A Preliminary Investigation of NSCL/P Plasma and Urine in Guizhou Province in China Using NMR-Based Metabonomics.

Objective : To assess the feasibility of metabonomics in clinical studies. This is a pilot study introducing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabonomics to elucidate and compare the metabolism of patients with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P) and children without orofacial clefts. Methods : High-resolution (1)H NMR spectroscopy was performed on plasma and urine samples obtained from NSCL/P and healthy children.

Relationship between serum uric acid and metabolic syndrome: an analysis by structural equation modeling.

Objective: To investigate the nature of the relationships between uric acid and metabolic syndrome (MetS) components.

Methods: Body mass index, waist circumference, serum uric acid, fasting glucose, lipid profiles, and blood pressure were measured in 13,811 subjects aged between 18 and 85 years of age. Two structural equation models (SEMs) were used to test a hypothesis regarding the linking roles of uric acid in the occurrence of MetS components in male and female separately.

Biaryl-bridged macrocyclic peptides: conformational constraint via carbogenic fusion of natural amino acid side chains.

A general method for constraining peptide conformations via linkage of aromatic sidechains has been developed. Macrocyclization of suitably functionalized tri-, tetra- and pentapeptides via Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling has been used to generate side chain to side chain, biaryl-bridged 14- to 21-membered macrocyclic peptides. Biaryl bridges possessing three different configurations, meta-meta, meta-ortho, and ortho-meta, were systematically explored through regiochemical variation of the aryl halide and aryl boronate coupling partners, allowing fine-tuning of the resultant macrocycle conformation.

[Meta-analysis of the efficacy between gemcitabine-alone and gemcitabine-based chemotherapy applied in advanced pancreatic cancer].

Objective: To compare the efficacy of gemcitabine (GEM) alone and gemcitabine based combination chemotherapy (GEMCOM) on advanced pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Keywords Phase III, gemcitabine and pancreatic cancer were used to search and collect Phase III-randomized references about gemcitabine and gemcitabine-based combination chemotherapy applied on advanced pancreatic cancer. A references-based meta-analysis was made to compare the efficacy between GEM and GEMCOM.

Intracellular metabolism, subcellular localization and phototoxicity of HMME/HB in ovarian cancer cells.

Background: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered a promising new strategy for ovarian cancer treatment. As the key component in PDT, photosensitizer metabolism and localization in cancer cells is particularly important.

Materials And Methods: The localization of the photosensitizers hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) and hypocrellin B (HB) were determined in the ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 and NuTu-19 by fluorescence microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy(LSCM).

Application of simultaneous morcellation in situ in laparoscopic myomectomy of larger uterine leiomyomas.

Objectives: To describe the efficiency, blood loss, operating time and mean hospital stay of enucleation of a large myoma by 'simultaneous morcellation in situ' (SMI) in laparoscopic myomectomy (LM).

Patients And Methods: Twenty-six patients with leiomyomas >9 cm in diameter were treated using LM and SMI from January 2006 to December 2009. Patient characteristics and operative data were collected and analyzed.

Thio-glucose bound gold nanoparticles enhance radio-cytotoxic targeting of ovarian cancer.

The treatment of ovarian cancer has traditionally been intractable, and required novel approaches to improve therapeutic efficiency. This paper reports that thio-glucose bound gold nanoparticles (Glu-GNPs) can be used as a sensitizer to enhance ovarian cancer radiotherapy. The human ovarian cancer cells, SK-OV-3, were treated by gold nanoparticles (GNPs) alone, irradiation alone, or GNPs in addition to irradiation.

The biomass and aboveground net primary productivity of Schima superba-Castanopsis carlesii forests in east China.

The biomass and productivity of Schima superba-Castanopsis carlesii forests in Tiantong, Zhejiang Province, were determined using overlapping quadrants and stem analyses. The total community biomass was (225.3+/-30.

[Homogenization of plant diversity in Shanghai residential areas].

Residential area' s vegetation will become an important component of China's urban vegetation, and the distribution pattern of its diversity will affect urban vegetation diversity. Based on the residential area's vegetation investigation in the urban, suburban, and rural areas of Shanghai, the plant diversity and species composition in the residential areas along the urban-rural gradient were compared in terms of ornamental plants (OP), spontaneously occurring ornamental plants (SOOP), and weeds. There was no significant difference in the species richness of OP and weeds along the gradient, but the richness of SOOP was the highest in suburban area.

An Improved Reaction Coordinate for Nucleic Acid Base Flipping Studies.

Base flipping is a common strategy utilized by many enzymes to gain access to the functional groups of nucleic acid bases in duplex DNA which are otherwise protected by the DNA backbone and hydrogen bonding with their partner bases. Several X-ray crystallography studies have revealed flipped conformations of nucleotides bound to enzymes. However, little is known about the base-flipping process itself, even less about the role of the enzymes.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel alpha-heteroaryl-phenylpropanoic acid derivatives as PPARalpha/gamma dual agonists.

The synthesis of a new series of phenylpropanoic acid derivatives incorporating an heteroaryl group at the alpha-position and their evaluation for binding and activation of PPARalpha and PPARgamma are presented in this report. Among the new compounds, (S)-3-{4-[3-(5-methyl-2-phenyl-oxazol-4-yl)-propyl]-phenyl}-2-1,2,3-triazol-2-yl-propionic acid (17j), was identified as a potent human PPARalpha/gamma dual agonist (EC(50)=0.013 and 0.

Bilateral and simultaneous triceps avulsions in a patient with chronic renal failure receiving long-term peritoneal dialysis.

Simultaneous bilateral triceps tendon avulsions are extremely rare; only 4 cases have been reported in the international literature. This article describes a case of a 32-year-old woman with bilateral and simultaneous avulsions of the triceps tendons. She suffers from chronic renal failure and undergoes peritoneal dialysis every day.

Real-time imaging of autofluorescence NAD(P)H in single human neutrophils.

Real-time detection of NAD(P)H is particularly important for understanding physiological activities of neutrophils. We scrutinize the performance of weak light detection systems with electron multiplying CCDs (EMCCDs) with regard to the feasibility of valid investigations by autofluorescence NAD(P)H in single human neutrophils. The low-noise amplification facility of EMCCDs is indeed just adequate to permit detection at an irradiation level where neither quenching nor phototoxic effects occur.

[Effect of extracellular signal regulated kinase signal pathway on apoptosis induced by MG262 in ovarian cancer cells].

Objective: To investigate whether the proteasomes inhibitor MG262 exerts its anti-cancer function by inducing apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cells, and whether the extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway is involved in the regulation of apoptosis induction.

Method: Human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 was incubated with different concentrations of MG262 for 24 and 48 hours. Cell viability was evaluated with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay at different time points of culturing.

Exogenous nitric oxide-induced release of calcium from intracellular IP3 receptor-sensitive stores via S-nitrosylation in respiratory burst-dependent neutrophils.

PMA-induced respiratory burst neutrophils were exposed to exogenous nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) to study the effect of NO on calcium signaling. A sharp rise of cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)) was triggered by 1mM SNP with and without external calcium. We found that GF 109203X, a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C, DPI, a putative inhibitor of the respiratory burst-generating NADPH oxidase, and 2-DG, a non-metabolizable analog of glucose, completely inhibited the SNP-induced rise of [Ca(2+)](c) in PMA-activated respiratory burst neutrophils.

Structural insights for designed alanine-rich helices: comparing NMR helicity measures and conformational ensembles from molecular dynamics simulation.

The temperature dependence of helical propensities for the peptides Ac-ZGG-(KAAAA)(3)X-NH(2) (Z = Y or G, X = A, K, and D-Arg) were studied both experimentally and by MD simulations. Good agreement is observed in both the absolute helical propensities as well as relative helical content along the sequence; the global minimum on the calculated free energy landscape corresponds to a single alpha-helical conformation running from K4 to A18 with some terminal fraying, particularly at the C-terminus. Energy component analysis shows that the single helix state has favorable intramolecular electrostatic energy due to hydrogen bonds, and that less-favorable two-helix globular states have favorable solvation energy.

Involvement of mitochondria-caspase pathway in Hemoporfin-mediated cell death.

Hemoporfin is a novel second-generation porphyrin-related photosensitizer for ovarian cancer photodynamic treatment (PDT). The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of Hemoporfin-mediated photocytotoxicity. Human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line 3AO was incubated with different concentrations of Hemoporfin, and phototoxic effects of Hemoporfin on cells were determined using a Cell Viability Analyzer.

Molecular simulations reveal a common binding mode for glycosylase binding of oxidatively damaged DNA lesions.

Cellular DNA is constantly exposed to oxidative stress from both exogenous and endogenous sources, creating lesions that lead to aging related diseases, including cancer. 8-Oxo-guanine (8OG) is one of the most common forms of oxidative DNA damage, and failure to repair this lesion results in G:C to T:A transversion. Another common lesion, 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine (FapydG), shares the same precursor as 8OG.

Intraperitoneal photodynamic therapy for an ovarian cancer ascite model in Fischer 344 rat using hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether.

With limited treatment options, intraperitoneal spread of ovarian cancer is a common problem leading to high morbidity. Intraperitoneal photodynamic therapy combined with debulking surgery to treat residual disease is an alternative choice for clinicians. Hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) is a promising second-generation photosensitizer developed in China.

Temporal variations of surface water quality in urban, suburban and rural areas during rapid urbanization in Shanghai, China.

As the economic and financial center of China, Shanghai has experienced an extensive urban expansion since the early 1980s, with an attendant cost in environmental degradation. We use an integrated pollution index to study the temporal variations of surface water quality in urban, suburban and rural areas between 1982 and 2005. Data on monitored cross-sections were collected from the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center.

Molecular mechanics parameters for the FapydG DNA lesion.

FapydG is a common oxidative DNA lesion involving opening of the imidazole ring. It shares the same precursor as 8-oxodG and can be excised by the same enzymes as 8-oxodG. However, the loss of the aromatic imidazole in FapydG results in a reduction of the double bond character between C5 and N7, with an accompanying increase in conformational flexibility.

[Age structure and growth characteristic of Castanopsis fargesii population].

In this paper, the age structure and growth characteristics of Castanopsis fargesii population in a shade-tolerant broadleaved evergreen forest were studied, aimed to understand more about the regeneration patterns and dynamics of this population. The results showed that the age structure of C. fargesii population was of sporadic type, with two death peaks of a 30-year gap.

[Photodynamic effect of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether on ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3].

Background & Objective: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a new treatment choice for ovarian carcinoma. Hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) is a novel photosensitive reagent developed in China. This study was to investigate the photodynamic effect of HMME-based PDT on human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3.

Computational analysis of the mode of binding of 8-oxoguanine to formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase.

8-Oxoguanine (8OG) is the most prevalent form of oxidative DNA damage. In bacteria, 8OG is excised by formamidopyrimidine glycosylase (Fpg) as the initial step in base excision repair. To efficiently excise this lesion, Fpg must discriminate between 8OG and an excess of guanine in duplex DNA.