Effect of lentinan combined with docetaxel and cisplatin on the proliferation and apoptosis of BGC823 cells.

We studied the inhibitory effects of lentinan alone or lentinan combined with docetaxel and cisplatin on growth of gastric cancer cell line BGC823. The cells were divided into lentinan group, docetaxel combined with cisplatin group, and lentinan combined with docetaxel and cisplatin group. Gastric cancer cell line BGC823 was treated with different concentrations of drugs in each group.

A Self-Referencing Detection of Microorganisms Using Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Nanoprobes in a Test-in-a-Tube Platform.

Anisotropic nanoparticles (i.e., silver nanocubes) were functionalized with target-specific antibodies and Raman active tags to serve as nanoprobes for the rapid detection of bacteria in a test-in-a-tube platform.

A novel soft biomimetic microrobot with two motion attitudes.

 A variety of microrobots have commonly been used in the fields of biomedical engineering and underwater operations during the last few years. Thanks to their compact structure, low driving power, and simple control systems, microrobots can complete a variety of underwater tasks, even in limited spaces. To accomplish our objectives, we previously designed several bio-inspired underwater microrobots with compact structure, flexibility, and multi-functionality, using ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuators.

The anti-inflammatory effects of ethyl acetate on Lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine challenged mice and Lipopolysaccharide activated RAW264.7 cells.

Ethyl acetate (EA) is an ordinary organic compound in fruits, wine and cosmetics, and used as a solvent frequently. With the recent observation in our experiment, we suspected that EA could affect immune function, in particular macrophage activity. In this paper, we tested EA's protect effect against death in Lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine (LPS/D-GalN)-induced endotoxic shock model in mice.

Roles of polyuria and hyperglycemia in bladder dysfunction in diabetes.

Purpose: Diabetes mellitus causes diabetic bladder dysfunction. We identified the pathogenic roles of polyuria and hyperglycemia in diabetic bladder dysfunction in rats.

Materials And Methods: A total of 72 female Sprague-Dawley® rats were divided into 6 groups, including age matched controls, and rats with sham urinary diversion, urinary diversion, streptozotocin induced diabetes mellitus after sham urinary diversion, streptozotocin induced diabetes mellitus after urinary diversion and 5% sucrose induced diuresis after sham urinary diversion.

[Item selection analysis based on quality of life scale in patients with viral myocarditis].

Objective: To further select the items based on the pre-test version of quality of life scale in patients with viral myocarditis.

Methods: Totally 100 patients with viral myocarditis were enrolled in this study. Methodologies including frequency distribution, discrete trend, t-test, Cronbach's α coefficient, correlation coefficient and factor analysis were applied to select items from different perspectives.

A robotic catheter system with real-time force feedback and monitor.

This paper presents a robotic catheter system with force sensors, monitor and a master-slave remote control system. We developed micro force sensors and applied them in the system to guarantee the operation safety in intravascular neurosurgery applications, and employed a camera to monitor the operation. Two kinds of force information are obtained through force sensors when the catheter contacted the blood vessel.

Short-chain fatty acids suppress lipopolysaccharide-induced production of nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokines through inhibition of NF-κB pathway in RAW264.7 cells.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the colonic bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber contribute a significant proportion of daily energy requirement. Furthermore, these compounds are modulators of macrophage function and potential targets for the development of new drugs. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of three types of SCFAs (sodium acetate (NaAc), sodium propionate (NaP), and sodium butyrate (NaB)) on the production of NO and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL-1, IL-6, and IL-10)) and to observe the effect of NaAc on inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NF-κB activation in LPS-stimulated RAW264.

Her2/neu small interfering RNA delivered in culture by a streptavidin nanoparticle.

A three-component nanoparticle consisting of biotinylated Trastuzumab antiHer2 antibody, tat transferring peptide and radiolabeled antisense oligomer, linked together through streptavidin, have shown promise in the delivery to Her2+ tumor in mice following intravenous administration and with evidence of radiotherapeutic efficacy. These results have encouraged us to consider the nanoparticle as a delivery vehicle for RNA interference therapy in which the radiolabeled antisense oligomer is replaced with an unlabeled siRNA duplex. The siRNA stability within the nanoparticle was first confirmed by incubation with RNase A.

Hematopoietic stem cells lacking Ott1 display aspects associated with aging and are unable to maintain quiescence during proliferative stress.

Aging degrades hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) functions, including stress response; however, the involved molecular pathways are incompletely defined. Murine BM conditionally deleted for One-Twenty-Two-1 (Ott1), is able to maintain lifelong hematopoiesis and has preserved numbers of long-term HSCs, yet cannot repopulate nor sustain itself after transplantation against a competitor even when Ott1 is excised after engraftment. We show, specifically under replicative stress, that Ott1-deleted HSCs have a significant reduction of the G(0) cell-cycle fraction associated with self-renewal and undergo early failure.

Synthesis and characterization of energetic 3-nitro-1,2,4-oxadiazoles.

All new: 3-Nitro-5-guanidino-1,2,4-oxadiazole (NOG) was synthesized from diaminoglycoluril with in situ generated dimethyldioxirane (DMDO). The impact sensitivity of NOG is more than 40 J with a decomposition temperature of 290 °C. Some other energetic derivatives have been prepared and characterized.

Fast detection of choline-containing metabolites in liver using 2D ¹H-¹⁴N three-bond correlation (HN3BC) spectroscopy.

Detection and quantification of total choline-containing metabolites (CCMs) in tissues by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has received considerable attention as a biomarker of cancer. Tissue CCMs are mainly choline (Cho), phosphocholine (PCho), and glycerophosphocholine (GPCho). Because the methyl (1)H resonances of tissue CCMs exhibit small chemical shift differences and overlap significantly in 1D (1)H MRS, quantification of individual components is precluded.

Setting a new standard: updating the vaginal distention translational model for stress urinary incontinence.

Aims: The vaginal distention (VD) translational model for postpartum stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is potentially biased for use in evaluating animals with increasing phenotypic size (obesity) due to a fixed VD volume. Our study had three principle and two secondary aims. First, to examine both ex vivo and in vivo catheter pressure changes during volume distention.

Computational simulations for aortic coarctation: representative results from a sampling of patients.

Treatments for coarctation of the aorta (CoA) can alleviate blood pressure (BP) gradients (Δ), but long-term morbidity still exists that can be explained by altered indices of hemodynamics and biomechanics. We introduce a technique to increase our understanding of these indices for CoA under resting and nonresting conditions, quantify their contribution to morbidity, and evaluate treatment options. Patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models were created from imaging and BP data for one normal and four CoA patients (moderate native CoA: Δ12 mmHg, severe native CoA: Δ25 mmHg and postoperative end-to-end and end-to-side patients: Δ0 mmHg).

A novel aldehyde dehydrogenase-3 activator leads to adult salivary stem cell enrichment in vivo.

Purpose: To assess aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) expression in adult human and murine submandibular gland (SMG) stem cells and to determine the effect of ALDH3 activation in SMG stem cell enrichment.

Experimental Design: Adult human and murine SMG stem cells were selected by cell surface markers (CD34 for human and c-Kit for mouse) and characterized for various other stem cell surface markers by flow cytometry and ALDH isozymes expression by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Sphere formation and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) incorporation assays were used on selected cells to confirm their renewal capacity and three-dimensional (3D) collagen matrix culture was applied to observe differentiation.

Comparing the intracellular fate of components within a noncovalent streptavidin nanoparticle with covalent conjugation.

Introduction: Auger radiotherapy requires adequate tumor delivery and high nuclear accumulation and retention. We hypothesize that the noncovalent nature of a streptavidin/biotin three-component nanoparticle possessing these qualities may be required for dissociation of the radiolabeled oligomer and its accumulation into the cell nucleus.

Methods: As a test of our hypothesis, the intracellular fate of an antisense oligomer when incubated as the nanoparticle and when incubated while covalently conjugated to the antibody was compared.

Comparison of the antiangiogenic activity of modified RGDRGD-endostatin to endostatin delivered by gene transfer in vivo rabbit neovascularization model.

Purpose: Endostatin plays an important role in inhibiting corneal neovascularization (CNV). The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiangiogenic activities of lipid-mediated subconjunctival injection of the modified RGDRGD (arginine- glycin- aspartic- arginine- glycin- aspartic- endostatin gene in a rabbit model of neovascularization in vivo.

Methods: A modified human endostatin gene containing an RGDRGD motif was obtained by rapid site-directed mutagenesis.

Improving the quantitation accuracy in noninvasive small animal single photon emission computed tomography imaging.

Introduction: Noninvasive imaging of small animals to measure biodistributions and pharmacokinetics of radiolabeled agents is increasingly seen as an effective alternative to external counting of tissues obtained by sacrifice and dissection. However, we have observed important disagreements in measuring the accumulation of (111)In-labeled antibodies in organs such as liver and kidneys when comparing imaging to ex vivo counting in the same animals. This study was conducted to establish whether this discrepancy could be minimized by selecting the region of interest (ROI) in images at the appropriate color threshold and by correcting for the estimated radioactivity within the blood pool of these organs during imaging.

Simulation of blood flow in deformable vessels using subject-specific geometry and spatially varying wall properties.

Simulation of blood flow using image-based models and computational fluid dynamics has found widespread application to quantifying hemodynamic factors relevant to the initiation and progression of cardiovascular diseases and for planning interventions. Methods for creating subject-specific geometric models from medical imaging data have improved substantially in the last decade but for many problems, still require significant user interaction. In addition, while fluid-structure interaction methods are being employed to model blood flow and vessel wall dynamics, tissue properties are often assumed to be uniform.

Meta-analysis of the association between anti-HBc seropositivity and a poor prognosis of chronic HCV infection.

Aim:   The impact of serological HBsAg- and anti-HBc+ on the prognosis of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is unknown. We conducted a systematic review to analyze whether anti-HBc positivity imposes any effect on the course of HCV-related chronic liver disease.

Methods:   We retrieved references from online databases that included PubMed and EMBASE.

Identification of a high affinity TAG-72 binding peptide by phage display selection.

Purpose: Phage display was used to select novel peptides that specifically bind the TAG-72 antigen and with properties suitable for imaging TAG-72 positive cancers.

Results: After three rounds of selection against TAG-72 and using two different elution conditions including a long elution, the consensus sequences FRERCDKHPQKCTKFL and DPRHCQKRVLPCPAWL were expressed on phages G3-15 and T3-15 respectively. ELISA, fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis and fluorescence microscopy provided evidence that both phages specifically bound TAG-72 in vitro.

Temporal morphological and functional impact of complete urinary diversion on the bladder: a model of bladder disuse in rats.

Purpose: Urinary diversion has been used as a surgical option for some bladder diseases. We developed a urinary diversion model in the rat and examined the effects of urinary diversion on the bladder.

Materials And Methods: We distributed female Sprague-Dawley® rats into age matched control, sham urinary diversion and urinary diversion groups.

Auger-mediated cytotoxicity of cancer cells in culture by an 125I-antisense oligomer delivered as a three-component streptavidin nanoparticle.

We reported recently that a three-component nanoparticle, consisting of a targeting antibody, a transfecting peptide and an 111In-antiRIalpha MORF antisense oligomer, provided Auger electron-mediated, antisense-mediated, cytotoxicity of cells in culture. We have now measured the cytotoxicity of the nanoparticle in culture with the 111In replaced by 125I, another attractive Auger electron emitter. The nanoparticle consisted of streptavidin linking the 125I labeled antiRIalpha mRNA antisense MORF oligomer, the tat transfecting peptide and the anti-Her2 Trastuzumab antibody.

[Comparative study on the historical evolution of field surgery between China and Russia].

Russian field surgery with its long history and distinctive characteristics has accumulated great experience in the long-time practice of warfare. Chinese field surgery was established and developed on the basis of studying from the Russian model, which opened up new areas of traffic medicine, molecular traumatology and assessment of biological effects on weapon destruction and carried out in-depth research on wound ballistics, blast injury, burns and combined injury etc. through decades of construction with continuous development and innovation, and a series of major achievements have been made in these fields.