X-ray Opaque Polymer Drug-Eluting Beads Loaded with Iodized Oil: Preparation and In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluations.

Drug-eluting microspheres are commonly used as a local drug delivery system for interventional therapy. However, current drug-eluting microspheres have poor X-ray visibility, which can hinder tracking and postembolization evaluation. In the current study, X-ray-visible poly(acrylic acid) drug-eluting beads loaded with iodized oil (IO-PAA-DEBs) ranging from 100-300 μm were prepared and evaluated both in vitro and in vivo.

Supramolecular Chemotherapy: Complexation by Carboxylated Pillar[6]arene for Decreasing Cytotoxicity of Nitrogen Mustard to Normal Cells and Enhancing Its Antitumor Efficiency against Breast Cancer.

Advances in chemotherapeutic strategies are urgently required to improve antitumor efficiency. Herein, a carboxylated pillar[6]arene (CP6A) was employed to load chemotherapy medication, nitrogen mustard (NM), via forming a direct host-guest complex, as this helps to decrease the cytotoxicity of NM on normal mammary epithelial cells. Attributed to the stronger complexation ability of CP6A for endogenous spermine (SPM) than for NM, the complexed NM could be competitively released from the CP6A cavity via replacement with SPM.

[Diagnosis and treatment of four cases of asymptomatic and non-hydrous ureteral calculi].

This paper analyzed the clinical data, diagnosis and treatment of 4 asymptomatic patients with ureteral calculi without hydrops in our hospital from October 2018 to January 2019, and comprehensively discussed the previous literature. The 4 patients in this group had no obvious clinical symptoms, no positive stones were found in the B-ultrasound of the urinary system, and no hydroureter and hydroureter of the affected side was found. Urinary CT scan confirmed ureteral stones.

Five-Flavor Enteric-Coated Capsules for Ulcerative Colitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea, and mucopurulent bloody stool. In recent years, the incidence and prevalence of UC have been increasing consistently. Five-flavor enteric-coated capsule (FSEC), a licensed Chinese patent medicine, was specifically used to treat UC.

Mandibular molar C-shaped root canals in 5th millennium BC China.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence and variations in C-shaped canals in ancient Chinese teeth and compare the differences of these features between ancient and age-matched modern populations.

Design: Approximately 5000-year-old craniofacial bone remains were collected from the fossils of 38 individuals (total: 68 mandibular second molars) excavated from the Jiaojia site. The control group comprised of an equal number of randomly selected modern samples.

Phenotypic plasticity of stomatal and photosynthetic features of four species in two contrasting common gardens.

Global climate change is expected to affect mountain ecosystems significantly. Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of any genotype to produce a variety of phenotypes under different environmental conditions, is critical in determining the ability of species to acclimate to current climatic changes. Here, to simulate the impact of climate change, we compared the physiology of species of the genus from different provenances and climatic conditions and quantified their phenotypic plasticity index (PPI) in two contrasting common gardens (dry vs.

Ocean acidification increases iodine accumulation in kelp-based coastal food webs.

Kelp are main iodine accumulators in the ocean, and their growth and photosynthesis are likely to benefit from elevated seawater CO levels due to ocean acidification. However, there are currently no data on the effects of ocean acidification on iodine metabolism in kelp. As key primary producers in coastal ecosystems worldwide, any change in their iodine metabolism caused by climate change will potentially have important consequences for global geochemical cycles of iodine, including iodine levels of coastal food webs that underpin the nutrition of billions of humans around the world.

Diverse endometrial mRNA signatures during the window of implantation in patients with repeated implantation failure.

High endometrial receptivity in the window of implantation (WOI) is essential for successful implantation. However, a diagnostic tool with high specificity for impaired endometrial receptivity remains to be developed. We collected endometrium specimens during the WOI from patients with RIF and women who conceived after one IVF/ICSI attempt.

Molecular cloning, biological effect, and tissue distribution of interleukin-8 protein in mandarin fish (Siniperca chuasti) upon Flavobacterium columnare infection.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a CXC-type chemokine, plays a key role in acute inflammation by recruiting neutrophils in mammals. In the present study, the open reading frame (ORF) of IL-8, encoding 99 amino acids was cloned in mandarin fish, and its function in inflammation was investigated. The IL-8 contains four conserved cysteine residues, with the first two forming the CXC signature motif.

Acclimation of bloom-forming and perennial seaweeds to elevated pCO conserved across levels of environmental complexity.

Macroalgae contribute approximately 15% of the primary productivity in coastal marine ecosystems, fix up to 27.4 Tg of carbon per year, and provide important structural components for life in coastal waters. Despite this ecological and commercial importance, direct measurements and comparisons of the short-term responses to elevated pCO in seaweeds with different life-history strategies are scarce.

High-Density 3D-Boron Nitride and 3D-Graphene for High-Performance Nano-Thermal Interface Material.

Compression studies on three-dimensional foam-like graphene and h-BN (3D-C and 3D-BN) revealed their high cross-plane thermal conductivity (62-86 W m K) and excellent surface conformity, characteristics essential for thermal management needs. Comparative studies to state-of-the-art materials and other materials currently under research for heat dissipation revealed 3D-foam's improved performance (20-30% improved cooling, temperature decrease by ΔT of 44-24 °C).

Evolution of IFN-λ in tetrapod vertebrates and its functional characterization in green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis).

IFN-λ (IFNL), i.e. type III IFN genes were found in a conserved gene locus in tetrapod vertebrates.

Higher thermal acclimation potential of respiration but not photosynthesis in two alpine Picea taxa in contrast to two lowland congeners.

The members of the genus Picea form a dominant component in many alpine and boreal forests which are the major sink for atmospheric CO2. However, little is known about the growth response and acclimation of CO2 exchange characteristics to high temperature stress in Picea taxa from different altitudes. Gas exchange parameters and growth characteristics were recorded from four year old seedlings of two alpine (Picea likiangensis vars.

Effects of CO2 and seawater acidification on the early stages of Saccharina japonica development.

In this paper, we demonstrated that ocean acidification (OA) had significant negative effects on the microscopic development of Saccharina japonica in a short-term exposure experiment under a range of light conditions. Under elevated CO2, the alga showed a significant reduction in meiospore germination, fecundity, and reproductive success. Larger female and male gametophytes were noted to occur under high CO2 conditions and high light magnified these positive effects.

Allergy-related evidences in relation to serum IgE: data from the China state key laboratory of respiratory disease, 2008-2013.

Objective: To investigate the serum total IgE (tIgE) and specific IgE (sIgE) to common allergens among allergic patients in Guangzhou, China.

Methods: 7 085 patients were examined for tIgE and sIgE to 15 allergens, based on the protocols of reversed enzyme allergosorbent test and the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: 3 758 (53.

IFN-γ and its receptors in a reptile reveal the evolutionary conservation of type II IFNs in vertebrates.

In this study, interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interferon gamma receptor (IFN-γR) genes have been identified in non-avian reptile, the North American green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis). Like their counterparts from other jawed vertebrates, lizard IFN-γ, IFN-γR1 and IFN-γR2 show conserved features in genomic organizations, gene loci and protein sequences. The IFN-γ gene has the full cDNA sequence of 936 bp, with 522 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 174 amino acids, and has the genomic organization of four exons and three introns as observed in IFN-γ genes of other classes of vertebrates.

Isolation and structure of a galactocerebroside from the sea cucumber Bohadschia argus.

A galactocerebroside (BAC-4-4a) was obtained from its parent galactocerebroside molecular species (BAC-4) by using two types of reversed-phase HPLC column. The parent cerebroside BAC-4 has been isolated from less polar lipid fraction of CHCl(3)/MeOH extract of sea cucumber Bohadschia argus, together with known typical types of glucocerebroside molecular species. The structure of BAC-4-4a was determined on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidences as 1-O-(beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-(2S,3R,4E)-2[(2'R,15'Z)-2-hydroxytetracosenoylamino]-4-heptadecene-1,3-diol.

Polyethylene glycol conjugated bovine hemoglobin containing 15% MetHb plays approving effect in exchange transfusion rabbit model.

PEG-bHb was developed by Kaizheng Biotech (Beijing, China), and pre-clinical research was completed. The objective of this study was to investigate the safe concentration of MetHb in PEG-bHb. The study was accomplished by examining the effects of PEG-bHb containing 5%, 8%, 15%, and 25% methemoglobin (MetHb), respectively, on cardiovascular system, blood chemistry, pathology of liver and kidney in rabbits following a 50% exchange transfusion.

Distribution of the alleles at loci D16S539, D7S820, and D13S317 in hydatidiform mole genome from Chinese women and its relationship with clinical prognosis.

Using polymerase chain reaction and denaturating polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic techniques, we studied 53 cases of hydatidiform moles. Of these, 41 cases were genetically complete hydatidiform moles (g-CHM) whose genome were totally paternally derived. We investigated the distribution of the alleles in the short tandem repeat sequences at loci D16S539, D7S820, and D13S317 in these cases.

Anastomotic healing in the rat colon: comparison between a radiological method, breaking strength and bursting pressure.

Background And Aims: While mechanical parameters (breaking strength, bursting pressure) are used to measure colonic anastomotic healing, reported values are inconsistent. This study developed a novel approach to study colonic anastomotic repair and compared it with mechanical methods.

Methods And Materials: We created standardized four- and eight-suture colonic anastomoses and performed contrast enemas in rats.