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C14orf166, a 28 kD protein regulating RNA transcription and translation, may serve a critical role in oncogenesis. The aim of the current study was to explore the association between C14orf166 expression and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to draw attention to the association between C14orf166 and the initiation, progression and prognosis of ESCC. C14orf166 expression in ESCC and paired normal tissues was detected by immunohistochemical staining, western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the association between C14orf166 expression and clinicopathological characters of ESCC was analyzed. Survival analysis was used to assess the prognostic significance of C14orf166 and it was observed that C14orf166 expression was higher in the ESCC tissues when compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissues at protein (P<0.001) and mRNA levels (P<0.001). There was a significant difference in T stage, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage in patients categorized according to different C14orf166 expression levels. The overexpression of C14orf166 was associated with a shorter overall survival and disease-free survival, and multivariate analysis indicated that C14orf166 was an independent prognostic indicator. The present study indicates that the expression of C14orf166 is elevated in ESCC, and is potentially a valuable prognostic predictor for ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apollon, an unusually large member of the inhibitors of apoptosis protein family, may be important for oncogenesis development. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and Apollon expression levels, and to highlight the association between Apollon and the occurrence, development and prognosis of ESCC. Apollon expression was detected by immunohistochemical staining and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction in ESCC tissues, adjacent non-cancerous tissues and paired normal tissues respectively, in order to analyze the association between Apollon expression and the clinicopathological features of ESCC. Survival analysis was used to assess the prognostic significance of Apollon expression. It was determined that the mRNA and protein expression levels of Apollon were significantly higher in the carcinoma tissues compared with the adjacent non-cancerous tissues and normal control tissues (P<0.001). There was a significant difference in lymph node involvement and the tumor, nodes, and metastases stage in patients categorized according to different Apollon expression levels. The prognostic significance of Apollon was also determined using the log-rank method. The overexpression of Apollon was associated with shorter overall survival and disease-free survival rates. The present study indicates that Apollon expression is associated with the biological characteristics of ESCC, and may be a valuable prognostic factor and a novel chemotherapeutic target for ESCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of n-type Cu2O has become essential for realizing high-efficiency PV devices based on Cu2O homojunctions, thereby avoiding the numerous efficiency-reducing defects common in heterojunctions. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to fabricate chlorine (Cl)-doped cuprous oxide (Cu2O:Cl) thin films on a copper (Cu) substrate by using the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The Cu2O:Cl films were prepared using copper sulfate (CuSO4) solution with the addition of copper chloride (CuCl2) as a Cl- source. After the molar ratio of CuCl2 to CuSO4 ([CuCl2]/[CuSO4]) was varied from 0 to 2.01, hot-point probe measurements showed n-type conductivity for all the Cu2O films produced by CBD. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the as-grown Cu2O:Cl films have a sphalerite structure with a dominant plane orientation of Cu2O(111) parallel to the substrate surface for [CuCl2]/[CuSO4] of less than 1.19, while the CuCl(111) phase became dominant when [CuCl2]/[CuSO4] was greater than 1.19. Moreover, low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements conducted at 5 K demonstrated an emission band at 1.902 eV, related to Cl doping, in addition to the emission band at 1.715 eV, attributed to doubly ionized oxygen vacancies. We found that the Cl-related PL emission was intensified with increasing amounts of Cl involved. The incorporation of Cl into the lattice of Cu2O was also confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Our findings indicate that n-type Cu2O:Cl films with a resistivity ranging from 40-50 Ω ⋅ cm can be produced on Cu substrate by the CBD method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing loss following laser-assisted ear surgery has been reported. However, the mechanism responsible for the hearing loss remains largely speculative. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between laser-induced hearing loss and changes in the number of hair cell ribbon synapses and ultrastructure in the cochlea. Laser cochleostomy was performed with a superpulsed carbon dioxide (CO) laser at 2 and 5 W in Sprague-Dawley rats. Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were measured preoperatively and 2 days after surgery. The synapse numbers in apical and middle cochlear turns were quantified. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to further examine the subcellular changes in the cochlea. Click and tonal ABR threshold shifts in both 2 and 5-W groups displayed a frequency-dependent loss within the frequency range measured. Laser cochleostomy induced a significant decrease of synapse numbers in the middle turn in both groups ( p < 0.05). Electron microscopy data indicated varying degrees of auditory nerve degeneration in both groups. Auditory nerve degeneration might contribute to laser-caused hearing loss even under low-energy laser cochleostomy. The high-energy laser-induced hearing loss was associated with more reduction of synapse number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lipophilic MoS2 nanoparticles are synthesized by surface modification with stearic acid (SA). The heat transfer oil-based nanofluids, with the mass fraction of lipophilic nanoparticles varying from 0.25% up to 1.0%, are prepared and their thermal conductivity is determined at temperatures ranging from 40 to 200°C using an apparatus based on the laser flash method. It has been found that the nanofluids have higher thermal conductivity and the thermal conductivity enhancement increased not only with increasing mass fraction of nanoparticles, but also with increasing temperature in the range 40-180°C The results show a 38.7% enhancement of the thermal conductivity of MoS2 nanofluid with only 1.0% mass fraction at 180°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: It was the aim of this study to investigate the effect of ZP123 on prolonged ventricular fibrillation (VF) in swine. Methods: VF was electrically induced in 20 pigs. The animals randomly received either ZP123 or saline control infusion before VF. After 8 min of untreated VF, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and biphasic defibrillation shocks were applied. VF mean frequency (VFmf) and mean amplitude (VFma), hemodynamics, outcome of defibrillation and the rate of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) were analyzed. Results: Compared with the control group, VFmf was higher but VFma lower during the 8 min of VF in the drug group (11.8 ± 2.1 vs. 10.4 ± 2.0 Hz and 0.24 ± 0.10 vs. 0.31 ± 0.16 mV, respectively; p < 0.05). Hemodynamic variables in the 2 groups were comparable (p > 0.05). The defibrillation threshold was lower and the rate of successful defibrillation was higher in the drug group compared with the control group (92.2 ± 26.4 vs. 133.3 ± 28.9 J and 90 vs. 30%, respectively; p < 0.05). The rate of ROSC was not different between the 2 groups (40 vs. 30%; p > 0.05). Conclusion: In prolonged VF, ZP123 could decrease the defibrillation threshold and improve the rate of successful defibrillation. However, it could not improve the rate of ROSC - which may be due to its side effect of decreasing VFma. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted histologic and histomorphometric studies to evaluate the osteointegration of gradient coatings composed of bioactive glass and nanohydroxyapatite (BG–nHA) on titanium-alloy orthopaedic implants and surrounding bone tissue in vivo. Titanium-alloy implants with a gradient coating (gradient coating group), uncoated implants (uncoated group), and implants with a conventional hydroxyapatite (HA) coating (HA coating group) were randomly implanted in bilateral femoral condyles of 36 male New Zealand rabbits. The bone–implant contact at 12 and 24 weeks and the new bone volume in the notch created for observing bone ingrowth at 4, 12, and 24 weeks were found greater in the gradient coating group than those in both the uncoated group and the HA coating group (p < 0.05). Fluorescence micrographs showed active osteogenesis in the gradient coating group at 4 weeks after implantation. These findings indicated that BG–nHA gradient coatings could enhance the osteointegration of orthopaedic implant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The surface of commercial titania particles was coated by a layer of silica by a two-step process which involved a power ultrasound initiated sol–gel reaction. In the first step of this solution process, aminosilane, i.e. organosilane with amino functional group, was used to modify the surface of pristine nanoparticles. Subsequent silica nanocoating was initiated and sustained under power ultrasound agitation in a mixture of surface modified particles and epoxysilane. As a result, a homogenous coverage of silica on the nanoparticles’ surface, with thickness controllable from one to several nanometers, was obtained. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and particle surface zeta potential measurements were employed to follow steps in the process and to confirm the reaction mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two amphiploids, AF-1( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Anyuepaideng– Secale africanum Stapf.) and BF-1 ( T. turgidum ssp. carthlicum–S. africanum), were evaluated by chromosomal banding and in situ hybridization. The individual S. africanum chromosomes were identified in the BF-1 background by sequential C-banding and genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), and were distinguishable from those of S. cereale, because they exhibited less terminal heterochromatin. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using the tandem repeat pSc250 as a probe indicated that only 6Ra of S. africanum contained a significant hybrid signal, whereas S. cereale displayed strong hybridization at the telomeres or subtelomeres in all seven pairs of chromosomes. Extensive wheat– S. africanum non-Robertsonian translocations were observed in both AF-1 and BF-1 plants, suggesting a frequent occurrence of chromosomal recombination between wheat and S. africanum. Moreover, introgression lines selected from the progeny of wheat/AF-1 crosses were resistant when field tested with widely virulent strains of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici. Three highly resistant lines were selected. GISH and C-banding revealed that resistant line L9-15 carried a pair of 1BL.1RS translocated chromosomes. This new type of S. africanum derived wheat– Secale translocation line with resistance to Yr9-virulent strains will broaden the genetic diversity of 1BL.1RS for wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perturbation formulas of electron paramagnetic resonance parameters D, g// and g⊥ for a 3d3 ion in a tetragonal octahedral field are established on the basis of Zhao's semi-SCF d-orbit wave functions model. In these formulas, the parameters related to the contributions from the configuration interaction, covalency effect and low-symmetry crystal field can be estimated from the optical spectra and the structural data of the system under study. According to these formulas, the local tetragonal distortion of the Cr3+-(0) center in a Cs2CdCl4 crystal was determined by fitting the calculated to the experimental values. The results showed that these local values of Cs2CrCl4(R1≈ 0.254 nm and R2≈ 0.233 nm) were different from those of the host crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Nine genes that encode proteins of the MAP65 family have been identified in the Arabidopsis thaliana genome. In this study, we reported that AtMAP65-2, a member of the AtMAP65 family, could strongly stabilize microtubules (MTs). Bacterially-expressed AtMAP65-2 fusion proteins induced the formation of large MT bundles in vitro. Although AtMAP65-2 showed little effect on MT assembly or nucleation, AtMAP65-2 greatly stabilized MTs that were subjected to low-temperature treatment in vitro. Analyses of truncated versions of AtMAP65-2 indicated that the region that encompassed amino acids 495–578, which formed a flexible extended loop, played a crucial role in the stabilization of MTs. Analysis of suspension-cultured Arabidopsis cells that expressed the AtMAP65-2-GFP fusion protein showed that AtMAP65-2 co-localized with MTs throughout the cell cycle. Cortical MTs that were decorated with AtMAP65-2-GFP were more resistant to the MT-disrupting drug propyzamide and to ice treatment in vivo. The results of this study demonstrate that AtMAP65-2 strongly stabilizes MTs and is involved in the regulation of MT organization and dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand molecular evolution of the large α-gliadin gene family and provide a potential value for wheat quality improvement, total 32 α-gliadin gene sequences were isolated from the two Dasypyrum species, D. villosum. (L.) Candargy and D. breviaristatum (Lindb. F.) Frederisksen. Twelve of 32 sequences contained the in-frame stop condons were predicted to be pseudogenes, suggesting the high variation of gliadin genes in Dasypyrum genome. There are five D. breviaristatum α-gliadin sequences present additional cysteine residues. Four peptides which have been identified as T cell stimulatory epitopes in celiac disease (CD) patients through binding to HLA-DQ2/8 were searched to all Dasypyrum α-gliadin gene sequences, and we found that the distribution of the epitopes varied between Dasypyrum genomes. Phylogenetic analysis of the Dasypyrum α-gliadin genes indicated that the sequences from D. breviaristatum displayed higher variation than those from D. villosum, and the genomic differentiation occurred between the two Dasypyrum species. Moreover, the promoter region of the Dasypyrum α-gliadin genes consisted of four different lengths, indicative of the retrotransposons involving the evolution of the gliadin gene promoters. Based on the specific sequences of the Dasypyrum α-gliadin promoter region, we produced sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers, and localized the Dasypyrum α-gliadin genes on chromosome 6 VS. The SCAR markers can be used to target the introgression of Dasypyrum α-gliadin genes in wheat– Dasypyrum derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The platelet surface glycoprotein (GP) I bα, an important part of the GP I b-IX-V complex, participates in the formation of thrombosis by initially mediating platelet adhesion under high shear stress. The purpose of present study was to investigate the association between gene polymorphism of GP I bα (human platelet antigen 2, HPA2) and ischemic stroke in a matched case-control study. One hundred patients and 100 matched controls were enrolled in the study. The cases were divided into large- and small-vessel subtypes of ischemic stroke according to Trial of Org10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria. Genotyping for GP I bα polymorphism was documented by polymerase chain reaction amplification and restriction enzyme analysis.There were no statistically significant differences in the GP I bα HPA2 genotype distribution between ischemic stroke group, large-vessel subtype group, small-vessel subtype group and corresponding control groups. The heterozygote genotype of GP I bα HPA2 was more frequent in the large-vessel subtype group (16.1%) than in the small-vessel subtype group (10.1%), but the difference was not statistically significant.Ourresults suggest that the polymorphism of the GP I bα HPA2 genotype might not be a genetic risk factor of ischemic stroke. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]