Wnt3a Mediates the Inhibitory Effect of Hyperoxia on the Transdifferentiation of AECIIs to AECIs.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of Wnt3a in the transdifferentiation of type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECIIs) to type I alveolar epithelial cells (AECIs) under hyperoxia condition. In the in vivo study, preterm rats were exposed in hyperoxia for 21 days. In the in vitro study, primary rat AECIIs were subjected to a hyperoxia and normoxia exposure alternatively every 24 hr for 7 days.

Resveratrol attenuates hyperoxia-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis and suppresses Wnt/β-catenin signalling in lungs of neonatal rats.

Although survival rate of infants born prematurely has been raised by supplemental oxygen treatment, it is followed by high morbidity of hyperoxia-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia. In this study, the effect of resveratrol on the lung injury was evaluated in hyperoxia-exposed rats of preterm birth. The results demonstrated that hyperoxia led to thickened alveolar wall, simplified alveolar architecture and fibrosis.

Ribosylation triggering Alzheimer's disease-like Tau hyperphosphorylation via activation of CaMKII.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is regarded as one of the serious risk factors for age-related cognitive impairment; however, a causal link between these two diseases has so far not been established. It was recently discovered that, apart from high D-glucose levels, T2DM patients also display abnormally high concentrations of uric D-ribose. Here, we show for the first time that the administration of D-ribose, the most active glycator among monosaccharides, produces high levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and, importantly, triggers hyperphosphorylation of Tau in the brain of C57BL/6 mouse and neuroblastoma N2a cells.

Polymorphism of rs7688672 and rs10033237 in cGKII/PRKG2 and gout susceptibility of Han population in northern China.

Gout is a genetic or acquired metabolic disease caused by increase of uric acid synthesis resulted from purine metabolic abnormalities. Whether cGMP-dependent protein kinase 2 (cGKII/PRKG2) is correlated with gout remains controversial. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether there is a correlation between polymorphism of cGKII/PRKG2 and gout susceptibility of Han population in northern China.

Annexin A2 is involved in the production of classical swine fever virus infectious particles.

Annexin A2 (ANXA2) is an important host factor regulating several key processes in many viruses. To evaluate the potential involvement of ANXA2 in the life cycle of classical swine fever virus (CSFV), an RNA interference (RNAi) approach was utilized. Knockdown of ANXA2 did not impair CSFV RNA replication but significantly reduced CSFV production.

Preparation and structure of drug-carrying biodegradable microspheres designed for transarterial chemoembolization therapy.

Biodegradable poly(D,L-lactic acid) drug-eluting microspheres containing anti-tumor drugs, cisplatin, and sorafenib tosylate have been prepared by the emulsion solvent evaporation method with diameter between 200 and 400 μm. Scanning electron microscopy showed that cisplatin microspheres had smooth surfaces, while sorafenib tosylate microspheres and cisplatin + sorafenib tosylate microspheres were porous at the surface and the pits of the latter were larger than those of the former. Notably, cisplatin + sorafenib tosylate microspheres had a fast drug release rate compared with microspheres containing one drug alone.

Inhibition of autophagy via activation of PI3K/Akt pathway contributes to the protection of ginsenoside Rb1 against neuronal death caused by ischemic insults.

Lethal autophagy is a pathway leading to neuronal death caused by transient global ischemia. In this study, we examined the effect of Ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) on ischemia/reperfusion-induced autophagic neuronal death and investigated the role of PI3K/Akt. Ischemic neuronal death in vitro was induced by using oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) in SH-SY5Y cells, and transient global ischemia was produced by using two vessels occlusion in rats.

Association between leukocyte mitochondrial DNA content and risk of coronary heart disease: a case-control study.

Objective: Compelling epidemiological evidence indicates that alterations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), including mutations and abnormal content of mtDNA, are associated with the initiation and development of cardiovascular disease. This study was undertaken to investigate whether mtDNA content in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) could be used as a risk predictor for coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: The mtDNA content of PBLs from 378 CHD patients and 378 matched healthy controls was measured using quantitative real-time PCR-based method in a case-control study.

Characterization of the C-terminal sequence of NS5A necessary for the assembly and production of classical swine fever virus infectious particles.

Recent studies show that classical swine fever virus (CSFV) NS5A is an essential replicase component, but it is not known how NS5A participates in viral particle production. In this study, deletion and substitution mutations were introduced into the C-terminus of CSFV NS5A. The efficiency of Core protein release and extracellular and intracellular infectivity levels were assessed and NS5A-Core interaction was investigated.

Pseudomonas stutzeri strain possessing a self-transmissible TOL-like plasmid degrades phenol and promotes maize growth in contaminated environments.

Phenol is volatile organic pollutant that plants can little degrade. For complete degradation of volatile pollutants, we introduced Pseudomonas stutzeri strain P7 to phenol-contaminated soils. The strain effectively degraded phenol and even promoted plant growth.

Simultaneous neural control of simple reaching and grasping with the modular prosthetic limb using intracranial EEG.

Intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) signals from two human subjects were used to achieve simultaneous neural control of reaching and grasping movements with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL) Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL), a dexterous robotic prosthetic arm. We performed functional mapping of high gamma activity while the subject made reaching and grasping movements to identify task-selective electrodes. Independent, online control of reaching and grasping was then achieved using high gamma activity from a small subset of electrodes with a model trained on short blocks of reaching and grasping with no further adaptation.

A nontoxic additive to introduce x-ray contrast into poly(lactic acid). Implications for transient medical implants such as bioresorbable coronary vascular scaffolds.

Bioresorbable coronary vascular scaffolds are about to revolutionize the landscape of interventional cardiology. These scaffolds, consisting of a poly(L-lactic acid) interior and a poly(D,L-lactic acid) surface coating, offer a genuine alternative for metallic coronary stents. Perhaps the only remaining drawback is that monitoring during implantation is limited to two X-ray contrast points.

GFP affects human T cell activation and cytokine production following in vitro stimulation.

There are many Green Fluorescent Proteins (GFPs) originating from diverse species that are invaluable to cell biologists today because of their ability to provide experimental visualization of protein expression. Since their initial discovery, they have been modified and improved to provide more stable variants with emission ranges spanning a wide array of colors. Due to their ease of expression both in-vitro and in-vivo, they are an attractive choice for use as markers in molecular biology.

The M235T polymorphism in the angiotensinogen gene and myocardial infarction risk: a meta-analysis.

Objective: The angiotensinogen (AGT) gene M235T polymorphism has been reported to be associated with myocardial infarction (MI), but previous studies have been inconsistent. The present study aimed at assessing the association of M235T polymorphism in the AGT gene with MI using a meta-analysis.

Methods: We retrieved literature in Google Scholar, PubMed, Cochrane Library and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database (January 1990-December 2011) for the relevant studies on the AGT polymorphism M235T and risk of MI.

Three-dimensional homogeneous ferrite-carbon aerogel: one pot fabrication and enhanced electro-Fenton reactivity.

This work focuses on constructing a high catalytic activity cathode of an electro-Fenton system, to overcome the defects of low activity, poor stability, and intricate fabrication of supported catalysts. A series of ferrite-carbon aerogel (FCA) monoliths with different iron/carbon ratios was synthesized directly from metal-resin precursors accompanied by phase transformation. Self-doped ferrite nanocrystals and carbon matrix were formed synchronously via moderate condensation and sol-gel processes, leading to homogeneous texture.

RNA helicase is involved in the expression and replication of classical swine fever virus and interacts with untranslated region.

To investigate whether cytoplasmic RNA helicase A (RHA) influences the expression and replication of classical swine fever virus (CSFV), an siRNA molecule targeted to RHA was transfected into PK-15 cells. The siRNA was found to reduce cytoplasmic RHA. In CSFV subgenomic replicon transfected cells, incubation with the siRNAs negatively impacted viral NS3 and RNA production.

[Characteristics of circulatory disturbance and the treatment of severe hand-foot-and-mouth disease].

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of circulatory disturbance and treatment of severe hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD).

Method: The clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, therapy and outcome of 22 severe HFMD patients were retrospectively analyzed.

Result: All the 22 severe HFMD patients came from the countryside.

Selective photoelectrocatalytic degradation of recalcitrant contaminant driven by an n-P heterojunction nanoelectrode with molecular recognition ability.

With in situ molecular imprinting technique, a novel nanoelectrode (MI, n-P)-TiO(2) with n-P heterojunction and molecular recognition ability was fabricated by liquid phase deposition at low temperature. Using bisphenol A (BPA) as template, the spindle-like TiO(2) particles 40-80 nm in size compactly grew on the boron-doped diamond (BDD) substrate. Several spectroscopy measurements demonstrate that the BPA molecules were successfully imprinted on the TiO(2) matrix and numerous specific recognition sites to template were formed after calcination.

Angiotensinogen gene M235T polymorphism and risk of coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis.

The angiotensinogen (AGT) gene M235T polymorphism has been suggested to be linked with susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD). In the present study, a meta-analysis was performed to assess the correlation between the M235T polymorphism and CAD. Nine studies with a total of 2281 subjects were selected for inclusion in the analysis.

[QRS complex detection using empirical mode decomposition and windowing technique].

A QRS complex detection algorithm based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and adaptive windowing technique is proposed in this paper. In this algorithm we mainly used Hilbert-Huang transform to propose EMD method suitable for QRS complex detection, with which the 30th signal in sddb database and the 208th signal in mit-db database could be processed, and then obtained R wave detection results. At the same time, Q and S points' detection technique was analyzed with adaptive windowing technique.

Quantitative characterization of nanoparticles in blood by transmission electron microscopy with a window-type microchip nanopipet.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a unique and powerful tool for observation of nanoparticles. However, due to the uneven spatial distribution of particles conventionally dried on copper grids, TEM is rarely employed to evaluate the spatial distribution of nanoparticles in aqueous solutions. Here, we present a microchip nanopipet with a narrow chamber width for sorting nanoparticles from blood and preventing the aggregation of the particles during the drying process, enabling quantitative analysis of their aggregation/agglomeration states and the particle concentration in aqueous solutions.

N-Cyclo-hexyl-N-{[3-(4,6-dimeth-oxy-pyrimidin-2-yl-oxy)pyridin-2-yl]meth-yl}4,6-dimeth-oxy-pyrimidin-2-amine.

In the title compound, C(24)H(30)N(6)O(5), the cyclo-hexyl ring adopts a chair conformation, while the remainder of the mol-ecule adopts a U-shape. The dihedral angles between the pyridine ring and the pendant pyrimidine rings are 69.04 (12) and 75.

Rapid quantitative analysis of clarithromycin in rat plasma by UPLC-MS/MS after intravenous injection of the clarithromycin-loaded ultrafine PLGA nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles were designed to encapsulate drugs to alter their pharmacological behaviors, therefore, it is very essential to monitor the pharmacokinetic profile of drug encapsulated in nanoparticles in order to clarify and predict their efficacy and side effects. In this paper, we reported a simple, rapid μ-elution 96-well solid phase extraction (μSPE) method combining with ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for determination of nanoformulated drug in rat plasma. This method presented satisfactory results in terms of sensitivity, precision, accuracy, and recovery, for the first time, of quantitatively analyzing clarithromycin (CLA) in rat plasma after intravenous administration CLA-loaded ultrafine PLGA nanoparticles for pharmacokinetic study.

Retrospective evaluation of colistin versus tigecycline for the treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii and/or carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections.

Background: Therapeutic options are limited for infections because of Acinetobacter baumannii and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Study aim was to compare the efficacy of colistin to tigecycline for the treatment of these types of infections.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the Detroit Medical Center.

The burden of multidrug-resistant organisms on tertiary hospitals posed by patients with recent stays in long-term acute care facilities.

Background: Long-term acute care (LTAC) facilities admit patients with complex, advanced disease states. Study aims were to determine the burden posed on hospitals associated with LTAC exposure and analyze the differences between "present on admission" (POA) multidrug-resistant (MDR), gram-negative organisms (GNO) and POA MDR gram-positive organisms (GPO).

Methods: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted in 13 hospitals from southeast Michigan, from September 1, 2008, to August 31, 2009.