant differences in the concentration of TUDCA in samples of aqueous humor and vitreous (P0.05). However the concentration of TUDCA in rabbit blood was much higher compared with that in aqueous humor and vitreous (P0.01).Fel Ursi can reach intraocular tissue through penetrating blood-aqueous barrier and blood-vitreous barrier after orally application.

The authors synthesized ultra-small magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles using aqueous coprecipitation. The crystal structure of the samples was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The magnetic properties of the magnetite nanocrystals were investigated using a SQUID magnetometer.

To assess the efficiency of eluting stent coated with arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) suspended in poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) to prevent in-stent restenosis in rabbits.Forty-five male New Zealand white rabbits were assigned to three groups (n = 15 for each group) at random: uncoated stents, stents coated with PLLA or stents coated with As(2)O(3) in PLLA. Animals were euthanized 28 days after stent implantation into the iliac arteries of rabbits. Neointimal thicknesses and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) were measured. Stents coated with As(2)O(3) in PLLA were implanted in another 48 male New Zealand white rabbits, As(2)O(3) concentrations in serum and arterial tissue at implantation site were measured at 2 h and 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 days after As(2)O(3) eluting stent implantation (n = 8 for each time point).Neointimal hyperplasia was significantly reduced 51% and 31% and apoptosis significantly increased (21.0 +/- 3.3; 6.2 +/- 1.9(*); 5.3 +/- 2.1(*), (*)P0.01 vs. As(2)O(3) eluting stent) with As(2)O(3) eluting stent, versus PLLA-coated stents and uncoated stents. As(2)O(3) concentrations in arterial tissue at implantation site were 18.6 +/- 9.1 (ng/mg) at 1 day and 0.3 +/- 0.1 (ng/mg) at 28 days after stent implantation.As(2)O(3) coated stents released As(2)O(3) to local tissue for at least 28 days, suppressed neointimal hyperplasia in rabbit iliac arteries and increased local VSMC apoptosis might be one of the mechanisms for inhibiting restenosis by As(2)O(3) coated stents.

AIM: To study the method of cryopreserving porcine hepatocytes and gel collagen culture measure after its cryopreservation. METHODS: Hepatocytes, isolated from Chinese experimental suckling mini-pigs by two-step perfusion with collagenase using an extra corporeal perfusion apparatus, were cryopreserved with 50 mL/L to 200 mL/L DMSO in liquid nitrogen for 4 mo, then thawed and seeded in 1 or between 2 layers of gel collagen. The expression of porcine albumin message RNA, cellular morphology and content of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and urea nitrogen (UN) were examined during culture in gel. RESULTS: Viability of 150 mL/L DMSO group thawed hepatocytes was (83±4)%, but after purification, its viability was (90±5)%, attachment efficiency was (86±7)%, the viability of thawed hepatocytes was near to fresh cells. When the thawed hepatocytes were cultivated in gel collagen with culture medium adding epidermal growth factor, the hepatocytes grew in various administrative levels in mixed collagen gel, and bunchy in the sandwich configuration cultures. For up to 10 days’ culture, the typical cellular morphological characteristics of cultivated hepatocytes could be observed. The leakage of AST was lower during culture in gel than that in common culture. At the same time, the UN synthesized by cells cultivated in mixed gel collagen was higher than that in other groups. CONCLUSION: Storage in liquid nitrogen can long keep hepatocytes’ activities, the concentration of 150 mL/L DMSO is fit for porcine hepatocytes’ cryopreservation. Thawed hepatocytes can be cultivated with collagenous matrix, which provides an environment that more closely resembles that in vivo and maintain the expression of certain liver-specific function of hepatocytes.

AIM: To observe the adsorbent effect of resin on endotoxin, cytokine, bilirubin in plasma of patients with hepatic failure and to determine the resin perfusion as an artificial liver support system in the treatment of hepatic failure. METHODS: One thousand milliliters of discarded plasma was collected from each of 6 severe hepatitis patients treated with plasma exchange. The plasma was passed through a resin perfusion equipment for 1-2 h via extracorporeal circulation, and then absorbent indicators of transaminase, bilirubin, blood ammonia, endotoxin and cytokines were examined. In the meantime, study of in vivo resin plasma perfusion was performed on 7 severe hepatitis patients to compare the changes of endotoxin and cytokines in blood before and after perfusion. RESULTS: The levels of total bilirubin, endotoxin, interleukin 1β and TNF-α in plasma were significantly decreased after in vitro resin plasma perfusion. The levels of interleukin 1β, TNF-α and endotoxin in blood were also evidently declined after in vivo resin plasma perfusion. Nevertheless, no obvious changes in IL-6, creatinine (Cr) and urea nitrogen (UN), blood ammonia and electrolytes were found both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: Bilirubin, endotoxin and cytokines in plasma of patients with hepatic failure can be effectively adsorbed by resin in vitro. Most cytokines and endotoxin in plasma can also be effectively removed by resin in vivo. It demonstrates that resin perfusion may have good treatment efficacy on hepatic failure and can be expected to slow down the progression of hepatic failure.

To study the method of preparing the hollow fiber bioreactor for culturing pig hepatocytes.Hepatocytes were isolated from experimental suckling minipigs by two-step perfusion with collagenase, and seeded onto hollow fiber bioreactor, then cultured with an artificial capillary cell culture system. The albumin-excretion, lidocaine-transforming rate, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and the cell viability in bioreactors were examined.The porcine albumin could be detected by SDS/PAGE on the 2nd, 4th, 6th day. The rates of lidocaine-transforming ranged from 89.6% to 96.1%. The release of LDH into the culture medium increased from (23.7+/-4.6) U/L to (127.8+/-17.4) U/L (F=39.582, P0.01) during the experiments, and the viability of pig hepatocytes in hollow fiber bioreactor reduced from 95.8%+/-0.3% to 83.8%+/-4.7% (t=5.135, P0.01).The hollow fiber bioreactor for culturing pig hepatocytes can be prepared by artificial capillary cell culture system, which provides a certain liver-specific function in 1 week.

To analyze the cleavage activity of two deoxyribozymes targeting at hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in vitro and evaluate their prospects of antiviral therapy.Two specific sequences containing 5' ...A / U... 3' in HCV 5'-noncoding region and 5'-fragment of C region (5'-NCR-C) were selected as the target sites, and with the active region of 5'GGCTAGCTACAACGA3', two phosphorothioate deoxyribozymes (TDRz) named as TDRz-127 and TDRz1 were synthesized. HCV RNA 5'-NCR-C was transcribed in vitro from plasmid pHCV-neo which was completely linearized with restriction endonuclease Nar I, and its 5'-end phosphoric acid was deleted by calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase (CIP), then radiolabelled with T4 polynucleotide kinase and gamma-32P-ATP. Under the conditions such as pH 7.5 and a 10 mmol/L Mg2+ concentration, TDRz-127 and TDRz1 were separately (a 5 micromol/L final concentration) or combinedly (each 2.5 micromol/L) mixed with the substrate RNA (200 nmol/L). After denaturation and then renaturation, the reaction systems were incubated in 37 degrees C, and aliquots were removed to terminate the reaction at intended time points. The cleavage products were separated with 8% denaturated polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and displayed by autoradiography. Finally, the optical density of each product band was measured with Gel Documentation-Analyzing Systems for calculating the percentages of cleaved HCV 5'-NCR-C.After reaction for 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 min under the adopted conditions, about 8.3%, 16.1%, 24.3%, 26.2%, 29.4% and 31.1% of HCV 5'-NCR-C was cleaved by TDRz-127 respectively; 7.4%, 13.0%, 15.6%, 18.7%, 19.4% and 20.3% by TDRz1; and 15.1%, 29.6%, 37.8%, 39.1%, 41.5%, 42.6% by combining the two TDRzs.Cleavage percentage of both TDRz-127 and TDRz1 increases with the time, and the effect of combining the two TDRzs is better than that of anyone.

In the noncommutative phase space, a new mapping is proposed to express the noncommutative coordinate and momentum operators in terms of the ordinary coordinate and momentum operators under the case of large noncommutativity parameters (μν>1). Using this mapping matrix, the deformed boson operators can be expressed in terms of the ordinary boson operators. Thus, the normal ordering expansion form of vacuum projection operator is obtained. As an application, the completeness relation of the two-mode deformed coherent states is verified by using the vacuum projection operator.

The Fe(3)O(4)-Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) core-shell nanoparticles were prepared by one-pot non-aqueous nanoemulsion with the assistance of a biocompatible triblock copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEO-PPO-PEO), integrating the magnetic properties of Fe(3)O(4) and the bioactive functions of Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) into single entities. The Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles were pre-formed first by thermal reduction of Fe(acac)(3) and then the Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) layer was coated by simultaneous deposition of Ca(2+) and PO(4)(3-). The characterization shows that the combination of the two materials into a core-shell nanostructure retains the magnetic properties and the Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) shell forms an hcp phase (a = 7.490 Å, c = 9.534 Å) on the Fe(3)O(4) surface. The magnetic hysteresis curves of the nanoparticles were further elucidated by the Langevin equation, giving an estimation of the effective magnetic dimension of the nanoparticles and reflecting the enhanced susceptibility response as a result of the surface covering. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis provides the characteristic vibrations of Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) and the presence of the polymer surfactant on the nanoparticle surface. Moreover, the nanoparticles could be directly transferred to water and the aqueous dispersion-collection process of the nanoparticles was demonstrated for application readiness of such core-shell nanostructures in an aqueous medium. Thus, the construction of Fe(3)O(4) and Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) in the core-shell nanostructure has conspicuously led to enhanced performance and multi-functionalities, offering various possible applications of the nanoparticles.

We report the preparation and characterization of multifunctional AuFe alloy nanoparticles of three compositions, Au0.25Fe0.75, Au0.5Fe0.5, and Au0.75Fe0.25, by a polyol process. It is found that the fusion of the two elements into one nanostructure entity retains the optical and magnetic properties of the individual components. The x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses confirm the formation of the alloy nanostructure with a narrow distribution of particle sizes and provides the detailed structural arrangements. The magnetic investigation shows the superparamagnetic or soft ferromagnetic behavior of the nanoparticles at room temperature, whereas the UV-visible measurements display the variation of the absorption bands at ∼560nm. The AuFe nanoparticles are rendered water soluble after thiolation.

We studied the effects of copper doping on the microstructure and magnetic properties of CoPt nanowires fabricated in anodized aluminium oxide (AAO) nanotemplates by electrodeposition. The morphological observation indicates well-formed CoPt and CoPtCu nanowires, while the structural analysis shows that fcc-Co3Pt phase exists prior to annealing and is retained in the doped nanowires, with minor hcp-CoPt phase postannealing. The doping causes shrinkage of the lattice spacing prior to annealing due to the insertion of smaller copper atoms. Compared to the undoped CoPt nanowires, the magnetic measurements reveal significant enhancement in the magnetic properties of the CoPtCu nanowire postannealing, resulting in the more rapid increase in the coercivity with annealing temperature.

AIM: To establish a method detecting porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) in China experimental minipigs and to evaluate the safety of PERV in three individuals treated with bioartificial liver support systems based on porcine hepatocytes. METHODS: Porcine hepatocytes were isolated with two-stage perfusion method, then cultured in the bioreactor, which is separated by a semipermeable membrane (0.2 μm) from the lumen through which the patients’ blood plasma was circulated. After post-hemoperfusion, patients’ blood was obtained for screening. Additionally, samples of medium collected from both intraluminal and extraluminal compartments of the laboratory bioreactor and culture supernate in vitro was analyzed. The presence of viral sequences was estimated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Finally, the infection of virus in the supernate of common culture was ascertained by exposure to the fetal liver cells. RESULTS: PERV-specific gag sequences were found in the porcine hepatocytes using RT-PCR. and were detected in all samples from the intraluminal, extraluminal samples and culture supernate. However, culture supernatant from primary porcine hepatocytes (cleared of cellular debris) failed to infect human fetal liver cells. Finally, RT-PCR detected no PERV infection was found in the blood samples obtained from three patients at various times post-hemoperfusion. CONCLUSION: The assays used are specific and sensitive, identified by second PCR. PERVs could be released from hepatocytes cultured in bioreactor without the stimulation of mitogen and could not be prevented by the hollow fiber semipermeable membrane, indicating the existence of PERV safety in extracorporeal bioartificial liver support system (EBLSS).

AIM: To explore the methods of hepatocytes culture in a collagen gel mixture or between double layers of collagen sandwich configuration and to examine the functional and cytomorphological characteristics of cultured hepatocytes. METHODS: A two-step collagenase perfusion technique was used to isolate the hepatocytes from Wistar rats or newborn Chinese experimental piglets. The isolated hepatocytes were cultured in a collagen gel mixture or between double layers of collagen sandwich configuration respectively. The former was that rat hepatocytes were mixed with type I rat tail collagen solution till gelled, and the medium was added onto the gel. The latter was that swine hepatocytes were seeded on a plate precoated with collagen gel for 24 h, then another layer of collagen gel was overlaid, resulting in a sandwich configuration. The cytomorphological characteristics, albumin secretion, and LDH-release of the hepatocytes cultured in these two models were examined. RESULTS: Freshly isolated rat hepatocytes were successfully mixed and fixed in collagen gel, and cultured in the gel condition. During the culture period, the urea synthesized and secreted by rat hepatocytes was detected throughout the period. Likewise, newborn experimental piglet hepatocytes were successfully fixed between the double layers of collagen gel, forming a sandwich configuration. Within a week of culture, the albumin secreted by swine hepatocytes was detected by SDS/PAGE analysis. The typical cytomorphological characteristics of the hepatocytes cultured by the above two culture models were found under a phase-contrast microscope. There was little LDH-release during the culture period. CONCLUSION: Both collagen gel mixture and double layers of collagen sandwich configuration can provide cultural conditions much closer to in vivo environment, and are helpful for maintaining specific hepatic functions and cytomorphological characteristics. A collagen gel mixture culture may be more eligible for the study of bioartificial livers.