A comparison of computed tomography imaging with histopathology in the sensitivity and correlation of evaluating coronary arterial calcification.

Background: The sensitivity and correlation of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) as compared with histopathology are unknown in evaluating coronary arterial calcification. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively the sensitivity and correlation of coronary CTA compared with histopathology in assessing coronary arterial calcification.

Methods: This study was conducted on 12 randomly selected cadavers aged over 40 years at the time of death, and 53 segments of coronary arteries from these 12 cadavers were obtained from the Human Anatomy Laboratory of Tianjin Medical University.

Defending the homeland: microbiome molecules provide protection to their vertebrate hosts.

The resident bacterial microbiome may shape and protect the health of vertebrate host. An array of molecules secreted by microbiome may contribute to the ecological stability of the microbiome itself. ELISA, radioactivity, immunofluorescence and cytokines measurements were used to observe the bioactivity and stability of colicin Ia level in oviparous and viviparous animal circulation.

Liver injury in septic mice were suppressed by a camptothecin-bile acid conjugate via inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway.

Background And Objectives: Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction syndrome arising from uncontrolled inflammatory responses. Liver injury is a crucial factor for the prognosis of sepsis. Camptothecins (CPTs) have been reported to suppress the inflammatory response induced by sepsis.

High-Quality Draft Genome Sequence of the Green Alga (Chlorophyta) Generated from PacBio Sequencing.

A high-quality draft genome sequence of the microalgal species was generated using PacBio sequencing. The assembled genome is 228 Mb, derived from 3,613 polished contigs at 84× coverage depth. This genome contains an average GC content of 57.

Genomic comparison of facultatively anaerobic and obligatory aerobic strains GB1 and Tf helps explain physiological differences.

strains GB1 and Tf display distinct phenotypes. GB1 is capable of anaerobic growth and can synthesize ethanol while Tf cannot. Comparison of the GB1 and Tf genome sequences revealed that the genomes were highly similar in gene content and showed a high level of synteny.

A metabolic and genomic assessment of sugar fermentation profiles of the thermophilic Thermotogales, Fervidobacterium pennivorans.

A metabolic, genomic and proteomic assessment of Fervidobacterium pennivorans strains was undertaken to clarify the metabolic and genetic capabilities of this Thermotogales species. The type strain Ven5 originally isolated from a hot mud spa in Italy, and a newly isolated strain (DYC) from a hot spring at Ngatamariki, New Zealand, were compared for metabolic and genomic differences. The fermentation profiles of both strains on cellobiose generated similar major end products (acetate, alanine, glutamate, H, and CO).

Contrast dose reduction with shortened injection durations in coronary CT angiography on 16-cm Wide-detector CT scanner.

Objectives:: To investigate the use of shortened contrast injection with late triggering in coronary CT angiography (CCTA) for decreasing contrast dose and maintaining image quality.

Methods:: 106 patients for CCTA on a 16-cm wide-detector CT were prospectively enrolled into groups A (n = 50) and B (n = 56) randomly. Patient weight-dependent contrast medium (Iopamiro, 370 mgI ml) at dose rate of 25 mgI/kg/s was used with 8 s and the standard 10 s injection time in groups A and B, respectively.

Description of a cryptic thermophilic (pro)phage, CBP1 from Caldibacillus debilis strain GB1.

This study characterizes a cryptic (pro)phage-related sequence within the Caldibacillus debilis GB1 genome, designated CBP1.CBP1 is a Siphoviridae-like genome highly related to GBVS1 from Geobacillus sp. 6k51.

Understanding aerobic/anaerobic metabolism in Caldibacillus debilis through a comparison with model organisms.

Caldibacillus debilis GB1 is a facultative anaerobe isolated from a thermophilic aero-tolerant cellulolytic enrichment culture. There is a lack of representative proteomes of facultative anaerobic thermophilic Bacillaceae, exploring aerobic/anaerobic expression. The C.

Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of core metabolism in Clostridium termitidis CT1112 during growth on α-cellulose, xylan, cellobiose and xylose.

Background: Clostridium termitidis CT1112 is an anaerobic, Gram-positive, mesophilic, spore-forming, cellulolytic bacterium, originally isolated from the gut of a wood feeding termite Nasusitermes lujae. It has the ability to hydrolyze both cellulose and hemicellulose, and ferment the degradation products to acetate, formate, ethanol, lactate, H2, and CO2. It is therefore ges in gene and gene product expression during growth of C.

Draft Genome Sequence of the Bacteriocin-Producing Bradyrhizobium japonicum Strain FN1.

Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain FN1 was found to produce bacteriocin-like zones of clearing when tested against other strains of bradyrhizbia. The genome was sequenced, and several putative bacteriocin-producing genes, in addition to the expected genes involved in nodulation and nitrogen fixation, were identified.

An engineered multidomain fungicidal peptide against plant fungal pathogens.

Fungal pathogens represent major problems for human health and agriculture. As eukaryotic organisms, fungi share some important features with mammalian cells. Therefore, current anti-fungal antibiotics often can not distinguish between fungi and mammalian cells, resulting in serious side effects in mammalian cells.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha expression changes in human pregnant myometrium.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) has been demonstrated to exhibit anti-inflammatory activities that are hypothesized to play a key role in labor suppression and maintenance of uterine quiescence. The aim of this study was to identify pregnancy- and labor-associated changes in PPARα in human myometrium. For this investigation, human myometrium was obtained from premenopausal women, and the study participants were categorized into the following 4 groups: nonpregnant (NP; n = 10), preterm not in labor (PNL; n = 10, gestation range 20-35 weeks), term not in labor (TNL; n = 20, gestation range 37-41 weeks), and term in labor (TL; n = 20, gestation range 37-41 weeks).

[Case-control study of risk factors of obstetrical brachial plexus palsy].

Objective: To study the risk factors of obstetrical brachial plexus palsy (OBPP).

Methods: Forty-six newborn infants with OBPP were recruited between January 1997 and December 2009 from Technical Appraisement Center for Medical Malpractice of Shandong province as OBPP group. In the control group, 138 newborn infants delivered in the same time, same hospital and same gender were collected, with a ratio of 1:3.

[Experimental study on the induced differentiation of human amnion mesenchymal cells into osteoblasts].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of inducing differentiation of the human amniotic mesenchymal cells (hAMCs) into osteoblasts in vitro, so as to provide the seed cells for bone tissue engineering.

Methods: The hAMCs were isolated from abandoned human amnion and cultured in osteogenic media to induce the osteogenic differentiation in vitro. After hAMCs were induced by osteogenic media for 15 days, morphological observation, immunocytochemistry and western blot were used to study the cellular morphology and expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), type I collagen, osteopontin and osteocalcin.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 protects microvascular endothelial cells by inactivating the PARP-1/iNOS/NO pathway.

Increasing studies suggest that the activity of GLP-1 might be of significant importance in the development of type 2 diabetes beyond its serum glucose-lowering effects. However, to date, the anti-apoptosis mechanism by which GLP-1 acts on MILE SVEN 1 (MS-1) cells has not been fully explored with regard to the intracellular signaling pathway. Increasing evidence shows that apoptosis of islet microvascular endothelial cells (IMECs) participates in the pathogenesis of diabetes.

[Effects of ursodeoxycholic acid on the liver plasma membrane fluidity, hepatic glutathione concentration, hepatic estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors in pregnant rats with ethinylestradiol and progesterone induced intrahepatic cholestasis].

Objective: To explore the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on the fluidity of hepatic plasma membrane, glutathione concentration in liver, hepatic estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors in pregnant rats with ethinylestradiol and progesterone induced intrahepatic cholestasis.

Methods: sixty clean SD pregnant rats were selected and divided into three groups at random. Since the 13th day of pregnancy after taking blood, normal group was injected subcutaneously with refined vegetable oil 2.