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Herpotrichones A and B (1 and 2), two intermolecular [4 + 2] adducts with an unprecedented pentacyclic 6/6/6/6/3 skeleton, were isolated from Herpotrichia sp. SF09, an isopod-associated fungus, alo...

The oceans are the largest carbon pools on Earth, and play the role of a “buffer” in climate change. Blue carbon, the carbon (mainly organic carbon) captured by marine ecosystems, is one of the important mechanisms of marine carbon storage. Blue carbon was initially recognized only in the form of visible coastal plant carbon sequestration. In fact, microorganisms (phytoplankton, bacteria, archaea, viruses, and protozoa), which did not receive much attention in the past, account for more than 90% of the total marine biomass and are the main contributors to blue carbon. Chinese coastal seas, equivalent to 1/3 of China’s total land area, have a huge carbon sink potential needing urgently research and development. In this paper, we focus on the processes and mechanisms of coastal ocean’s carbon sequestration and the approaches for increasing that sequestration. We discuss the structures of coastal ecosystems, the processes of carbon cycle, and the mechanisms of carbon sequestration. Using the evolution of coastal ocean’s carbon sinks in sedimentary records over geologic times, we also discuss the possible effects of natural processes and anthropogenic activities on marine carbon sinks. Finally, we discuss the prospect of using carbon sequestration engineering for increasing coastal ocean’s carbon storage capacity.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following liver transplantation is a rare but fatal complication. The correct diagnosis and management of GVHD after liver transplantation are still major challenges. Herein, we reported successful salvage treatment of acute GVHD by withdrawal of immunosuppression in a patient who presented with fever, skin rashes, and decreased blood cell counts after liver transplantation. This case highlights the need for awareness of drug-induced liver injury if liver function tests are elevated during treatment, especially in patients taking multiple potentially hepatotoxic drugs, such as broad-spectrum antibiotics. When occurs, an artificial liver support system is a useful tool to provide temporary support of liver function for the patient in the event of drug-induced liver injury.

The Paramisgurnus dabryanus was exposed to air to assess the changes in plasma, liver and muscle free amino acid (FAA) contents. The FAA concentrations in plasma, liver and muscle of P. dabryanus were significantly affected by aerial exposure (P < 0.05). After 12 h of aerial exposure, the plasma glutamate contents increased significantly (P < 0.05) and reached peak value at 24 h of air exposure. With increasing air exposure time, the plasma alanine contents increased significantly and more dramatically than the control values (P < 0.05). From 24 to 48 h of aerial exposure, the liver free glutamate contents increased significantly and reached the peak value at 48 h of air exposure (P < 0.05). The liver free alanine contents in air exposure group were markedly higher than these values in the control group (P < 0.05). After 72 h of air exposure, the muscle free glutamate contents increased markedly (P < 0.05) and were significantly higher than the control values (P < 0.05). The muscle free alanine contents remained at constant values during the first 12 h of aerial exposure (P > 0.05), thereafter, these concentrations increased significantly until the end of experiment (P < 0.05). Our results showed that glutamate and NH4+ could be used to synthesize glutamine via glutamine synthetase to convert internal ammonia into non-toxic glutamine in P. dabryanus during air exposure. Furthermore, the P. dabryanus could catabolize several certain amino acids, leading alanine form to reduce endogenous ammonia production. The decrease in tissue free glutamate, arginine and proline in P. dabryanus indicated that these certain amino acids should be the starting substrate to be converted to alanine and energy.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the combined effects of inhibiting the Ras homolog gene family, member C (RhoC)/Rho kinase and phosphoinositide 3 kinase/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways on hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth. The RhoC gene was silenced by RNA interference (RNAi) and mTOR was inhibited by rapamycin (RAPA). Subsequently, an MTT assay for cell growth detection, western blot analysis for gene expression analysis, silver nitrate staining for cell proliferation, Wright's staining for analysis of the apoptotic rate analysis, soft agar clonogenic assay for the determination of cell growth characteristics and a Transwell assay for cell migration were performed. RhoC expression in hepatoma cell lines was lower than that in the HL7702 normal human liver cell line. The level of cell proliferation in the RNAi + RAPA group was lower than that in the RNAi, RAPA and Scramble groups. The levels of cyclin-dependent kinase 2 in the RNAi + RAPA group were lower than those in the other groups, while the levels of P16 in the RNAi + RAPA group were higher than those in the other experimental groups. No significant difference was found between the RNAi + RAPA and the normal HL7702 group. The number of silver nitrate-stained particles was reduced in the RNAi + RAPA group compared with that in the other groups. No significant difference was found between the RNAi + RAPA and HL7702 groups. Wright's staining for apoptosis demonstrated that apoptosis in the Scramble group was rare, while the RAPA and RNAi groups contained a large number of apoptotic cells, which displayed nuclear condensation, fragmentation, deepened staining, as well as a wrinkled membrane. B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) expression in the RNAi + RAPA group was lower than that in the other groups, while the gene expression of Bcl-2-associated X protein in the RNAi + RAPA group was increased compared with that in the other groups. No cell colony formation was observed in the soft agar cloning experiment in the RNAi + RAPA and HL7702 group, while in the other groups, visible cell clones appeared. In the Transwell assay the number of migrated cells in the RNAi + RAPA group was lower than that in the other groups. The gene expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2, MMP-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor in the RNAi + RAPA group was lower than that in the other experimental groups. In conclusion, RhoC gene silencing combined with RAPA was able to significantly inhibit the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Correlations are concerned for modeling of CMOS devices and circuits variability when using back propagation of variations (BPV) methodology in the paper. Strong reverse correlations are observed and investigated between variation parameters, particularly for threshold voltage (VT), total gate capacitance (Cgg) and trans-conductance (gm), on gate voltage dependence due to random dopant fluctuation (RDF) in nanometer MOSFETs. These correlations are verified both in theoretical and simulation approaches. Based on these correlations, a simple and accurate analytical model for capturing fT variability is proposed. The model is in good agreement with HSPICE Monte Carlo simulations in different design decisions such as effective width length ratios, source voltages and doping concentrations. Results show the estimation errors are not more than −2.33% and 1.30% for NMOS and PMOS, respectively. Furthermore, our analysis of the correlation and analytical formula are still effective for the continued scaling CMOS technology.

A disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) is a transmembrane protein associated with metastasis in a number of types of cancer. Little is known, however, regarding the role of ADAM10 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether downregulation of ADAM10 effects HCC cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell migration and cell invasion. A recombinant small hairpin RNA expression vector carrying ADAM10 was constructed and then transfected into the HepG2 human HCC cell line. In vitro cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell migration and cell invasion, and in vivo tumor growth were determined following the downregulation of ADAM10 by RNA interference. The results revealed that downregulation of ADAM10 expression in HepG2 tumor cells using the RNA silencing approach significantly suppressed cell proliferation, cell migration and cell invasion in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, ADAM10 silencing was able to significantly reduce constitutive phosphorylation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt, which implies that ADAM10 is, at least partially, involved in the activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. These results suggest that ADAM10 is important in regulating the proliferation and metastasis of HCC. Thus, ADAM10 is a promising therapeutic target for the prevention of tumor metastases in HCC.

Networked control systems have been attracting considerable attention during the last decades, not only because of their theoretical value, but also of their widespread practical applications. In practice, networked control systems are inevitably affected by the random time delays. Aiming at the problem of system performance degradation caused by random time delay in networked control systems, a method of combining particle swarm optimization with fuzzy neural network is used to establish a networked control system time delay prediction model and predicts the future time delay. According to the simulation, we verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method. The results of simulation show that the fuzzy neural network optimized by particle swarm optimization has a high prediction accuracy for random time delay and is suitable for practical applications.

Memcapacitor is a kind of non-linear capacitor with memory capability. In order to study the electrical characteristics of memcapacitor and its application circuit, a quadratic model of voltage-controlled memcapacitor is proposed, and an emulator which can dynamically simulate the q–v characteristics of the memcapacitor is designed by using a current feedback operational amplifier, multiplier and other devices. The emulator does not need to be converted by any memristor or meminductor. It can work in floating or grounding state. The constitutive relation of the memcapacitor emulator is deduced, and the circuit parameters of the emulator are designed. Based on the simulations and experimental results, the pinched hysteresis loop and its dependence on frequency are verified. In addition, the range of the memcapacitance under periodic signal excitation is discussed and the influence of periodic excitation signal on the range of memcapacitance is analyzed. Through observing the dynamic route map (DRM) of the memcapacitor, its nonvolatility and the stability of the equilibrium point are also studied. The simulation results show that the memcapacitor can exhibit infinite stable equilibrium points and can be stabilized at any equilibrium state. With respect to pulse excitation signal, the effects of pulse width and amplitude on the switching on or off of the state for the memcapacitor is analyzed, and the corresponding switching method and rule are proposed. This characteristic of memcapacitor makes it have potential applications in non-volatile memory, neural network and other fields. Based on the proposed memcapacitor model, a multivibrator circuit is designed. Then, the working principle of the oscillator is analyzed, and the equation of oscillator is derived. The output voltage of the oscillator, the terminal voltage of the memcapacitor, the flux and the charge of the memcapacitor, and the pinched hysteretic curve of the memcapacitor during oscillation are tested experimentally. Besides, various oscillation waveforms whose frequency and duty cycle are different are observed and further analyzed. The circuit structure of the memcapacitor multivibrator designed in this paper is very simple. It can generate stable rectangular wave signals with controllable frequency and duty cycle, and it can be used in testing signal or driving the device.

Assembly box concrete hollow floor sructure is a new-style whole structure that are constituted by the a cross section of a concrete box composed of small prefabricated components (concrete superposition box) and a cast-in-place concrete rib beam.The internal force distribution law was analyzed in this paper, based on the static load experiment with a multi span column-supported assembly box concrete hollow floor.The findings prove that the prefabricated boxs and cast-in-situ concrete ribbed beams are able to form a whole to jointly bear external forces, that the internal force distribution law is basically the same with the solid cast-in-situ concrete floor with no beams, and that the floor structure can be simplified to the column strip and middle strip.The specific distribution ratios between the minus moment and the plus moment of the column strip and middle strip respectively are as follows. For the angel area floor(contianed edge beams), the ratio of midspan section is 0.537:0.463, the ratio of support section is 0.816:0.184; for the edge area floor(contianed edge beams), the ratio of midspan section is 0.51:0.49, the ratio of support section is 0.808：0.192; for the inner area floor, the ratio of midspan section is 0.55:0.45, the ratio of support section is 0.75:0.25.

This paper introduces an improved SPICE model of memristor using dependent sources and switches. The proposed SPICE model with two parameters in dependent current source has ideal frequency and amplitude characteristics. We simulate two circuits with memristor. The results demonstrate that the memristor can “remember” last resistance value when no current passes through it, the Amplitude Modulation (AM) circuit with memristor and op-amp is simulated under the condition of high frequency. Since the memristor has great performance in frequency there might be a possible application of the memristor to be used as modulator or demodulator in wireless communication.

c-Myc and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) genes are frequently deregulated and overexpressed in this malignancy, and strategies designed to inhibit c-Myc and VEGF expression in cancer cells may have considerable therapeutic value. In the present study, we design and use short interfering RNA (siRNA) to inhibit c-Myc and VEGF expression in colorectal cancer Volo cells and validate their effects on cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and cell metastasis. Upon transient transfection with plasmid-encoding siRNA, it was found that expression of c-Myc and VEGF was significantly downregulated in siRNA-transfected cells and the downregulation of c-Myc and VEGF inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis and metastasis of Volo cells. c-Myc and VEGF downregulation also increased cell population in the G0-G1 phase. In conclusion, the specific siRNA efficiently silenced the expression of c-Myc and VEGF, further suppressed the cell proliferation, triggered cell apoptosis, and inhibited cell invasiveness of colorectal cancer Volo cells.

The PI3K/Akt/mTOR and JAK/STAT3 signaling pathways are important for regulating apoptosis, and are frequently activated in cancers. In this study, we targeted STAT3 and mTOR in human hepatocellular carcinoma Bel-7402 cells and examined the subsequent alterations in cellular apoptosis. The expression of STAT3 was silenced with small interfering RNA (siRNA)-expressing plasmid. The activity of mTOR was inhibited using rapamycin. Following treatment, Annexin V/propidium iodide staining followed by flow cytometry and Hoechst33258 immunofluorescence staining was used to examine cellular apoptosis. JC-1 staining was used to monitor depolarization of mitochondrial membrane (ΔΨm). Furthermore, the expression of activated caspase 3 protein was analyzed by Western blotting. Compared to non-treated or control siRNA-transfected cells, significantly higher levels of apoptosis were detected in siSTAT3-transfected or rapamycin-treated cells (P < 0.05), which was further enhanced in cells targeted for both molecules (P < 0.05). The pro-apoptotic effects were accompanied with concomitant depolarization of mitochondrial membrane and up-regulation of activated caspase 3. Combined treatments using rapamycin and STAT3 gene silencing significantly increases apoptosis in Bel-7402 cells, displaying more dramatic effect than any single treatment. This study provides evidence for targeting multiple molecules in cancer therapy.

This paper presents a method that utilizes a memristor to replace the non-linear resistance of typical Chua’s circuit for constructing a chaotic system. The improved circuit is numerically simulated in the MATLAB condition, and its hardware implementation is designed using field programmable gate array (FPGA). Comparing the experimental results with the numerical simulation, the two are the very same, and be able to generate chaotic attractor.

Summary Background Treatment of extraordinarily large deep burns remains a huge clinical challenge. Case Report This article is a summary of our experience with the treatment of a patient with an extraordinarily large deep burn (99.5% TBSA and 23% fourth degree burn) by using the “microskin autografting and alloskin repeated grafting” method to close the deep burn wound because of scarcity of skin sources of the patient. Conclusions The patient has been observed for 2 years, and is able to face the reality of life peacefully with the support of his family.

To generate complex pseudo-noise (PN) sequences for chaos-based communications, this article presents a novel switched hyperchaotic model, which is constructed based on a modified Chen system by introducing a dynamical controller. The system consists of two different hyperchaotic subsystems and can change its behavior randomly via a switching function. Basic dynamical behaviors of the hyperchaotic system are further investigated. Furthermore, the switched system is confirmed by its positive Lyapunov exponents and laboratory measurements by an electronic circuit.

The aim of the study was to investigate the changes of the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in plasma and organ damage during the acute severe hemorrhagic shock (ASHS), as well as to analyze their relationship.Twenty male Wistar rats (230-270 g) were randomly divided into sham hemorrhage shock (SHS) group and ASHS group. Acute severe hemorrhagic shock rats were induced by drawing blood through a femoral arterial catheter for 15 minutes with the final mean arterial blood pressure decreased to 35 to 40 mm Hg. The animals were killed after the mean arterial blood pressure was maintained at this level for 1 hour. The activity of SOD and the level of MDA in plasma were measured, and pathologic changes of the major organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and brain) were observed by microscopy.The SOD activities and MDA levels in the ASHS group both increased continuously during the whole experiment. The SOD activities and MDA levels in plasma were not significantly different between the prehemorrhagic stage of ASHS and that of SHS (P.05). The SOD activities and MDA levels were significantly higher in the ASHS initial stage than in the prehemorrhagic stage (P.01). Compared with the ASHS initial stage, there was a significant (P.01) increase in SOD activities and MDA levels in the ASHS end stage. Severe microscopic injuries appeared in the major organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and brain) of ASHS rats.The changes of the activity of SOD and the level of MDA in ASHS may have a positive correlation.

Background This article reports a chemical burn incident that occurred on August 7th, 2005, when a Matsa typhoon hit Shanghai, China. This is the largest chemical burn incident reported in the literature for 20 years in China, involving 118 alkali burn patients who were rescued by the Burn Department of Shanghai Changhai Hospital independently. Methods The scene of the incident was investigated, and the clinical, emergency and hospitalized data of the patients were summarized. Results The main injurious chemical was a water solution of sodium hydroxide and ammonium chloride. The 118 victims were mostly young men with 5%TBSA deep thickness burn of both lower extremities, including 31 patients who had additional light coughing. Of 58 patients who were finally hospitalized, 42 patients received surgical treatment. Most of these patients recovered within 1 month. There were no deaths. Discussion Retrospective analysis of the therapeutic data of the incident demonstrates that pre-designed disaster planning for emergency management of mass burn patients, an effective command group, accurate assessment of pathological conditions, and correct allocation of different casualties are key elements in successful management in a mass casualty even involving burn patients. In addition, it is essential for specialized personnel to take part in emergency treatment of chemical burns.

cDNA clones encoding a cutinase expressed in cutin-induced cultures of the plant pathogen Monilinia fructicola were isolated using a protein-based strategy. The largest cDNA (Mfcut1) was found to contain an open reading frame of 603 bp that predicted a 20.2-kDa protein of 201 amino acids with a 20-amino-acid secretory signal peptide and a pI of 8.4. The predicted protein contained cutinase/lipase consensus sequences with active site serines and potential protein kinase phosphorylation sites. Comparison of the deduced amino sequence from Mfcut1 with other fungal cutinase sequences revealed new features, which include conserved cysteines, C-terminal aromatic residues, and a novel histidine substitution in the D-H active site motif. The presence in the growth medium of antioxidants, such as caffeic acid, suppressed mRNA accumulation and enzyme activity of a cutinase from M. fructicola. MFCUT1 was expressed at high levels as a His-tagged fusion protein in Pichia pastoris and purified to apparent homogeneity in a single step by Ni(2+)-nitrilotriacetic acid affinity chromatography. Analysis of variant MFCUT1 mutants in which the novel serine and histidine residues were replaced by site-directed mutagenesis indicated that these residues had an important effect on enzyme activity.

To compare the outcomes and potential morbidities of laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy with or without splenic vessel preservation in patients with benign or low-grade malignant pancreatic lesions.Twenty patients who underwent spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients had benign or low-grade malignant pancreatic lesions that had not invaded the spleen. Twelve patients underwent Kimura's procedure and eight patients underwent Warshaw's. Perioperative data, and procedure-specific complications were compared between the two groups.Age, gender, and body mass index were comparable between the two groups. Operative time and intraoperative blood loss were significantly lower for patients who underwent Warshaw's procedure than for those who received Kimura's (p0.05 for both). There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to perioperative blood transfusions, length of postoperative hospital stays, or complication rates. Splenic infarction and gastric varices developed only in patients who underwent Warshaw's procedure (one case each).Our results suggest that the Kimura technique should be the first choice for patients with benign or low-grade malignant pancreatic lesions. Warshaw's technique was associated with a higher incidence of several complications. However, Warshaw's can increase the success rate of splenic preservation in some cases.

To explore the association between serum homocysteine (Hcy) level and in-hospital death in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.A total of 186 acute pulmonary embolism patients [ (66.8 ± 12.7) years, 89 male] hospitalized in our department between June 2008 and June 2011 were included in this prospective study. Patients were divided into high Hcy group (Hcy ≥ 15.2 µmol/L, n = 95) and low Hcy group (Hcy15.2 µmol/L, n = 91). Patients were followed-up for 1 year for the incidence rate of early death associated with acute pulmonary embolism. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the relationship between serum Hcy level and early death in acute pulmonary embolism patients.Patients were hospitalized for 1-37 days [(10 ± 6) days]. In-hospital death rate was 14.5% (27/186) and was significantly higher in high Hcy group than in low Hcy group [25.3% (24/95) vs. 3.3% (3/91) , P = 0.001]. Univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that admission heart rate, oxygen saturation, enlargement of right ventricle, Hcy ≥ 15.2 µmol/L, serum creatinine level, peak TnT level and deep venous thrombosis (P0.05) were independent risk factors for in-hospital death. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that Hcy ≥ 15.2 µmol/L (HR = 4.10, 95%CI:3.00-4.98, P = 0.017), admission heart rate (HR = 1.10, 95%CI:1.01-1.20, P = 0.031) , deep venous thrombosis (HR = 1.65, 95%CI:1.45-1.76, P = 0.034) and age (HR = 1.10, 95%CI:1.02-1.19, P = 0.010) were independent predictors of in-hospital death for acute pulmonary embolism patients. One-year follow up was finished in 142 patients (89.3%). There were 19 deaths ( 5 due to repeat pulmonary embolism, 4 due to decompensated respiratory and /or cardiac diseases, 6 due to malignant tumors, 2 due to fatal bleeding and 2 due to pneumonia) . Death rate was similar between the two groups during follow up.Higher serum homocysteine is an independent for in-hospital death for patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

High-voltage electric burn causing full-thickness necrosis of the abdominal wall and exposure of visceral organs is a real clinical challenge. This article reports a case of high-voltage electric burn causing a giant full-thickness abdominal wall defect. Seeing that it was unable to repair the abdominal wall defect with the conventional method, we used two layers of allogenic acellular dermal matrix substitutes to reconstruct and repair the defected abdominal wall. A 1-year follow-up showed that the abdominal wall of the patient recovered strong tenacity and strength without the evidence of significant complications.

To explore the demographic characteristics and clinical features of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) in China.Between March 2007 and September 2010, IPAH diagnosis was confirmed by right heart catheterization in 150 adult patients from 31 clinical centers in China. Clinical and hemodynamic data were analyzed and patients were divided into WHO functional class I/II and WHO functional class III/IV group.The mean age of 150 patients were 36 ± 13 years with female patient/male patient ratio of 2:1, and mean BMI was (21.3 ± 3.5) kg/m(2). Fatigue (n = 123, 82.0%) and dyspnea (n = 112, 74.7%) are the most common symptoms. Accentuated pulmonic second sound (P(2)) was detected in 92.0% (n = 138) of patients during physical examination, which was also the most common sign. About 49.0% (n = 73) patients were WHO functional class I/II patients and 46.0% (n = 68) patients were WHO functional class III/IV patients. Six minutes walking distance (6MWD) and Borg dyspnea score was (337 ± 101) m and 2.0 (2.0, 4.0), respectively. Right ventricular hypertrophy was suggested by ECG in 93.1% (n = 140) patients. Right atrial pressure was (10 ± 6) mm Hg, mean pulmonary artery pressure was (61 ± 16) mm Hg, cardiac index was (2.3 ± 0.8) L×min(-1)×m(-2) and pulmonary vascular resistance (1484 ± 699) dyn×s(-1)×cm(-5) in this cohort. 6 MWD (305 m ± 89 m vs. 377 m ± 88 m) was significantly shorter while Borg dyspnea score [3.0 (3.0, 5.0) vs. 2.0 (2.0, 3.0)] was significantly higher in WHO functional class III/IV patients than in WHO functional class I/II patients. Similarly hemodynamic parameters were also worse in WHO functional class III/IV patients than in WHO functional class I/II patients (all P0.05).Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension patients in this cohort affect mostly young adults, dominated by female gender and lower body mass index. Fatigue and dyspnea are the most common symptoms and accentuated pulmonic second sound (P(2)) is the most common sign. IPAH patients are often displaying severe functional and hemodynamic disturbance at first visit to hospitals. Dyspnea and hemodynamic impairment are related to 6MWD and WHO functional class.

It is of great importance to know the endogenous mechanism in burn-induced organ injuries, not only for the understanding of pathophysiological processes after burn, but also for guiding the clinical treatment. Recent studies have widened and deepened our scope and understanding of secondary injuries to various organs. However, a unanimous understanding of molecular pathway involved in all burn-induced organ injuries has not been attained. Relatively, the mechanism of endogenous cellular injuries as a result of burn injury could be regarded as a common one to explain the causation of cellular injury, and to guide the prevention and treatment for the burn-induced complications using cytoprotection strategy. This review summarized four aspects of the mechanism of endogenous cellular injuries, including cellular injuries induced by ischemic/hypoxic-oxidative stress, excessive inflammatory factors released by inflammatory cells, immunosuppression caused by suppression of function of adaptive immune cells, and dysfunction of important supportive cells of various organs.

To observe and compare the effects of acupuncture in combination of mild hypothermia therapy on the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax.Fifty rats were randomly divided into 5 groups, i.e., the control group, the model group, the acupuncture group, the mild hypothermia group, and the combination group (acupuncture in combination of mild hypothermia therapy), 10 in each group. Focal cerebral ischemia model was prepared with modified Longa's suture method. The effects of acupuncture, the mild hypothermia, and the acupuncture in combination of mild hypothermia therapy on the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax were observed. The indices were detected using immunohistochemical assay.Compared with the control group, the expression of Bcl-2 in the model groups significantly decreased (P0.01), and the expression of Bax significantly increased (P0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression of Bcl-2 in the three treatment groups significantly increased (P0.01) and the expression of Bax significantly decreased (P0.01). Compared with the acupuncture group and the mild hypothermia group, the expression of Bcl-2 significantly increased and the expression of Bax significantly decreased in the combination group (both P0.01). Compared with the mild hypothermia group, increased expression of Bcl-2 and decreased expression of Bax in the acupuncture group were not obvious (P0.05). There was insignificant difference in the therapeutic efficacy between the acupuncture group and the mild hypothermia group.Both acupuncture and the mild hypothermia therapy could increase the expression of Bcl-2 and decrease the expression of Bax, intervene cerebral ischemia, and protect neurons. In the early cerebral ischemia/reperfusion stage, it is necessary to perform acupuncture and mild hypothermia therapy as soon as possible.

In the 21st century, minimally invasive treatment is one of the main developmental directions of medical sciences. It is well known that the echocardiography plays an important role during interventional treatments of some structural heart diseases. Because the ruptured right sinus of the Valsalva aneurysm (RRSVA) is a rare disease, there were few reports about percutaneous catheter closure of RRSVA. This study aimed to sum up our experience with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) during percutaneous catheter closure of RRSVA.Five RRSVA cases were treated with percutaneous catheter closure. The whole procedure was guided and monitored by TTE and fluoroscopy. The maximum diameter of the RRSVA was measured by TTE before and after the catheter passed through the rupture site. A duct occluder 2 mm larger than the maximum diameter was chosen. The closure effects were evaluated with TTE and fluoroscopy immediately after the occluding device was deployed. All patients were followed up by TTE for 8 to 30 months.Before the catheter passed through the rupture site the maximum diameter of the RRSVA measured with TTE and aortography were (7.9 ± 2.1) mm and (7.8 ± 1.8) mm. After the catheter passed through the rupture site the maximum diameter measured with TTE was (11.2 ± 3.2) mm, which was significantly larger than before the procedure (P0.05). The percutaneous catheter closure was successful in four cases and failed in one. Compared to the aortography the TTE was better at distinguishing residual shunts from aortic valve regurgitation immediately after the occluding device was deployed. There were no complications during 8 to 30 months of follow-up.Transthoracic echocardiography can play an important role during percutaneous catheter closure of RRSVA, especially for estimating the size of the RRSVA after the catheter passes through the rupture site, and differentiating residual shunt from aortic valve regurgitation immediately after the occluding device is deployed.

To clarify the role of RhoC in the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and its molecular mechanism, so as to explore the molecular target of tumor cell growth.siRNA-RhoC plasmid was constructed and RhoC gene silencing the cell-line of hepatocellular carcinoma was setup. Cell growth was assessed by MTT assay. AgNORs staining was applied to determine cell proliferation. Plate cell clone test was conducted to examine the capacity of cell clone formation. FACS was adopted to measure the course of cell cycle and semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to determine the expression of cell cycle proteins. In order to further determine the effect of RhoC expression on cell growth, a RhoC over-expression human hepatocellular cell line was setup by PcDNA3-RhoC plasmid transfection.The inhibition rate of RhoC was 82.3%. From the fourth day of cell culture, the growth of cells in RNAi group was significantly slower than that in parental Bel7402 and negative control groups (0.41 ± 0.10 vs. 0.73 ± 0.11 and 0.71 ± 0.07 respectively, P0.05). AgNORs staining showed that average cell stained particles in RNAi group was significantly lower than that in parental Bel7402 and negative control(1.23 ± 0.35 vs. 3.47 ± 0.93 and 3.17 ± 0.78, P0.01). Plate clone formation test showed that clone formation efficiency in the RNAi group was notably lower than that in the control group [(20.33 ± 5.42)% vs. (70.58 ± 10.10)% and (69.83 ± 14.77)%, respectively, P0.01]. Cell cycle analysis by FACS showed that G(0)/G(1) cell percentage in the RNAi group was significantly higher than that in the control group [(73.14 ± 5.93)% vs. (57.05 ± 5.97)% and (52.99 ± 4.80)%, P0.05]. Compared with Bel7402 and negative control groups, the expression of following growth associated genes was significantly decreased: cyclin D1(0.45 ± 0.21 vs. 1.25 ± 0.24 and 1.12 ± 0.15, respectively, P0.05)and CDK4 (0.55 ± 0.08 vs. 1.18 ± 0.32 and 1.10 ± 0.29, respectively, P0.05); the following genes were notably increased: p16(1.07 ± 0.23 vs. 0.36 ± 0.12 and 0.35 ± 0.13, respectively, P0.01)and p21(0.42 ± 0.12 vs. 0.17 ± 0.06 and 0.19 ± 0.08, respectively, P0.05). RhoC was highly expressed in PcDNA3-RhoC transfected hepatocellular cell line. From the third day on of the cell culture, cell growth in PcDNA3-RhoC group was remarkably higher than that in the HL7702 and PcDNA3 groups (0.83 ± 0.10 vs. 0.54 ± 0.11 and 0.58 ± 0.55, respectively, P0.05).RhoC is the key molecule in promoting hepatocellular cell growth, and is a promising target for tumor cell growth controlling.

To investigate the efficacy, safety and tolerance of bosentan, a dual endothelin receptor antagonist, in Chinese patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH).Totally 79 IPAH patients (hemodynamic criteria confirmed by right heart catheterization) were included in this open-label, prospective multicenter study. Patients received 62.5 mg of bosentan twice daily for the first 4 weeks, and then up-titrated to 125 mg twice daily for another 12 weeks. The primary end point was the change in exercise capacity showed by six-minute walk distance (6MWD) from baseline to 16 weeks. Secondary end points included the change in World Health Organization (WHO) functional class, Borg dyspnoea scale and systolic pulmonary artery pressure measured by echocardiography.The 6MWD increased from (343.7 ± 93.7) meters at baseline to (397.5 ± 104.4) meters after 16 weeks (P0.01), WHO functional class and Borg dyspnoea scale were also significantly improved after 16 weeks therapy compared to baseline levels (all P0.01). Furthermore, the systolic pulmonary artery pressure was significantly decreased from (97.8 ± 25.2) mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) to (92.8 ± 29.5) mm Hg (P0.05) after 16 weeks bosentan treatment. There was no patient withdrawal from this study for safety consideration.Bosentan therapy is well tolerated and can improve the exercise capacity and WHO functional class in Chinese IPAH patients.

To study the protective effect of sodium pyruvate on ischemia/reperfusion injury following hemorrhagic shock.Rat models of hemorrhagic shock were built up. When the shed blood was infused, the rats were also randomly provided by one of normal saline, glutathione and sodium pyruvate. Rats were killed 3 hours after the reperfusion, the activity of plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), the level of tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activity of tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) were detected. Biopsy specimens were obtained to investigate morphological changes of the myocardial, hepatic, lung and renal tissue.The activity of plasma LDH and GOT, the level of MDA of hepatic, lung and renal tissue and the activity of MPO of myocardial, lung and renal tissue decreased remarkably in group given sodium pyruvate compared with group given normal saline, and the effect of group given sodium pyruvate was more remarkable than group given glutathione.These data support the view that sodium pyruvate shows protective effect on ischemia/reperfusion injury following hemorrhagic shock. It is possibly relevant to scavenging of oxygen free radicals, reduction of neutrophil, and anti-inflammatory response.

Burn-induced tracheal stenosis is rare. This article reports an extensive burn patient who developed severe tracheomalacia and stenosis before wound healing. Given the ineffectiveness of the conventional techniques available for the treatment of tracheal stenosis, we used an extended tracheal cannula to dilate the narrowed part of the trachea successfully. As a result, the extensive burn wound was repaired, and the symptoms of tracheal stenosis were eventually relieved. No serious restenosis was observed during a 2-year follow-up period.

Background: Lesion-to-brain contrast after gadolinium administration is significantly higher at 3.0 Tesla (T) compared to 1.5T. The high in vivo relaxivity of gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA) may permit the use of lower-dose contrast agents. Purpose: To investigate whether low-dose contrast-enhanced MRI at 3.0T using a high-relaxivity contrast agent (Gd-BOPTA) can achieve a comparable or improved contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for the detection of brain metastases compared with examination of the same patient at 1.5T using a standard dose of gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd-DTPA). Material and Methods: A total of 18 patients with known brain metastases were first imaged at 1.5T with 0.1 mmol/kg Gd-DTPA. Patients returned at least 24 hours later for imaging at 3.0T with Gd-BOPTA at cumulative doses of 0.025 mmol/kg, 0.05 mmol/kg, 0.075 mmol/kg, and 0.1 mmol/kg (0.1 mmol/kg body weight overall). The CNR of enhancing brain lesions compared to the normal contralateral white matter was calculated. For the 3.0T study using different cumulative doses of Gd-BOPTA, the CNR of lesions was compared with CNR of the same lesions imaged at 1.5T using 0.1 mmol/kg Gd-DTPA, by using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. Results: At 1.5T with 0.1 mmol/kg Gd-DTPA, the mean CNR between enhanced lesions and cerebral white matter was 12.01 ± 2.53. With 3.0T imaging using different cumulative doses of Gd-BOPTA, the mean CNRs were 7.19 ± 4.06, 15.31 ± 6.37, 25.44 ± 11.02, and 31.88 ± 13.21. At 3.0T with 0.05 mmol/kg Gd-BOPTA, CNR was 1.34-fold higher compared to CNR at 1.5T with 0.1 mmol/kg Gd-DTPA ( P Conclusion: Comparable contrast enhancement of brain metastases can be achieved with a 0.05-mmol/kg dose of Gd-BOPTA at 3.0T compared to imaging at 1.5T using 0.1 mmol/kg Gd-DTPA.