A novel pax-like protein involved in transcriptional activation of cyst wall protein genes in Giardia lamblia.

Giardia lamblia differentiates into infectious cysts to survive outside of the host. It is of interest to identify factors involved in up-regulation of cyst wall proteins (CWPs) during this differentiation. Pax proteins are important regulators of development and cell differentiation in Drosophila and vertebrates.

Quantitative assessment of perirectal tumor infiltration with dynamic contrast-enhanced multi-detector row CT in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of discriminant function analysis of perirectal tumor infiltration with dynamic contrast-enhanced 64-detector row CT in rectal cancer.

Materials And Methods: Forty-nine patients with rectal cancer underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced CT. A total of 96 axial CT slices containing the tumors were evaluated.

Higher charge/discharge rates of lithium-ions across engineered TiO2 surfaces leads to enhanced battery performance.

Anatase TiO(2) having different percentages of (001)/(101) surface demonstrated different behaviors for Li(+) ions insertion and much enhanced rate performance of Li-ion batteries.

CT and MR imaging characteristics of infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma.

Aim: This study aims to analyze computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features of infantile hepatic hemangioendotheliomas before and after treatment.

Materials And Methods: CT and MR examinations of seven infants with biopsy proven hepatic hemangioendotheliomas were retrospectively analyzed. The distribution, number, size, imaging appearance, enhancement pattern and post-treatment changes of the tumors were evaluated.

Regulation of amyloid precursor protein processing by the Beclin 1 complex.

Autophagy is an intracellular degradation pathway that functions in protein and organelle turnover in response to starvation and cellular stress. Autophagy is initiated by the formation of a complex containing Beclin 1 (BECN1) and its binding partner Phosphoinositide-3-kinase, class 3 (PIK3C3). Recently, BECN1 deficiency was shown to enhance the pathology of a mouse model of Alzheimer Disease (AD).

A novel family of cyst proteins with epidermal growth factor repeats in Giardia lamblia.

Background: Giardia lamblia parasitizes the human small intestine to cause diarrhea and malabsorption. It undergoes differentiation from a pathogenic trophozoite form into a resistant walled cyst form. Few cyst proteins have been identified to date, including three cyst wall proteins (CWPs) and one High Cysteine Non-variant Cyst protein (HCNCp).

DynaMod: dynamic functional modularity analysis.

A comprehensive analysis of enriched functional categories in differentially expressed genes is important to extract the underlying biological processes of genome-wide expression profiles. Moreover, identification of the network of significant functional modules in these dynamic processes is an interesting challenge. This study introduces DynaMod, a web-based application that identifies significant functional modules reflecting the change of modularity and differential expressions that are correlated with gene expression profiles under different conditions.

The effect of vitamin-mineral supplementation on CRP and IL-6: a systemic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Background And Aims: Inflammation is regarded as a risk predictor for metabolic syndrome and atherogenesis. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and a meta-analysis to confirm the effect of vitamin-mineral supplementation on cytokine levels.

Methods And Results: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases up to May 2009 for randomised controlled trials regarding the effect of vitamin-mineral supplementation on C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).

Prognostic significance of the 2004 WHO/ISUP classification for prediction of recurrence, progression, and cancer-specific mortality of non-muscle-invasive urothelial tumors of the urinary bladder: a clinicopathologic study of 1,515 cases.

To verify prognostic significance of the 2004 World Health Organization (WHO)/International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grading systems, we retrospectively studied the tumors of 1,515 patients who underwent transurethral resection of primary non-muscle-invasive urothelial tumors (pTa, 1,006 patients; pT1, 509 patients) confined to the bladder. Cases were classified according to the 2004 WHO/ISUP systems as 212 cases of papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential (PUNLMP), 706 low-grade papillary urothelial carcinomas (LPUCs), and 597 high-grade papillary urothelial carcinomas (HPUCs). PUNLMP showed the statistically significantly lowest recurrence cumulative incidence compared with the other tumor types.

Enhancement of TREK1 channel surface expression by protein-protein interaction with beta-COP.

TREK1 belongs to a family of two-pore-domain K(+) (K(2P)) channels and produce background currents that regulate cell excitability. In the present study, we identified a vesicle transport protein, beta-COP, as an interacting partner by yeast two-hybrid screening of a human brain cDNA library with N-terminal region of TREK1 (TREK1-N) as bait. Several in vitro and in vivo binding assays confirmed the protein-protein interaction between TREK1 and beta-COP.

Protective effects of Flos lonicera extract on acute liver injury by dimethylnitrosamine-induced in rats.

The aim of this study is to investigate effects of Flos lonicera extract (FLE) on acute liver injury model rats which induced by 35 mg/kg dimethylnitrosamine (DMN). Model rats were divided into hepatic injury control group (administrated with water), FLE group (administrated with FLE) and silymarin group (administrated with silymarin which is hepatotherapeutic drug) as positive control. They were examined including ALT, AST, ALP, gamma-GT, ALB and TP levels in serum, and MDA, GPx levels in liver tissue.

Curcumin improves insulin resistance in skeletal muscle of rats.

Background And Aims: Curcumin has been reported to lower plasma lipids and glucose in diabetic rats, and to decrease body weight in obese rats, which may partly be due to increased fatty acid oxidation and utilization in skeletal muscle.

Methods And Results: Diabetic rats induced by high-fat diet plus streptozotocin (STZ, 30 mg/kg BW) were fed a diet containing 50, 150, or 250 mg/kg BW curcumin for 7 wk. Curcumin dose-dependently decreased plasma lipids and glucose and the dose 150 mg/kg BW appeared to be adequate to produce a significant effect.

[Application of 64MDCT multislice perfusion imaging in colorectal carcinoma].

Objective: To study the correlation of time-density curves (TDC), parameters revealed by 64-multidetector-row CT (64MDCT) perfusion imaging with clinicopathological factors (staging, serosal invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and CEA) in colorectal carcinoma (CRC).

Methods: 64 MDCT perfusion imaging was performed in 33 patients with pathologically verified CRC. TDC was created from the region of interest (ROI) drawn over the tumor, target artery and vein by 64MDCT with perfusion functional software.

Heat stress cognate 70 host protein as a potential drug target against drug resistance in hepatitis B virus.

Heat stress cognate 70 (Hsc70) is a host protein associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. The goal of this study was to investigate whether Hsc70 could be an anti-HBV drug target. Our results showed that introducing Hsc70 increased HBV replication in HBV(+) human hepatocytes (HepG2.

Novel biomarkers of 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol exposure by ultra performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry based metabonomic analysis of rat urine.

To select early, sensitive biomarkers of 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) exposure, a single dose of 30 mg/kg/day 3-MCPD was administered to male Wistar rats for 40 days. Significant elevations of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen concentrations were observed on day 40, and urine N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and beta-galactosidase (beta-Gal) activities were observed on day 20. Slight renal tubule hydropic degeneration and spermatozoa decreases were observed on day 10.

Effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on adiposity, energy expenditure and lipid profiles in obese Chinese women.

Background: Obese individuals are more likely to have either lower blood concentrations or lower bioavailability of minerals and/or vitamins. However, there are limited data on the effects of nutritional supplementation on body weight (BW) control, energy homeostasis and lipid metabolism in obese subjects.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of supplementation with multivitamin and multimineral on adiposity, energy expenditure and lipid profiles in obese Chinese women.

Templated fabrication of metal half-shells for surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Here we report a scalable colloidal templating approach for producing metal half-shells as efficient surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. Nonclose-packed monolayer colloidal crystals created by a spin-coating technology are used as structural template to fabricate both water-dispersed half-shells and disordered arrays of half-shells with preferential upright orientation. The sharp edges of the half-shells and the small gaps between adjacent shells can significantly enhance the local electromagnetic field, resulting in high SERS enhancement factor (up to 10(10)) which is nearly 2 orders of magnitude higher than those of periodic substrates produced by other colloidal templating approaches.

FiGS: a filter-based gene selection workbench for microarray data.

Background: The selection of genes that discriminate disease classes from microarray data is widely used for the identification of diagnostic biomarkers. Although various gene selection methods are currently available and some of them have shown excellent performance, no single method can retain the best performance for all types of microarray datasets. It is desirable to use a comparative approach to find the best gene selection result after rigorous test of different methodological strategies for a given microarray dataset.

Therapeutic potential of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by Fasudil, a Rho kinase inhibitor.

The migration of aberrant inflammatory cells into the central nervous system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of demyelinating diseases potentially through the Rho/Rho-kinase (Rock) pathway, but direct evidence from human and animal models remains inadequate. Here we further confirm that Fasudil, a selective Rock inhibitor, has therapeutic potential in a mouse model of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The results show that Fasudil decreased the development of EAE in C57BL/6 mice.

Effects of beta-ionone on mammary carcinogenesis and antioxidant status in rats treated with DMBA.

Recent chemopreventive studies from our group showed that dietary beta -ionone inhibited 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary carcinogenesis by the inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis initiation. In this study, we examined the chemopreventive effects of varied doses of dietary beta -ionone on the development and growth of DMBA-induced rat mammary tumors as well as plasma antioxidant status. beta -ionone treatment groups were given 9, 18, and 36 mmol/kg in the AIN76A diet starting 2 wk prior to DMBA administration and continuing for the 24 wk.

Multiphasic MDCT in small bowel volvulus.

Objective: Evaluate the use of MDCT with 3D CT angiography (CTA) and CT portal venography (CTPV) reconstruction for the diagnosis of small bowel volvulus (SBV).

Methods: Multiphasic MDCT findings in nine patients (seven males and two females, age range 2-70) with surgically proven SBV were retrospectively reviewed. Non-contrast and double phase contrast enhanced MDCT including 3D CTA and CTPV reconstruction were performed in all the patients.

[CT diagnosis of midgut malrotation].

Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of CT in midgut malrotation.

Methods: The CT appearances of 16 patients with midgut malrotation were analyzed retrospectively.

Results: The features of CT manifestation in 16 cases were as follows: (1) Horizontal part of duodenum could not reach medioventral line or could reach it but encircled right-down behind the superior mesenteric artery(SMA).

First principle study of hydrogenation of MgB2: an important step toward reversible hydrogen storage in the coupled LiBH4/MgH2 system.

Recent experiments [F. E. Pinkerton, M.

Fasudil, a Rho kinase inhibitor, drives mobilization of adult neural stem cells after hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in mice.

Rho kinase (ROCK) is important in fundamental processes of cell proliferation and survival. Blockade of ROCK promotes stem cell survival in vitro and axonal regeneration in vivo, exhibiting therapeutic potential such as spinal cord injuries and stroke. Here, we used the model of hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury to explore the possibility whether Fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor in clinical application for subarachnoid hemorrhage and stroke, mobilizes adult neural stem cells in vivo.