L-ascorbic acid metabolism in an ascorbate-rich kiwifruit (Actinidia. Eriantha Benth.) cv. 'White' during postharvest.

Kiwifruit (Actinidia eriantha Benth.) 'White', a novel cultivar with higher L-ascorbic acid (AsA) level, is registered in China. Changes in AsA, related metabolites, enzymatic activity, and gene expression associated with AsA biosynthesis and recycling process were investigated in this paper.

Role of tRNA selenocysteine 1 associated protein 1 in the proliferation and apoptosis of cardiomyocyte‑like H9c2 cells.

Transfer RNA selenocysteine 1 associated protein 1 (Trnau1ap) serves an essential role in the synthesis of selenoproteins, which have critical functions in numerous biological processes. Selenium deficiency results in a variety of diseases, including cardiac disease. However, the mechanisms underlying myocardial injury induced by selenium deficiency remain unclear.

Decoding brain responses to pixelized images in the primary visual cortex: implications for visual cortical prostheses.

Visual cortical prostheses have the potential to restore partial vision. Still limited by the low-resolution visual percepts provided by visual cortical prostheses, implant wearers can currently only "see" pixelized images, and how to obtain the specific brain responses to different pixelized images in the primary visual cortex (the implant area) is still unknown. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment on normal human participants to investigate the brain activation patterns in response to 18 different pixelized images.

Effectiveness of YouTube as a Source of Medical Information on Heart Transplantation.

Background: In this digital era, there is a growing tendency to use the popular Internet site YouTube as a new electronic-learning (e-learning) means for continuing medical education. Heart transplantation (HTx) remains the most viable option for patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease. There are plenty of freely accessible YouTube videos providing medical information about HTx.

Deformable image registration for temporal subtraction of chest radiographs.

Purpose: Temporal subtraction images constructed from image registration can facilitate the visualization of pathologic changes. In this study, we propose a deformable image registration (DIR) framework for creating temporal subtraction images of chest radiographs.

Methods: We developed a DIR methodology using two different image similarity metrics, varying flow (VF) and compressible flow (CF).

Modeling lung deformation: a combined deformable image registration method with spatially varying Young's modulus estimates.

Purpose: Respiratory motion introduces uncertainties in tumor location and lung deformation, which often results in difficulties calculating dose distributions in thoracic radiation therapy. Deformable image registration (DIR) has ability to describe respiratory-induced lung deformation, with which the radiotherapy techniques can deliver high dose to tumors while reducing radiation in surrounding normal tissue. The authors' goal is to propose a DIR method to overcome two main challenges of the previous biomechanical model for lung deformation, i.

5-Methyl-3,3-bis-(4-methyl-piperazin-1-yl)-1-[2-(4-methyl-piperazin-1-yl)eth-yl]indolin-2-one.

In the title compound, C(26)H(43)N(7)O, each piperazine ring adopts a chair conformation. Two 1-methyl-piperazine rings bond to one Csp(3) of the pyrrole ring via the piperazine N atoms, while the third one links to the N atom of the indolin-2-one unit through a flexible ethyl group with an almost syn conformation. In the crystal, mol-ecules are connected through methyl-ene-carbonyl C-H⋯O inter-actions into an infinite chain along the c axis.

A high-throughput dielectrophoresis-based cell electrofusion microfluidic device.

A high-throughput cell electrofusion microfluidic chip has been designed, fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator wafer and tested for in vitro cell fusion under a low applied voltage. The developed chip consists of six individual straight microchannels with a 40-μm thickness conductive highly doped Si layer as the microchannel wall. In each microchannel, there are 75 pairs of counter protruding microelectrodes, between which the cell electrofusion is performed.

An intelligent electronic capsule system for automated detection of gastrointestinal bleeding.

In clinical practice, examination of the hemorrhagic spot (HS) remains difficult. In this paper, we describe a remote controlled capsule (RCC) micro-system with an automated, color-based sensor to identify and localize the HS of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In vitro testing of the detecting sensor demonstrated that it was capable of discriminating mimetic intestinal fluid (MIF) with and without the hemoglobin (Hb) when the concentration of Hb in MIF was above 0.

Pharmacokinetics of aminophylline delivered to the small intestine and colon using remote controlled capsules.

Background: A patented remote controlled capsule (RCC) has recently been developed to provide noninvasive drug delivery to selected sites in the human gut that allows assessment of regional gastrointestinal (GI) drug absorption under a normal physiological environment. The objective of this study was to investigate the rate and extent of aminophylline absorption after site-specific delivery of the drug in the GI tract using RCC and a magnetic marker monitoring (MMM) technique.

Methods: This study was conducted in twelve healthy male subjects, in a three-treatment, randomized, crossover manner with a 7-day washout.

[Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C in pancreatic cancer and its effect upon lymph node metastasis].

Objective: To investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and the effect of antisense oligonucleotide (ASODN) upon lymph node metastasis of pancreatic cancer cell.

Methods: We selected 15 cases of human pancreatic cancer and detected the expression of VEGF-C in primary tumor and lymph node metastasis tissues with immunohistochemistry. Meanwhile, the spontaneous lymphatic metastasis model in nude mice was established with orthotopic implantation for the human pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1, isolation and culture of primary tumor and spontaneous lymphatic metastasis.

[Value of three-dimensional contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography in the diagnosis of mesenteric arteriosclerosis].

Objective: To assess the clinical value of three-dimensional contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (3D-CE-MRA) in the diagnosis of mesenteric arteriosclerosis.

Methods: 3D-CE-MRA of the mesenteric arteries was performed in 21 patients with 23 healthy subjects as the control. After 3D image reconstruction and maxi intense projection, and the abnormalities of the mesenteric arteries were observed and analyzed.

Study of the inhibitory effect of fatty acids on the interaction between DNA and polymerase beta.

The binding of human DNA polymerase beta (pol beta) to DNA template-primer duplex and single-stranded DNA in the absence or presence of pol beta inhibitors has been studied using a surface plasmon resonance biosensor. Two fatty acids, linoleic acid and nervonic acid, were used as potent pol beta inhibitors. In the interaction between pol beta and DNA, pol beta could bind to ssDNA in a single binding mode, but bound to DNA template-primer duplexes in a parallel mode.

[Folate receptor-mediated antitumor drugs].

Folate receptor (FR) is over-expressed in a variety of human cancers and it is seldom expressed or found in normal tissues. Therefore, folate receptor-mediated antitumor drugs can be targeted specially to the FR-positive tumor cells. This strategy improves the selectivity of drugs which may destroy the normal tissues in traditional chemotherapeutics.

Microfluidic pool structure for cell docking and rapid mixing.

A microfluidic pool structure for cell docking and rapid mixing is described. The pool structure is defined as a microchamber on one structural layer of a bilayer chip and connects with two or more individual microchannels on the other structural layer. In contrast to the turbulent flow in a macroscale pool, laminar streams enter and exit this microfluidic pool structure with definite and controllable direction that may be influenced by the location and geometry of the pool.

Non-thermal ablation of rabbit liver VX2 tumor by pulsed high intensity focused ultrasound with ultrasound contrast agent: Pathological characteristics.

Aim: To investigate the pathological characteristics of non-thermal damage induced by pulsed high intensity focused ultrasound (PHIFU) combined with ultrasound contrast agent (UCA), SonoVue (Bracco SpA, Milan, Italy) in rabbit liver VX2 tumor.

Methods: Liver VX2 tumor models were established in 20 rabbits, which were divided randomly into PHIFU combined with ultrasound contrast agent group (PHIFU + UCA group) and sham group. In the PHIFU + UCA group, 0.

Rapid analysis of alpha-fetoprotein by chemiluminescence microfluidic immunoassay system based on super-paramagnetic microbeads.

A rapid and sensitive chemiluminescence microfluidic immunoassay system based on super-paramagnetic microbeads for determination of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is described. In this system we use CO(2) laser to fabricate microfluidic chip, and use super-paramagnetic microbeads as solid carrier of antibody, chemiluminescence as detection signal. With this system we can perform AFP analysis within 20 min, and the linear range of AFP concentration is 1 approximately 800 ng/mL, the detection limit is 0.

Iron contributes to the formation of catechol isoquinolines and oxidative toxicity induced by overdose dopamine in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells.

Objective: The selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease is suspected to correlate with the increase of cellular iron, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of PD by promotion of oxidative stress. This research investigated dopamine-induced oxidative stress toxicity contributed by iron and the production of dopamine-derived neurotoxins in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells.

Methods: After the SH-SY5Y cells were pre-incubated with dopamine and Fe2+ for 24 h, the cell viability, hydroxyl radical, melondialdehyde, cell apoptosis, and catechol isoquinolines were measured by lactate dehydrogenase assay, salicylic acid trapping method, thiobarbuteric acid assay, Hoechst 33258 staining and HPLC-electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD), respectively.

Recognition for avian influenza virus proteins based on support vector machine and linear discriminant analysis.

Total 200 properties related to structural characteristics were employed to represent structures of 400 HA coded proteins of influenza virus as training samples. Some recognition models for HA proteins of avian influenza virus (AIV) were developed using support vector machine (SVM) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The results obtained from LDA are as follows: the identification accuracy ( ) for training samples is 99.

[Surface plasmon resonance biosensor technology and its application in biomedicine].

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors have become an advanced method for measuring biological molecular interaction. This article is focused on the principle and advantages of SPR biosensor chip technology, and its new applications in biomedical research fields. Its application prospects are also discussed.

[Design of a microfluidic immunoassay system based on superparamagnetic microbeads].

We use direct-write laser micromachining technology to fabricate the microfluidic chip, and to establish a microfluidic chemiluminescence immunoassay system based on superparamagnetic microbeads, for detecting alpha- fetoprotein (AFP). The AFP analysis can be completed in 20 minutes with 5 microl sample and 5 microl reagent, and there is a good linear correlation in the range of 1-800 ng/ml.

[The hardware design of a portable gastrointestinal wireless endoscope image receiver].

The portable gastrointestinal wireless endoscope image receiver is developed and based on TMS320C6211 DSP. It can receive and demodulate the modulated signal which is transmitted from the camera-capsule, and then output the video signal. The synchronizing signals offered by SAA7114H are made best of and are used to design the time logic circuit.

Synthesis of substituted benzylamino- and heterocyclylmethylamino carbodithioate derivatives of 4-(3H)-quinazolinone and their cytotoxic activity.

A new series of substituted benzylamino- and heterocyclylmethylamino carbodithioate derivatives of 4-(3H)-quinazolinone were synthesized via four steps starting from 2-amino-5-methylbenzoic acid and initially screened against A-549 (human non-small cell lung cancer), HCT-8 (human colon cancer), and Bel-7402 (human liver cancer) cell lines at the single concentration of 5 microg/mL using the colorimetric MTT assay. The IC50 values were determined for the compounds reaching > or = 70% inhibition in primary screening by serial dilution. Among the newly synthesized compounds, 9n exhibited potent in vitro cytotoxicity against A-549, HCT-8, and Bel-7402 cell lines with the IC50 values of 1.