[Characterization of chicken PPARγ expression and its impact on adipocyte proliferation and differentiation].

To characterize the chicken PPARγ gene expression and its impact on chicken adipocyte proliferation and differentiation, western blotting approach was conducted to investigate the expression of PPARγ in various chicken tissues and the difference of expression level in abdominal adipose tissues between the NEAU broiler lines divergently selected for abdominal fat content. The expression of PPARγ gene was suppressed in chicken adipocytes using RNAi technology, and the roles of PPARγ gene in the adipocytes proliferation and differentiation were investigated by MTT assay and Oil Red O staining extraction assay, respectively. After PPARγ gene was downregulated, the expression level of other transcript factors and marker genes related to the adipocyte differentiation was detected by Real-time PCR and Western blotting analyses.

[Indirubin inhibits ATP-induced phagocytosis attenuation, ROS production and cell death of macrophages].

This study is to investigate the effects of indirubin on ATP-induced immune responses of macrophages. For this, neutral red dye uptake method was used to test phagocytosis, MTT assay was used for measuring cell death, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was tested with fluorescent probe DHE. The data showed that extracellular ATP attenuated phagocytosis, induced cell death and increased ROS production, and these effects were restored by pre-treating with indirubin.

Comparison of quantum dot technology with conventional immunohistochemistry in examining aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 as a potential biomarker for lymph node metastasis of head and neck cancer.

This study explored whether the expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1A1) in the primary tumour correlated with lymph node metastasis (LNM) of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). We used both quantum dot (QD)-based immunohistofluorescence (IHF) and conventional immunohistochemistry (IHC) to quantify ALDH1A1 expression in primary tumour samples taken from 96 HNSCC patients, 50 with disease in the lymph nodes and 46 without. The correlation between the quantified level of ALDH1A1 expression and LNM in HNSCC patients was evaluated with univariate and multivariate analysis.

A clinical study of internal fixation, debridement and interbody thoracic fusion to treat thoracic tuberculosis via posterior approach only.

Purpose: We evaluated the clinical efficacy and feasibility of one-stage posterior internal fixation, debridement and interbody thoracic fusion in the treatment of thoracic tuberculosis.

Methods: Sixty adult patients with monosegmental thoracic tuberculosis were studied retrospectively: 34 men and 26 women with an average age of 37.5 years.

Hypoxia tolerance in elasmobranchs. II. Cardiovascular function and tissue metabolic responses during progressive and relative hypoxia exposures.

Cardiovascular function and metabolic responses of the heart and other tissues during hypoxia exposure were compared between the hypoxia-tolerant epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) and the hypoxia-sensitive shovelnose ray (Aptychotrema rostrata). In both species, progressive hypoxia exposure caused increases in stroke volume and decreases in heart rate, cardiac output, cardiac power output (CPO, an assessment of cardiac energy demand) and dorsal aortic blood pressure, all of which occurred at or below each species' critical P(O2) for whole-animal O(2) consumption rate, M(O2) (P(crit)). In epaulette sharks, which have a lower P(crit) than shovelnose rays, routine levels of cardiovascular function were maintained to lower water P(O2) levels and the changes from routine levels during hypoxia exposure were smaller compared with those for the shovelnose ray.

Hypoxia tolerance in elasmobranchs. I. Critical oxygen tension as a measure of blood oxygen transport during hypoxia exposure.

The critical O(2) tension of whole-animal O(2) consumption rate (M(O2)), or P(crit), is the water P(O2) (Pw(O(2))) at which an animal transitions from an oxyregulator to an oxyconformer. Although P(crit) is a popular measure of hypoxia tolerance in fishes because it reflects the capacity for O(2) uptake from the environment at low Pw(O(2)), little is known about the interrelationships between P(crit) and blood O(2) transport characteristics and increased use of anaerobic metabolism during hypoxia exposure in fishes, especially elasmobranchs. We addressed this knowledge gap using progressive hypoxia exposures of two elasmobranch species with differing hypoxia tolerance.

Dosimetric and clinical predictors of radiation-induced lung toxicity in esophageal carcinoma.

Aims And Background: Radiation-induced lung toxicity occurs frequently in patients with esophageal carcinoma. This study aims to evaluate the clinical and three-dimensional dosimetric parameters associated with lung toxicity after radiotherapy for esophageal carcinoma.

Methods And Study Design: The records of 56 patients treated for esophageal carcinoma were reviewed.

[Construction and expression characterization of transgenic chicken bioreactor vector].

We constructed transgenic chicken bioreactor vector, driven by chicken ovalbumin promoter, lentiviral vector and cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter control vector encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) and luciferase (Luc) as reporter genes. The three vectors were used to transfect or infect chicken primary oviduct epithelial cells, embryo fibroblasts cells, mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes cells and bovine mammary epithelial cells. High efficient and specific expression vector for transgenic chicken bioreactor was determined by detecting fluorescence and luciferase activity.

Targeted delivery of cisplatin to lung cancer using ScFvEGFR-heparin-cisplatin nanoparticles.

The clinical application of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (DDP, cisplatin) for cancer therapy is limited by its nonspecific biodistribution and severe side effects. Here, we have developed EGFR-targeted heparin-DDP (EHDDP) nanoparticles for tumor-targeted delivery of DDP. This nanoparticle delivery system possesses the following unique properties: (i) succinic anhydride-modified heparin is biocompatible and biodegradable with no anticoagulant activity; (ii) single-chain variable fragment anti-EGFR antibody (ScFvEGFR) was conjugated to the nanoparticles as an EGFR-targeting ligand.

A dual-targeting antibody against EGFR-VEGF for lung and head and neck cancer treatment.

An antibody simultaneously targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), two major tumor growth-driving machineries, may provide a novel effective strategy for optimizing tumor targeting and maximizing potential clinical benefits. Human domain antibodies selected against VEGF and EGFR were formatted into a fully human dual-targeting IgG (DT-IgG) to directly target both antigens in a single molecule. We evaluated the efficacy of DT-IgG in comparison with bevacizumab and cetuximab alone and in combination in the lung cancer cell line A549 (low EGFR expression and KRAS mutant) and the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell line Tu212 (high EGFR expression and KRAS wild type) in vitro and in vivo.

Pharmacodynamics of DT-IgG, a dual-targeting antibody against VEGF-EGFR, in tumor xenografted mice.

Purpose: DT-IgG is a fully humanized dual-target therapeutic antibody being developed to simultaneously target epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), important signaling molecules for tumor growth. The antitumor pharmacodynamics (PD) of DT-IgG was studied in nude mice bearing human tumor xenografts with different EGFR and VEGF expressions and K-ras oncogene status and compared with bevacizumab, cetuximab and bevacizumab + cetuximab.

Methods: Mice bearing human oral squamous cell carcinoma (Tu212), lung adenocarcinoma (A549), or colon cancer (GEO) subcutaneous xenografts were administered with the antibodies intraperitoneally (i.

A radical approach to beating hypoxia: depressed free radical release from heart fibres of the hypoxia-tolerant epaulette shark (Hemiscyllum ocellatum).

Hypoxia and warm ischemia are primary concerns in ischemic heart disease and transplant and trauma. Hypoxia impacts tissue ATP supply and can induce mitochondrial dysfunction that elevates reactive species release. The epaulette shark, Hemiscyllum ocellatum, is remarkably tolerant of severe hypoxia at temperatures up to 34 °C, and therefore provides a valuable model to study warm hypoxia tolerance.

A folate receptor-targeting nanoparticle minimizes drug resistance in a human cancer model.

Resistance to chemotherapy is a major obstacle in cancer therapy. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential of a folate receptor-targeting nanoparticle to overcome/minimize drug resistance and to explore the underlying mechanisms. This is accomplished with enhanced cellular accumulation and retention of paclitaxel (one of the most effective anticancer drugs in use today and a well-known P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate) in a P-gp-overexpressing cancer model.

The effect of acclimation to hypoxia and sustained exercise on subsequent hypoxia tolerance and swimming performance in goldfish (Carassius auratus).

The objective of this study was to determine whether acclimation to hypoxia and sustained exercise would increase hypoxia tolerance (as indicated by a decrease in critical oxygen tension, P(crit)) and swimming performance in goldfish (Carassius auratus), and to investigate the relationship between changes in performance and gill remodelling and tissue metabolic capacity. Goldfish were acclimated to either hypoxia (48 h at 0.3 mg O(2) l(-1)) or sustained exercise (48 h at 70% of critical swimming speed, U(crit)) and then P(crit) and U(crit) were determined in normoxia (10 mg O(2) l(-1)) and hypoxia (1 mg O(2) l(-1)) and compared with values from control fish.

Intra- and inter-specific variation in metabolic gene expression in relationship to environmental hypoxia.

In this study, we explored how environmental oxygen levels affect the metabolic phenotype of sympatric sunfish known to differ in their hypoxia tolerance. We examined bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), two species commonly found in the same water bodies, though pumpkinseed are considered more hypoxia tolerant, and survive in hypoxic lakes that exclude bluegill. Freshly caught Lake Opinicon pumpkinseed possessed significantly higher glycolytic enzyme activities (PGI, ALD, GAPDH, ENO, and LDH) than bluegill, but after holding the fish in an oxygenated environment for 7days, pumpkinseed glycolytic enzymes (PGI, ALD, and LDH) and mRNA (LDHA and HIF1α) declined to bluegill's levels.

Solexa sequencing analysis of chicken pre-adipocyte microRNAs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that play important roles in a variety of biological processes. Studies of miRNAs in mammals suggest that many are involved in lipid metabolism and adipocyte differentiation, but little is known about miRNA expression profiles during chicken adipogenesis. In this study, the Solexa sequencing approach was used to sequence a small RNA library prepared from Arbor Acres broiler pre-adipocytes, and more than 10⁶ short sequence reads were obtained.

The lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) uncouples mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in both sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and TFM-tolerant rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

The toxicity of 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) appears to be due to a mismatch between ATP supply and demand in lamprey, depleting glycogen stores and starving the nervous system of ATP. The cause of this TFM-induced ATP deficit is unclear. One possibility is that TFM uncouples mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, thus impairing ATP production.

[Chicken SREBP1 gene antiserums preparation and its tissue expression characterization].

Aim: The aim of this study was to prepare the antiserums against chicken sterol regulatory element binding protein1 (SREBP1), and to analyze the expression of SREBP1 in chicken tissues.

Methods: The nuclear import sequence of SREBP1 was analyzed using the DNAStar programs to predict its major antigen epitopes, the fragment coding for SREBP1 major antigen epitopes (832-1 302 bp) was amplified by RT-PCR and inserted into pGEX-4T-1 to construct the expression vector pGEX-4T/SREBP1. The recombinant GST/SREBP1 was expressed in E.

One-stage posterior focus debridement, fusion, and instrumentation in the surgical treatment of cervicothoracic spinal tuberculosis with kyphosis in children: a preliminary report.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy and feasibility of surgical management of cervicothoracic tuberculosis accompanied by kyphosis in children by using one-stage posterior focus debridement, bone graft fusion, and instrumentation at a single institution.

Methods: Ten consecutive cases with cervicothoracic tuberculosis with kyphosis were treated with one-stage posterior focus debridement, bone graft fusion, and instrumentation. The mean follow-up was 36 months (range 26-47 months).

One-stage posterior approach and combined interbody and posterior fusion for thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis with kyphosis in children.

The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy and feasibility of surgical management of advanced thoracolumbar spine tuberculosis with kyphosis in children in poor general condition with 1-stage posterior decompression, interbody grafts, and posterior instrumentation and fusion. Between 2006 and 2008, 7 children with advanced thoracolumbar spinal tuberculosis accompanied by kyphosis and in poor general condition were treated with 1-stage posterior decompression, interbody grafts, and posterior instrumentation and fusion followed by chemotherapy. Mean follow-up was 34 months (range, 27-42 months).

A reexamination of active and passive tumor targeting by using rod-shaped gold nanocrystals and covalently conjugated peptide ligands.

The targeted delivery of nanoparticles to solid tumors is one of the most important and challenging problems in cancer nanomedicine, but the detailed delivery mechanisms and design principles are still not well understood. Here we report quantitative tumor uptake studies for a class of elongated gold nanocrystals (called nanorods) that are covalently conjugated to tumor-targeting peptides. A major advantage in using gold as a "tracer" is that the accumulated gold in tumors and other organs can be quantitatively determined by elemental mass spectrometry (gold is not a natural element found in animals).

[Short hairpin RNA-mediated MDC1 gene silencing enhances the radiosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell line ECA109].

Objective: To explore the effect of MDC1 gene silencing by RNA interference on the radiosensitivity of human esophageal carcinoma cell line ECA109.

Methods: The vectors containing short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting MDC1 gene (pMDC1-shRNA) were cotransfected with pPACKH1-lentivector packaging system into 293T cells to package the lentivirus particles. Forty-eight hours after the transfection with specific or control lentiviral vectors, the stable integrants were selected using copGFP reporter gene; real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression levels of MDC1 mRNA and protein in the transfected ECA109 cells, respectively.

Adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein: an important gene related to lipid metabolism in chicken adipocytes.

Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) may facilitate the diffusion of fatty acids within the cytoplasm. Adipocyte FABP (A-FABP) null mice exhibit altered rates of lipolysis, and reprogrammed expression of genes related to lipid metabolism. In the current study, chicken adipocytes with short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown and cDNA overexpression of A-FABP were used to investigate the role of chicken A-FABP in lipid metabolism of adipocytes.

[Characteristics of the lymph node metastases and influencing factors and their value in target region delineation in postoperative radiotherapy for thoracic esophageal carcinoma].

Objective: To explore the distribution of lymph node metastases, to analyze the cliniopathologic factors of thoracic esophageal carcinoma after curative resection, and to provide the criteria of irradiated region delineation in radiotherapy for esophageal carcinoma.

Methods: The clinicopathological data of 763 patients who underwent esophagecotomy from Jun 2002 to Jun 2006 were retrospectively analyzed. The regularity of lymph node metastases of thoracic esophageal cancer and clinicopathological factors were stratified and analyzed with SPSS13.

Posterior-only surgery with strong halo-femoral traction for the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliotic curves more than 100°.

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and clinical efficacy of treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis of >100° via posterior-only surgery with strong halo-femoral traction and posterior wide release. From December 2003 to August 2006, 121 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were treated in our hospital; among them, 29 patients with curves over 100° were included in this study. From December 2003 to June 2005, group A included the first 12 patients who underwent combined anterior release followed by two-week halo-femoral traction and then posterior instrumentation.