Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to a rapid and excessive increase in glutamate concentration in the extracellular milieu, which is strongly associated with excitotoxicity and neuronal degeneration. N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG), a prevalent peptide neurotransmitter in the vertebrate nervous system, is released along with glutamate and suppresses glutamate release by actions at pre-synaptic metabotropic glutamate autoreceptors. Extracellular NAAG is hydrolyzed to N-acetylaspartate and glutamate by peptidase activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFYao Xue Xue Bao
February 2011
Fruits of the late-ripening peach cultivar "Wanmi" were bagged at the early period of fruit endocarp hardening, and the bags were removed 1 wk before maturity harvest. The effects of bagging on volatile compounds and polyphenols were studied. Total volatiles and the sum of C(6) compounds, esters from bagged fruits were significantly lower than from nonbagged fruits from the beginning of the final rapid fruit growth stage to maturity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Nanosci Nanotechnol
December 2010
We reported a simple solvothermal route in phase-controllable synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles by using polyols as solvent. Magnetite and hematite are selectively synthesized while Fe(NO3)3.9H2O is used as single iron source and without any additives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To explore the immune stimulation effect of recombinant E.coli LLO/OVA on mice bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and T lymphocytes in vitro.
Methods: After BMDCs stimulated by E.
A sensitive LC/MS method was established to investigate the in vivo metabolism of GuanXin II prescription, a five-component Chinese herbal medicine formulation. Rat plasma, bile, urine, and feces were collected and analyzed following oral administration of the water decoction. A total of 50 compounds were identified, including 17 prototypes and 33 metabolites underwent methylation, oxidation, hydrolysis, sulfate conjugation, glucuronide conjugation, and glutathion conjugation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe infructescence of Platycarya strobilacea is a rich source of ellagic acid (EA) which has shown antioxidant, anticancer and antimutagen properties. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the conditions for ultrasonic extraction of EA from infructescence of P. strobilacea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSodium chloride solutions have been used extensively as a model of seawater in both theoretical and experimental studies of the chemistry of sea salt aerosol. Many groups have found that chloride anions are present at the air-solution interface. This observation has been important for the development of a mechanism for the heterogeneous production of molecular chlorine from chloride in sea salt aerosol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe cuticle of a Mycterophallus cetoniine scarab species displays both red iridescence due to a multilayer reflector mechanism and rainbow iridescence due to a superimposed diffraction grating mechanism. This is the first reported example of an animal possessing two independent classes of structural colors arising from interference at the wavelengths of visible light. In this work, the Mycterophallus cuticle is characterized by light microscopy, spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhenolic compounds are present at very high concentrations in the bark of Acacia mangium. These compounds are known to have strong antioxidant activity and thus different beneficial effects on human health. Phenolic compounds in bark of A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColloids Surf B Biointerfaces
October 2010
A macromolecular surface modifier, namely polypropylene-block-poly(vinylpyrrolidone) copolymer, could diffuse preferably onto the surface and effectively increased the biocompatibility of PP. The blood and cell compatibilities of PP and PP-b-PVP/PP blend films were evaluated by determination of the extent of platelet adsorption, plasma recalcification time, hemolysis rate and cell proliferation using smooth muscle cells from rabbit aorta. The results revealed that the blood and cell compatibilities of PP were improved significantly by entrapment of a few PP-b-PVP copolymers in PP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolarization gratings can be realized by polarization holographic recording in photoanisotropic materials. In this paper, we study two types of polarization gratings. One is recorded with two orthogonally circularly (OC) polarized beams and the other one with two orthogonally linearly (OL) polarized beams.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSonic Hedgehog (Shh) plays an essential role in vertebrate organogenesis as well as the development of some cancers, including breast cancer. The aim of the present study was to characterize more precisely its role in breast carcinogenesis and elucidate its regulation mechanisms. The expression of Shh was investigated in 97 breast carcinomas and 22 paired non-tumorous tissues (distant from the primary tumor) by immunohistochemistry and in four breast cell lines by Western blotting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online
November 2010
In the title compound, C(24)H(30)ClN(3)O(2), the dihedral angle between the aromatic rings is 30.78 (10)°.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnti-ErbB2 antibodies are well researched for the therapy of ErbB2-overexpressing tumors. The therapeutic potential and efficacy of these antibodies are closely related to their affinities to ErbB2. Previously we reported that an anti-ErbB2 antibody A21 targeting a conformational epitope comprising several loops in ErbB2 extracellular subdomain I and II could inhibit the proliferation of ErbB2-overexpressing cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) with the presence of alpha-synuclein inclusions termed Lewy bodies. The aggregation of alpha-synuclein into oligomeric species affects neuronal viability, having a causal role in the development of PD. The neuroprotective effects of protocatechuic acid (PAc) have been reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe mechanism of action of Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) as a novel endogenous gaseous messenger and potential cardioprotectant is not fully understood. We therefore investigated the prevention of cardiomyocyte apoptosis by exogenous H(2)S and the signaling pathways leading to cardioprotection. Using a simulated ischemia-reperfusion (I/Re) model with primary cultured rat neonatal cardiomyocytes, I/Re induced a rapid, time-dependent phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), with significant elevation at 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe water surface structure of aqueous magnesium, calcium, and strontium nitrate solutions with six to seven water molecules on average solvating each ion was investigated using vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy. Raman (polarized) and infrared spectroscopies were used for understanding solvation effects. Infrared reflection spectra were analyzed to further understand the VSFG data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFXi Bao Yu Fen Zi Mian Yi Xue Za Zhi
January 2009
Aim: To investigate the relationship between the activation of pattern recognition receptors and the cytokines expression of dendritic cells.
Methods: After bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) were pulsed by E.coli LLO/OVA, the mRNA expression of pattern recognition receptors and the downstream NF-kappaB signal pathway associated molecules were detected by microarray hybridization and RT-PCR; the expression of costimulatory molecules, MHC class II and cytokines were determined by flow cytometry and ELISA.
Objective: The major barrier to transumbilical endoscopic surgery is external interference between the instrument handles around the umbilicus. We describe technique of totally transumbilical endoscopic cholecystectomy using improved instruments.
Methods: New trocars (5 and 3 mm in diameter, respectively) without proximal seal system on the sleeves were designed for this procedure.
Guan Xin II decoction (GX II) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula for the treatment of coronary heart diseases. However, the comprehensive chemical analysis of the formulated GX II is not clarified yet. An HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn method was established to analyze GX II and its five component herbs, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecently, a novel holographic diffraction grating made of polymer slices alternated to homogeneous films of nematic liquid crystal (POLICRYPS) was realized. We study the optical performance of the POLICRYPS gratings by both numerical simulations and experiments. Characterization of the grating at normal and conical reading mount are performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhys Chem Chem Phys
August 2008
Nitrate aqueous solutions, Mg(NO(3))(2), Ca(NO(3))(2), Sr(NO(3))(2), and Pb(NO(3))(2), are investigated using Raman spectroscopy and free energy profiles from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Analysis of the in-plane deformation, symmetric stretch, and asymmetric stretch vibrational modes of the nitrate ions reveal perturbation caused by the metal cations and hydrating water molecules. Results show that Pb(2+) has a strong tendency to form contact ion pairs with nitrate relative to Sr(2+), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+), and contact ion pair formation decreases with decreasing cation size and increasing cation charge density: Pb(2+) > Sr(2+) > Ca(2+) > Mg(2+).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: There has been great interest in natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) in recent years. We report another new approach--transumbilical endoscopic surgery (TUES)--which we have performed in 40 cases for liver cysts (3), bleeding ascites (1), chronic appendicitis (10), and gallbladder diseases (26).
Methods: Transumbilical endoscopic liver cyst fenestration, abdominal cavity exploration, appendectomy, and cholecystectomy were performed in a total of 40 patients.
J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci
August 2008
A liquid chromatography-diode array detection-electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-ESI-MS(n)) method was established for the analysis of danshensu, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and isoferulic acid in rat plasma, bile, urine and feces after oral administration or intravenous injection. Liquid-liquid extraction was employed for the preparation of biosamples, and the chromatographic separation was carried out using an Agilent Zorbax Extend C(18) reversed phase column and acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid as the mobile phase.
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