Radiation-induced aberrant structural covariance networks in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a source-based morphometry study.

Background: Radiation-induced brain injury (RBI) is a common complication in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who have undergone radiotherapy (RT), which is characterized by significant cognitive and psychological impairments. Although radiation-induced regional structural abnormalities have been well-reported, the effects of RT on the whole brain structural covariance networks are mostly unknown. Here, we performed a source-based morphometry (SBM) study to solve this issue.

Radiation-induced glymphatic dysfunction in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a study using diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space.

Radiation encephalopathy (RE) refers to radiation-induced brain necrosis and is a life-threatening complication in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy (RT), and radiation-induced pre-symptomatic glymphatic alterations have not yet been investigated. We used diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index to examine the pre-symptomatic glymphatic alterations in NPC patients following RT. A total of 109 patients with NPC consisted of Pre-RT ( = 35) and Post-RT ( = 74) cohorts were included.

Risk factors for high CAD-RADS scoring in CAD patients revealed by machine learning methods: a retrospective study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate a variety of machine learning (ML) methods to predict the association between cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery disease-reporting and data system (CAD-RADS) scores.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. Demographical, cardiovascular risk factors and coronary CT angiography (CCTA) characteristics of the patients were obtained.

A hierarchical data reconciliation based on multiple time-delay interval estimation for industrial processes.

With the increasing demand for energy conversation and high efficiency, data quality is of great important to the operation management and monitoring in industrial applications. Data reconciliation, as a data processing technology, provides great potential to improve quality of process data, and is widely used to reduce measurement error and estimate unmeasured parameters. However, there are reactors connected in series in the long-running industrial processes so that liquid material information is difficult to mark and trace, and the liquid material has different residence times in each reactor due to the differences in the internal structure and operation mode.

A mouse model for studying the clearance of hepatitis B virus in vivo using a luciferase reporter.

Hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection remains a global problem, despite the effectiveness of the Hepatitis B vaccine in preventing infection. The resolution of Hepatitis B virus infection has been believed to be attributable to virus-specific immunity. In vivo direct evaluation of anti-HBV immunity in the liver is currently not possible.

Detection of hepatitis B surface antigen by target-induced aggregation monitored by dynamic light scattering.

In the current work, a one-step, washing-free, homogeneous nanosensor assay has been constructed to sensitively detect hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) based on the light scattering property of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) through a sandwich model. The two nanoprobes in this study were designed by conjugating monoclonal and polyclonal hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) onto the GNPs of different diameters. First, the detection behavior of the combinations of different sizes of GNPs was evaluated and the optimized combination was determined.

High levels of gene expression in the hepatocytes of adult mice, neonatal mice and tree shrews via retro-orbital sinus hydrodynamic injections of naked plasmid DNA.

Hydrodynamic-based gene delivery has emerged as an efficient and simple method for the intracellular transfection of naked plasmid DNA (pDNA) in vivo. In this system, a hydrodynamic injection via the tail vein is the most effective non-viral method of liver-targeted gene delivery. However, this injection is often technically challenging when used in animals whose tail veins are difficult to visualize or too small to operate on.

A novel, universal and sensitive lateral-flow based method for the detection of multiple bacterial contamination in platelet concentrations.

In the present study, we aimed to develop a nucleic acid lateral-flow method for the rapid and sensitive detection of multiple bacteria that contaminate platelet concentrations (PCs). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicons were produced by a set of board-range primers that recognize the conserved region of bacteria 16S rDNA, followed by hybridization with both an FITC (fluorescein isothiocyanate)-labelled probe and biotin-labelled probe, and then a nucleic acid lateral-flow dipstick (LFD) assay. The LFD accurately identified 7 species of bacteria, but had no cross-reactivity with human genomic DNA.

Relative quantification of protein-protein interactions using a dual luciferase reporter pull-down assay system.

The identification and quantitative analysis of protein-protein interactions are essential to the functional characterization of proteins in the post-proteomics era. The methods currently available are generally time-consuming, technically complicated, insensitive and/or semi-quantitative. The lack of simple, sensitive approaches to precisely quantify protein-protein interactions still prevents our understanding of the functions of many proteins.

Bioluminescence imaging allows monitoring hepatitis C virus core protein inhibitors in mice.

Background: The development of small molecule inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein as antiviral agents has been intensively pursued as a viable strategy to eradicate HCV infection. However, lack of a robust and convenient small animal model has hampered the assessment of in vivo efficacy of any antiviral compound.

Methodology/principal Findings: The objective of this work was to develop a novel method to screen anti-core protein siRNA in the mouse liver by bioluminescence imaging.

Screening compounds against HCV based on MAVS/IFN-β pathway in a replicon model.

Aim: To develop a sensitive assay for screening compounds against hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Methods: The proteolytic cleavage of NS3/4A on enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP)-mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) was examined by reporter enzyme secreted placental alkaline phosphatase (SEAP), which enabled us to perform ongoing monitoring of anti-HCV drugs through repeated chemiluminescence. Subcellular localization of eYFP-MAVS was assessed by fluorescence microscopy.

Gold nanorod-based localized surface plasmon resonance biosensor for sensitive detection of hepatitis B virus in buffer, blood serum and plasma.

A novel gold nanorods (GNRs) biosensor based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) behavior was designed to detect the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) which indicates active viral replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV). The surface of GNRs was modified with monoclonal hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) through physical adsorption. Raman spectrum, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurement were conducted to access the nature of the GNRs after antibody modification.

Bioluminescence imaging of Hepatitis C virus NS3/4A serine protease activity in cells and living animals.

The lack of robust small animal models has been an obstacle to the screening of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitors in vivo. Here, we described a reporter assay system for in vivo noninvasive imaging of NS3/4A serine protease activity using split firefly luciferase complementation strategy. The reporter construct ANluc(NS5A/B)BCluc constitutes the split N- and C-terminal fragments of luciferase, fused to interacting peptides, pepA and pepB, respectively, with an intervening HCV NS3/4A cleavage motif of NS5A/B.

Long-term hepatitis C internal ribosome entry site-dependent gene expression mediated by phage phiC31 integrase in mouse model.

Background: The lack of a robust small animal model for hepatitis C virus (HCV) has hindered the development of novel drugs, including internal ribosome entry site (IRES) inhibitors. Phage phiC31 integrase has emerged as a potent tool for achieving long-term gene expression in vivo. This study utilized phiC31 integrase to develop a stable, reproducible and easily accessible HCV IRES mouse model.

Bioluminescence imaging of hepatitis B virus enhancer and promoter activities in mice.

By bioluminescence imaging and hydrodynamic gene transfer technology, the activities of hepatitis B virus (HBV) promoters and the effects of HBV enhancers on these promoters in mice under true physiological conditions have been assessed. Our studies reveal that either of the two HBV enhancers can stimulate HBV major promoter activity in hepa 1-6 cells (in vitro) and in mouse liver (in vivo), and the enhancer effects on the three promoters (S1, S2 and X promoter) are markedly greater in vivo than in vitro. The two HBV enhancers have no cooperative action on HBV promoters in vitro or in vivo.

Bioluminescent imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma in live mice.

A non-invasive orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model was created with human HCC cells (HepG-Luc) constitutively expressing luciferase (Luc) in nude mice. Development of tumor growth and response to anti-tumor therapy combined with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin was monitored by whole-body bioluminescent imaging (BLI). Luciferase activity in the tumor, determined by BLI, correlated with the tumor volume and weight.