A polymorphism of matrix Gla protein gene is associated with kidney stones.

Purpose: Matrix Gla protein, a potent calcification inhibitor in arterial vessels, is also expressed in the kidney and is up-regulated following the administration of ethylene glycol, a precursor of oxalate. Considering the analogous characteristics between arterial calcification and kidney stones, we identified variants of the human matrix Gla protein gene and investigated whether there is an association between MGP genetic polymorphisms and kidney stones.

Materials And Methods: We studied single nucleotide polymorphisms in matrix Gla protein in 122 kidney stone cases and 125 controls.

Successful formation of calcium oxalate crystal deposition in mouse kidney by intraabdominal glyoxylate injection.

The establishment of an experimental animal model would be useful to study the mechanism of kidney stone formation. A calcium kidney stone model in rats induced by ethylene glycol has been used for research; however, to investigate the genetic basis affecting kidney stone formation, which will contribute to preventive medicine, the establishment of a kidney stone model in mice is essential. This study indicates the optimum conditions for inducing calcium oxalate stones in normal mouse kidney.

Ionization induced relaxation in solvation structure: a comparison between Na(H2O)n and Na(NH3)n.

The constant ionization potential for hydrated sodium clusters Na(H2O)n just beyond n=4, as observed in photoionization experiments, has long been a puzzle in violation of the well-known (n+1)(-1/3) rule that governs the gradual transition in properties from clusters to the bulk. Based on first principles calculations, a link is identified between this puzzle and an important process in solution: the reorganization of the solvation structure after the removal of a charged particle. Na(H2O)n is a prototypical system with a solvated electron coexisting with a solvated sodium ion, and the cluster structure is determined by a balance among three factors: solute-solvent (Na+-H2O), solvent-solvent (H2O-H2O), and electron-solvent (OH{e}HO) interactions.

Epidemiology, clinical and laboratory characteristics of currently alive HIV-1 infected former blood donors naive to antiretroviral therapy in Anhui Province, China.

Background: Unregulated commercial blood/plasma collection among farmers occurred between 1992 and 1995 in central China and caused the second major epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in China. It is important to characterize HIV-1-infected former blood donors and to study characteristics associated with disease progression for future clinical intervention and vaccine development.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on HIV-1-infected former blood donors (FBDs) and age-matched HIV-seronegative local residents.

Size-dependent charge-separation reaction for hydrated sulfate dianion cluster, SO(2-)(H2O)n, with n=3-7.

The decrease in the reaction rate for the charge separation in SO(4) (2-)(H(2)O)(n) with increasing cluster size is examined by first-principles calculations of the energetics, activation barriers, and thermal stability for n=3-7. The key factor governing the charge separation is the difference in the strength of solvation interaction: while interaction with water is strong for the reactant SO(4) (2-) and the product OH(-), it is relatively weak for HSO(4) (-). It gives rise to a barrier for charge separation as SO(4) (2-) is transformed into HSO(4) (-) and OH(-), although the overall reaction energy is exothermic.

First principles study on the solvation and structure of C2O4(2-)(H2O)n, n = 6-12.

The structures and energies of hydrated oxalate clusters, C2O4(2-)(H2O)n, n = 6-12, are obtained by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and compared to SO4(2-)(H2O)n. Although the evolution of the cluster structure with size is similar to that of SO4(2-)(H2O)n, there are a number of important and distinctive futures in C2O4(2-)(H2O)n, including the separation of the two charges due to the C-C bond in C2O4(2-), the lower symmetry around C2O4(2-), and the torsion along the C-C bond, that affect both the structure and the solvation energy. The solvation dynamics for the isomers of C2O4(2-)(H2O)12 are also examined by DFT based ab initio molecular dynamics.

A polymorphism of the osteopontin gene is related to urinary calcium stones.

Purpose: We investigated polymorphisms of the osteopontin (OPN) gene to explore whether they could be used as a gene marker for determining the risk of urinary calcium stones.

Materials And Methods: A total of 76 patients with urinary calcium stones and 124 controls were studied. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms with nonsynonymous amino acid located at positions 9,402 (Arg/His) and 9,171 (Asn/Ser) in the OPN gene were genotyped using the TaqMan 5' nuclease assay in a PRISM 7700 sequence detection system.

A first principles study on the solvation and structure of SO4 2- (H2O)n, n=6-12.

The structures of hydrated sulfate clusters, SO(4) (2-)(H(2)O)(n) with n=6-12, are obtained by density functional theory calculations. For SO(4) (2-)(H(2)O)(12), two structures with symmetric distribution of H(2)O molecules around the sulfate group are favored in energy. The structures for the smaller clusters, SO(4) (2-)(H(2)O)(n) with n=6-11, are obtained by taking away one H(2)O molecule successively from the two symmetric SO(4) (2-)(H(2)O)(12) isomers.

Development of biologic coronary artery bypass grafting in a rabbit model: revival of a classic concept with modern biotechnology.

Objective: We have developed a technique for biologic coronary artery bypass grafting, which is a revival of a classic concept with modern biotechnology.

Methods: Acute myocardial infarction was created by ligating the major branch of the circumflex artery in rabbits. Animals were divided into four groups: a nontreated group (group N), a group in which omentum was used to wrap the infarcted area (group G), a group in which a gelatin hydrogel sheet incorporating 100 microg basic fibroblast growth factor was placed over the infarcted area (group F), and a group in which the infarcted area was similarly treated with basic fibroblast growth factor followed by omental wrapping (group FG).

[Determining conjugated bile acids by reverse HPLC and analyzing the conjugated bile acids in sera of patients with hepatocirrhosis].

Objective: To investigate the conjugated bile acids in sera of patients with hepatocirrhosis by the determination of conjugated bile acids using reverse HPLC(high performance liquid chromatography).

Methods: Reverse HPLC was used to determine the conjugated bile acids, to evaluate the precision, accuracy, sensitivity and linear limitation of the method, and to separate and determine six conjugated bile acids in the sera of hepatocirrhotic patients. A comparison with controls was performed.

Mediastinal myelolipoma.

Myelolipoma is a rare tumor, and a mediastinal location is extremely unusual. The main pathologic feature is the coexistence of mature adipose tissue and bone marrow cells; the presence of megakaryocytes is essential for diagnosis. The successful removal of a mediastinal myelolipoma in a 59-year-old man is described.