The long-term outcomes of vaginoplasty using acellular porcine small intestinal submucosa grafts in patients with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome: A case series.

Objective: To investigate the long-term outcomes for Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH) patients undergoing vaginoplasty using acellular porcine small intestinal submucosa grafts (SIS).

Design: A case series.

Population: Seventy-eight MRKH syndrome patients and a post-SIS patient who delivered a baby following the world's first robot-assisted uterus transplantation.

Profiling of triacylglycerol composition in the breast milk of Chinese mothers at different lactation stages.

Triacylglycerol (TAG) is the primary constituent of human milk fat and plays a vital role in the healthy development of infants. But few studies reported the sophisticated profile of TAG molecular species in human breast milk and its temporal changes during a prolonged lactation period. An efficient ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) method was adopted to examine TAGs.

Physical Stability, Oxidative Stability, and Bioactivity of Nanoemulsion Delivery Systems Incorporating Lipophilic Ingredients: Impact of Oil Saturation Degree.

There is great interest in the application of a lipid-based delivery system (like nanoemulsion) to improve the bioavailability of lipophilic components. Although emulsion characteristics are believed to be influenced by oil types, there is still a lack of systematic research concentrating on the effect of oil saturation degree on the nanoemulsion quality, especially for evaluation of the bioactivity. Here, we aimed to test the effect of oil saturation degree on the physical stability, oxidative stability, and bioactivity of the designed nanoemulision system.

Membrane disruptive antimicrobial potential of NK-lysin from yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco).

NK-lysins, a type of broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide (AMP), act as an essential effector of innate defense against microbial attack in higher vertebrates and so in fish. The present study delineates the structural and functional characterization of NK-lysin from yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidrac) (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco). PfNK-lysin encodes a 153-residue peptide, which displays the hallmark features of other known NK-lysins with the ordered array of six well-conserved cysteine residues and five-exon/four-intron structure.

Skin test of tuberculin purified protein derivatives with a dissolving microneedle-array patch.

Background: The tuberculin skin test (TST) is a long-established screening method for tuberculosis. However, the Mantoux technique is often difficult to reliably perform, which affects testing results and safety, which causes local skin pain and pruritus.

Methods: In this study, dissolving microneedle-array patches (MNP) were used to deliver purified protein derivative (PPD) tuberculin into the skin.

Combined administration on You-Gui Yin and low-dose Raloxifene partially attenuates the bone loss in ovariectomized mice through the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells.

Background: Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease of fragility fractures due to the loss of mass and deterioration of the microarchitecture of bone.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the osteogenic effects and the underlying mechanisms of the combined administration of You-Gui Yin (YGY) and Raloxifene hydrochloride (RLX) in ovariectomized (OVX) mice.

Methods: First, a classic animal model was used to mimic postmenopausal osteoporosis through the removal of the ovary of mice.

Composition and immuno-stimulatory properties of extracellular DNA from mouse gut flora.

Aim: To demonstrate that specific bacteria might release bacterial extracellular DNA (eDNA) to exert immunomodulatory functions in the mouse small intestine.

Methods: Extracellular DNA was extracted using phosphate buffered saline with 0.5 mmol/L dithiothreitol combined with two phenol extractions.

Deciphering transcriptome profile of the yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) in response to Edwardsiella ictaluri.

Edwardsiella ictaluri is one of the most important pathogens posing a serious threat for yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco), a highly valuable fish species of increasing commercial interest in China. Here, a transcriptomic strategy was undertaken to investigate the yellow catfish gene expression profile against infection by the bacterial pathogen E. ictaluri.

De novo annotation of the immune-enriched transcriptome provides insights into immune system genes of Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis).

Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis), one of the oldest extant actinopterygian fishes with very high evolutionary, economical and conservation interest, is considered to be one of the critically endangered aquatic animals in China. Up to date, the immune system of this species remains largely undetermined with little sequence information publicly available. Herein, the first comprehensive transcriptome of immune tissues for Chinese sturgeon was characterized using Illumina deep sequencing.

Effect of naive and radiolabeled rhTRAIL on the cervical cancer xenografts in mice.

Background: There is a need for novel treatments of advanced cervical cancer. We investigated the utility of recombinant human TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (rhTRAIL), a molecule capable of inducing apoptosis in cancer cells, for the therapy of CasKi cervical cancer xenografts in nude mice.

Results: CasKi cells proved to be sensitive in vitro to rhTRAIL with an IC50 of 120 ng/ml.

Enzymatically catalyzed synthesis of anti-blooming agent 1,3-dibehenoyl-2-oleoyl glycerol in a solvent-free system: optimization by response surface methodology.

Products rich in 1,3-dibehenoyl-2-oleoyl glycerol (BOB) triglyceride (TAG) were produced by enzymatic interesterification of high oleic acid sunflower oil (HOSO) and behenic acid methyl ester (BME) by 1,3-regiospecific lipase Lipozyme RM IM in a solvent-free system. The impact factors of enzyme load, substrate molar ratio of BME to HOSO (BME/HOSO), reaction time, reaction temperature, and pre-equilibration water activity of the enzyme on BOB content and BME conversions were investigated by single-factor experiments and then optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum conditions were as follows: reaction temperature, 72 °C; reaction time, 7.

The -137G>C polymorphism in interleukin-18 promoter region and cancer risk: evidence from a meta-analysis of 21 studies.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a key cytokine responsible for immune response and involved in the process of cancer development. The association of -137G>C polymorphism in the promoter region of IL-18 with cancer risk is still elusive based on current genetic association studies. We performed this meta-analysis to determine whether the -137G>C polymorphism is associated with cancer risk.

MicroRNA-126 expression is decreased in cultured primary chicken hepatocytes and targets the sprouty-related EVH1 domain containing 1 mRNA.

The microRNA-126 (miR-126) is a miRNA expressed in highly vascularized tissues, and it is believed to play a role in angiogenesis by repressing sprouty-related EVH1 domain containing 1 (Spred1). In the current study, we determined the expression pattern of chicken miR-126 (gga-miR-126) and predicted and validated its target genes. The quantitative reverse-transcription (qRT) PCR analysis showed that miR-126 was expressed in various chicken tissues with the highest level in lung.

Model for human milk fat substitute evaluation based on triacylglycerol composition profile.

Being the dominant components in human milk fat (HMF), triacylglycerol (TAG) composition might be the best approximation index to represent the composing characteristics of HMF. In this study, TAG composition of HMF from different lactation stages was analyzed by RP-HPLC-APCI-MS, and the establishment of a model for the precise evaluation of human milk fat substitutes (HMFSs) based on TAG composition was indirectly realized by employment of fatty acid composition and distribution and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and TAG compositions. The model was verified by the selected fats and oils with specific chemical compositions, and the results revealed the degrees of similarity of these fats and oils in different evaluation aspects reflected their differences in corresponding chemical composition with HMF.

Preparation of human milk fat substitutes from palm stearin with arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid: combination of enzymatic and physical methods.

Human milk fat substitutes (HMFSs) were prepared by a two-step process, namely, Lipozyme RM IM-catalyzed acidolysis of interesterified high-melting palm stearin with fatty acids from rapeseed oil and blending of the enzymatic product with the selected oils on the basis of the calculation model. The optimum conditions for the enzymatic reaction were a mole ratio of palm stearin/fatty acids 1:10, 60 °C, 8% enzyme load (wt % of substrates), 4 h, and 3.5% water content (wt % of enzyme); the enzymatic product contained 39.

Human milk fat globules from different stages of lactation: a lipid composition analysis and microstructure characterization.

The physicochemical properties of human milk fat globules (MFG) at different lactation stages from Danish mothers and the microstructure changes of MFG membrane (MFGM) at varied temperatures were investigated, and the relationship between chemical composition and the microstructure of MFGM was elucidated. The fat content in MFG was found to be significantly increased as lactation progressed, and colostrum MFG had the largest mean diameter of 5.75 ± 0.

Preparation and characterization of catalase-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles based on soybean phosphatidylcholine.

Background: High-purity soybean phosphatidylcholine (SPC) (94%) were prepared using macroporous resin adsorption chromatography previously. Catalase is a food enzyme for promoting health and protecting against many age-related disease. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) are safe immobilizing systems for efficient protein transportation to biomembranes while avoiding adverse degradation of protein.

Preparation and characterization of catalase-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles protecting enzyme against proteolysis.

Catalase-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were prepared by the double emulsion method (w/o/w) and solvent evaporation techniques, using acetone/methylene chloride (1:1) as an organic solvent, lecithin and triglyceride as oil phase and Poloxmer 188 as a surfactant. The optimized SLN was prepared by lecithin: triglyceride ratio (5%), 20-second + 30-second sonication, and 2% Poloxmer 188. The mean particle size of SLN was 296.

Genetic variants of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) are associated with breast cancer risk in Chinese women of the Han nationality.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2), a recently described risk factor for breast cancer, plays important roles in cell growth, invasiveness, motility, and angiogenesis. In attempt to investigate whether FGFR2 polymorphisms are associated with a risk of breast cancer in Chinese women of the Han nationality, we genotyped single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of seven FGFR2 sites (rs2981582, rs17102287, rs17542768, rs10510097, rs11200012, rs3750817, rs2981578) in 816 women including 388 breast cancer patients and 428 healthy controls via the polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism procedure as well as sequence detection. Our results suggest that the A allele and AA genotype of SNP rs2981578 appear to be protective factors associated with breast cancer, while the CT genotype of SNP rs3750817 is a putative risk factor.

Engineering Klebsiella sp. 601 multicopper oxidase enhances the catalytic efficiency towards phenolic substrates.

Background: Structural comparison between bacterial CueO and fungal laccases has suggested that a charged residue Glu (E106) in CueO replaces the corresponding residue Phe in fungal laccases at the gate of the tunnel connecting type II copper to the protein surface and an extra α-helix (L351-G378) near the type I copper site covers the substrate binding pocket and might compromise the electron transfer from substrate to type I copper. To test this hypothesis, several mutants were made in Klebsiella sp. 601 multicopper oxidase, which is highly homologous to E.

Lipase-catalyzed preparation of human milk fat substitutes from palm stearin in a solvent-free system.

Human milk fat substitutes (HMFSs) were synthesized by lipozyme RM IM-catalyzed acidolysis of chemically interesterified palm stearin (mp = 58 °C) with mixed FAs from rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, palm kernel oil, stearic acid, and myristic acid in a solvent-free system. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to model and optimize the reactions, and the factors chosen were reaction time, temperature, substrate molar ratio, and enzyme load. The optimal conditions generated from the models were as follows: reaction time, 3.

Radioimmunotherapy of experimental head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with E6-specific antibody using a novel HPV-16 positive HNSCC cell line.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide with a poor prognosis. Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is associated with 20% HNSCC, and 50% of oropharyngeal carcinoma. HPV16 type is detected in 90% of all HPV+ HNSCC.

Comparative analysis of lipid composition and thermal, polymorphic, and crystallization behaviors of granular crystals formed in beef tallow and palm oil.

Six rectangular block all beef tallow (BT)-based and all palm oil (PO)-based model shortenings prepared on a laboratory scale, respectively denoted BTMS and POMS, were stored under temperature fluctuation cycles of 5-20 °C until granular crystals were observed. The lipid composition and thermal, polymorphic, and isothermal crystallization behaviors of the granular crystals and their surrounding materials separated from BTMS and POMS, respectively, were evaluated. The changes of nanostructure including the aggregation of high-melting triacylglycerols (TAGs) and polymorphic transformation from β' form of double chain length structures to complicated crystal structures, in which the β and β' form crystals of triple and double chain length structures simultaneously coexist, had occurred in granular crystals compared with surrounding materials, whether in BTMS or in POMS.