A Chemical Biology Solution to Problems with Studying Biologically Important but Unstable 9-O-Acetyl Sialic Acids.

9-O-Acetylation is a common natural modification on sialic acids (Sias) that terminate many vertebrate glycan chains. This ester group has striking effects on many biological phenomena, including microbe-host interactions, complement action, regulation of immune responses, sialidase action, cellular apoptosis, and tumor immunology. Despite such findings, 9-O-acetyl sialoglycoconjugates have remained largely understudied, primarily because of marked lability of the 9-O-acetyl group to even small pH variations and/or the action of mammalian or microbial esterases.

Implementation and Impact of Psychiatric Electronic Medical Records in a Public Medical Center.

Objectives: This study describes the efforts to implement electronic charting in a large public psychiatric outpatient clinic with the objective to improve clinical documentation.

Methods: Data made available through the quality review process are utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of the electronic intervention. The study is a comparative analysis of the three years before and three years after the point of implementation of electronic charting.

Rapid Screening and Identification of BSA Bound Ligands from Radix astragali Using BSA Immobilized Magnetic Nanoparticles Coupled with HPLC-MS.

is widely used either as a single herb or as a collection of herbs in a complex prescription in China. In this study, bovine serum albumin functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (BSA-MN) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) were used to screen and identify bound ligands from the -butanol part of a extract. The prepared BSA-MN showed sufficient magnetic response for the separation with an ordinary magnet and satisfied reusability.

Cell lipid metabolism modulators 2-bromopalmitate, D609, monensin, U18666A and probucol shift discoidal HDL formation to the smaller-sized particles: implications for the mechanism of HDL assembly.

ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) mediates formation of disc-shaped high-density lipoprotein (HDL) from cell lipid and lipid-free apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I). Discoidal HDL particles are heterogeneous in physicochemical characteristics for reasons that are understood incompletely. Discoidal lipoprotein particles similar in characteristics and heterogeneity to cell-formed discoidal HDL can be reconstituted from purified lipids and apo A-I by cell-free, physicochemical methods.

Melittin ameliorates CVB3-induced myocarditis via activation of the HDAC2-mediated GSK-3β/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.

Viral myocarditis (VMC) is characterized as an inflammatory process of the myocardium and can be fatal in infants and children. Melittin is a major polypeptide in honey bee venom that has been traditionally used against inflammation. However, its effect on VMC and the underlying molecular mechanism has not been reported.

Primary Hemorrhagic Neurovascular Diseases in Tibetans: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: Although there have been many studies on primary hemorrhagic neurovascular diseases (PHNVDs) in different populations, a study focusing on PHNVDs in Tibetan people was lacking. This study aimed to explore the notable characteristics of Tibetan PHNVDs by comparing the 3 most common PHNVDs (aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, and arteriovenous malformation) in our institution between Tibetan and Han patients.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, the hospital information system was used to access the records of patients with PHNVDs.

Isolation of α-Amylase Inhibitors from Kadsura longipedunculata Using a High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography Target Guided by Centrifugal Ultrafiltration with LC-MS.

In this study, a high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) separation method target guided by centrifugal ultrafiltration with high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (CU-LC-MS) was proposed. This method was used to analyze α-amylase inhibitors from Kadsura longipedunculata extract. According to previous screening with CU-LC-MS, two screened potential α-amylase inhibitors was successfully isolated from Kadsura longipedunculata extract using HSCCC under the optimized experimental conditions.

Imaging Features of Neurocysticercosis: Analysis of 57 Consecutive Patients.

Aim: To investigate the imaging features of neurocysticercosis and to provide valuable information about the diagnosis and treatment for clinicians.

Material And Methods: The data of 71 consecutive cases of neurocysticercosis, diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between January 2009 and January 2014 in our institute were collected. Of all the cases, 57 patients met the recognized diagnostic criteria of neurocysticercosis.

The Surgical Value of Neurocysticercosis: Analyzing 10 Patients in 5 Years.

Aim: To investigate the indications and clinical value of the surgical therapy of neurocysticercosis (NCC).

Material And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all 10 patients with NCC treated surgically from January 2009 to January 2014 in our institute. The NCC types included parenchymal cysticerci in 6 cases, subarachnoid cysticerci in 3 and ventricular cysticerci in 1.

From trash to treasure: The untapped potential of endothelial microparticles in neurovascular diseases.

Discovered in 1947, microparticles (MP) represent a group of sub-micron cell-derived particles isolated by high speed centrifugation. Once regarded as cellular 'trash', in the past decade MP have gained tremendous attention in both basic sciences and medical research both as biomarkers and mediators of infection, injury and response to therapy. Because MP bear cell surface markers derived from parent cells, accumulate in extracellular fluids (plasma, serum, milk, urine, cerebrospinal fluid) MP based tests are being developed commercially as important components in 'liquid biopsy' approaches, providing valuable readouts in cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as stroke, Alzheimer's disease and Multiple Sclerosis.

ABCC2-24C > T polymorphism is associated with the response to platinum/5-Fu-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy and better clinical outcomes in advanced gastric cancer patients.

Several studies have evaluated the efficacy of neoadjuvant treatment using oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidines in advanced gastric cancer (GC). However, preoperative biomarkers predictive of clinical outcome remain lacking. We examined polymorphisms in the MTHFR, DPYD, UMPS, ABCB1, ABCC2, GSTP1, ERCC1, and XRCC1 genes to evaluate their usefulness as pharmacogenetic markers in a cohort of 103 GC patients treated with preoperative chemotherapy.

Imaging Sensitivity of Quiescent Cancer Cells to Metabolic Perturbations in Bone Marrow Spheroids.

Malignant cells from breast cancer and other common cancers such as prostate and melanoma may persist in bone marrow as quiescent, non-dividing cells that remain viable for years or even decades before resuming proliferation to cause recurrent disease. This phenomenon, referred to clinically as tumor dormancy, poses tremendous challenges to curing patients with breast cancer. Quiescent tumor cells resist chemotherapy drugs that predominantly target proliferating cells, limiting success of neo-adjuvant and adjuvant therapies.

Pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of ceftolozane/tazobactam in healthy Japanese, Chinese, and white subjects.

Ceftolozane/tazobactam, a novel antibacterial with potent activity against Gram-negative pathogens, was developed for treatment of complicated urinary tract infections, including pyelonephritis, and intra-abdominal infections. A phase 1 pharmacokinetic (PK) study of ceftolozane/tazobactam in healthy Japanese, Chinese, and white volunteers was conducted to assess the potential effect of ethnicity on PK. The PK of ceftolozane, tazobactam, and tazobactam metabolite M1 was compared after single 1.

Carbon and Metal Quantum Dots toxicity on the microalgae Chlorella pyrenoidosa.

In this report, we investigated the cytotoxicity of two types of quantum dots(QDs) (carbon quantum dots(CQDs): N, S doped CQDs, N doped CQDs, no doped CQDs; metal QDs(MQDs): CdTe QDs, CdS QDs, CuInS2/ZnS QDs) on Chlorella pyrenoidosa(C. Pyrenoidosa) at different concentrations. We compared the toxicity of different QDs on C.

Generation of Targeted Genomic Deletions Through CRISPR/Cas System in Zebrafish.

Using TALEN or CRISPR/Cas system to induce small indels into coding sequences has been implicated in broad applications for reverse genetic studies of many organisms including zebrafish. However, complete deletion of a large gene or noncoding gene(s) or removing a large genomic fragment spanning several genes or other chromosomal elements is preferred in various cases, as well as inducing chromosomal inversions. Here, we describe the detailed protocols for the generation of chromosomal deletion mutations mediated by Cas9 and a pair of gRNAs and the evaluation for the efficiencies in F0 founder fish and of germline transmission.

Synthesis and immunological evaluation of MUC1 glycopeptide conjugates bearing N-acetyl modified STn derivatives as anticancer vaccines.

Glycoprotein MUC1 is an attractive target for anti-tumor vaccine development. However, the weak immunogenicity of MUC1 remains a significant problem. To solve this problem, several STn derivatives with N-acetyl modifications were synthesized and incorporated into a 20-amino acid MUC1 tandem repeat sequence.

Highly luminescent S,N co-doped carbon quantum dots-sensitized chemiluminescence on luminol-H O system for the determination of ranitidine.

S,N co-doped carbon quantum dots (N,S-CQDs) with super high quantum yield (79%) were prepared by the hydrothermal method and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, photoluminescence, UV-Vis spectroscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. N,S-CQDs can enhance the chemiluminescence intensity of a luminol-H O system. The possible mechanism of the luminol-H O -(N,S-CQDs) was illustrated by using chemiluminescence, photoluminescence and ultraviolet analysis.

[Effect observation of float needle combined with reperfusion activity for pain induced by cyclomastopathy].

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of float needle therapy combined with reperfusion activity for pain induced by cyclomastopathy.

Methods: Thirty-five female patients with cyclomastopathy were randomly divided into a comprehensive group (18 cases) and a float needle group (17 cases). In the comprehensive group, float needle manipulation was used at the centre of the biceps brachii belly or the ligature between the affected nipple and breast nodule, about 4 cm beside the exterior margin of the breast, and the reperfusion activity of the affected upper limb and breast was combined.

Simultaneous determination of six synthetic phenolic antioxidants in edible oils using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection.

A simple, rapid, organic-solvent- and sample-saving pretreatment technique, called dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, was developed for the determination of six synthetic phenolic antioxidants from edible oils before high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The entire procedure was composed of a two-step microextraction and a centrifugal process and could be finished in about 5 min, only consuming only 25 mg of sample and 1 mL of the organic solvent for each extraction. The influences of several important parameters on the microextraction efficiency were thoroughly investigated.

NODULES WITH ACTIVATED DEFENSE 1 is required for maintenance of rhizobial endosymbiosis in Medicago truncatula.

The symbiotic interaction between legume plants and rhizobia results in the formation of root nodules, in which symbiotic plant cells host and harbor thousands of nitrogen-fixing rhizobia. Here, a Medicago truncatula nodules with activated defense 1 (nad1) mutant was identified using reverse genetics methods. The mutant phenotype was characterized using cell and molecular biology approaches.

Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor-CXCR4 Receptor Interactions: EVIDENCE FOR PARTIAL ALLOSTERIC AGONISM IN COMPARISON WITH CXCL12 CHEMOKINE.

An emerging number of non-chemokine mediators are found to bind to classical chemokine receptors and to elicit critical biological responses. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an inflammatory cytokine that exhibits chemokine-like activities through non-cognate interactions with the chemokine receptors CXCR2 and CXCR4, in addition to activating the type II receptor CD74. Activation of the MIF-CXCR2 and -CXCR4 axes promotes leukocyte recruitment, mediating the exacerbating role of MIF in atherosclerosis and contributing to the wealth of other MIF biological activities.

ZLN005 protects cardiomyocytes against high glucose-induced cytotoxicity by promoting SIRT1 expression and autophagy.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy increases the risk for the development of heart failure independent of coronary artery disease and hypertension. Either type 1 or type 2 diabetes is often accompanied by varying degrees of hyperglycemia, which has been proven to induce myocardial apoptosis in animal models. Recently, a novel small molecule, ZLN005, has been reported to show antidiabetic efficacy in a mouse model, possibly by induction of PGC-1α expression.

Relationship between pancreatic hormones and glucose metabolism: A cross-sectional study in patients after acute pancreatitis.

Abnormal glucose metabolism is present in almost 40% of patients after acute pancreatitis, but its pathophysiology has been poorly investigated. Pancreatic hormone derangements have been sparingly studied to date, and their relationship with abnormal glucose metabolism is largely unknown. The aim was to investigate the associations between pancreatic hormones and glucose metabolism after acute pancreatitis, including the effect of potential confounders.