Variation in Rubisco activase (RCAβ) gene promoters and expression in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr].

Understanding the genetic basis of Rubisco activase (RCA) gene regulation and altering its expression levels to optimize Rubisco activation may provide an approach to enhance plant productivity. However, the genetic mechanisms and the effect of RCA expression on phenotype are still unknown in soybean. This work analysed the expression of RCA genes and demonstrated that two RCA isoforms presented different expression patterns.

Tanshinone IIA inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced MUC1 overexpression in alveolar epithelial cells.

The anti-inflammatory function of tanshinone IIA (TIIA), an active natural compound from Chinese herbal medicine Danshen, has been well recognized, and therefore TIIA has been widely used to treat various inflammatory conditions associated with cardiac and lung diseases. Mucin 1 (Muc1) plays important anti-inflammatory roles in resolution of acute lung inflammation. In this study, we investigated the effects of TIIA on LPS-induced acute lung inflammation, as well as its relationship to Muc1 expression in mouse lung and MUC1 in human alveolar epithelial cells.

Gene silencing of claudin‑6 enhances cell proliferation and migration accompanied with increased MMP‑2 activity via p38 MAPK signaling pathway in human breast epithelium cell line HBL‑100.

Disruption or loss of tight junction structure and function is associated with tumor growth, invasion and metastasis in tumors of human epithelial origin. Since claudin is the most important backbone protein of tight junctions, the downregulation or loss of claudin expression is hypothesized to be important for tumor development and metastasis. In the current study, RNA interference (RNAi) was used to knock down the expression of claudin‑6 to investigate the effect of claudin‑6 downregulation on the malignant phenotype in the human breast epithelium cell line HBL‑100.

Focused beam reflectance measurement to monitor nimodipine precipitation process.

Crystallization of nimodipine in liquid-filled soft gelatin capsule during storage was reported for some commercial products, resulting in product recalls due to product quality and more importantly safety concerns. In this study, a real time particle monitoring tool, focused beam reflectance measurement, was used to evaluate the precipitation conditions of nimodipine in co-solvents. Upon water addition, two particle populations were discovered, appearing at different percentage of water content.

Wrinkled-graphene enriched MoO3 nanobelts with increased conductivity and reduced stress for enhanced electrochemical performance.

MoO3 has long suffered from poor conductivity and cyclability, which limit its high rate performance and ultralong cycling ability. Increasing the electronic conductivity with electron pathways of cathode materials can effectively enhance the lithium storage properties with stable cyclability and rate capability theoretically. Here the MoO3-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrid nanobelts were designed and prepared and were tested as cathode materials for lithium batteries.

Antitumor effect of para-toluenesulfonamide against lung cancer xenograft in a mouse model.

Background: Conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are relatively insensitive and unsatisfactory. Para-toluenesulfonamide (PTS), a unique antitumor drug for local intratumoral injection, shows an efficacy of severely suppressing solid tumor growth with mild side effects in clinical trials. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of PTS on lung cancer H460 cells in vivo in nude mice and its underlying mechanisms in vitro.

Nanomedicine for treating spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury results in significant mortality and morbidity, lifestyle changes, and difficult rehabilitation. Treatment of spinal cord injury is challenging because the spinal cord is both complex to treat acutely and difficult to regenerate. Nanomaterials can be used to provide effective treatments; their unique properties can facilitate drug delivery to the injury site, enact as neuroprotective agents, or provide platforms to stimulate regrowth of damaged tissues.

Freeze-anneal-thaw cycling of unilamellar liposomes: effect on encapsulation efficiency.

Purpose: Freeze-thaw cycling is an important processing step in the preparation of liposomes that leads to the encapsulation of drug molecules. There is considerable variability in the number of freeze-thaw cycles reported in the literature. This work is designed to aid in liposomal formulation design by gaining an insight into the drug encapsulation process and an understanding of liposome stabilization during various thawing conditions.

Cortical PKC inhibition promotes axonal regeneration of the corticospinal tract and forelimb functional recovery after cervical dorsal spinal hemisection in adult rats.

Our previous study shows that conventional protein kinases C (cPKCs) are key signaling mediators that are activated by extracellular inhibitory molecules. Inhibition of cPKC by intrathecal infusion of a cPKC inhibitor, GÖ6976, into the site of dorsal hemisection (DH) induces regeneration of lesioned dorsal column sensory, but not corticospinal tract (CST), axons. Here, we investigated whether a direct cortical delivery of GÖ6976 into the soma of corticospinal neurons promotes regeneration of CST and the recovery of forelimb function in rats with cervical spinal cord injuries.

Development and validation of a HPLC method for dissolution and stability assay of liquid-filled cyclosporine capsule drug products.

To assay the dissolution samples of a drug product from several sources, a simple but broadly applicable analytical method is always desired. For the liquid-filled cyclosporine capsules, while analyzing the dissolution samples, the current compendial and literature HPLC methods have been found to be inadequate to provide satisfactory separation of the drug and the excipient peaks. Accordingly, a suitable isocratic reverse-phase HPLC method was developed for the analysis of dissolution samples of liquid-filled cyclosporine capsules.

Demonstrating efficacy in preclinical studies of cellular therapies for spinal cord injury - how much is enough?

Cellular therapies represent a novel treatment approach for spinal cord injury (SCI), with many different cellular substrates showing promise in preclinical animal models of SCI. Considerable interest therefore exists to translate such cellular interventions into human clinical trials. Balanced against the urgency for clinical translation is the desire to establish the robustness of a cellular therapy's efficacy in preclinical studies, thereby optimizing its chances of succeeding in human trials.

Correlation between electrophysiological properties, morphological maturation, and olig gene changes during postnatal motor tract development.

This study investigated electrophysiological and histological changes as well as alterations of myelin relevant proteins of descending motor tracts in rat pups. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) represent descending conducting responses following stimulation of the motor cortex to responses being elicited from the lower extremities. MEP responses were recorded biweekly from postnatal (PN) week 1 to week 9 (adult).

Controlled cervical laceration injury in mice.

Use of genetically modified mice enhances our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying several neurological disorders such as a spinal cord injury (SCI). Freehand manual control used to produce a laceration model of SCI creates inconsistent injuries often associated with a crush or contusion component and, therefore, a novel technique was developed. Our model of cervical laceration SCI has resolved inherent difficulties with the freehand method by incorporating 1) cervical vertebral stabilization by vertebral facet fixation, 2) enhanced spinal cord exposure, and 3) creation of a reproducible laceration of the spinal cord using an oscillating blade with an accuracy of ± 0.

[Genetic polymorphisms of SNP loci in the 5' and 3' region of TPH2 gene in Northern Chinese Han population].

Objective: To investigate the genetic polymorphism in the 5' and 3' region of TPH2 gene of Northern Chinese Han population and to explore its application value in forensic medicine.

Methods: The sequence variants and the genetic polymorphisms of 6 SNP loci (rs4570625, rs11178997, rs11178998, rs41317118, rs17110747 and rs41317114) within a 905 bp 5' flanking region and a 1,104bp 3' flanking region of TPH2 gene were analyzed by DNA sequencing in a total of 244 unrelated healthy individuals in Northern Chinese Han population. The statistical analysis was carried out by Haploview v4.

Formulation and characterization of antibacterial fluoride-releasing sealants.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to formulate and characterize experimental antibacterial fluoride-releasing sealants and compare them with commercial sealants for fluoride release, recharge, adhesion, and microleakage.

Methods: Two experimental sealants (Exp-1, Exp-2) containing a synthesized antibacterial fluoride-releasing monomer and fluoride-releasing filler were formulated. Exp-2 also contained NovaMin nanoparticles.

A novel growth-promoting pathway formed by GDNF-overexpressing Schwann cells promotes propriospinal axonal regeneration, synapse formation, and partial recovery of function after spinal cord injury.

Descending propriospinal neurons (DPSN) are known to establish functional relays for supraspinal signals, and they display a greater growth response after injury than do the long projecting axons. However, their regenerative response is still deficient due to their failure to depart from growth supportive cellular transplants back into the host spinal cord, which contains numerous impediments to axon growth. Here we report the construction of a continuous growth-promoting pathway in adult rats, formed by grafted Schwann cells overexpressing glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF).

Process analytical technology to understand the disintegration behavior of alendronate sodium tablets.

Various adverse events including esophagus irritations have been reported with the use of alendronate tablets, likely attributed to the rapid tablet disintegration in the mouth or esophagus. Accordingly, the disintegration of six alendronate tablet drug products was studied using a newly developed testing device equipped with in-line sensors, in addition to the official compendial procedure for measuring the disintegration time. The in-line sensors were used to monitor the particle count and solution pH change to assess the onset and duration of disintegration.

Axonal and glial responses to a mid-thoracic spinal cord hemisection in the Macaca fascicularis monkey.

A comprehensive understanding of the pathology of spinal cord injury (SCI) in non-human primates may facilitate greatly the development of new strategies to promote recovery in humans with SCI. Relatively few studies, however, have been conducted to systemically examine pathological changes in the monkey, a non-human primate, after SCI. We report axonal, glial, and fibrotic responses in the spinal cord of monkey Macaca fascicularis after a thoracic (T) 8-9 lateral hemisection.

Novel amelogenin-releasing hydrogel for remineralization of enamel artificial caries.

Recently, the use of recombinant full-length amelogenin protein in combination with fluoride has shown promising results in the formation of densely packed enamel-like structures. In this study, amelogenin (rP172)-releasing hydrogels containing calcium, phosphate, and fluoride were investigated for remineralization efficacy using in vitro early enamel caries models. The hydrogels were applied to artificial caries lesions on extracted human third molars, and the remineralization efficacy was tested in different models: static gel remineralization in the presence of artificial saliva, pH cyclic treatment at pH 5.

Synthesis and Characterization of New Antibacterial Fluoride-Releasing Monomer and Dental Composite.

A new dimethacrylate chelating monomer containing a BisGMA-like backbone structure and a bis(carboxymethyl)-L-lysine chelating group and its ternary zirconium-fluoride complex (antibacterial fluoride-releasing monomer) have been synthesized. The monomer structures were confirmed by (1)H-NMR, (13)C-NMR, and ES-MS analysis. Several experimental fluoride-releasing dental composites containing different quantities of the new antibacterial fluoride-releasing monomer were formulated and tested for fluoride release, fluoride recharge, compressive and flexural strengths, water sorption and solubility.

Cotransplantation of glial restricted precursor cells and Schwann cells promotes functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

Oligodendrocyte (OL) replacement can be a promising strategy for spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. However, the poor posttransplantation survival and inhibitory properties to axonal regeneration are two major challenges that limit their use as donor cells for repair of CNS injuries. Therefore, strategies aimed at enhancing the survival of grafted oligodendrocytes as well as reducing their inhibitory properties, such as the use of more permissive oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), also called glial restricted precursor cells (GRPs), should be highly prioritized.

Effect of dexamethasone-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microsphere/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel composite coatings on the basic characteristics of implantable glucose sensors.

Background: Hydrogels alone and in combination with microsphere drug delivery systems are being considered as biocompatible coatings for implantable glucose biosensors to prevent/minimize the foreign body response. Previously, our group has demonstrated that continuous release of dexamethasone from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microsphere/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel composites can successfully prevent foreign body response at the implantation site. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of this composite coating on sensor functionality.

A bilateral head injury that shows graded brain damage and behavioral deficits in adultmice.

Reliable animal models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are essential to test novel hypotheses and therapeutic interventions. In this study, based on advantages of both the closed head injury (CHI) and controlled cortical impact (CCI) models, we developed a bilateral head injury model in mice. C57BL/6 mice were used in this study.