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Cryopreservation of testicular tissue is a new option in fertility preservation for prepubertal male animals. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of different cryoprotectant agents (CPAs) at various concentrations on testes after the cryopreservation of calf testicular tissue. These experiments selected dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), glycerol, propylene glycol (PrOH), and sucrose as CPAs in varying doses (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5, and 20 %; v/v) in 8-month-old calf testicular tissue that was frozen and preserved. Then, cell viability, testosterone production, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) level were detected and analyzed following cryopreservation. The results showed that the optimal concentrations of DMSO, PrOH, glycerol, and sucrose were 10, 10, 7.5, and 10 %, respectively. Compared to the optimal concentrations of CPAs, cell viability and testosterone production decreased significantly at a lower and higher CPA concentration (P < 0.05). At the optimal concentrations of CPAs, the DMSO group showed higher cell viability and testosterone production than other CPA groups (P < 0.05). Compared to the optimal concentration of CPAs, the MDA level increased and the SOD level decreased at a lower or higher concentration of CPAs, but there was no significant difference (P > 0.05). Cell viability was significantly positively correlated with testosterone production (P < 0.05). In conclusion, DMSO provided the most effective protection for calf testicular tissue cryopreservation and the optimal concentration was 10 %.

The preferred (002) orientation Zinc oxide ( ZnO ) nanocrystalline thin films have been deposited on ITO-coated glass substrates by means of sol-gel spin-coating technology and rapid thermal annealing for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The effects of annealing temperature (400 ~ 700 ° C ) on the microstructure and morphology of ZnO thin films were studied. With the increase of heating temperature from 400 °C to 700 °C, the grain size of ZnO thin films decreases from 80 to 10 nm. The decreases in grain size of ZnO thin films contributed to the improvement on the absorption of dye onto the films. The ITO/ZnO/RuL 2 (NCS) 2 electrodes with high absorption in the wide range containing visible light reveal that the nanoporous structure can adsorb easily the dye and can be expected in the application of DSSC.

One of the critical intracellular signal transduction pathways involves the binding of the Grb2 SH2 domain to the phosphotyrosine (pTyr) motifs on growth factor receptors, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and erbB2, leading to downstream activation of the oncogenic Ras signaling pathway. Therefore, the Grb2 SH2 domain has been chosen as our target for the development of potential anticancer agents. As a continuation of our earlier work, herein we report the design and synthesis of new peptide analogs, and their inhibitory effect on the Grb2 SH2 domain using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology. These novel agents do not contain phosphotyrosine or phosphotyrosine mimics. Binding interactions between these peptides and the Grb2 SH2 domain were measured and analyzed using a BIAcore X instrument, which provides detailed information on the real-time detection of the binding interaction. The results of this study should provide important information for the further development of peptides or peptidomimetics with high affinity for the Grb2 SH2 domain.

The asymmetric α-oxylation of the dienolates derived from chiral α, β- or β, γ-unsaturated imide with dibenzyl peroxydicarbonate followed by the Pd(0)-catalyzed reactions of the resulting allylic carbonate with various nucleophiles (alkylation, etherification, and amination) is shown to provide the γ-(S)- or -(R)-configurated α, β-unsaturated imide, respectively, with a high level of stereocontrol.

The allylation of the dienolate derived from the chiral α, β- or β, γ-unsaturated imidefollowed by the Cope rearrangement is shown to effect the net remote asymmetric induction to create a new chirality of either configuration at the γ-position in high % de. The utility of this approach is shown in the asymmetric synthesis of the C6 side chain of Zaragozic acid A.

(1) to correlate thigh muscle volume measured by magnetic resonance image (MRI) with anthropometric measurements and physical function in elderly subjects; (2) to predict MRI-measured thigh muscle volume using anthropometric measurements and physical functional status in elderly subjects.Cross-sectional, nonrandomized study.Outpatient clinic in Taiwan.Sixty-nine elderly subjects (33 men and 36 women) aged 65 and older.The anthropometric data (including body height, body weight, waist size, and thigh circumference), physical activity and function (including grip strength, bilateral quadriceps muscle power, the up and go test, chair rise, and five meters walk time) and bioelectrical impedance analysis data (including total body fat mass, fat-free mass, and predictive muscle size) were measured. MRI-measured muscle volume of both thighs was used as the reference standard.The MRI-measured thigh volume was positively correlated with all anthropometric data, quadriceps muscle power and the up and go test as well as fat-free mass and predictive muscle mass, whereas it was negatively associated with age and walk time. In predicting thigh muscle volume, the variables of age, gender, body weight, and thigh circumference were significant predictors in the linear regression model: Muscle volume (cm3) =4226.3－42.5 × Age (year)－955.7 × gender (male=1, female=2) + 45.9 × body weight(kg) + 60.0 × thigh circumference (cm) (r2 = 0.745, P0.001; standard error of the estimate = 581.6 cm3).The current work provides evidence of a strong relationship between thigh muscle volume and physical function in the elderly. We also developed a prediction equation model using anthropometric measurements. This model is a simple and noninvasive method for everyday clinical practice and follow-up.

The E/Z stereoselection in the acyclic oxy-Cope rearrangement of stereochemically-defined 3-methyl-1,5-heptadien-4-ols, prepared via diastereoselective [2,3]Wittig variants, has been evaluated, thereby permitting to propose a reasonable transition-state model for this type of anionic oxy-Cope variant

The asymmetric α-oxylation of the dienolates derived from chiral α, β- or β, γ-unsaturated imide with dibenzyl peroxydicarbonate followed by the Pd(0)-catalyzed reactions of the resulting allylic carbonate with various nucleophiles (alkylation, etherification, and amination) is shown to provide the γ-(S)- or -(R)-configurated α, β-unsaturated imide, respectively, with a high level of stereocontrol.

The function of a substitutional impurity in the support of catalysts is investigated by using the Green's function method and complex-energy-plane integration technique. The tight-binding approximation is employed to model the H-Ni/ZnO(contaminated) system, which is considered as an example. The Anderson-Newns theory is used to compute the chemisorption energy and adatom charge transfer. It is found that (1) the impurities with the different effective levels, Δe, have different effects on the chemisorption process, (2) the effect of the impurity to be closest to the surface of the support is most significant, (3) the influences of an impurity in the support on the chemisorption are of secondary importance compared with those of an impurity in the active component of catalysts. Mit der Methode der Greenschen Funktionen und der Integration in der komplexen Energieebene wird die Wirkung einer Substitutionsstorstelle bei der Unterstutzung der Katalyse untersucht. Die tight-binding-Naherung wird benutzt, um das H-Ni/ZnO-(Kontaminations)System zu modellieren, das als Beispiel betrachtet wird. Die Anderson-Newns-Theorie wird benutzt, um die Chemisorptionsenergie und den Adatomladungstransfer zu berechnen. Es wird gefunden, das (1) die Storstellen mit den unterschiedlichen effektiven Niveaus Δe, unterschiedlichen Einflus auf den Chemisorptionsprozes haben, (2) der Einflus der der Oberflache am nachsten liegenden Storstelle am wesentlichsten ist, (3) der Einflus einer Storstelle bei der Unterstutzung der Chemisorption von sekundarer Bedeutung ist, verglichen mit der einer Storstelle in der aktiven Komponente des Katalysators.

This paper presents a novel way for the re-constructible CMM software system modeling by taking advantage of a tiered modeling strategy. It consists of four tiers: (1) the bottom layer is the CAD model manager which encapsulates geometric engine and 3D object displaying engine as a COM; (2) the middle is the kernel components which is designed to manage the objects of geometric entity, coordinate system, probe and the system environment parameters etc; (3) the third layer is function modules layer that is used to manage and handle the messages and events of the windows/dialog, menus and toolbars; (4) the top layer is GUI module that is designed to initialize the application with the resource of GUI with the manner of dynamic loading. A set of commercial CMM software, Direct DMIS, has applied the method in a R&D of China National Institute of Measuring and Test Technology (NIMTT). It proves that the developed system can effectively integrate the modules distributed in different layers developed with C++ or C# and the proposed method is feasible.

One of the critical intracellular signal transduction pathways involves the binding of the Grb2 SH2 domain to the phosphotyrosine (pTyr) motifs on growth factor receptors, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and erbB2, leading to downstream activation of the oncogenic Ras signaling pathway. Therefore, the Grb2 SH2 domain has been chosen as our target for the development of potential anticancer agents. As a continuation of our earlier work, herein we report the design and synthesis of new peptide analogs, and their inhibitory effect on the Grb2 SH2 domain using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology. These novel agents do not contain phosphotyrosine or phosphotyrosine mimics. Binding interactions between these peptides and the Grb2 SH2 domain were measured and analyzed using a BIAcore X instrument, which provides detailed information on the real-time detection of the binding interaction. The results of this study should provide important information for the further development of peptides or peptidomimetics with high affinity for the Grb2 SH2 domain.

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor impact on prognosis. Many of these tumors may cause intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastases. From January 1991 to December 1996, 41 unresectable HCC patients with PVT underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) to the portion of PVT. The irradiated field, with a mean equivalent field size of 6.6 x 7.1 cm2, was localized and simulated by abdominal sonography, angiography and computed tomography. Radiation dose ranged from 36 to 66 Gy (mean dose: 51.4 Gy), in a daily fraction of 1.8 to 2 Gy. The response of EBRT was evaluated by abdominal sonography within 3 months of completion of EBRT. The response rates of the PVT after treatment were 39% for complete response (CR), 41% for partial response (PR), and 19% for no response (NR), respectively. The median overall survival time from start of radiotherapy was 10 months for all patients, 17 months for CR patients, 8 months for PR patients and 4 months for NR patients. By multivariate analysis, response of PVT resulted in a significant improvement in survival. (P = 0.001) There was no occurrence of severe complication of radiation-induced liver disease. The results obtained with combined treatment modality of EBRT and TACE in the treatment of HCC patients with PVT are encouraging.

This study describes the prevalence and demographics of avascular necrosis (AVN) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). With improving survival of ALL patients on modern chemotherapy regimens, an increasing number of children with AVN will be presenting to orthopaedists. From 1991 to 1996, 202 patients were treated for ALL at a major tertiary pediatric cancer referral center. Eight patients (4.0%) subsequently developed AVN at an average of 30.0 months after beginning chemotherapy. A total of 27 documented joints were involved, with an average of 3.4 joints affected per patient diagnosed with AVN. The subset of patients with high-risk ALL who underwent an aggressive chemotherapy protocol was particularly susceptible to developing AVN. Six of 58 high-risk ALL patients (10.3%) developed AVN at an average of 18.5 months. As ALL patients now frequently survive into adulthood, orthopaedists will be increasingly called on to manage AVN affecting multiple joints in children and young adults.

To investigate the relationship of microalbuminuria, left ventricular hypertrophy and hypertension, 150 hypertensive patients were studied. All patients received a series of blood pressure (BP) measurements, overnight urine collection for microalbuminuria determination, chest radiography (CXR), electrocardiography (EKG) and echocardiographic assessment. Echocardiographic variables including left ventricular mass index (LVMI), fractional shortening (FS) and Doppler mitral flow E/A ratio were analyzed. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to diastolic blood pressure. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was identified by EKG in 28 patients (18.7%), by CXR in 56 patients (37.3%) and by echocardiography in 126 patients (89.3%). Microalbuminuria was detected in 42 patients (28%). Microalbuminuria tended to present in patients with higher systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure. There was no relation between FS and E/A ratio and the degree of blood pressure elevation. However, there was a strong correlation between microalbuminuria and LVMI (p0.001), this correlation was not related to any difference in blood biochemistry. The results of this study indicate that the severity of microalbuminuria relates closely to the severity of hypertension. In addition, hypertensive patients with microalbuminuria tend to have higher LVMI.

Death certificates filed between 1987 and 1990 at the Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital (KMCH) were reviewed to investigate causes of diabetic death. During this period, 1,383 patients expired at KMCH, of which 151 had diabetes mellitus. The major causes of death in these 151 diabetic patients were infection in 25.8%, cardiovascular disease in 18.5%, cerebrovascular disease in 11.3%, uremia in 8.6% and diabetic ketoacidosis in 1.3%, while diabetes was reported as the contributory or underlying cause of death. Malignancy in 12.0%, liver disease in 5.3%, trauma in 1.3% and upper gastroenteral bleeding in 0.7%, likewise, were among the leading causes of death irrespective of underlying diabetes. However, cause of death in 15.2% of these diabetic patients was undetermined. Our analysis revealed that infection and cardiocerebrovascular disease were the leading problems contributing to diabetic death. Therefore, reducing the risk of infection by strict glycemic control, intensive medical intervention in infection and the proper prevention of diabetic angiopathy-related risk factors and complications are imperative for the reduction of diabetic mortality in our patients.

The occurrence of hypoplastic acute leukemia is widely recognized as an atypical leukemia, and is defined as hypocellular marrow with more than 30% blasts and none or few blasts in the circulating blood. The pathogenesis of hypoplastic acute leukemia is still unknown. Clinically, it usually follows a less progressive course and has a high prevalence rate among the elderly. The treatment and prognosis remains unclear. We present a case of hypoplastic acute leukemia, which responded well to low dose Ara-C. The 67 year-old female patient had symptoms of bruising easily and dizziness for about 3 years. Initial investigation revealed pancytopenia in the circulating blood and hypocellularity (10%) with blast cells (60%) in the bone marrow. Besides supportive treatment with blood transfusions and antibiotics, chemotherapy of low dose Ara-C 10 mg/m2 was administrated for 14 days by subcutaneous injection. Bone marrow examination revealed an increase of cellularity and a decrease of blast cells following chemotherapy. Anemia and thrombocytopenia also simultaneously improved. Such results may suggest induction of differentiation effect of low dose Ara-C in hypoplastic leukemia.

The asymmetric aldol reaction of the boron dienolate derived from chiral α, β or β, γ-unsaturated imide followed by the siloxy-Cope rearrangement is shown to provide the γ,δ-antior -syn -α,β-unsaturated imide as the main product.