Optofluidic ultrahigh-throughput detection of fluorescent drops.

This paper describes an optofluidic droplet interrogation device capable of counting fluorescent drops at a throughput of 254,000 drops per second. To our knowledge, this rate is the highest interrogation rate published thus far. Our device consists of 16 parallel microfluidic channels bonded directly to a filter-coated two-dimensional Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor array.

Determination of phosphite in a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant.

Phosphite (HPO3(2-), +3), a reduced P species in the P biogeochemical cycle, was monitored in a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWTP) that uses an anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic-membrane bioreactor (A(2)/O-MBR) technology for treating mixed wastewater (56% industrial wastewater and 44% domestic wastewater) from June 2013 to May 2014. Wastewater samples were collected from influent after having gone through the fine grille, anaerobic tank, anoxic tank, and aerobics tank, respectively. The final stage yielded effluent.

Enantioseparation of aromatic α-hydroxycarboxylic acids: the application of a dinuclear Cu₂(II)-β-cyclodextrin complex as a chiral selector in high speed counter-current chromatography compared with native β-cyclodextrin.

The use of a dinuclear Cu2(II)-β-cyclodextrin complex (Cu2-β-CyD) as a chiral selector (CS) was successfully applied to chiral high speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) for the enantioseparation of aromatic α-hydroxycarboxylic acids. α-cyclohexylmandelic acid (CHMA) as a case was studied to optimize the separation temperature, the pH value of the aqueous phase, and the concentration of the chiral selector, which were comparatively studied between Cu2-β-CyD and native β-cyclodextrin (β-CyD) as CSs. The thermodynamic parameters of the formation of the complex between the enantiomers and the CSs were obtained, and the complex formation constants between the enantiomers and Cu2-β-CyD or β-CyD were determined using induced circular dichroism technology.

Unchanged survival rates of Shadoo knockout mice after infection with mouse-adapted scrapie.

Previous studies have demonstrated that Shadoo (Sho), a GPI-linked glycoprotein encoded by the Sprn gene with a membrane localization similar to PrP(C), is reduced in the brains of rodents with terminal prion disease. To determine the functional significance of Sho in prion disease pathogenesis, Sho-deficient mice were generated by gene targeting. Sho knockout and control wild-type (WT) mice were infected with themouse-adapted scrapie strains 22L or RML.

Bioassay-guided preparative separation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory C-flavone glycosides from Desmodium styracifolium by recycling complexation high-speed counter-current chromatography.

A new strategy of the convergence of high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and bioactive assay technique was developed for rapidly screening and separating the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors from the aerial parts of Desmodium styracifolium. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the crude extract was first established to target the bioactive fractions based on HSCCC coupled with in vitro ACE inhibitory assay. Subsequently, the bioactive fractions were further separated by the recycling complexation HSCCC respectively, using 0.

Association between the TPH1 A218C polymorphism and antidepressant response: evidence from an updated ethnicity, antidepressant-specific, and ethnicity-antidepressant interaction meta-analysis.

Background: Several studies have investigated the potential association between genetic polymorphisms of tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) and antidepressant response. However, the results are inconsistent and inconclusive. Our aim was to assess the association of the TPH1 A218C polymorphism (rs1800532) with antidepressant response using ethnicity, antidepressant-specific, and ethnicity-antidepressant interactions in an updated meta-analysis.

Ambient scalable synthesis of surfactant-free thermoelectric CuAgSe nanoparticles with reversible metallic-n-p conductivity transition.

Surfactant-free CuAgSe nanoparticles were successfully synthesized on a large scale within a short reaction time via a simple environmentally friendly aqueous approach under room temperature. The nanopowders obtained were consolidated into pellets for investigation of their thermoelectric properties between 3 and 623 K. The pellets show strong metallic characteristics below 60 K and turn into an n-type semiconductor with increasing temperature, accompanied by changes in the crystal structure (i.

Expression and significance of fat mass and obesity associated gene and forkhead transcription factor O1 in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a complex disorder and has been closely linked to obesity. The fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene is a newly discovered gene related to obesity, which enhances oxidative stress and lipogenesis in NAFLD. The forkhead transcription factor O1 (FoxO1) is another important gene involved in NAFLD, which causes lipid disorders when insulin resistance appears in the liver.

Practical Application of Antidiabetic Efficacy of Lycium barbarum Polysaccharide in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) has traditionally been used in Chinese medicine as a chief ingredient of Lycium barbarum (wolf berry/goji berry) for the treatment of various diseases with the symptoms of frequent drinking and urination. This study was conducted as a randomized, controlled clinical trial. A total of 67 patients with type 2 diabetes (30 in control group and 37 in LBP group) were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, double-blind study (administration at 300 mg/day body weight).

A pressure-driven capillary electrophoretic system with injection valve sampling.

To improve repeatability and efficiency and to simplify the operation procedure of capillary electrophoresis (CE), a pressurized CE system (p-CE) with injection valve sampling was developed. It consisted of one high-pressure pump, a six-port injection valve, a PEEK cross, a separation and back pressure capillary, an ultraviolet-visible detector and a high voltage power supply. The pressure-driven flow ranging from 4.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy does not apply to all axillary lymph node-positive breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) after neoadjuant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer patients with confirmed axillary nodal metastases.

Methods: We enrolled 51 patients with breast cancer who received NAC. All patients were proven to have axillary nodal metastases by histopathology biopsy prior to NAC.

Determination of four flavorings in infant formula by solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Increasing attention has been focused on the artificial flavorings added in foods, especially those for infants and children. For the first time, a sensitive and efficient analytical method based on gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous identification and quantification of four flavoring agents (vanillin, methylvanillin, ethylvanillin, and coumarin) in infant formula samples. The flavorings in samples were extracted with methanol/water (v/v, 1:1), cleaned up by solid-phase extraction, and determined by GC-MS/MS in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode.

Reconfigurable optical interleaver modules with tunable wavelength transfer matrix function using polymer photonics lightwave circuits.

A transparent reconfigurable optical interleaver module composed of cascaded AWGs-based wavelength-channel-selector/interleaver monolithically integrated with multimode interference (MMI) variable optical attenuators (VOAs) and Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) switch arrays was designed and fabricated using polymer photonic lightwave circuits. Highly fluorinated photopolymer and grafting modified organic-inorganic hybrid material were synthesized as the waveguide core and caldding, respectively. Thermo-optic (TO) tunable wavelength transfer matrix (WTM) function of the module can be achieved for optical routing network.

An Orientation Map for Motion Boundaries in Macaque V2.

The ability to extract the shape of moving objects is fundamental to visual perception. However, where such computations are processed in the visual system is unknown. To address this question, we used intrinsic signal optical imaging in awake monkeys to examine cortical response to perceptual contours defined by motion contrast (motion boundaries, MBs).

Determination of validamycin A in agricultural food samples by solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry.

For the first time, a rapid, sensitive and accurate liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS/MS) method was developed for determination of validamycin A in agricultural food samples (rice, agaric, almond, cabbage, green onion, carrot, tomato, cucumber and spinach). The validamycin A residue was extracted with methanol-water (9/1, v/v) or methanol by vortex, and a HLB solid-phase extraction cartridge was used for cleaning up the extracts. LC-APCI-MS/MS data acquisition was carried out in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode.

In-depth proteomic analysis of rice embryo reveals its important roles in seed germination.

Seed germination is a complex physiological process that allows the seed embryo to grow and develop into a photosynthetic organism. The two major constituents of rice seed include the embryo and endosperm, with embryo being of much significance despite its small size. In this study, we conducted a systematic proteomic analysis of the embryos dissected from rice seed at different stages of germination through a combination of gel-based and gel-free strategies.

Microfluidic-integrated laser-controlled microactuators with on-chip microscopy imaging functionality.

The fabrication of a novel microfluidic system, integrated with a set of laser-controlled microactuators on an ePetri on-chip microscopy platform, is presented in this paper. In the fully integrated microfluidic system, a set of novel thermally actuated paraffin-based microactuators, precisely controlled by programmed laser optics, was developed to regulate flow and to provide pumping of liquid solutions without external connections. The microfluidic chip was fabricated on a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-imaging sensor chip on an ePetri platform; this configuration provided real-time, wide field-of-view, high-resolution imaging using a sub-pixel sweeping microscopy technique.

Multiresidue analysis of 30 organochlorine pesticides in milk and milk powder by gel permeation chromatography-solid phase extraction-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A method for simultaneous determination of the 30 organochlorine pesticides (OCP) in milk and milk powder samples has been developed. Prior to the gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric analysis, the residual OCP in samples were extracted with n-hexane and acetone mixture (1/1, vol/vol) and cleaned up by gel permeation chromatography and solid phase extraction. Selected reaction monitoring mode was used for gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric data acquisition to identify and quantify the OCP.

Colorectal cancer progression is associated with accumulation of Th17 lymphocytes in tumor tissues and increased serum levels of interleukin-6.

Colorectal cancer is a significant worldwide health problem, and an altered immunoresponse plays an important role in colorectal tumorigenesis and cancer progression. T helper 17 (Th17) lymphocytes (a subgroup of CD4(+) T cells), together with the related cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-17A, participate in cancer-related immunity. In this study, we measured the percentage of Th17 cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and the levels of IL-17A and IL-6 in serum samples or tumor tissues, prepared from 40 colorectal cancer patients (a median age of 75 years), 32 age-matched healthy controls (a median age of 74 years), and 30 young healthy controls (a median age of 26 years).

A phase 1, randomized study to assess the pharmacokinetic comparability of siltuximab derived from two different cell lines in healthy subjects.

Siltuximab, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against interleukin (IL-6), is under development by Janssen Research & Development, LLC. During early clinical development, siltuximab was produced in a murine Sp2/0 myeloma cell line. The production cell line was switched to stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line for subsequent clinical development.

Role of microRNA-1 in human cancer and its therapeutic potentials.

While the mechanisms of human cancer development are not fully understood, evidence of microRNA (miRNA, miR) dysregulation has been reported in many human diseases, including cancer. miRs are small noncoding RNA molecules that regulate posttranscriptional gene expression by binding to complementary sequences in the specific region of gene mRNAs, resulting in downregulation of gene expression. Not only are certain miRs consistently dysregulated across many cancers, but they also play critical roles in many aspects of cell growth, proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis, and drug resistance.

Binding site concentration explains the differential susceptibility of Chilo suppressalis and Sesamia inferens to Cry1A-producing rice.

Chilo suppressalis and Sesamia inferens are two important lepidopteran rice pests that occur concurrently during outbreaks in paddy fields in the main rice-growing areas of China. Previous and current field tests demonstrate that the transgenic rice line Huahui 1 (HH1) producing a Cry1Ab-Cry1Ac hybrid toxin from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis reduces egg and larval densities of C. suppressalis but not of S.

Monolithic multi-functional integration of ROADM modules based on polymer photonic lightwave circuit.

A transparent reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) module composed of AWG-based wavelength-channel-selectors monolithically integrated with Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) thermo-optic (TO) waveguide switch arrays and arrayed waveguide true-time-delay (TTD) lines is designed and fabricated using polymer photonic lightwave circuit technology. Negative-type fluorinated photoresist and grafting modified organic-inorganic hybrid materials were synthesized as the waveguide core and cladding, respectively. The one-chip transmission loss is ~6 dB and the crosstalk is less than ~30 dB for the transverse-magnetic (TM) mode.

Fungal cellulase is an elicitor but its enzymatic activity is not required for its elicitor activity.

Plant-pathogenic fungi produce cellulases. However, little information is available on cellulase as an elicitor in plant-pathogen interactions. Here, an endocellulase (EG1) was isolated from Rhizoctonia solani.