Effects of atorvastatin in suppressing pulmonary vascular remodeling in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: To investigate the effects of atorvastatin calcium on pulmonary vascular remodeling, the authors explored the regulatory mechanism of Histone Deacetylation Enzyme-2 (HDAC2) in rats with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and provided a new direction for drug treatment in the progression of vascular remodeling.

Methods: Eighteen female SD rats were randomly divided into control (Group S1), COPD (Group S2), and atorvastatin calcium + COPD (Group S3) groups. A COPD rat model was established by passive smoking and intratracheal injection of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Pneumonia Complicated with Lower Extremity Atherosclerotic Occlusive Disease.

Chlamydia is a zoonotic pathogen that mainly infects poultry and pet birds. This Gram-negative obligate intracellular parasite also causes human psittacosis, the severity of which varies from mild flu-like symptoms to life-threatening severe pneumonia, including sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multiple organ failure. Inhalation of aerosols from contaminated bird excreta through the respiratory tract is the main route of transmission to humans.

Association of Inhaled Corticosteroids With All-Cause Mortality Risk in Patients With COPD: A Meta-analysis of 60 Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) have been used widely in the maintenance therapy of COPD. However, whether inhaled therapy containing ICSs can reduce the all-cause mortality risk and the possible benefited patient subgroups is unclear.

Research Question: Does inhaled therapy containing ICSs reduce the all-cause mortality risk in patients with COPD compared with other inhaled therapies not containing ICSs?

Study Design And Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.

[Research on symmetrical optical waveguide based surface plasmon resonance sensing with spectral interrogation].

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors with spectral interrogation can adopt fiber to transmit light signals, thus leaving the sensing part separated, which is very convenient for miniaturization, remote-sensing and on-site analysis. Symmetrical optical waveguide (SOW) SPR has the same refractive index of the-two buffer media layers adjacent to the metal film, resulting in longer propagation distance, deeper penetration depth and better performance compared to conventional SPR In the present paper, we developed a symmetrical optical, waveguide (SOW) SPR sensor with wavelength interrogation. In the system, MgF2-Au-MgF2 film was used as SOW module for glucose sensing, and a fiber based light source and detection was used in the spectral interrogation.

[Spectra modulated surface plasmon resonance sensor based on side polished multi-mode optical fiber].

Surface plasmon resonance, which utilizes the resonance of optical evanescent wave with the metal surface plasmon wave, has been developed into a high sensitivity, rapid, label-less measurement method for chemical and biological analysis. In order to improve the spectral sensitivity in refractive index for a side polished fiber surface plasmon resonance sensor, the whole cladding layer and part of core of a multimode fiber was polished off. Additionally, an extra chrome layer with relatively high refractive index was coated on the polished zone before a gold film.

[Performance of wavelength modulation surface plasmon resonance biosensor].

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is a rapid, label-free, high-precision technique of biological sensing and analysis. The investigation on the characteristics of provides theoretical basis and instructions for the applications of SPR A Kretschmann-structure surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor based on wavelength modulation was developed, and also its sensing performances in the bulk solution was investigated. Measurements with different concentrations of bulk ethanol and ethylene glycol solutions show that the resonant wavelength shows a low sensitivity, but a higher linear response to the change in refractive index (RI), when RI is relatively smaller.

Effect of vitamin B12 on cleft palate induced by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and dexamethasone in mice.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin B12 on palatal development by co-administration of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and dexamethasone (DEX). We examined the morphological and histological features of the palatal shelf and expression levels of key signaling molecules (transforming growth factor-β3 (TGF-β3) and TGF-β type I receptor (activin receptor-like kinase 5, ALK5)) during palatogenesis among a control group (Group A), TCDD+DEX exposed group (Group B), and TCDD+DEX+vitamin B12 exposed group (Group C). While we failed to find that vitamin B12 decreased the incidence of cleft palate induced by TCDD+DEX treatment, the expression levels of key signaling molecules (TGF-β3 and ALK5) during palatogenesis were significantly modulated.

[The preliminary study on transforming growth factor-beta 3, activin receptor-like kinase 5 expression in 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachloro-p-dibenzodioxin and dexamethasone induced palatal cleft in mice].

Objective: To establish a good animal model of cleft palate and confirm whether 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachloro-p-dibenzodioxin (TCDD) and Dexamethasone (DEX) induced palatal cleft in mice is related to the fold change of transforming growth factor-beta 3 (TGF-beta3) and activin receptor-like kinase 5 (Alk5).

Methods: Pregnant mice were treated with oral medication of TCDD and intraperitoneal injection with DEX on GD10-12 in experimental group while the control group without any treatment. Then embryos were examined on GD17.

[Effects of glycyrrhizic acid on the growth and acid-producing of Streptococcus mutans in vitro].

Objective: To investigate the antibacterial activity of glycyrrhizic acid against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans, ATCC 25175) in vitro.

Methods: The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of glycyrrhizic acid against S.

[A novel spectral surface plasmon resonance 2-D sensing technique and its applications in DNA microarrays].

The authors have previously proposed a novel refractive index two-dimensional sensing technique named "parallel scan spectral surface plasmon resonance imaging". In the technique, with a line-shaped light illumination, an image acquired with CCD detector could provide both SPR wavelength information and one-dimensional spatial distribution, and then provide one-dimensional distribution of refractive index with further calculation. Thus, two-dimensional distribution of refractive index of the entire sensing area can be obtained with one-dimensional optical line parallel scan.

Assessment of depth and degeneration dependences of articular cartilage refractive index using optical coherence tomography in vitro.

In this study, optical coherence tomography (OCT) with an axial resolution of 15 mum was used to investigate the depth and degeneration dependences of the refractive index (RI) of articular cartilage collected from bovine patellae in vitro. Eighteen disks of articular cartilage with a diameter of 6.35 mm harvested from different patellae were successfully prepared.

[Effect of decoction of Radix glycyrrhizae on the growth and acid-production of Streptococcus mutans in vitro].

Objective: To investigate the antibacterial activity of decoction of Radix glycyrrhizae against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) in vitro.

Methods: The decoction of Radix glycyrrhizae was prepared by boiling particles of Radix glycyrrhizae, the diameter was 0.

[Study on protein extraction methods for Streptococcus mutans].

Objective: To establish an efficient and stable method for protein extraction of Streptococcus mutans.

Methods: The collected bacteria were treated by freeze-thaw and ultrasonic (method 1), ultrasonic (method 2), boiling (method 3), boiling and ultrasonic (method 4), respectively. The index such as state of bacteria broken, concentration of extracted protein and SDS-PAGE of protein were employed to evaluate the effects of above four methods.

An optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based air jet indentation system for measuring the mechanical properties of soft tissues.

A novel noncontact indentation system with the combination of an air jet and optical coherence tomography (OCT) was presented in this paper for the quantitative measurement of the mechanical properties of soft tissues. The key idea of this method is to use a pressure-controlled air jet as an indenter to compress the soft tissue in a noncontact way and utilize the OCT signals to extract the deformation induced. This indentation system provides measurement and mapping of tissue elasticity for small specimens with high scanning speed.

[Transducin beta-TrCP expressed in developmental hair follicle of mice].

Objective: To identify the expression of antagonist beta-TrCP protein in Sonic hedgehog signal transduction pathway and Wnt signal transduction pathway in hair follicle tissues.

Methods: The heads of day 18 embryo, and one day and six-days-old postnatal mice were acquired and treated with 40 g/L paraformaldehyde fixation for 48 h and paraffin embedding. The expression of beta-TrCP proteins was examined using LsAB (labelled streptavidin-biotin) method.

[Construction of recombinant adenovirus vector carrying the mouse caveolin-1 in gene].

Objective: To construct recombinant adenovirus carrying the mouse dentin caveolin-1 gene using the recombinant adenoviral vector system AdEasy.

Methods: The cDNA fragment of caveolin-1 was derived from pTRE2-caveolin-1 by restriction enzyme digestion and subcloned into shuttle plasmid pAdtrack-CMV. The resulting plasmid pAdtrack-CMV-caveolin-1, after linearized by digesting with restriction endonuclease Pme I, was transformed into E.

[Carotenoid levels measured by resonance Raman in vivo].

Carotenoid molecules are powerful antioxidants which can act as scavengers for free radicals, singlet oxygen, and other harmful reactive oxygen species in human body. Studies have shown an inverse correlation between the level of carotenoid and the risk of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and degenerative diseases. High-performance liquid chromatography is used for measuring carotenoid levels as a standard method, but it is not noninvasive and real-time detecting.