Self-assembly of poly-adenine-tailed CpG oligonucleotide-gold nanoparticle nanoconjugates with immunostimulatory activity.

Synthetic unmethylated cytosine-guanine (CpG) oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODNs) possess high immunostimulatory activity and have been widely used as a therapeutic tool for various diseases including infection, allergies, and cancer. A variety of nanocarriers have been developed for intracellular delivery of CpG ODNs that are otherwise nonpermeable through the cellular membrane. For example, previous studies showed that gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) could efficiently deliver synthetic thiolated CpG ODNs into cultured cells and induce expression of proinflammatory cytokines.

Activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway triggered by PTEN downregulation in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the role of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathway and its negative feedback factor, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: Peripheral blood was collected from patients with CD and healthy controls while colon tissue samples were collected from CD patients and those complaining of constipation but with normal endoscopic results. CD4⁺ T-cells were isolated from peripheral blood.

[The prevalence and characteristics of anemia in Crohn's disease in the Chinese].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of anemia among patients with Crohn's disease (CD) in Chinese population and identify the possible risk factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 441 patients with CD enrolled from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University between January 2003 and May 2012. The prevalence, severity, type of anemia in these patients was assessed when diagnosis was confirmed.

Laparoendoscopic single-site retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma: case selection, surgical technique, and short-term outcome.

Purpose: To present our experience with case selection and operative skills of laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma and evaluate its feasibility.

Patients And Methods: Between June 2011 and December 2012, we performed LESS retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy for 16 patients with pheochromocytoma. In all patients, the diameter of the pheochromocytoma was less than 4.

Effect of whole-body vibration exercise on mobility, balance ability and general health status in frail elderly patients: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To study the effects of whole-body vibration exercises on the mobility function, balance and general health status, and its feasibility as an intervention in frail elderly patients.

Design: Pilot randomized controlled trial.

Subjects: Forty-four frail older persons (85.

Increasing Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in a Chinese Elderly Population: 2001-2010.

Objective: The information on the changes of prevalence of MetS in China is limited. Our objective was to assess a 10-year's change of the prevalence of MetS in a Chinese elderly population between 2001 and 2010.

Methods: We conducted two cross-sectional surveys in a representative sample of elderly population aged 60 to 95 years in Beijing in 2001 and 2010 respectively.

Retroperitoneal laparoendoscopic single-site ureterolithotomy for upper ureteral stone disease.

Objective: The aim of this article was to present this group's clinical experience with retroperitoneal laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) ureterolithotomy for the management of upper ureteral stones in selected patients.

Material And Methods: From May 2011 to November 2012, retroperitoneal LESS ureterolithotomy was performed in 22 patients at Xiangya Hospital. During the operation, a transverse skin incision was made approximately 2.

Alterations of angiopoietin-related growth factor (Angptl6) during pregnancy and in pre-eclampsia.

Aim: The aim of this study was to clarify the alterations of angiopoietin-related growth factor (AGF, also known as Angptl6/ARP5) in the serum of normally pregnant women and pre-eclamptic women and to explore the role of AGF in pre-eclampsia.

Material And Methods: Thirty healthy non-pregnant women, 118 normally pregnant women (30 at 6-12 gestational weeks, 30 at 13-28 weeks and 58 at 29-40 weeks, respectively) and 46 pre-eclamptic women were recruited. Fasting blood samples were obtained from all subjects.

Enhancing the bioactivity of Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) scaffold with a nano-hydroxyapatite coating for the treatment of segmental bone defect in a rabbit model.

Purpose: Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is excellent as a scaffolding matrix due to feasibility of processing and tunable biodegradability, yet the virgin scaffolds lack osteoconduction and osteoinduction. In this study, nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) was coated on the interior surfaces of PLGA scaffolds in order to facilitate in vivo bone defect restoration using biomimetic ceramics while keeping the polyester skeleton of the scaffolds.

Methods: PLGA porous scaffolds were prepared and surface modification was carried out by incubation in modified simulated body fluids.

Large-scale aqueous synthesis of fluorescent and biocompatible silicon nanoparticles and their use as highly photostable biological probes.

A large-scale synthetic strategy is developed for facile one-pot aqueous synthesis of silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) yielding ∼0.1 g SiNPs of small sizes (∼2.2 nm) in 10 min.

CT enterography in evaluating postoperative recurrence of Crohn's disease after ileocolic resection: complementary role to endoscopy.

Background: Ileocolonoscopy is the gold standard to assess postoperative recurrence (POR) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who have undergone ileocolic resection. Although computed tomographic enterography (CTE) yields striking findings in the small bowel of CD, its role in POR is undefined. The aim of this study was to compare ileocolonoscopy and CTE for evaluating POR in CD.

Study on intestinal absorption and pharmacokinetic characterization of diester diterpenoid alkaloids in precipitation derived from fuzi-gancao herb-pair decoction for its potential interaction mechanism investigation.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. (Fuzi in Chinese) has been widely clinically used to treat heart failure and rheumatism. Whereas its serious toxicity, Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae (Gancao in Chinese) was combined with it as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herb-pair for toxicity reduction and pharmacological effect improvement.

In vivo behavior of near infrared-emitting quantum dots.

Near-infrared (NIR, 700-900 nm) fluorescent nanomaterials-based probes have shown major impacts on high-resolution and high-sensitivity bioimaging applications. Typically, NIR-emitting quantum dots (QDs) are highly promising as NIR bioprobes due to their unique optical properties. However, NIR-emitting QDs-related in vivo behavior remains unknown at present, severely limiting their wide-ranging bioapplications.

Aqueous synthesized near-infrared-emitting quantum dots for RGD-based in vivo active tumour targeting.

Over the past two decades, fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) have been highly attractive for a myriad of bioapplications due to their unique optical properties. For bioimaging applications, QD-based in vivo specific tumour targeting is vitally important in the biological and biomedical fields. Aqueous synthesized QDs (aqQDs) exhibit excellent aqueous dispersibility without requiring any post-treatment and have small hydrodynamic diameters (generally <5 nm), which are highly useful for bioimaging applications.

[Chemical ingredient analysis of sediments from both single Radix Aconiti Lateralis decoction and Radix Aconiti Lateralis - Radix Glycyrrhizae decoction by HPLC-MS].

The chemical ingredients of sediments from single Radix Aconiti Lateralis (Fuzi, in Chinese) decoction and Radix Aconiti Lateralis-Radix Glycyrrhizae (Gancao, in Chinese) decoction were evaluated separately by HPLC-MS for exploring their ingredients difference and discussing the mechanism of toxicity reduction of Fuzi-Gaocao herb-pair, even providing the experimental basis for extracting and purifying process of TCM preparations containing Fuzi-Gancao herb-pair. The sediments samples from single Fuzi decoction (FD) and Fuzi-Gaocao decoction (FGD) were prepared separately firstly. Then these samples were analyzed in the same chromatographic and mass spectrometry condition, estimating their HPLC-MS fingerprint and identifying their compounds by Q-TOFMS.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering-based sensing in vitro: facile and label-free detection of apoptotic cells at the single-cell level.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is well recognized as a powerful analytical tool, enabling ultrahigh sensitive detection of analytes at low concentrations, even down to single-molecule level. Of particular note, in comparison to sufficient investigations on SERS-based detection of biomolecules (e.g.

Effect of RGD nanospacing on differentiation of stem cells.

Nanopatterns of a cell-adhesive peptide arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) on a persistently non-fouling poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel were prepared, and behaviours of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on patterns of five RGD nanospacings from 37 to 124 nm were examined under a full level of serum for eight days. Besides cell adhesion, osteogenic and adipogenic inductions of MSCs from rat bone marrow were observed in corresponding media. We not only confirmed the nanospacing dependence of cell spreading previously reported in other cell types (non-stem cells) such as less spreading in the case of nanospacings larger than the critical 70 nm, but also found the effect of RGD nanospacing on lineage commitments of stem cells.

Transperitoneal mini-laparoscopic pyeloplasty and concomitant ureteroscopy-assisted pyelolithotomy for ureteropelvic junction obstruction complicated by renal caliceal stones.

Objective: To present our experience of combining transperitoneal mini-laparoscopic pyeloplasty (mini-LP) and concomitant ureteroscopy-assisted pyelolithotomy (U-P) for ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) complicated by renal caliceal stones in the same session.

Methods: Between May 2007 and December 2011, mini-LP and concomitant U-P was performed in nine patients with UPJO and ipsilateral renal caliceal stones. Stone location and burden were preoperatively assessed.

Nano rolling-circle amplification for enhanced SERS hot spots in protein microarray analysis.

Although "hot spots" have been proved to contribute to surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), less attention was paid to increase the number of the "hot spot" to directly enhance the Raman signals in bioanalytical systems. Here we report a new strategy based on nano rolling-circle amplification (nanoRCA) and nano hyperbranched rolling-circle amplification (nanoHRCA) to increase "hot spot" groups for protein microarrays. First, protein and ssDNA are coassembled on gold nanoparticles, making the assembled probe have both binding ability and hybridization ability.

Metabolic syndrome vs. its components for prediction of cardiovascular mortality: A cohort study in Chinese elderly adults.

Objective: The predictive value of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) for mortality from all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the Chinese population is unclear. The aim of this present study was to compare MetS with its individual components as predictors of mortality in Chinese elderly adults.

Methods: A cohort of 1,535 subjects (994 men and 541 women) aged 50 years or older was selected from employees of a machinery factory in 1994 and followed until 2009.

[Levels of blood pressure and blood glucose in elderly patients with hypertension and diabetes: association with carotid atherosclerosis].

Objective: To explore the association between blood pressure and blood glucose levels and carotid atherosclerosis in elderly patients with essential hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: A total of 670 patients aged 60 years or over with hypertension and T2DM were recruited and categorized by their systolic blood pressure (SBP): tight control, < 130 mm Hg, usual control, 130 - 139 mm Hg, or uncontrolled, ≥ 140 mm Hg; and by their HbA1c level: tight control < 6.5%, usual control 6.