Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract alleviates ouabain-induced vascular remodeling through regulation of endothelial function.

Recent studies indicate that chronic ouabain treatment leads to hypertension and hypertensive vascular remodeling. Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) has been reported to be effective in treating arteriosclerosis, while little is known about its effect on systolic blood pressure and vascular remodeling. In this study, the effects of GSPE on systolic blood pressure and vascular remodeling were analyzed by treating ouabain-induced hypertensive rats with GSPE (250 mg/kg·d).

A method for discovering common patterns from two RNA secondary structures and its application to structural repeat detection.

We propose an ab initio method, named DiscoverR, for finding common patterns from two RNA secondary structures. The method works by representing RNA secondary structures as ordered labeled trees and performs tree pattern discovery using an efficient dynamic programming algorithm. DiscoverR is able to identify and extract the largest common substructures from two RNA molecules having different sizes without prior knowledge of the locations and topologies of these substructures.

Estimating preference-based EQ-5D health state utilities or item responses from neuropathic pain scores.

Background: Preference-based health state utilities are required for many health economic evaluations. When the direct evidence of such is lacking and only condition-specific scores are available, establishing a 'mapping' relationship between instruments can be useful.

Objective: Our objective was to map the 11-point Pain Intensity Numerical Rating Scale (PI-NRS-11), a pain-specific instrument ranging from 0 ('no pain') to 10 ('pain as bad as you can imagine'), to the EQ-5D, a preference-based generic instrument.

Selection for increased maternal body volume does not differ between two Scincella lizards with different reproductive modes.

Body size and shape are among the most important determinants of reproductive output in diverse animal taxa. We compared morphology and reproductive output between two Scincella lizards (Scincidae), Scincella modesta (oviparous) and Scincella reevesii (viviparous), to examine whether viviparous females compensate for their lower reproductive output by modifying maternal body size and/or shape. As predicted, reproductive output was lower in S.

Climatic correlates of female and male reproductive cycles and plasma steroid hormone levels in the many-lined sun skink Eutropis multifasciata.

Gonadal activity and plasma steroid hormone (testosterone and 17β-estradiol) levels in males and females of a viviparous skink (Eutropis multifasciata) were investigated. Changes in the hormone profiles were then correlated to changes in environmental factors such as temperature and rainfall and were found to vary seasonally in both sexes. Gonadal activity, calculated using testicular mass and volume, seminiferous tubule diameter and epithelial height in males and, in females, ovary mass and largest follicular volume also varied seasonally.

Embryonic stem cell markers.

Embryonic stem cell (ESC) markers are molecules specifically expressed in ES cells. Understanding of the functions of these markers is critical for characterization and elucidation for the mechanism of ESC pluripotent maintenance and self-renewal, therefore helping to accelerate the clinical application of ES cells. Unfortunately, different cell types can share single or sometimes multiple markers; thus the main obstacle in the clinical application of ESC is to purify ES cells from other types of cells, especially tumor cells.

Genetic structure and demographic history should inform conservation: Chinese cobras currently treated as homogenous show population divergence.

An understanding of population structure and genetic diversity is crucial for wildlife conservation and for determining the integrity of wildlife populations. The vulnerable Chinese cobra (Naja atra) has a distribution from the mouth of the Yangtze River down to northern Vietnam and Laos, within which several large mountain ranges and water bodies may influence population structure. We combined 12 microsatellite loci and 1117 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene to explore genetic structure and demographic history in this species, using 269 individuals from various localities in Mainland China and Vietnam.

Pathogenic properties of the N-terminal region of cardiac myosin binding protein-C in vitro.

Cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) plays a role in sarcomeric structure and stability, as well as modulating heart muscle contraction. The 150 kDa full-length (FL) cMyBP-C has been shown to undergo proteolytic cleavage during ischemia-reperfusion injury, producing an N-terminal 40 kDa fragment (mass 29 kDa) that is predominantly associated with post-ischemic contractile dysfunction. Thus far, the pathogenic properties of such truncated cMyBP-C proteins have not been elucidated.

Decelerating a pulsed subsonic molecular beam by a quasi-cw traveling optical lattice.

We propose a promising scheme to realize the deceleration of a pulsed subsonic molecular beam by using a multistage optical Stark decelerator (i.e., a 1D quasi-cw traveling optical lattice), which is composed of two nearly counter-propagating, time-varying, red-detuned light fields with an intensity of ~10⁷Wcm⁻² and a fixed frequency difference between them.

Fabrication and morphology of spongelike polymer material based on cross-linked sulfonated polystyrene particles.

A novel spongelike polymer material has been fabricated by γ-ray induced polymerization of methylmethacrylate (MMA) in an emulsion containing cross-linked sulfonated polystyrene (CSP) particles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images reveal that the spongelike structure is made up of interlinked nanosized PMMA particles with micrometer-sized CSP-PMMA particles embedded inside. The nitrogen adsorption isotherm discloses that the spongelike material has a high specific surface area of 29 m(2)/g and a narrow pore size distribution of 60-120 nm.

Fabrication and enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of fluorine doped TiO2 by loaded with Ag.

F-doped TiO2 loaded with Ag (Ag/F-TiO2) was prepared by sol-gel process combined with photoreduction method. The physical and chemical properties of the prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL). XPS analysis indicated Ag species existed as Ag0 in the structure of Ag/F-TiO2 samples.

Effect of ouabain on myocardial ultrastructure and cytoskeleton during the development of ventricular hypertrophy.

The aim of this work is to study cytoskeletal impairment during the development of ouabain-induced ventricular hypertrophy. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with either ouabain or saline. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was recorded weekly.

Mapping of the Insomnia Severity Index and other sleep measures to EuroQol EQ-5D health state utilities.

Background: This study sought to map the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and symptom variables onto the EQ-5D.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among adult US residents with self-reported sleep problems. Respondents provided demographic, comorbidity, and sleep-related information and had completed the ISI and the EQ-5D profile.

Patterns of interspecific variation in the heart rates of embryonic reptiles.

New non-invasive technologies allow direct measurement of heart rates (and thus, developmental rates) of embryos. We applied these methods to a diverse array of oviparous reptiles (24 species of lizards, 18 snakes, 11 turtles, 1 crocodilian), to identify general influences on cardiac rates during embryogenesis. Heart rates increased with ambient temperature in all lineages, but (at the same temperature) were faster in lizards and turtles than in snakes and crocodilians.

Ultrasensitive detection of phenolic compounds based on a spin-labeled luminescent lanthanide complex.

Herein we propose a novel method for ultrasensitive detection of phenolic compounds. This method was developed based on a spin-labeled terbium complex Tb(3+)/cs124-DTPA-TEMPO (1). This spin-labeled terbium complex is a weakly luminescent compound and shows strong off-on luminescent response to phenolic compounds in the presence of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), glutathione (GSH) and hydrogen peroxide.

Development of a novel method for triterpenoidal saponins in rat plasma by solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

A novel method using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) has been developed for the quantification of four triterpenoidal saponins (anemoside B4, pulsatilloside B, anemoside A3, and 23-hydroxybetulinic acid) in rat plasma following solid-phase extraction (SPE). The optimized procedure utilized off-line extraction of the analytes from plasma using polymeric (Strata-X) SPE cartridges. Detection and quantitation were performed by MS/MS using electrospray ionization (ESI) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in a novel multiswitching monitoring mode.

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the Chinese Cobra Naja atra (Elapidae).

We characterize thirteen polymorphic microsatellite loci isolated from Naja atra genomic libraries, which were enriched for AC-motif microsatellites. The thirteen loci were screened on a group of 48 individuals from two populations, one in Yong'an and the other in Ganzhou. These markers revealed a relatively high degree of genetic diversity (4-12 alleles per locus) and heterozygosity (Ho ranged from 0.

Semantic integration of differently asynchronous audio-visual information in videos of real-world events in cognitive processing: an ERP study.

In the real world, some of the auditory and visual information received by the human brain are temporally asynchronous. How is such information integrated in cognitive processing in the brain? In this paper, we aimed to study the semantic integration of differently asynchronous audio-visual information in cognitive processing using ERP (event-related potential) method. Subjects were presented with videos of real world events, in which the auditory and visual information are temporally asynchronous.

Life-history variation with respect to experienced thermal environments in the lizard, Eremias multiocellata (Lacertidae).

We compared adult size, female reproductive traits, and offspring phenotypes between multiocellated racerunners (Eremias multiocellata) from two thermally different sites (populations) in Inner Mongolia (North China): the colder one in Wulatehouqi (WQ) and the warmer one in Dalateqi (DQ). Both adults and neonates were smaller in the colder site. Females from the two sites both produced a single litter of 2-5 young per season, and did not differ in allocation of energy to reproduction after accounting for differences in body size.

A long-lived luminescence and EPR bimodal lanthanide-based probe for free radicals.

We developed a novel spin-labeled terbium complex Tb(3+)/cs124-DTPA-TEMPO (1) by covalently labeling a nitroxide radical on the terbium complex for monitoring free radicals of various areas. This lanthanide complex probe shows a high EPR signal which resulted from the nitroxide radical moiety, and is weakly luminescent which resulted from the intramolecular quenching effect of the nitroxide radical on sensitised terbium luminescence. The intensity of both the EPR and luminescence can be modulated by eliminating the paramagnetism of the nitroxide radical through recognition of a carbon-centered radical analyte and thus gives a quantification of the analyte.

Within-clutch variation in venoms from hatchlings of Deinagkistrodon acutus (Viperidae).

We used 17 hatchling five-paced pit-vipers snakes (Deinagkistrodon acutus) to study within-clutch variation in snake venoms. We measured venom yield and total protein content, and examined the correlations between venom yield and hatchling size [snout-vent length (SVL) and body mass]. We also analyzed the electrophoretic profiles and enzymatic activities of venoms from hatchlings.

Clutch frequency affects the offspring size-number trade-off in lizards.

Background: Studies of lizards have shown that offspring size cannot be altered by manipulating clutch size in species with a high clutch frequency. This raises a question of whether clutch frequency has a key role in influencing the offspring size-number trade-off in lizards.

Methodology/principal Findings: To test the hypothesis that females reproducing more frequently are less likely to tradeoff offspring size against offspring number, we applied the follicle ablation technique to female Eremias argus (Lacertidae) from Handan (HD) and Gonghe (GH), the two populations that differ in clutch frequency.

Qualitative and quantitative determination of nine main active constituents in Pulsatilla cernua by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

A novel qualitative and quantitative method using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was developed for simultaneous determination of the nine major active constituents in Pulsatilla cernua (Thunb.) Bercht. et Opiz.

Comparative population genetics and phylogeography of two lacertid lizards (Eremias argus and E. brenchleyi) from China.

Eremias argus and Eremias brenchleyi are lacertid lizards that are sympatric throughout the distribution of E. brenchleyi. We sequenced partial mitochondrial DNA from cytochrome (cyt) b gene for 106 individuals of E.