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It was established that green pigment(s) responsible for garlic greening is composed of yellow and blue species, and pyruvic acid (a product from 1-PeCSO or 2-PeCSO under the action of alliinase) reacted with pigment precursor (PP) model compounds, 2-(1 H -pyrrolyl) carboxylic acids to produce yellow pigments. However, the structure of the yellow pigments is unknown. In present paper, we identified three yellow pigments (Y1, Y2 and Y3) from three reaction systems containing pyruvic acid and 2-(1 H -pyrrolyl) acetic acid (P-Gly) or 1-(2′-methyl-1′-carboxy-propyl) pyrrole (P-Val) or 1-(2′-methyl-1′-carboxy-butyl) pyrrole (P-Ile), respectively, by LC-ESI MS/MS and IT-TOF mass spectrometry. The three pigments have a UV/visible maximum absorbance between 400 and 434 nm and might be formed by dimerisation of the three corresponding PP under participation of pyruvic acid, molecular formula of which are C 16 H 16 N 2 O 4 (Y1), C 22 H 28 N 2 O 4 (Y2) and C 24 H 32 N 2 O 4 (Y3), respectively.

A rapid, sensitive, and specific liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric (HPLC-MS/MS) method has been developed for quantification of ferulic acid in rat plasma. The analyte and docetaxel (internal standard) were extracted from plasma samples with diethyl ether and analyzed on a C18 column. The chromatographic separation was achieved within 3.5 min by using acetonitrile-water as the mobile phase and the flow rate was 0.2 mL · min−1. The method was linear within the range of 0.5 − 800 ng · mL−1. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.5 ng · mL−1. Finally, the method is successfully applied for the pharmacokinetic study of ferulic acid in rats following intravenous administration.

A rapid, sensitive and convenient ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of armillarisin A in rat plasma. Following hydrophilic–lipophilic balance solid-phase extraction, armillarisin A and propylparaben (internal standard) were separated using a gradient elution program on a C18 column and detected by mass spectrometry in the negative ion mode with the multiple reaction monitoring mode. The total chromatographic running time was short (1.8 min). The method was linear over the concentration range of 0.5–250.00 ng mL−1 for armillarisin A. The lower limit of quantification of armillarisin A was 0.5 ng mL−1, using as little as 100 μL plasma. The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations were less than 15% and the relative errors were all within 10%. The extraction recovery for armillarisin A was approximately 100%, and no absolute matrix effect was observed. Finally, the method was successfully applied to a preclinical pharmacokinetic study of armillarisin A in four rats following an intravenous administration.

The genus Sorghum contains some important grain crops and economically important forage grasses as well as agricultural weeds. The goals of this study were to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships between Sorghum species and ascertain the taxonomy status of the quarantine weeds which provide bases for effective utilization of its germ resources on molecular breeding and improvement of crop qualities and thus provide important guidance for port detection. In the present study, total DNA from the seeds of 8 Sorghum species (four S. almum, two S. halepense, one S. silk and one S. sudanense)were extracted, and the partial Adh1 gene of about 2,000 bp in length were amplified by PCR using specific primers designed from conserved regions of Adh1 gene reported in the GenBank (AF050456) and sequenced. Based on these sequences and other 24 Adh1 sequences registered in the GenBank, the phylogenetic trees constructed by multiple methods (MP, ML, and NJ) with the corresponding Adh1 sequence of Cleistachne sorghoides as the outgroup shared almost the same topology. The results showed that: (1) there were obviously three lineages for the genus Sorghum. One included two subgenera Chaetosorghum and Heterosorghum, and another included subgenus Eusorghum, both of which consisted of 2n=20 and 2n=40 species with small chromosomes. Still another lineage contained the two subgenera Parasorghum and Stiposorghum with 2n=10 species and their polyploid relatives with relatively large chromosomes; (2) geographical divergence clearly existed in the S. almum; (3) S. purpureosericeum, S. versicolor, S. nitidum and S. leiocladum of subgenus Parasorghum clustered together, but S. matarankense, S. grande, and S. timorense of the same subgenus clustered with the species of subgenus Stiposorghum, showing closer relationship with subgenus Stiposorghum; (4) S. macrospermum was more closely related to S. laxiflorum than the other species of the genus Sorghum.

A rapid, sensitive and specific ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of clopidogrel in dog plasma. Plasma samples were deproteinized with acetonitrile and separated on a Waters BEH C18 column (1.7 μm, 50 mm × 2.1 mm id.) with isocratic elution at a flow-rate of 0.2 mL min−1 and mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water (containing 0.15% formic acid) (75:25, v/v). The single run analysis was as shorter as 2 min. Electrospray ionization in positive ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring were used for the quantification of clopidogrel with monitored transitions m/z 322 → 212 for clopidogrel and m/z 324 → 217 for internal standard (gliclazide). The intra- and inter-day precisions (RSD%) were less than 6.32 and 7.03%, and accuracy (RE%) between −9.12 and 9.65% (n = 6). The extraction recovery of clopidogrel was 96.7%. The developed method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of clopidogrel tablets in dogs following oral administration at a single dose of 75 mg.

The mechanism of addition reaction between carbene and epoxyethane has been investigated employing the MP2 and B3LYP/6-311+G* levels of theory. Geometry optimization, vibrational analysis, and energy property for the involved stationary points on the potential energy surface have been calculated. Based on the calculated results at the MP2/6-311+G* level of theory, it can be predicted that there are two reaction mechanisms (1) and (2). In the first reaction carbene attacks the atom O of epoxyethane to form an intermediate 1a (IM1a), which is a barrier-free exothermic reaction. Then, IM1a can isomerize to IM1b via a transition state 1a (TS1a), where the potential barrier is 48.6 kJ/mol. Subsequently, IM1b isomerizes to a product epoxypropane (Pro1) via TS1b with a potential barrier of 14.2 kJ/mol. In the second carbene attacks the atom C of epoxyethane firstly to form IM2 via TS2a. Then IM2 isomerizes to a product allyl alcohol (Pro2) via TS2b with a potential barrier of 101.6 kJ/mol. Correspondingly, the reaction energies for the reactions (1) and (2) are −448.4 and −501.6 kJ/mol, respectively. Additionally, the orbital interactions are also discussed for the leading intermediate. The results based on the B3LYP/6-311+G* level of theory are paralleled to those on the MP2/6-311+G* level of theory. Furthermore, the halogen and methyl substituent effects of H2C: on the two reaction mechanisms have been investigated. The calculated results indicate that the introductions of halogen or methyl make the addition reaction difficult to proceed.

Aluminium anodization behavior in ammonium sebacate solution (w = 4%) in ethylene glycol, and in several H3PO4-containing electrolytes, has been investigated. A new mechanism is proposed for the formation of porous anodic films. The model emphasizes the close relationship between pore generation and oxygen evolution. PO4 3− ions incorporated in the anodic films behave as the primary source of avalanche electrons. It is the avalanche electronic current through the barrier film that causes oxygen evolution during anodization. When growth of anodic oxide and oxygen evolution occur simultaneously at the aluminium anode, cavities or pores are formed in the resulting films. Accordingly, the mechanisms of growth of barrier and porous films are not very different in nature. These findings are a decisive new step towards full understanding of the nature of anodic alumina films.

Borrelia burgdorferi invasion of mammalian joints results in genesis of Lyme arthritis. Other than spirochete lipids, existence of protein antigens, which are abundant in joints and participate in B. burgdorferi-induced host inflammatory response, is unknown. Here, we report that major products of the B. burgdorferi basic membrane protein (bmp) A/B operon that are induced in murine and human joints, possess inflammatory properties. Compared to the wild type B. burgdorferi, an isogenic bmpA/B mutant induced significantly lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-1beta in cultured human synovial cells, which could be restored using bmpA/B-complemented mutants, and more directly, upon addition of recombinant BmpA, but not BmpB or control spirochete proteins. Non-lipidated and lipidated versions of BmpA induced similar levels of cytokines, and remained unaffected by treatment with lipopolysaccharide inhibitor, polymyxin B. The bmpA/B mutant was also impaired in the induction of NF-kappaB and p38 MAP kinase signaling pathways in synovial cells, which were activated by non-lipidated BmpA. These results show that a protein moiety of BmpA can induce cytokine responses in synovial cells via activation of the NF-kappaB and p38 MAP kinase pathways and thus, could potentially contribute to the genesis of Lyme arthritis.

Ionic liquids (ILs) based on imidazolium/pyrrolidinium cations and maleate/phthalate anions can be used as excellent electrolyte materials for electrolytic capacitors. In this study, we synthesized four ILs of this family and investigated their thermal behaviors, ionic conductivities and sparking voltages. The four ILs have high thermal stability for capacitor requirements. The conductivities of imidazolium ILs are slightly higher than those of pyrrolidinium analogs and the conductivities of maleate anion-based ILs are higher than those of corresponding phthalate anion-based ILs. Besides, the long-term thermal stability of imidazolium ILs in conductivity is superior to that of pyrrolidinium analogs. Whereas the long-term thermal stability of phthalate anion-based ILs is better than that of corresponding maleate anion-based ILs. The influence of cationic structure of the ILs on conductivity was analyzed. The temperature dependence of conductivity was also discussed in this work. The Vogel–Tammann–Fulcher (VTF) equation accurately describes the temperature dependence of conductivity for the ILs. In addition, the result of sparking voltage measurement shows that neither Ikonopisov nor Albella model is valid for the ILs.

The mechanism of the cycloaddition reaction between singlet silylene carbene and formaldehyde has been investigated with MP2/6-31G∗ method, including geometry optimization and vibrational analysis for the involved stationary points on the potential energy surface. The energies of the different conformations are calculated by CCSD(T)//MP2/6-31G∗ method. From the potential energy profile, it can be predicted that the two competitive dominant reaction pathways of the cycloadditional reaction between singlet silylene carbene and formaldehyde are reaction 4 and reaction 5. Reaction 4 consists of three steps: the two reactants (R1, R2) firstly form a twist four- membered ring intermediate INT4 through a barrier-free exothermic reaction, this intermediate INT4 then isomerizes to a four-membered ring compound P4 via a transition state TS4. subsequently, the compound P4 isomerizes to product P4.2 via a transition state TS4.2, which results from the hydrogen transfer. The process of reaction 5 is as following: on the basis of P4 formed from the reaction 4 between R1 and R2, P4 further reacts with formaldehyde (R2) to form the intermediate INT5 through a barrier-free exothermic reaction, then INT5 isomerizes to a silicic bis-heterocyclic compound P5 via a transition state TS5.

We discovered a unique formation of serrated nanopore in porous anodic alumina (PAA). A new growth model is proposed for the formation mechanism of PAA. The model emphasizes the close relationship between pore generation and oxygen evolution. The initial pore formation is ascribed to oxygen bubble mould effect. Our model provides a satisfactory explanation for the growth process of PAA, alleviating the difficulties encountered in existing theories. These findings represent a decisive new step towards the full understanding of the nature of PAA films. The serrated nanopore arrays in PAA could also be used in a wide range of future nanostructure fabrications.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, persists in both an arthropod vector and vertebrate hosts, usually wild rodents. Analysis of the B. burgdorferi transcriptome in vivo indicates that the bb0365 gene is markedly induced as spirochetes enter the feeding ticks from infected mice. To understand the importance of the bb0365 gene product in the spirochete life cycle, we inactivated this gene in an infectious isolate of B. burgdorferi B31. BB0365-deficient spirochetes were fully pathogenic in mice and survived in diverse murine tissues. When naive ticks engorged on spirochete-infected mice, the B. burgdorferi bb0365 mutant entered ticks but had a markedly decreased survival rate compared with wild type B. burgdorferi. BB0365 therefore is not necessary for B. burgdorferi persistence in the vertebrate host but is required for survival of the Lyme disease agent within the feeding arthropod vector, and strategies for interfering with this gene may potentially interrupt the B. burgdorferi life cycle.

Lyme arthritis results from colonization of joints by Borrelia burgdorferi and the ensuing host response. Using gene array–based differential analysis of B. burgdorferi gene expression and quantitative reverse trancription-polymerase chain reaction, we identified two paralogous spirochete genes, bmpA and bmpB, that are preferentially up-regulated in mouse joints compared with other organs. Transfer of affinity-purified antibodies against either BmpA or BmpB into B. burgdorferi–infected mice selectively reduced spirochete numbers and inflammation in the joints. B. burgdorferi lacking bmpA/B were therefore generated to further explore the role of these proteins in the pathogenesis of Lyme disease. B. burgdorferi lacking bmpA/B were infectious in mice, but unable to persist in the joints, and they failed to induce severe arthritis. Complementation of the mutant spirochetes with a wild-type copy of the bmpA and bmpB genes partially restored the original phenotype. These data delineate a role for differentially produced B. burgdorferi antigens in spirochete colonization of mouse joints, and suggest new strategies for the treatment of Lyme arthritis.

The formations of the phosphinidene derivative HPNaF and its insertion reactions with R–H (R=F, OH, NH2, CH3) have been systematically investigated employing the density functional theory (DFT), such as the B3LYP and MPW1PW91 methods. A comparison with the results of MP2 calculations shows that MPW1PW91 underestimates the barrier heights for the four reactions considered. Similarly, the same is also true for the B3LYP method depending on the selected reactions, but by much less than MPW1PW91, where the barrier heights of the four reactions are 25.2, 85.7, 119.0, and 142.4 kJ/mol at the B3LYP/6-311+G* level of theory, respectively. All the mechanisms of the four reactions are identical to each other, i.e., an intermediate has been located during the insertion reaction. Then, the intermediate could dissociate to substituted phosphinidane(H2RP) and NaF with a barrier corresponding to their respective dissociation energies. Correspondingly, the reaction energies for the four reactions are −92.2, −68.1, −57.2, and −44.3 kJ/mol at the B3LYP/6-311+G* level of theory, respectively, where both the B3LYP and MPW1PW91 methods underestimate the reaction energies compared with the MP2 results. The linear correlations between the calculated barrier heights and the reaction energies have also been observed. As a result, the relative reactivity among the four insertion reactions should be as follows: H–F > H–OH > H–NH2 > H–CH3.

Increased evidence indicates that chemokines are involved in tumor growth. ITAC, a key member of chemokines, possesses the ability to recruit T cells and enhance immune responses. Therefore, ITAC might contribute to antitumor immunity. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between the expression of ITAC and human breast cancer advancement. We further investigated whether forced expression of ITAC in tumor sites could mediate enhanced antitumor immunity in a murine breast cancer model. Results showed that ITAC expression level was down-regulated in 31 breast cancer specimens compared to normal mammary tissues, and associated negatively with the stages of breast cancer. Contrarily, forced expression of ITAC in murine 4T1 tumor cells resulted in tumor regression after initial growth upon injection into naïve Balb/c mice. More lymphocytes were recruited to the site of tumor inoculated by 4T1-ITAC and more than 80% of these T cells expressed the ITAC receptor, CXCR3. ITAC-recruited TILs exhibited 4T1-specific proliferation and cytotoxicity, and an increased IFN-gamma but decreased IL-4 production. Importantly, forced expression of ITAC in 4T1 tumor nodules inhibited tumor growth. These findings demonstrated that the decreased expression of ITAC is associated with the advancement of breast cancer in patients. Forced expression of ITAC in tumor site not only induces increased T cell-recruitment and elicits a specific antitumor immunity, but also mediates regression of established 4T1 tumors, indicating the potential application of ITAC-expressing tumor cells in cancer immunotherapy and vaccine designing.

The diversity of mycorrhizal fungi isolated from Vaccinium uliginosum L in the northern region of Daxing' anling mountains was examined for the first time.Morphology and ITS sequence analysis were used to identify the fungal communities.Six groups of fungi were isolated from Vaccinium uliginosum root samples: one belongs to Hymenoscyphus; one to Phialocephala; one to Lachnum; one to Cadophora; one to Marasmius and one to Mycena. Among them, 87. 10% belong to ascomycetes and 12.90% belong to Basidiomycotina.The diversity of fungi associated with Vaccinium uliginosum is abundant and the fungi are from heterogenous group.

Borrelia burgdorferi surface-located membrane protein 1, also known as Lmp1, has been shown to play critical roles in pathogen evasion of host-acquired immune defences, thereby facilitating persistent infection. Lmp1 possesses three regions representing potentially discrete domains: Lmp1N, Lmp1M and Lmp1C. Because of its insignificant homology to known proteins, how Lmp1 or its specific regions contribute to microbial biology and infection remains enigmatic. Here, we show that distinct from Lmp1N and Lmp1C, Lmp1M is composed of at least 70% alpha helices and completely lacks recognizable beta sheets. The region binds to host glycosaminoglycan chondroitin-6-sulfate molecules and facilitates mammalian cell attachment, suggesting an adhesin function of Lmp1M. Phenotypic analysis of the Lmp1-deficient mutant engineered to produce Lmp1M on the microbial surface suggests that Lmp1M can independently support B. burgdorferi infectivity in murine hosts. Further exploration of functions of Lmp1 distinct regions will shed new light on the intriguing biology and infectivity of spirochetes and help develop novel interventions to combat Lyme disease.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether fimasartan, a novel angiotensin II receptor blocker, modulates hemolysate-induced inflammation in astrocytes. We stimulated astrocytes with hemolysate to induce hemorrhagic inflammation in vitro. Astrocytes were pretreated with fimasartan and then incubated with hemolysate at different durations. Anti-inflammatory cell signaling molecules including Akt, extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), NFκB and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were assessed by western blotting. Pro-inflammatory mediators were evaluated by real-time RT-PCR and ELISA. The stimulation by hemolysate generated a robust activation of inflammatory signaling pathways in astrocytes. Hemolysate increased the phosphorylation of Akt at 1 h, and ERK1/2 at 20 min compared with the control group and promoted the degradation of IκBα. Pretreated fimasartan significantly decreased hemolysate-induced phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2. In addition, fimasartan also suppressed NFκB-related inflammatory pathways induced by hemolysate, including reduction of the gene expression of NFκB, and decreased nuclear translocation of NFκB and degradation of IκB. This reduction of inflammatory upstream pathways decreased the expression of inflammatory end-products: COX-2 and interleukin-1 (IL-1β). Furthermore, the expression of COX-2 was attenuated by both Akt inhibitor (LY294002) and ERK inhibitor (U0126), and IκBα degradation was suppressed by LY294002. These results demonstrate that pretreatment with fimasartan to astrocytes suppresses the inflammatory responses induced by hemolysate. Akt, ERK and NFκB were associated with hemolysate-induced COX-2 and IL-1β expression. Based on these mechanisms, fimasartan could be a candidate anti-inflammatory regulator for the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has been considered to be one of the most promising candidates in research on treatments for cancer, because it induces apoptosis in a wide variety of cancer cells but not in most normal human cell types. However, many cells including glioblastoma (GBM) cells are resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis, which limits the potential application of TRAIL in cancer therapy. Icaritin, a hydrolytic product of icariin from Epimedium Genus, has been identified as a potential therapeutic and preventive agent in renal cell carcinoma and breast cancer. In this study, we investigated whether Icaritin treatment could modulate TRAIL-induced apoptosis in GBM. The effect of icaritin on TRAIL sensitivity was assessed in human GBM U87 and U373 cells. The underlying regulatory cascades were approached by biochemical and pharmacological strategies. We found that nontoxic concentration of icaritin alone had no significant effect on the level of apoptosis, but a combination treatment of TRAIL and icaritin caused a significantly more profound apoptosis. The sensitization was accompanied by c-FLIP down-regulation and inhibition of NF-κB activity. Studies have further demonstrated that silencing NF-κB alone was sufficient to down-regulate c-FLIP expression and sensitized both tested cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. These data suggest that icaritin sensitizes TRAIL-induced tumor cell apoptosis via suppression of NF-κB-dependent c-FLIP expression, providing in vitro evidence supporting the notion that icaritin is a potential sensitizer of TRAIL in anticancer therapy against human GBM.

Fimasartan is a newly developed angiotensin receptor blocker, which may have protective effects during myocardial infarction or atherosclerosis. In this context, we investigated the effects of long-term treatment with low-dose fimasartan on focal ischemia in rat brain. We induced focal ischemia in brain by transient intraluminal occlusion of middle cerebral artery (MCA) and administered low-dose (0.5 mg/kg) or regular doses (1 or 3 mg/kg) of fimasartan via intravenous routes. After the administration of low-dose (0.5 mg/kg) fimasartan, blood pressure did not decrease compared to the phosphate-buffered saline- (PBS-) control with MCA occlusion (MCAO) group. The infarct volume and ischemic cell death were reduced in the low-dose fimasartan-treated group (46 ± 41 mm3for 0.5 mg/kg and 153 ± 47 mm3for PBS-control with MCAO;P<0.01) but not in the regular-dose groups. Low-dose fimasartan treatment improved functional recovery after ischemia and significantly decreased mortality. In our study, fimasartan reduced the degradation of IκB and the formation of an inflammatory end-product, COX-2. As a result, the recruitment of inflammatory cells in the peri-infarct area decreased in fimasartan-treated group. We have demonstrated that long-term, low-dose fimasartan treatment improved outcomes after focal ischemia in the brain via a reduction of inflammation.

The geometries and insertion reactions of germylene derivative H2GeLiCl with R-H (R = F, OH, NH2) have been investigated at the B3LYP/6-311+G* level of theory. The potential barriers of the three reactions are 93.5, 151.3, and 194.1 kJ/mol, including the zero-point vibration energy corrections, respectively. The mechanisms of all the three reactions are identical, i.e., an intermediate has been located during the insertion reaction. The intermediate could dissociate to substituted germylene and LiCl as a barrier process. Correspondingly, the reaction free energies for the three reactions are −7.4, 49.9, and 64.4 kJ/mol, respectively.

The geometries and insertion reactions of germylene H 2 GeLiF with R–H (R=F, OH, NH 2 ) have been investigated at the B3LYP/6-311+G level of theory. The potential barriers of the three reactions are 95.18, 156.91, and 211.41 kJ/mol, respectively. Here, all the mechanisms of the three reactions are identical to each other, i.e. an intermediate has been located during the insertion reaction. The intermediate could dissociate to substituted germylane and LiF with a barrierless process. Correspondingly, the reaction free energies for the three reactions are −75.71, −34.27, and −8.48 kJ/mol, respectively. Compared with the reactions in the unsubstituted cases, the reaction activities of those insertion reactions of GeH 2 should be increased upon complexation of LiF.

The geometries and insertion reactions of germylene H2GeNaF with RH (RF, OH, NH2, CH3) have been investigated at the B3LYP/6-311+G level of theory. The potential barriers of the four reactions are ∼52, 120, 184, and 257 kJ/mol, including the ZPVE corrections, respectively. Here, all the mechanisms of the four reactions are identical to each other; i.e., an intermediate has been located during the insertion reaction. The intermediate could dissociate into substituted germylane and NaF with the barrier corresponding to the dissociation energy. Correspondingly, the reaction energies for the four reactions are −43, −4, 21, and 51 kJ/mol, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006

To investigate on the incidence of gynecological laparoscopic operation complications within ten years.From January 2003 to December 2012, clinical data and the complications of 4 897 cases undergoing gynecological laparoscopic operation in First Hospital of Peking University were studied retrospectively. Those surgeries included 876 cases with hysterectomy, 662 cases with myoectomy, 3 266 cases with adnexa surgery, 93 cases of diagnostic laparoscopy operation.The complications occurred in 29 cases, the incidence rate was 0.59% ( 29/4 897). The Incidence rate in Hysterectomy group was 1.83% (16/876), which was significantly higher than 0.60% (4/662) in myoectomy group and 0.28% (9/3 266) in adnexa surgery group. Twenty nine cases of complications were 14 cases with organ injures (48%, 14/29), 5 cases with hemorrhage complications (17%, 5/29), 8 cases with infectious complications (28%, 8/29), 2 cases with incisional hernia (7%, 2/29).The major complication of gynecological laparoscopic operation complication was organs injuries, which was associated with difficulty and scope of the operation.

With an increase in number of waste nickel-metal hydride batteries, and because of the importance of rare earth elements, the recycling of rare earth elements is becoming increasingly important. In this paper, we investigate the effects of temperature, hydrochloric acid concentration, and leaching time to optimize leaching conditions and determine leach kinetics. The results indicate that an increase in temperature, hydrochloric acid concentration, and leaching time enhance the leaching rate of rare earth elements. A maximum rare earth elements recovery of 95.16% was achieved at optimal leaching conditions of 70°C, solid/liquid ratio of 1:10, 20% hydrochloric acid concentration, -74μm particle size, and 100min leaching time. The experimental data were best fitted by a chemical reaction-controlled model. The activation energy was 43.98kJ/mol and the reaction order for hydrochloric acid concentration was 0.64. The kinetic equation for the leaching process was found to be: 1-(1-x)(1/3)=A/ρr0[HCl](0.64)exp-439,8008.314Tt. After leaching and filtration, by adding saturated oxalic solution to the filtrate, rare earth element oxalates were obtained. After removing impurities by adding ammonia, filtering, washing with dilute hydrochloric acid, and calcining at 810°C, a final product of 99% pure rare earth oxides was obtained.

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), one of the most important risk factors of atherosclerosis, is a highly antigenic, potent chemoattractant that facilitates the development of atherosclerosis. Gap junctions also play an important in the development of atherosclerosis. In this study, we investigated the effects of ox-LDL on connexin43 and the mechanisms of connexin43 siRNA-inhibited apoptosis induced by ox-LDL in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC), to clarify the role of connexin43 in atherosclerosis. Our results showed that ox-LDL significantly inhibited the growth and promoted apoptosis of HUVEC in a dose-dependent manner. Also, ox-LDL upregulated the expression of connexin43. Furthermore, knockdown connexin43 by siRNA promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in ox-LDL-stimulated HUVEC. Moreover, the level of phosphor-ERK1/2 and connexin43 was remarkably attenuated by a ERK pathway inhibitor (PD98059). These results suggest that connexin43 siRNA promotes HUVEC proliferation and inhibits apoptosis induced by ox-LDL, and ERK signaling pathway appears to be involved in these processes.

A new formation mechanism of porous anodic alumina (PAA) is proposed, which emphasizes the close relationship between pore generation and oxygen evolution during aluminum anodization. Two special experiments were designed to confirm the formation mechanism: (1) to introduce a reducing agent in anodization for oxygen suppression, and (2) to perform anodization under a reduced pressure for easy oxygen release. The results showed that both reducing agent and atmospheric pressure had a great effect on the morphology of the resultant film. This can be expected on the basis of our hypothesis about the formation mechanism of PAA, but cannot be easily explained by the existing theories.

We report 2 cases of familial multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 syndrome (MEN 1) in related Malaysian Chinese individuals: the son had simultaneous primary lesions in the pancreatic tail, parathyroid, adrenal gland, and hypophysis, with metastatic tumors in the left lung, mediastinum and spine; his mother had simultaneous primary lesions in the pancreatic head, parathyroid, and hypophysis, with metastatic tumors in the liver, spine, ilium, chest wall, and rib. Genetic testing of the 2 patients showed the same mutation in exon 9 of MEN1 (c.1288G>T, Glu430, encoding a stop codon). The tumors with the poorest prognosis and clinical sequelae were in the pancreas of both patients, and these were treated by percutaneous cryoablation. The number of hypoglycemic episodes in the son improved for more than 120 days, and the abdominal space occupying lesion resolved in his mother.

La7, an immunogenic outer membrane lipoprotein of Borrelia burgdorferi , produced during infection, has been shown to play a redundant role in mammalian infectivity. Here we show that La7 facilitates pathogen survival in all tested phases of the vector-specific spirochete life cycle, including tick-to-host transmission. Unlike wild type or la7 -complemented isolates, isogenic La7-deficient spirochetes are severely impaired in their ability to persist within feeding ticks during acquisition from mice, in quiescent ticks during larval-nymphal inter-molt, and in subsequent pathogen transmission from ticks to naive hosts. Analysis of gene expression during the major stages of the tick-rodent infection cycle showed increased expression of la7 in the vector and a swift downregulation in the mammalian hosts. Co-immunoprecipitation studies coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis further suggested that La7, a highly conserved and abundant inner membrane protein, is involved in protein–protein interaction with a discrete set of borrelial ligands although biological significance of such interactions remains unclear. Further characterization of vector-induced membrane antigens like La7 and its interacting partners will likely aid in our understanding of the molecular details of B. burgdorferi persistence and transmission through a complex enzootic cycle.

The interaction of paclitaxel with human serum albumin (HSA) was studied using fluorescence, resonance light scattering, ultraviolet-visible, circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy at pH 7.4. Fluorescence data revealed that the fluorescence quenching of HSA by paclitaxel was a static quenching procedure. Time-resolved fluorescence data also confirmed the quenching mode, which present a constant decay time of about 5 ns. The binding sites were approximately 1 and the binding constant suggested a weak association (324/M at 298 K), which is helpful for the release of the drug to targeted organs. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔG(○), ΔH° and ΔS° were calculated as - 1.06 × 10(4) J/mol, 361 J/mol per K and 9.7 × 10(4) J/mol respectively at 298 K, suggesting that binding was spontaneous and was driven mainly by hydrophobic interactions. The binding distance between HSA and paclitaxel was determined to be 2.23 nm based on the Förster theory. Analysis of circular dichroism, ultraviolet-visible, three-dimensional fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared and resonance light scattering spectra demonstrated that HSA conformation was slightly altered in the presence of paclitaxel and dimension of the individual HSA molecules were larger after interacting with paclitaxel. These results were confirmed by a molecular docking study.

The synthesis of isobutyl propionate from prop ionic acid and isobutyl alcohol with rare earth solid super acid SO42-/TiO2/La3+ as environmentally friendly catalyst was studied. The influential factors of reaction were investigated. Results show that the appropriate conditions are: molar ratio of isobutyl alcohol to prop ionic acid was 2 : 1; Catalyst's weight was 0.7g(the amount of 0.1 molar prop ionic acid), Cyclohexane is used as water-carrying reagent with 0.6 mL, Reaction time was 2.5 hour. The esterification rate of isobutyl propionate is about 98.68 %.

Genetic variants of ABCB1 gene contributed to cancer susceptibility and interindividual differences in chemotherapy response. Therefore, we investigated the relevance between genetic variations in ABCB1 gene and both risk and clinical outcomes of breast carcinoma. A case–control study was performed on the SNPs C3435T, C1236T and G2677T/A in 1,173 Chinese breast carcinoma patients and 1,244 age- and sex-matched controls. These SNPs were typed by PCR–restriction fragment length polymorphism assays. We found the following: (1) ABCB1 C3435T, G2677T/A variants and haplotype 3435T–1236T–2677T significantly increased the risk of breast carcinoma [adjusted OR (95 % CI): 1.281 (1.021–1.285), 1.326 (1.182–1.487) and 1.707 (1.498–1.945), respectively]. (2) A significantly enhanced therapeutic response was observed in both C3435T variants and haplotype 3435T–1236T–2677T after neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy (n = 148) [adjusted OR (95 % CI): 2.695 (1.172–6.211) and 8.064 (1.085–58.823), respectively]. (3) Cox proportional hazards regression models showed that the hazards ratio (HR) for progression-free survival (PFS) associated with C3435T CC genotype was 1.664 (95 % CI: 1.022–2.708, P = 0.041). Kaplan–Meier curve showed that C3435T CC carriers had a poor prognosis than those with CT/TT carriers after anthracycline-based chemotherapy (P = 0.043, n = 762). Furthermore, ABCB1 C3435T variants showed a significantly prolonged both PFS and overall survival (OS) in patients with triple-negative (ER−/PR−/HER2−) status (P = 0.001 and P = 0.016, respectively; n = 135). In addition, there was a significantly longer OS in patients with HER2-negative status who had G2677T/A variants (P = 0.036, n = 487). However, we did not find statistically significant association between C1236T genotypes and the risk or prognosis of breast carcinoma. These results suggest that ABCB1 gene C3435T, G2677T/A variations and haplotype 3435T–1236T–2677T relate to the risk and clinical outcomes of breast carcinoma and may function as candidate molecular markers of anthracycline chemosensitivity in breast carcinoma.

Infection withBorrelia burgdorferiis common in horses and ponies from the New England and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Here, we evaluated luciferase immunoprecipitation systems (LIPS) for profiling antibody responses against three different antigenic targets for the diagnosis of equineB. burgdorferiinfection. LIPS testing of horse serum samples suspected of Lyme infection revealed that approximately 75% of the horse samples (114/159) were seropositive against the synthetic VOVO antigen, comprising repeated immunodominant C6 epitopes as well as OspC immunodominant epitopes. A comparison of VOVO and immunofluorescence assays (IFA) showed that 51% of the samples were positive in both assays (VOVO+/IFA+), 13% were VOVO−/IFA+, 21% were VOVO+/IFA−, and 15% were negative in both. To further understand humoral responses toB. burgdorferiand reconcile the diagnostic differences between IFA and VOVO, two additionalB. burgdorferiLIPS tests were performed with DbpA and DbpB. Robust seropositive antibody responses against DbpA and/or DbpB were detected in 98% (79/81) of the VOVO+/IFA+and 93% (50/54) of the discrepant samples. Additionally, some of the samples negative by both VOVO and IFA showed immunoreactivity against DbpA and/or DbpB. Overall, 94% of the suspected horse samples were seropositive by LIPS, and heat map analysis revealed that seropositive samples often were immunoreactive with at least two of the three antigens. These results suggest that LIPS tests employing multiple recombinant antigens offer a promising approach for the evaluation of antibody responses in Lyme disease.

In this paper, some three and four complexes of holmium have been synthesized. Using agar dilution method, the bacteriostasis activity of the holmium complexes against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis are mensured and their minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) to the growth of bacterium have been determined. The result shows that their complexes of holmium have bacteriostasis activity to the bacterias tested and the complexes have the higher activity than the ligand.

To improve the biological treatment effect of paper-making wastewater, the screening of strains degrading wastewater and its application were carried out. Twelve strains were separated from biological aerated filter; two efficient degrading strains (D 1 , E 2 ) were screened based on the degradation rate of COD cr . The D 1 , E 2 were selected to apply in wastewater treatment experiment and the results showed that the removal rate of COD cr were 78.4%, 59.1% respectively, they displayed good prospects in paper-making wastewater treatment.

Contoulet-based features have been paid much attention in image processing applications such as image enhancement, edge detection, image fusion and image retrieval. In this paper, we present a novel approach which takes advantage of the multi-scale and multi-directional properties of the Contourlet transform to extract features of real-world rough surface texture. These features are effectively used for 3D surface texture classification and fusion. The classification scheme based on these features achieves good results even for those test samples not included in the training data sets. Three-dimensional surface texture fusion based on Contourlet can successfully preserve original texture patterns and retain the significant features of input images, which can generate fusion images under arbitrary illumination directions.

Lyme disease (LD) is a tick-borne infection caused by the bacterial pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi . Current diagnostic tests mostly use borrelial lysates or select antigens to detect serum antibodies against B. burgdorferi . These immunoassays are not entirely effective, especially for detection of early infection. We have recently characterized an in vivo -induced antigen, BBK07, as a serodiagnostic marker for LD. We now report that in a line blot assay, recombinant BBK07 protein-based detection is 90% sensitive and nearly 100% specific against B. burgdorferi infection in humans. Using an overlapping peptide library of 23 peptides encompassing full-length BBK07, we identified the immunodominant epitopes of BBK07 during human infection. We show that a select combination of amino-terminal peptides significantly enhanced BBK07-based diagnostic accuracy compared to that with the full-length protein. Although in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) studies BBK07 peptides had overall lower sensitivity than established serodiagnostic peptides, such as the VlsE peptide C6 and OspC peptide pepC10, for the detection of early human LD, a subset of serum samples that failed to recognize either VlsE or OspC peptides were preferentially reactive to BBK07 peptides. These results highlight the fact that BBK07 peptides could be useful to complement the efficacy of VlsE and OspC peptide-based serodiagnostic assays. Finally, using a panel of canine sera, we show that BBK07 peptide is also effective for LD diagnosis in infected dogs. Together, our data show that peptides from the B. burgdorferi surface protein BBK07 are highly specific and sensitive serodiagnostic markers, and we suggest their future use in LD diagnostic assays.

The pathogen of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi , produces a putative surface protein termed “surface-located membrane protein 1” (Lmp1). Lmp1 has been shown previously to assist the microbe in evasion of host-acquired immune defenses and in the establishment of persistent infection of mammals. Here, we show that Lmp1 is an integral membrane protein with surface-exposed N-terminal, middle, and C-terminal regions. During murine infection, antibodies recognizing these three protein regions were produced. Separate immunization of mice with each of the discrete regions exerted differential effects on spirochete survival during infection. Notably, antibodies against the C-terminal region primarily interfered with B. burgdorferi persistence in the joints, while antibodies specific to the N-terminal region predominantly affected pathogen levels in the heart, including the development of carditis. Genetic reconstitution of lmp1 deletion mutants with the lmp1 N-terminal region significantly enhanced its ability to resist the bactericidal effects of immune sera and also was observed to increase pathogen survival in vivo . Taken together, the combined data suggest that the N-terminal region of Lmp1 plays a distinct role in spirochete survival and other parts of the protein are related to specific functions corresponding to pathogen persistence and tropism during infection that is displayed in an organ-specific manner. The findings reported here underscore the fact that surface-exposed regions of Lmp1 could potentially serve as vaccine targets or antigenic regions that could alter the course of natural Lyme disease.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen of Lyme borreliosis, persists in nature through a tick-rodent transmission cycle. A selective assessment of the microbial transcriptome, limited to gene-encoding putative membrane proteins, reveals that bba52 transcription in vivo is strictly confined to the vector-specific portion of the microbial life cycle, with the highest levels of expression noted in feeding ticks and with swift down-regulation noted in mice. bba52 deletion did not affect murine disease as assessed by the genesis of arthritis and carditis or long-term persistence of pathogens in mice or ticks. However, bba52 deficiency did impair microbial transitions between hosts and vector, defects that could be fully rescued when bba52 expression was genetically restored to the original genomic locus. These studies establish that BBA52 facilitates vector-host transitions by the pathogen and therefore is a potential antigenic target for interference with transmission of B. burgdorferi from ticks to mammalian hosts.

The mechanism of addition reaction between germylene and epoxyethane has been investigated with B3LYP/6-311+G* method, geometry optimization, vibrational analysis and energy property for the involved stationary points on the potential energy surface have been calculated. From the surface energy profile, it can be predicted that there are two reaction mechanisms (1) and (2). The first one (1) is germylene attacks the O atom of epoxyethane to form a complex 1 (Com1), which is a barrier-free exothermic reaction. Then, Com1 can isomerize to IM1 via a transition state 1a (TS1a), where the potential barrier is 123.7 kJ/mol. Subsequently, IM1 isomerizes to a product Pro1 via TS1b with a potential barrier of 58.5 kJ/mol. The other one (2) is germylene attacks the C atom of epoxyethane firstly to form IM2 via a transition state 2a (TS2a), the potential barrier is 171.0 kJ/mol. Then IM2 isomerizes to a product Pro2 via TS2b with a potential barrier of 78.8 kJ/mol. Correspondingly, the reaction energy for the reaction (1) and (2) is -209.0 and -82.9 kJ/mol, respectively. Additionally, the orbital interactions are also discussed for the leading complex.

Borrelia burgdorferi bb0323 encodes an immunogenic protein in mammalian hosts, including humans. An analysis of bb0323 expression in vivo showed variable transcription throughout the spirochete infection cycle, with elevated expression during tick-mouse transmission. Deletion of bb0323 in infectious B. burgdorferi did not affect microbial survival in vitro, despite considerable alterations in growth kinetics and cell morphology. The bb0323 mutants were unable to infect either mice or ticks and were quickly eliminated from immunocompetent and immunodeficient hosts and the vector within the first few days after inoculation. Chromosomal complementation of the mutant with native bb0323 and phenotypic analysis in vivo indicated the substantial restoration of spirochete virulence and persistence throughout the mouse-tick infection cycle. The BB0323 protein may serve an indispensable physiological function that is more pronounced during microbial persistence and transitions between the host and the vector in vivo. Strategies to interfere with BB0323 function may interrupt the infectious cycle of spirochetes.

Mining environmental problems becoming increasingly serious is a key factor that prevents sustainable development of mining industry. Destruction of surface vegetation that cause soil erosion and ecological environment deterioration are some of the main problems of geological environment in mines. This paper takes Fujian Province Makeng area as an example, using RS technique to extract the vegetation cover and land use/cover change, and GIS technique to extract elevation and soil information. This research adopted an integrated application of RS and GIS spatial analysis functions which can quickly, accurately and economically be used to make the range and the quantitative analysis of monitoring and evaluation soil erosion in 1998 and 2004. The research outcome is a basis for the renovating mining environment and protecting eco-geological environment.

As the capability of an individual Web service is limited, it's necessary to create new functionalities with existing Web services. Web services composition is the ability to create a new value-added service by incorporating some existing Web services together. An important challenge for Web services composition is how to ensure the correctness and reliability of the WS-BPEL (Web services business process execution language) process and the composition. A graphical and formal modeling tool suitable for solving this problem is CPN (Colored Petri net), which provides formal semantics and a number of analysis techniques for modeling and verifying web services composition. This paper proposes a CPN-based model for web services composition, describes how to translate WS-BPEL to CPN model, and discusses the analysis and verification of services composition. The model enables efficient composition of Web services and validates the correctness of composition by formal verification.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of Lyme disease, does not produce lipopolysaccharide but expresses a large number of lipoproteins on its cell surface. These outer membrane lipoproteins are highly immunogenic and have been used for serodiagnosis of Lyme disease. Recent studies have shown that highly conserved cytosolic proteins such as enolase and elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) unexpectedly localized on the surface of bacteria including B. burgdorferi, and surface-localized enolase has shown to contribute to the enzootic cycle of B. burgdorferi. In this study, we studied the immunogenicity, surface localization, and function of B. burgdorferi EF-Tu. We found that EF-Tu is highly immunogenic in mice, and EF-Tu antibodies were readily detected in Lyme disease patients. On the other hand, active immunization studies showed that EF-Tu antibodies did not protect mice from infection when challenged with B. burgdorferi via either needle inoculation or tick bites. Borrelial mouse-tick cycle studies showed that EF-Tu antibodies also did not block B. burgdorferi migration and survival in ticks. Consistent with these findings, we found that EF-Tu primarily localizes in the protoplasmic cylinder of spirochetes and is not on the surface of B. burgdorferi. Taken together, our studies suggest that B. burgdorferi EF-Tu is not surfaced exposed, but it is highly immunogenic and is a potential serodiagnostic marker for Lyme borreliosis.