A Low-Cost Microfluidic Device For the On-Line Counting of Microparticle/Bacteria.

On-line counting of the microparticle/bacteria in the liquid medium has great potential in the food safety and biomedical fields. A new low-cost microfluidic device is proposed for the on-line counting of the microparticles/bacteria in the liquid medium. The gradually contracted microchannel and the viscoelastic fluid are combined to achieve the efficient elastic focusing of the particle/bacteria, which significantly improves the counting accuracy by aligning all particles/bacteria in a single position at the center of the microchannel.

Efficacy and safety of carrimycin in ten patients with severe pneumonia following solid organ transplantation.

Background: The number of patients undergoing solid organ transplantation has increased annually. However, infections in solid organ transplant recipients can have a severe effect on patient survival owing to the continued use of immunosuppressants. Carrimycin is a novel macrolide antibiotic produced by genetically engineered streptomyces spiramyceticus harboring a 4''-O-isovaleryltransferase gene (ist) from streptomyces thermotoleran.

Association between Whole Grain Intake and Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: The relationship between whole grain intake and chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains uncertain.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between whole grain intake and risk of CKD in Chinese adults.

Methods: The present cross-sectional study used data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey conducted in 2009.

TRB3 is elevated in psoriasis vulgaris lesions and mediates HaCaT cells proliferation in vitro.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease characterized by abnormal keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, inflammation, and angiogenesis. Overexpression of tribbles homolog3 (TRB3), which belongs to the tribbles family of pseudokinases, has been found in several human tumors and metabolic diseases, but its role in psoriasis has not been fully clarified. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of TRB3 in psoriasis and explore its roles in the proliferation of keratinocytes.

A mouse model of cavernous nerve injury-induced erectile dysfunction: functional and morphological characterization of the corpus cavernosum.

Introduction: With the advent of genetically engineered mice, it seems important to develop a mouse model of cavernous nerve injury (CNI).

Aim: To establish a mouse model of CNI induced either by nerve crushing or by neurectomy and to evaluate time-dependent derangements in penile hemodynamics in vivo and subsequent histologic alterations in the cavernous tissue.

Methods: Twelve-week-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into 4 groups (N=36 per group): control, sham operation, bilateral cavernous nerve crush, and bilateral cavernous neurectomy group.

HLA class I (ABC) upregulation on peripheral blood CD3+/CD8+ T lymphocyte surface is a potential predictor of acute rejection in renal transplantation.

Background: Renal transplantation is currently the prevalent therapy for most patients with end-stage renal disease. No clinical markers for such rejection have been universally accepted. We aimed to investigate the possibility of use of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I (ABC) on peripheral blood CD3+/CD8+ T lymphocytes as a marker of acute rejection.

IN-1130, a novel transforming growth factor-beta type I receptor kinase (activin receptor-like kinase 5) inhibitor, promotes regression of fibrotic plaque and corrects penile curvature in a rat model of Peyronie's disease.

Introduction: Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) has been known to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Peyronie's disease (PD).

Aim: The aim of this paper was to investigate the therapeutic effect of IN-1130, a novel small molecule inhibitor of activin receptor-like kinase (ALK)5, a type I receptor of TGF-beta, in an animal model of PD.

Methods: PD was induced in rats through repeated injections of adenovirus expressing TGF-beta1 (days 0, 3, and 6; 1 x 10(10) particles/0.

Derangements in endothelial cell-to-cell junctions involved in the pathogenesis of hypercholesterolemia-induced erectile dysfunction.

Introduction: Endothelial cell-to-cell junctions are crucial for vascular formation, networking, and remodeling of blood vessels as well as for inducing and integrating intracellular signals.

Aim: We investigated the differential expression and distribution of endothelial cell-to-cell junction proteins in the penis of mice with hypercholesterolemia-induced erectile dysfunction.

Methods: Two-month-old C57BL/6J mice were fed a diet containing 4% cholesterol and 1% cholic acid, and age-matched control animals were fed a normal diet, for 3 months.

Role of increased penile expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 and activation of the Smad signaling pathway in erectile dysfunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Introduction: It has been suggested that transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction.

Aim: To investigate the expression and activity of Smad transcriptional factors, the key molecules for the initiation of TGF-beta-mediated fibrosis, in the penis of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

Methods: Fifty-two 8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were used and divided into control and diabetic groups.

Efficient gene expression system using the RTP801 promoter in the corpus cavernosum of high-cholesterol diet-induced erectile dysfunction rats for gene therapy.

Introduction: The application of gene therapy for a nonlife-threatening disease, such as erectile dysfunction (ED), requires a higher safety level and more efficacious systems for gene transfer.

Aim: To establish a novel technique for gene expression in a rat model of hypercholesterolemic ED that uses the RTP801 promoter, a hypoxia-inducible promoter.

Methods: Two-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a diet containing 4% cholesterol and 1% cholic acid, and age-matched control animals were fed a normal diet, for 3 months.