Controlled release and retarded leaching of pesticides by encapsulating in carboxymethyl chitosan /bentonite composite gel.

A novel composite gel composed of carboxymethyl-chitosan (CM-chit) and bentonite (H-bent) was used as the carrier for encapsulating atrazine and imidacloprid to control their release in water and retard their leaching in soil. Strong interactions between CM-chit and H-bent in the composite were confirmed by FT-IR, and good dispersion of pesticides in the carrier was observed by SEM. According to the results of release experiments in water, the CM-chit/H-bent composite carrier showed double advantages of both encapsulation by the polymer and sorption by the bentonite.

Formation of nanometer-sized surface platinum oxide clusters on a stepped Pt(557) single crystal surface induced by oxygen: a high-pressure STM and ambient-pressure XPS study.

We studied the oxygen-induced restructuring process on a stepped Pt(557) single crystal surface using high-pressure scanning tunneling microscopy (HP-STM) and ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-XPS) at O(2) pressures up to 1 Torr. HP-STM has revealed that nanometer-sized clusters are created on Pt(557) at 1 Torr of O(2) and at room temperature. These clusters are identified as surface Pt oxide by AP-XPS.

Development of a hepatitis delta virus antibody assay for study of the prevalence of HDV among individuals infected with hepatitis B virus in China.

Co-infection with hepatitis delta virus (HDV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been shown to be associated with a more severe form of acute and chronic hepatitis. Cloning and expression of recombinant HDV antigen (rHDAg) in Escherichiacoli are described. Using purified rHDAg, a cost-effective indirect anti-HDV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was developed.

[Progress of research on corneal transient receptor potential channel superfamily].

Cornea senses thermal, mechanical and chemical stimuli via various nociceptors. In the early years, knowledge of the mechanism of corneal nociception was merely restricted to neurophysiology, which classifies nociceptors according to the clusters of nerve fibers which transmit identical stimulation signals. During the past decade, benefiting from the promptly developing molecular biology and technology, classification of the nociceptors has been modified into the level of cell sensors, among which, transient receptor potential (TRP) channel superfamily weighs the most.

Vision-related quality of life in patients with ocular chemical burns.

Purpose: To assess vision-related quality of life in patients with ocular chemical burns by the application of the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25).

Methods: Eighty-seven patients with ocular chemical burns were enrolled in the study from January 1 through May 31, 2010. Apart from the collection of sociodemographic and clinical data, NEI VFQ-25 with an additional appendix question, being translated to Chinese, was administered to all subjects.

Enhanced removal of pentachlorophenol by a novel composite: nanoscale zero valent iron immobilized on organobentonite.

Nanoscale zero valent iron (NZVI) was immobilized on the organobentonite (CTMA-bent), so as to enhance the reactivity of NZVI and prevent its aggregation. This novel composite (NZVI/CTMA-Bent) was characterized by transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. Good dispersion of NZVI particles on the bentonite was observed.

[The level and clinical significance of Toll-like receptor 4 in children with severe sepsis].

Objective: To study the clinical significance of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in children with severe sepsis.

Methods: A prospective control study was performed. All cases were enrolled from pediatric department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, and they were divided into severe sepsis group (14 patients) who were diagnosed to have severe sepsis or septic shock in intensive care unit (ICU), pneumonia group (10 cases) with diagnosis of bronchial pneumonia, and healthy control group (10 healthy children).

[Intrathoracic blood volume index as an indicator of fluid management in septic shock].

Objective: To investigate the value of intrathoracic blood volume index (ITBVI) monitoring in fluid management strategy in septic shock patients.

Methods: In a prospective study, 33 patients who were diagnosed to be suffering from septic shock in the intensive care unit (ICU) were enrolled . Seventeen patients who received pulse indicator continuous cardiac output (PiCCO) monitoring, and ITBVI was used as indicator of fluid management, were enrolled into ITBVI group; 16 patients who received traditional fluid management strategy [directed by central venous pressure (CVP)] were enrolled into control group.

A Pt-cluster-based heterogeneous catalyst for homogeneous catalytic reactions: X-ray absorption spectroscopy and reaction kinetic studies of their activity and stability against leaching.

The design and development of metal-cluster-based heterogeneous catalysts with high activity, selectivity, and stability under solution-phase reaction conditions will enable their applications as recyclable catalysts in large-scale fine chemicals production. To achieve these required catalytic properties, a heterogeneous catalyst must contain specific catalytically active species in high concentration, and the active species must be stabilized on a solid catalyst support under solution-phase reaction conditions. These requirements pose a great challenge for catalysis research to design metal-cluster-based catalysts for solution-phase catalytic processes.

Assessment of limbus and central cornea in patients with keratolimbal allograft transplantation using in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy: an observational study.

Background: Keratolimbal allograft (KLAL) transplantation has been proved to be a useful surgical procedure for limbal stem cell deficiency patients. However, information about in vivo ocular surface changes in those patients is limited, due to the lack of a reliable and non-invasive technique for closely monitoring the changes of KLAL grafts. The aim of this study is to characterize the cellular changes in the limbus and central cornea after KLAL in patients with severe ocular chemical injury, using in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM).

Homing of the bone marrow-derived interstitial cells of Cajal is decreased in diabetic mouse intestine.

Background: Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs), which express c-Kit receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT), play an important role in gastrointestinal motility. Loss of ICCs likely contributes to diabetic gastrointestinal motility disorder, however, the mechanism of attrition remains unknown. Here, we test the hypothesis that the bone marrow-derived progenitors are an important source of intestinal ICCs and that decreased homing of these progenitors in diabetes contributes to ICC diminution.

In-situ X-ray absorption study of evolution of oxidation states and structure of cobalt in Co and CoPt bimetallic nanoparticles (4 nm) under reducing (H2) and oxidizing (O2) environments.

In-situ near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy was performed to monitor the oxidation states of Co and CoPt nanoparticles (NPs) of 4 nm size in the presence of H(2) and O(2) in the pressure range of 1 bar and 36 Torr respectively. Platinum helps the rapid reduction of cobalt oxides in hydrogen at a rather low temperature (38 °C). In addition, reversible changes of the oxidation states of cobalt in the Co and CoPt NPs as a function of cycling oxygen pressure (in the range of millitorr to 36 Torr) are quantified and compared.

The HDF1 histone deacetylase gene is important for conidiation, sexual reproduction, and pathogenesis in Fusarium graminearum.

Head blight caused by Fusarium graminearum is an important disease of wheat and barley. Its genome contains chromosomal regions with higher genetic variation and enriched for genes expressed in planta, suggesting a role of chromatin modification in the regulation of infection-related genes. In a previous study, the FTL1 gene was characterized as a novel virulence factor in the head blight fungus.

Removal of atrazine by nanoscale zero valent iron supported on organobentonite.

The organobentonite (CTMA-Bent) was prepared from Na(+)-saturated bentonite (Na-Bent) by intercalation with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMA), and used as a carrier of nanoscale zero valent iron (NZVI) for the removal of atrazine. The NZVI/CTMA-Bent composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), and good dispersion of nanoscale iron particles on the carrier was observed. The removal efficiency of atrazine by this composite was compared with that by commercial iron powder and NZVI itself.

Highly active heterogeneous palladium nanoparticle catalysts for homogeneous electrophilic reactions in solution and the utilization of a continuous flow reactor.

A highly active heterogeneous Pd-nanoparticle catalyst for the intramolecular addition of phenols to alkynes was developed and employed in a continuous flow reaction system. Running the reaction in flow mode revealed reaction kinetics, such as the activation energy and catalyst deactivation, and provides many potential practical advantages.

Discovery of novel osthole derivatives as potential anti-breast cancer treatment.

Osthole, an ingredient of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) from natural product Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson, was used as a lead compound for structural modification. A series of osthole derivatives bearing aryl substituents at 3-position of coumarin, has been prepared and evaluated for their growth inhibitory activity against human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231.

[Use body fat determination instead of simple body composition parameters evaluate the risk of metabolic syndrome in Fuzhou adults].

Objective: To compare the application of two different definitions of MS (IDF2005 and ATPIII2001) in this study population. According to IDF2005, evaluate the impact of body fat content and its distribution for the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Methods: The sample of 818 subjects measure the simple anthropometric parameters including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-hip ratio (WHR), and so on.

Impact of surface chemistry.

The applications of molecular surface chemistry in heterogeneous catalyst technology, semiconductor-based technology, medical technology, anticorrosion and lubricant technology, and nanotechnology are highlighted in this perspective. The evolution of surface chemistry at the molecular level is reviewed, and the key roles of surface instrumentation developments for in situ studies of the gas-solid, liquid-solid, and solid-solid interfaces under reaction conditions are emphasized.

Efficacy and safety of a recombinant hepatitis E vaccine in healthy adults: a large-scale, randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

Background: Seroprevalence data suggest that a third of the world's population has been infected with the hepatitis E virus. Our aim was to assess efficacy and safety of a recombinant hepatitis E vaccine, HEV 239 (Hecolin; Xiamen Innovax Biotech, Xiamen, China) in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

Methods: Healthy adults aged 16-65 years in, Jiangsu Province, China were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive three doses of HEV 239 (30 microg of purified recombinant hepatitis E antigen adsorbed to 0.

Finite element analysis for interfacial stress and fatigue behaviors of biomimetic titanium implant under static and dynamic loading conditions.

Objective: To investigate the stress distributions on implant-bone interface and fatigue behaviors of biomimetic titanium implant under static and dynamic loading conditions to provide theoretical basis for a new implant which may effectively transfer the stress to surrounding bones.

Methods: A 3-D finite element model of a posterior mandible segment with an implant bone was constructed by a CAD (Pro/E Widefire 2.0) software.

[Study on the natural ligand(s) of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell-1 on bacteria cell wall].

Objective: To look for the natural ligand(s) of human triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell-1 (TREM-1), in order to provide the theoretical basis for elucidation of the pathogenesis of sepsis.

Methods: Neutrophils and monocytes isolated from human peripheral blood were treated with heat-inactivated Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus L-form or Pseudomonas aeruginosa L-form respectively for 24 hours. The cell wall was extracted from Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium tuberculosis by ultrasound.

Nanoscale advances in catalysis and energy applications.

In this perspective, we present an overview of nanoscience applications in catalysis, energy conversion, and energy conservation technologies. We discuss how novel physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials can be applied and engineered to meet the advanced material requirements in the new generation of chemical and energy conversion devices. We highlight some of the latest advances in these nanotechnologies and provide an outlook at the major challenges for further developments.

[Repair of unilateral complete cleft lip with the method of rotation descent step by step].

Objective: To explore the clinical effect of the method of rotation descent step by step for unilateral complete cleft lip with.

Methods: The method of rotation descent step by step was used to repair unilateral complete cleft lip. Point X was located on the angular bisector of 123, rotation descent step by step and orbicularis oris degloved dissection were used.