Silicone-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Water Wave Energy Harvesting.

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been proven to be efficient for harvesting water wave energy, which is one of the most promising renewable energy sources. In this work, a TENG with a silicone rubber/carbon black composite electrode was designed for converting the water wave energy into electricity. The silicone-based electrode with a soft texture provides a better contact with the dielectric film.

Comparative proteomics analysis of Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae exposed to albendazole sulfoxide stress.

The drug albendazole (ABZ) has a positive effect against Trichinella spiralis infection and has been used for the treatment and prevention of trichinellosis in humans and animals. However, the molecular mechanism ofthe effects of ABZ on T. spiralis remains unknown.

Noninvasive imaging of c(RGD) -9R as a potential delivery carrier for transfection of siRNA in malignant tumors.

The purpose of our study was to develop and evaluate a novel integrin α β -specific delivery carrier for transfection of siRNA in malignant tumors. We adopted arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) motif as a tissue target for specific recognition of integrin α β . A chimaeric peptide was synthesized by adding nonamer arginine residues (9-arginine [9R]) at the carboxy terminus of cyclic-RGD dimer, designated as c(RGD) -9R, to enable small interfering RNA (siRNA) binding.

Invasion by Trichinella spiralis infective larvae affects the levels of inflammatory cytokines in intestinal epithelial cells in vitro.

As we all know, invasion of host intestinal epithelium is very important for T. spiralis to complete successfully their life cycle. However, the mechanisms that the intestinal infective larvae (IIL) invade and migrate in the intestinal epithailial cells (IECs) remain unclear until now.

Modulation of intestinal epithelial cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation in vitro by Astragalus polysaccharides.

Previous studies have shown that Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) can be used to treat general gastrointestinal disturbances including intestinal mucosal injury. However, the mechanism by which APS mediate this effect is unclear. In the present study, the effects of APS on proliferation, migration, and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-6) were assessed using an in vitro wounding model and colorimetric thiazolyl blue (MTT) assays.

Molecular imaging and pharmacokinetics of (99m) Tc-hTERT antisense oligonucleotide as a potential tumor imaging probe.

Targeting and visualization of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) represents a promising approach for providing diagnostic value. The uptake kinetics and imaging results of (99m) Tc-hTERT antisense oligonucleotides (ASON) in hTERT-expressing cells were examined in vitro and in vivo. The pharmacokinetics and acute toxicity studies of (99m) Tc-hTERT ASON were also performed.

An experimental study on (131)I-CHIBA-1001: a radioligand for α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Objective: The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play a vital role in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and depression. However, there is currently no suitable positron emission tomography (PET) or Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) radioligands for imaging α7 nAChRs in brain. Here our aim is to radiosynthesize a novel SPECT radioligand (131)I-CHIBA-1001 for whole body biodistribution study and in vivo imaging of α7 nAChRs in brain.

Effects of single and combined genotypes of MC4R and POU1F1 genes on two production traits in Langshan chicken.

The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of single and combined genotypes of MC4R and POU1F1 genes in Chinese well-known indigenous chicken (Langshan chicken) population. Genetic variants within MC4R gene and POU1F1 gene were screened through PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing methods. A C/T mutation at nt 944 in MC4R gene (NC_006089.

A novel 99mTc-labeled molecular probe for tumor angiogenesis imaging in hepatoma xenografts model: a pilot study.

Introduction: Visualization of tumor angiogenesis using radionuclide targeting provides important diagnostic information. In previous study, we proved that an arginine-arginine-leucine (RRL) peptide should be a tumor endothelial cell specific binding sequence. The overall aim of this study was to evaluate whether (99m)Tc-radiolabeled RRL could be noninvasively used for imaging of malignant tumors in vivo, and act as a new molecular probe targeting tumor angiogenesis.

The fear gene stathmin alleles generated heterosis on feed efficiency parameters in Peking ducks.

Stathmin is an inhibitor of microtubule formation, as highly expressed in the lateral nucleus (LA) of the amygdala as well as in the thalamic and cortical structures that send information to the LA about the learned and innate fear. So we assume that STMN1 genetic variation may also affect the physical activity so as to influence the Residual Feed Intake (RFI) of duck. The Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in duck Stathmin gene were screened by sequencing and genotyped by restriction endonuclease Msp I, EcoR I, Xho I, Taq I, EcoR II.

Transcatheter arterial embolization followed by octreotide and celecoxib synergistically prolongs survival of rabbits with hepatic VX2 allografts.

Objective: To validate the efficacy of an innovative multimodality therapy with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) plus octreotide and celecoxib in reducing neoangiogenesis and prolonging the survival of rabbits with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: Rabbits with hepatic VX2 allografts were divided into four groups: control group, TAE group, octreotide + celecoxib (O + C) group and the multimodality therapy (TAE + O + C) group. Survival of the rabbits was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the expression of CD31 in tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry.

Impaired hepatitis B vaccine responses during chronic hepatitis C infection: involvement of the PD-1 pathway in regulating CD4(+) T cell responses.

Vaccination for hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the setting of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is recommended, but responses to vaccination are blunted when compared to uninfected populations. The mechanism for this failure of immune response in HCV-infected subjects remains unknown but is thought to be a result of lymphocyte dysfunction during chronic viral infection. We have recently demonstrated that PD-1, a novel negative immunomodulator for T cell receptor (TCR) signaling, is involved in T and B lymphocyte dysregulation during chronic HCV infection.

Differential regulation of T and B lymphocytes by PD-1 and SOCS-1 signaling in hepatitis C virus-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

HCV infection is associated with immune dysregulation and B cell Non-Hodgkins lymphoma (HCV-NHL). We have previously shown in vitro that HCV core protein differentially regulates T and B cell functions through two negative signaling pathways, programmed death-1 (PD-1) and suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS-1). In this report, we performed a detailed immunologic analysis of T and B cell functions in the setting of HCV-NHL.

Cross-talk between programmed death-1 and suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 in inhibition of IL-12 production by monocytes/macrophages in hepatitis C virus infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) dysregulates innate immune responses and induces persistent viral infection. We previously demonstrated that HCV core protein impairs IL-12 expression by monocytes/macrophages (M/M(Φ)s) through interaction with a complement receptor gC1qR. Because HCV core-mediated lymphocyte dysregulation occurs through the negative immunomodulators programmed death-1 (PD-1) and suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS-1), the aim of this study was to examine their role in HCV core-mediated IL-12 suppression in M/M(Φ)s.

PD-1 modulates regulatory T cells and suppresses T-cell responses in HCV-associated lymphoma.

T regulatory (T(R)) cells suppress T-cell responses that are critical in the development of chronic viral infection and associated malignancies. Programmed death-1 (PD-1) also has a pivotal role in regulation of T-cell functions during chronic viral infection. To examine the role of PD-1 pathway in regulating T(R)-cell functions that inhibit T-cell responses during virus-associated malignancy, T(R) cells were investigated in the setting of hepatitis C virus-associated lymphoma (HCV-L), non-HCV-associated lymphoma (non-HCV-L), HCV infection alone and healthy subjects (HS).

Programmed death-1 affects suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 expression in T cells during hepatitis C infection.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with T-cell exhaustion that is mediated through upregulation of the PD-1 negative regulatory pathway. PD-1 expression is induced by HCV core protein, which also induces upregulation of SOCS-1, a key modulator that controls the Jak/STAT pathway regulating cytokine expression. To determine whether these two negative regulatory pathways are linked during T-cell signaling, SOCS-1 expression was examined by blocking the PD-1 pathway in T cells stimulated with anti-CD3/CD28 in the presence of HCV core protein.

Novel SNPs of the caprine growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) gene and their association with growth traits in goats.

Growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), a G protein-coupled receptor that binds ghrelin, plays an important role in the central regulation of pituitary growth hormone secretion, food intake, and energy homeostasis. This study analyzed polymorphism of the caprine GHSR gene as a genetic marker candidate for growth traits in goats. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (GU014697:g.

Noninvasive visualization of RNA delivery with 99mTc-radiolabeled small-interference RNA in tumor xenografts.

Unlabelled: Small-interference RNAs (siRNAs) are short, double-strand RNA molecules that target specific messenger RNAs for degradation via the process termed RNA interference. The efficacy of RNA interference depends greatly on effective delivery of siRNA, which calls for noninvasive methods for tracing siRNA in vivo. The purpose of this work was to develop a novel (99m)Tc-radiolabeled method to visualize siRNA targeting of a tumor biomarker of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) in HepG2 tumor xenografts.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel organogermanium sesquioxides as antitumor agents.

Five new organogermanium sesquioxides have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and IR spectra. All the compounds were tested for antitumor activities against KB, HCT, and Bel cells in vitro. Compound 5 (gamma-thiocarbamido propyl germanium sesquioxide) showed excellent antitumor activity, and its inhibition yield to KB, HCT, and Bel cells was 92.

Bioinformatics Analysis and Validation of the Expressed Sequences Tag in Human Colorectal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: This study was to investigate some new pathological genes in colorectal adenocarcinoma of human.

Methods: Human colorectal adenocarcinoma tissues and normal colorectal tissues were taken and suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and cDNA microarray techniques were employed. From differentially expressed 86 expressed sequence tags (EST), 10 EST of the SSH were selected as seed sequence for bioinformatics analyses, semi-quantitative RT-PCR and PCR-sequencing.

Naringenin enhances the anti-tumor effect of doxorubicin through selectively inhibiting the activity of multidrug resistance-associated proteins but not P-glycoprotein.

Purpose: Naringenin has shown paradoxical results to modulate the function of multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs). The aim of this study is to interpret whether naringenin can reverse intrinsic and/or acquired resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents.

Methods: The effects of naringenin on the uptake, retention and cytotoxicity of doxorubicin were investigated in A549, MCF-7, HepG2 and MCF-7/DOX cells.

The polymorphisms of bovine cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcripts and their associations with cattle (Bos taurus) growth traits.

We investigated the polymorphisms of bovine cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcripts (CART ). The coding and regulating regions of CART were screened in 7 cattle breeds by the single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) technique. The four loci (C1,C2, C3 and C4) studied were all polymorphic.