Search

Seasonal variations of soil inorganic nitrogen (N) pool and net N transformation rate in moss-covered soil and in the bare soil were comparatively observed by incubating intact soil columns with parafilm capping in the field in a natural vegetation area of Shapotou, southeastern fringe of the Tengger Desert. We found pronounced seasonal variations in soil available N content and net N transformation rate in both moss-covered soil and bare soil, with significant differences among different months. In non-growing season, soil available N content and net N transformation rate were significantly higher in March and October than in other months. Furthermore, immobilization was the dominant form of N mineralization, and no significant difference in net soil N mineralization rate was found between the two sampling soils. In growing season, soil available N content and net N transformation rate markedly increased and reached their peak values during June to August (17.18 mg x kg(-1) and 0.11 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1), respectively). Both soil net nitrification and N mineralization rates in moss-covered soil were significantly higher than in bare soil. Soil ammonium and nitrate N content in April and May were higher in moss-covered soil (2.66 and 3.16 mg x kg(-1), respectively) than in bare soil (1.02 and 2.37 mg x kg(-1), respectively); while the tendency was the converse in June and September, with 7.01 mg x kg(-1) for soil ammonium content and 7.40 mg x kg(-1) for nitrate N content in bare soil, and they were 6.39 and 6.36 mg x kg(-1) in moss-covered soil, respectively. Therefore, the existence and succession of moss crusts could be considered as one of the important biological factors affecting soil N cycling through regulating soil available N content and promoting soil N mineralization process.

To investigate the risk factors for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to provide a basis for future prevention and treatment of this disease.Following a systematic search for case-control studies on the risk factors for ADHD in China between 2000 and 2014, relevant family risk factors were extracted accordingly. The quality of selected studies was evaluated according to the NOS scale. A Meta analysis on the selected studies was conducted using Stata 12.0 software.A total of 16 studies were selected, involving 2 167 children with ADHD and 2 148 normal controls. Results of Meta analysis showed that good parenting (OR=0.32, 95% CI: 0.26-0.40), nuclear family (OR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.41-0.76), high education level of father (OR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.41-0.76), high education level of mother (OR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.47-0.89), and extroversion of mother (OR=0.33, 95% CI: 0.18-0.61) are favorable factors for ADHD. Poor parental relationship (OR=1.90, 95% CI: 1.17-3.06) and family history of ADHD (OR=5.86, 95% CI: 3.67-9.35) are risk factors for ADHD.Good parenting, nuclear family, high education level of parents, and mother with extroversion are protective factors for ADHD, whereas poor parental relationship and family history of ADHD are associated with an increased risk for ADHD.

Response of soil active organic carbon to land-use change has become a hot topic in current soil carbon and nutrient cycling study. Soil active organic carbon distribution characteristics in soil profile under four land-use types were investigated in Ziwuling forest zone of the Hilly Loess Plateau region. The four types of land-use changes included natural woodland converted into artificial woodland, natural woodland converted into cropland, natural shrubland converted into cropland and natural shrubland converted into revegetated grassland. Effects of land-use changes on soil active organic carbon in deep soil layers (60-200 cm) were explored by comparison with the shallow soil layers (0-60 cm). The results showed that: (1) The labile organic carbon ( LOC) and microbial carbon (MBC) content were mainly concentrated in the shallow 0-60 cm soil, which accounted for 49%-66% and 71%-84% of soil active organic carbon in the profile (0-200 cm) under different land-use types. Soil active organic carbon content in shallow soil was significantly varied for the land-use changes types, while no obvious difference was observed in soil active organic carbon in deep soil layer. (2) Land-use changes exerted significant influence on soil active organic carbon, the active organic carbon in shallow soil was more sensitive than that in deep soil. The four types of land-use changes, including natural woodland to planted woodland, natural woodland to cropland, natural shrubland to revegetated grassland and natural shrubland to cropland, LOC in shallow soil was reduced by 10%, 60%, 29%, 40% and LOC in the deep layer was decreased by 9%, 21%, 12%, 1%, respectively. MBC in the shallow soil was reduced by 24% 73%, 23%, 56%, and that in the deep layer was decreased by 25%, 18%, 8% and 11%, respectively. (Land-use changes altered the distribution ratio of active organic carbon in soil profile. The ratio between LOC and SOC in shallow soil increased when natural woodland and shrubland were converted into farmland, but no obvious difference was observed in deep soil. The ratio of MBC/SOC in shallow soil decreased when natural shrubland was converted into farmland, also, no significant difference was detected in the ratio of MBC/SOC for other land-use change types. The results suggested that land-use change exerted significant influence on soil active organic carbon content and distribution proportion in soil profile. Soil organic carbon in deep soil was more stable than that in shallow soil.

To study the effects of Jisuikang (Chinese characters) on Nogo-NgR gene expression, and to explore the protective effects and mechanism of Jisuikang (Chinese characters) on spinal cord injury in rats.One hundred eighty female rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups(30 rats per group). Sham group: T10 lamina was resected only and spinal cord was untreated. Model group: spine cord injury (SCI) was created with a modified impinger of Allen's by impacting on the T10 spinal cord. Prednisolone group: Prednisolone (0.06 g/kg) was given by intragastric administration at a time interval of 24 hours after operation. The Jisuikang (Chinese characters) high, moderate and low dose groups: Jisuikang (Chinese characters) was supplied with different dose (50 g/kg, 25 g/kg, 12.5 g/kg) by intragastric administration in rats after operation,for the first time at 30 min after surgery. Animals were killed 3, 7, 14 days after surgery. The expression levels of Nogo-A and NgR were observed by Western Blot and Real-time PCR.The expression of Nogo-A and NgR was at the basic level at all time points in sham group. Compared with model group, the protein expression levels of Nogo-A and NgR in sham, prednisolone, Jisuikang (Chinese characters) moderate dose groups were statistically significant at all time points (P0.05). No difference was found in Jisuikang (Chinese characters) high and low dose groups (P0.05). Three days after surgery, the mRNA levels of Nogo-A and NgR in treatment group were significantly lower than that in model group (P0.01); 7 days after surgery,Nogo-A and NgR mRNA expression were dramatically upregulated and peaked; 14 days after operation, the expression was decreased, but still significantly higher than that in other treatment groups (P0.01). Prednisolone and Jisuikang (Chinese characters) moderate dose groups showed the most significant effects among all groups,but there was no statistically significant difference between two groups (P0.05).The decoction Jisuikang (Chinese characters) can promote the nerve cell regeneration by regulating Nogo-A and NgR gene expression, activating Nogo- NgR signaling pathways after acute spinal cord injury.

Recently, we read the article by Enders et al. in Clinical and Vaccine Immunology with utmost interest ([1][1]). For that article, the authors evaluated the treponemal Elecsys syphilis assay by using 8,063 syphilis-positive samples to assess its sensitivity and 928 syphilis-negative samples to

A hydrochemical investigation was conducted in the Ejina Basin to identify the hydrochemical characteristics and the salinity of groundwater. The results indicate that groundwater in the area is brackish and are significantly zonation in salinity and water types from the recharge area to the discharge area. The ionic ration plot and saturation index (SI) calculation suggest that the silicate rock weathering and evaporation deposition are the dominant processes that determine the major ionic composition in the study area. Most of the stable isotope δ18O and δD compositions in the groundwater is a meteoric water feature, indicating that the groundwater mainly sources from meteoric water and most groundwater undergoes a long history of evaporation. Based on radioactive isotope tritium (3H) analysis, the groundwater ages were approximately estimated in different aquifers. The groundwater age ranges from less than 5 years, between 5 years and 50 years, and more than 50 years. Within 1 km of the river water influence zone, the groundwater recharges from recent Heihe river water and the groundwater age is about less than 5 years in shallow aquifer. From 1 km to 10 km of the river water influence zone, the groundwater sources from the mixture waters and the groundwater age is between 5 years and 50 years in shallow aquifer. The groundwater age is more than 50 years in deep confined aquifer.

We developed a new Boson chemiluminescence immunoassay (CIA) and evaluated its application with cross-sectional analyses. Our results indicated that the Boson CIA demonstrated strong discriminatory power in diagnosing syphilis and that it can be used as a first-line screening test for syphilis serodiagnosis using the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control algorithm or as a confirmatory test when combined with a patient's clinical history.

Summary Knowledge of rainfall partitioning into throughfall, stemflow and interception loss by xerophytic shrubs is useful for implementing and evaluating re-vegetation projects, and for hydrologic budget modeling over vast arid desert areas. However, information about rainfall partitioning by xerophytic shrubs and the controlling factors are still under-represented in the literature. This study examined whether morphological features play a significant role in rainfall partitioning, using two xerophytic shrubs that are widely used in re-vegetation in arid areas of China, and evaluated the effects of rainfall characteristics and meteorological variables on rainfall partitioning. Caragana korshinskii is a multiple-stemmed shrub with smooth stems and ovate leaves, while Artemisia ordosica is a highly branched dwarf-shrub with a rough stem and needled leaves. We hypothesized that rainfall partitioning significantly differs between the two shrubs with a higher stemflow production and lower interception loss for C . korshinskii than A . ordosica . Gross rainfall, throughfall and stemflow for the two shrubs were measured during 3 growing seasons between 2011 and 2013 within a re-vegetated desert ecosystem of northwestern China. On average, measured throughfall, stemflow and derived interception loss for C . korshinskii accounted for 74.31%, 8.99% and 16.70% of incident gross rainfall, respectively. Corresponding values for A . ordosica were 74.83%, 2.89% and 22.28%, respectively. Significant differences ( P C . korshinskii and A . ordosica . Rainfall partitioning (in mm) was significantly positively correlated with individual rainfall depth. Stemflow generally did not occur following rainfall events of less than 1.3 mm for C . korshinskii and 2.2 mm for A . ordosica . Small amounts of rainfall contributed to a lower percent of net rainfall and higher percent of interception loss. The percentages of stemflow and throughfall showed the increased tendency with increasing rainfall intensity, while a decreased tendency for the percentage of interception loss; and after a threshold value of ∼2 mm h −1 , they tended to be quasi-constant. Meteorological variables such as air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed had no significant correlations with rainfall partitioning. In general, monitoring of rainfall partitioning supported our hypothesis. Gross rainfall characteristics are considered to be sufficient in estimating stemflow and throughfall; while for a better prediction of interception loss, other meteorological variables are suggested to be included.

Undisturbed soil cores were incubated in laboratory at different temperatures (-10, 5, 15, 25, 35 and 40 degrees C) and moistures (29%, 58%, 85% and 170% of field water content, FWC) to analyze the effect of moss crusts, which were sampled from the natural vegetation area of Shapotou, on soil nitrogen transformation and their responses to hydrothermic factors. Results showed that immobilization was the dominant form of nitrogen transformation at the lower temperatures (15 degrees C), and when the temperature surpassed 25 degrees C, the nitrogen transformation rate significantly increased. The nitrogen transformation rate in the moss-covered soil was more sensitive to temperature variation than in the bare soil, and the highest temperature sensitivity was at 85% FWC. It indicated that the existence and succession of moss crusts facilitated nitrogen transformation. In addition, the nitrogen transformation rates of two microhabitats increased initially and then declined with the increasing moisture, and the maximum nitrogen transformation rate was observed at 85% FWC. Significant interactive effects were found between temperature and moisture in the moss-covered soil. While, the greater enhancement in nitrogen transformation rate appeared at higher temperatures (25-40 degrees C ) and moderate moisture levels (58% FWC and 85% FWC). It was concluded that the existence and succession of moss crusts would increase the ability of soil nitrogen supply, promote nitrogen cycling and even contribute to the restoration of soil ecosystem.

To detect the expression levels of the lethal-7 (let-7) and K-ras genes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and investigate their significance, the expression of let-7 and K-ras was determined in cancerous tissues and pericancerous normal tissues of 31 NSCLC patients using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Our results using 31 NSCLC patient samples showed that 67.74% had a low let-7 expression (P

Neurosyphilis (NS) caused by Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum) subspecies pallidum, can affect the central nervous system during any stage of the disease. To assess several laboratory parameters for NS diagnosis, we performed a case control study on 42 hospitalized NS patients negative for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and 40 syphilis/non-NS patients, excluding NS patients at Xiamen Zhongshan Hospital from June 2010 to June 2011. Multivariate logistic regression model showed that the cerebrospinal fluid white blood cell (CSF-WBC, P = 0.009) levels, the CSF-LDH (P = 0.006) levels, the albumin quotient (P = 0.009) and the IgA index (P = 0.042) were independently associated with high risk of NS. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that the optimal cut-offs were 10 × 106 cells/L for the CSF-WBC concentration, 19.3 U/L for the CSF lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentration, 7.08 for the albumin quotient, and 0.14 for the IgA index. Combining the CSF-WBC level, the CSF-LDH level, the albumin quotient and the IgA index increased the NS diagnosis sensitivity to 97.6%. T. pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) index significantly correlated with the CSF-WBC (r = 0.453, P = 0.000), the IgA index (r = 0.446, P = 0.000), the albumin quotient (r = 0.262, P = 0.017), and the CSF-LDH (r = − 0.278, P = 0.012), respectively. In addition, there were correlations between the CSF-WBC and the IgA index (r = 0.329, P = 0.003), and between the CSF-WBC and the albumin quotient (r = 0.306, P = 0.005). Our results indicated that simultaneous testing of CSF-WBC levels, albumin quotient, IgA index and CSF-LDH can help predict the likelihood of NS in HIV-negative patients.

Epidemiological study showed that the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors was associated with higher bone mineral density (BMD) in older people, especially male subjects, which suggested that angiotensin II may have a detrimental effect on bone. Therefore, blocking its effect may have a beneficial effect on bone health.Six-month-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) were used. Animals of each model were randomly assigned to the following four groups: Group 1, SHAM operated+vehicle; Group 2, orchidectomy (ORX)+vehicle; Group 3, ORX+low-dose losartan (10 mg×kg(-1)×d(-1)); and Group 4, ORX+high-dose losartan (25 mg×kg(-1)×d(-1)). Blood pressure was recorded weekly. SHAM and ORX operations were performed, followed by daily losartan and vehicle treatment from day 4 after operation for 16 weeks. Serum and 24-hour urine samples were collected for measurement of bone turnover markers before euthanasia and then the left femur was collected for measurements of BMD and microarchitecture before mechanical test.Urine deoxypyridinoline/urine creatinine (DPD/Cr) ratio was significantly higher in SHR than in WKY. BMD and microarchitecture parameters also showed bone deterioration in SHR. After ORX, serum osteocalcin concentration decreased and urine DPD/Cr ratio increased significantly accompanied by a significant decrease in cortical and trabecular BMD and cortical bone thickness in both WKY and SHR. High-dose losartan significantly increased DPD in urine in both SHR and WKY. Apart from marginal favorable changes in bone architecture in WKY treated with high-dose losartan, losartan did not show significant effect on BMD, bone area, bone microarchitecture, and mechanical properties in both SHR and WKY.Angiotensin II type I receptor blocker losartan was not able to demonstrate significant effect on ORX-induced bone deterioration in both hypertensive and normotensive rats.

By the method of field experiment combined with laboratory analysis, this paper studied the ecological significance of hygroscopic and condensate water on the biological soil crusts in the vegetation sand-fixing area in Shapotou region of China. In the study area, 90% of hygroscopic and condensate water was within the 3 cm soil depth, which didn' t affect the surface soil water content. The hygroscopic and condensate water generated at night involved in the exchange process of soil surface water and atmosphere water vapor, made up the loss of soil water due to the evaporation during the day, and made the surface soil water not reduced rapidly. The amount of the generated hygroscopic and condensate water had a positive correlation with the chlorophyll content of biological soil crusts, indicating that the hygroscopic and condensate water could improve the growth activity of the biological soil crusts, and thus, benefit the biomass accumulation of the crusts.

Objective:In this study, we set out to investigate the relationship between angiotensin-converting enzyme ( ACE) I/D polymorphism, serum ACE activity and bone mineral density (BMD) in older Chinese.Methods:A standardized, structured, face-to-face interview was performed to collect demographic information. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). I/D genotypes of ACE were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Serum ACE activity was determined photometrically by a commercially available kinetic kit. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between ACE I/D polymorphism, serum ACE activity and BMD.Results:A total of 1567 males and 1760 females were selected for analyzing the relationship between ACE I/D polymorphism and BMD. There was no significant difference in spine BMD, total hip BMD and femur neck BMD among different ACE I/D genotypes both in males and females. A total of 1699 males and 1739 females were selected for analyzing the relationship between serum ACE activity and BMD. There was also no significant difference in spine BMD, total hip BMD and femur neck BMD among different serum ACE activity groups both in males and females.Conclusion:There was no relationship between ACE I/D polymorphism, serum ACE activity and BMD in older Chinese.

To compare the differences of therapeutic effect in lower limb sensation disorder after lumbar disc herniation operation treated with plum-blossom needle along meridians and Methylcobalamin with oral administration, and explore the best time for plum-blossom needle intervention.Eighty cases of lower limb sensation disorder caused by nucleus pulposus discectomy of lumbar disc herniation were randomly divided into a plum-blossom needle group (40 cases) and a western medication group (40 cases). In plum-blossom needle group, tapping with plum-blossom needle along meridians was received, the meridians located at sensation areas which were dominated by relevant segmental nerve root in operation were selected: the lower limb section of the Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin was selected for operation at L3/L4; the lower limb section of the Gall Bladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang was selected for operation at L4 /L5; the lower limb section of the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang was selected for operation at L5/S1; once treatment was applied every 3 days, and 20 times treatments were applied totally. In western medication group, Methylcobalamin was orally taken for 500 microg, 3 times a day. The recovery of lower limb sensation disorder was evaluated and compared by the comprehensive evaluation method of sensory function of body nerve after 2 months in both groups.The total effective rate was 90.0% (36/40) in plum-blossom needle group, superior to that of 60.0% (24/40) in western medication group (P0.05). In plum-blossom needle group, the effect for the cases which received treatment within one month after operation was superior to that received treatment during 1-3 months after operation (P0.05); and there was no significant differences between the cases which received the treatment during 1-3 months after operation and more than 3 months after operation (P0.05).The therapeutic effect of lower limb sensation disorder after lumbar disc herniation operation treated with plum-blossom needle along meridians is superior to that of Methylcobalamin with oral administration; the plum-blossom needle intervention within one month after operation can receive the best effect.

Lead (Pb) has great toxicity to human beings and other livings. Although there are varied ways to rehabilitate the Pb contaminated area, phytoremediation of Pb pollution in arid lands is still a difficult task, it is therefore urgent to find and identify Pb tolerant plants in arid areas. The physiological responses and tolerance mechanisms to Pb stress (expressed as the Pb concentration, e.g., 0, 50, 150, 300, 600, 800, 1000 mg/L) were investigated for the xerophils Salsola passerina Bunge and Chenopodium album L. Results indicated that S. passerina exhibited higher Pb tolerance than Ch. album in terms of the seed germination rate, bio-activities of SOD and POD, and lower MDA production. There were two ways for S. passerina to reduce Pb toxicity in organism level, e.g., cell wall precipitation and state transfer of free Pb into anchorage. These findings demonstrate that S. passerina is a Pb tolerant species and may have potential application in phytoremediation of Pb contaminated arid lands.

Surface albedo greatly affects the radiation energy balance of croplands and is a significant factor in crop growth monitoring and yield estimation. Precise determination of surface albedo is thus important. This study aimed to examine the influence of growth stages (tillering, jointing, heading, filling and maturity) on albedo and its diurnal asymmetry by measuring diurnal albedo variations. Results indicated that the daily mean surface albedo generally exhibited an increased tendency during tillering to heading but decreased after heading. Surface albedos were much higher in the morning than the corresponding values of the same solar elevation angles in the afternoon when the solar elevation angle was less than 40°, indicating a diurnal asymmetry in surface albedo. However, less difference was found in surface albedos between forenoon and afternoon when the solar elevation angle was greater than 40°. Dew droplets on the leaf surface in the morning were assumed to be the main factor resulting in the diurnal asymmetry in albedo of spring wheat.

We study the asymptotic behavior of the quasi-normal modes (QNMs) of w-mode pulsations of compact stars in the high-frequency regime. We observe that both the axial and polar w-mode QNMs attain similar asymptotic behaviors in spite of the fact that they are described by two totally different differential equation systems. We obtain robust asymptotic formulae relating w-mode QNMs of different polarities and different angular momenta. To explore the physical reason underlying such similarity, we first derive a high-frequency approximation for the polar w-mode oscillations to unify the descriptions for both cases. Then, we develop WKB-type analyses for them and quantitatively explain the observed asymptotic behaviors for polytropic stars and quark stars. We also point out that such asymptotic behaviors for realistic stars are strongly dependent on the equation of state near the stellar surface., Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures

To determine the gene mutation spectrum of patients with 6-pyruvoyltetrahydrobiopterin synthesis deficiency (PTPSD) in Mainland China.The 6-pyruvoyltetrahydrobiopterin synthesis gene lz(PTS)lz was analyzed in 55 PTPSD patients by using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and direct DNA sequencing. The relationship between the genotype and phenotype was analyzed.Eighteen mutations were identified and the detection rate of gene mutation was 95.28%. Four hot-spot mutations, namely P87S (40.57%), N52S(13.21%), D96N(12.26%) and IVS1nt-291A to G(10.38%) were found in this study, and the first three were associated with severe phenotype. The P87L was reported firstly in Chinese patients, and the Q13X, M80T, IVS4nt-2A to G, L93M and K131N were novel mutations.The P87S, N52S, D96N and IVS1nt-291A to G mutations are the hot-spots mutations of the PTS gene in Chinese PTPSD patients. Using PCR-RFLP technique to screen the mutations in the PTS gene can increase the efficiency of gene diagnosis.

Purpose To investigate the relationship between vertebral blood perfusion and vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) in a rat orchiectomy (ORX) model. Materials and Methods Nine 6-month-old male Wistar-Kyoto rats were used. Computed tomography (CT) bone densitometry and dynamic MRI were performed at baseline and four weeks post-ORX. MRI was performed on a 1.5T clinical MR scanner with a small surface coil placed under the rat lumbar spine region. A sagittal midsection of the lumbar spine was prescribed. Dynamic MRI was performed after a bolus injection of gadolinium-tetraazacyclododecane tetraacetic acid (Gd-DOTA) (0.3 mmol/kg) administered through a tail vein cannula. At a temporal resolution of 0.6 seconds, 800 images were acquired. Regions-of-interest were drawn comprising the medullary component of lumbar vertebrae L3–L6. Maximum enhancement was analyzed. Results Satisfactory CT and MRI data for analysis was obtained in all animals. Vertebral BMD decreased by 16.6% at four weeks post-ORX (1.134 ± 0.035 vs. 0.946 ± 0.027 g/cm3, P = 0.008). MRI maximum enhancement decreased by 17% at four weeks post-ORX (151.5 ± 12.0% vs. 125.8 ± 9.9%, P = 0.015). Conclusion Vertebral blood perfusion reduction is associated with vertebral BMD reduction in a male rat osteoporosis model. Perfusion MRI provides a new investigative technique for osteoporosis experimental research. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2008;28:1515–1518. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

To observe the effect of intra-articular injection of SB203580, a selective p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor, on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3, MMP-13 in a rat model of osteoarthritis (OA) and to explore the relationship between the MMP-3/MMP-13 expressions and the severity of OA.Fourty SD rats underwent unilateral anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) and then randomly divided into four groups, with 10 rats in each group. Group A received 0.1 ml intra-articular injection of SB203580 at a high concentration of 100 micromol/L (once a week) immediately after surgery, and group B were treated under the same condition using SB203580 with a low concentration of 10 micromol/ L Group C received 0.1 ml intra-articular normal saline, and group D were not injected as controls after ACLT. All rats were sacrificed seven weeks after the surgery. Macroscopic and immunohistochemical studies were performed on the cartilage. Protein expressions of MMP-3 and MMP-13 were determined by Western blot. RESULTS Cartilage degradation was significantly milder in group A and group B than in the control groups, as shown by morphological studies (P0. 05) and immunohistochemical studies (P0. 05). The protein expressions of MMP-3 and MMP-13 in cartilage were significantly lower in groups A and B than in groups C and D (P0.01).SB203580 can inhibit the expressions of MMP-3 and MMP-13 and thus protect the cartilage.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is now a standard treatment for serious osteoarthritis all over the world. Although it is a standard treatment, it has many complications, among which deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the exclusive blood vessel complication that has been reported. However, we found a new blood vessel complication of TKA in this study, which is spontaneous arteriorrhexis in the affected lower limb.

In this paper, we propose a new form of nanostructures with Al film deposited on a patterned dielectric material for generating structural color, which is induced by local surface plasmonic resonant (LSPR) absorption in sub-wavelength-indented hole/ring arrays. Unlike other reported results obtained by using focus ion beam (FIB) to create metallic nanostructures, the nano-sized hole/ring arrays in Al film in this work are replicated by high resolution electron beam lithography (EBL) combined with self-aligned metallization. Clear structural color is observed and systematically studied by numerical simulations as well as optical characterizations. The central color is strongly related to the geometric size, which provides us with good opportunities to dye the colorless Al surface by controlling the hole/ring dimensions (both diameter and radius), and to open up broad applications in display, jewelry decoration, green production of packing papers, security code, and counterfeits prevention.

A novel assay for the voltammetric detection of 18-bases DNA sequences relating to Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML, Type b3a2) using methylene blue (MB) as the hybridization indicator was reported. DNA was covalently attached onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) through amines of the DNA bases using N -hydroxysulfosuccinimide (NHS) and N -(3-dimethylamion)propyl- N ′-ethyl carbodiimidehydrochloride (EDC). The covalently immobilized single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) could selectively hybridize with its complementary DNA (cDNA) in solution to form double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) on the surface. A significant increase of the peak current for methylene blue upon the hybridization of immobilized ssDNA with cDNA in the solution was observed. This peak current change was used to monitor the recognition of CML DNA sequence. This electrochemical approach is sequence specific as indicated by the control experiments in which no peak current change was observed if a non-complementary DNA sequence was used. Factors, such as DNA target concentration and hybridization conditions determining the sensitivity of the electrochemical assay were investigated. Under optimal conditions, this sensor has a good calibration range between 1.25 × 10 −7 and 6.75 × 10 −7 M, with CML DNA sequence detection limit of 5.9 × 10 −8 M.