Patient-derived tumor xenograft models established from samples obtained by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration.

Objectives: There has been limited utility for laboratory tumor models to predict clinical performance of cancer drugs. Clinical drug trials usually recruit patients that have advanced disease, therefore preclinical tumor models that closely reflect this characteristic will be more reliable to test candidate drugs. We evaluated the use of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) to sample metastatic lymph nodes in patients to establish patient-derived tumorxenograft (PDX) models of advanced lung cancer.

QTL mapping in multiple populations and development stages reveals dynamic quantitative trait loci for fruit size in cucumbers of different market classes.

QTL analysis in multi-development stages with different QTL models identified 12 consensus QTLs underlying fruit elongation and radial growth presenting a dynamic view of genetic control of cucumber fruit development. Fruit size is an important quality trait in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) of different market classes.

Association between tongue coating thickness and clinical characteristics among idiopathic membranous nephropathy patients.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Tongue coating diagnosis is a useful tool to examine the changes of a human body in Chinese Medicine. Tongue coating varies in thickness in kidney disease. However, little information exists regarding the association between clinical characters and tongue coating thickness in CKD patients.

FTY720 Attenuates Acute Pancreatitis in Hypertriglyceridemic Apolipoprotein CIII Transgenic Mice.

Hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis (HTGP) is often encountered clinically as a common form of recurrent acute pancreatitis (AP). It is important to evaluate the management of severe hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) or anti-inflammation in the prophylaxis of HTGP in the clinic. FTY720 (2-amino-2[2-(4-octylphenyl) ethyl]-1, 3-propanediol) is a new anti-inflammatory agent with low toxicity and reported to ameliorate lung injury with pancreatitis in rat.

Overexpression of Pref-1 in pancreatic islet β-cells in mice causes hyperinsulinemia with increased islet mass and insulin secretion.

Preadipocyte factor-1 (Pref-1) is made as a transmembrane protein containing EGF-repeats at the extracellular domain that can be cleaved to generate a biologically active soluble form. Pref-1 is found in islet β-cells and its level has been reported to increase in neonatal rat islets upon growth hormone treatment. We found here that Pref-1 can promote growth of pancreatic tumor derived AR42J cells.

Dysfunction of lipid metabolism in lipodystrophic Seipin-deficient mice.

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) is characterized by a complete loss of body adipose tissue accompanying dyslipidemia, severe hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance. However, the mechanisms of dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis are unclear. Here using the lipodystrophic Seipin-deficient mouse (Seipin(-/-)) model, we found Seipin(-/-) mice were unable to respond appropriately to a long time fasting and developed postprandial hypertriglyceridemia.

A label-free fluorescence turn-on sensor for rapid detection of cysteine.

A Hg(2+)-mediated fluorescence turn-on sensor for cysteine (Cys) detection was developed using the nucleic acid minor groove binding dye DAPI. In this work, two fully complementary DNA sequences, a T-rich single-stranded molecule (ssDNA) and an A-rich single-stranded molecule, were employed to constitute consecutive "AT/TA" base pairs, which could strongly enhance the fluorescence of DAPI. In the absence of cysteine, Hg(2+) reacted with T-rich single-stranded DNA and "T-Hg(2+)-T" base pairs formed, this seriously disrupted consecutive AT base pairs.

Expression of seipin in adipose tissue rescues lipodystrophy, hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in seipin null mice.

Objectives: Gene mutations in an ER protein seipin result in congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) in humans, accompanied with hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance. Seipin gene is highly expressed in the brain, testis and adipose tissue. Seipin globally deficient mice (SKO) displayed similar phenotypes as human counterparts.

Protective effects and mechanisms of G5 PAMAM dendrimers against acute pancreatitis induced by caerulein in mice.

In this study, generation 5 (G5) polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers with two different surface groups, G4.5-COOH and G5-OH, were investigated for their protective effects on pancreas injury in a caerulein-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) mouse model. Both dendrimers significantly decreased pathological changes in the pancreas and reduced the inflammatory infiltration of macrophages in pancreatic tissues.

Downregulated MTAP expression in myxofibrosarcoma: A characterization of inactivating mechanisms, tumor suppressive function, and therapeutic relevance.

Myxofibrosarcomas are genetically complex and involve recurrently deleted chromosome 9p, for which we characterized the pathogenically relevant target(s) using genomic profiling. In 12 of the 15 samples, we detected complete or partial losses of 9p. The only aggressiveness-associated, differentially lost region was 9p21.

Transgenic mouse milk expressing human bile salt-stimulated lipase improves the survival and growth status of premature mice.

The lactating human mammary gland and the pancreas both produce bile salt-stimulated lipase (BSSL), a lipolytic enzyme acting on a wide range of substrates, including triglyceride, cholesterol esters, and fat-soluble vitamins esters. Breast milk BSSL has a particularly important role in the digestion of milk fat by newborn infants. We report the generation of transgenic mice that harbored a human BSSL gene controlled by a mammary gland-specific promoter.

AMACR amplification in myxofibrosarcomas: a mechanism of overexpression that promotes cell proliferation with therapeutic relevance.

Purpose: Myxofibrosarcomas frequently display arm-level gains on 5p. We characterized the pathogenetic and therapeutic relevance of the α-methylacyl coenzyme A racemase (AMACR) at 5p13.3.

Activation of miR-9 by human papillomavirus in cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in women worldwide, leading to about 300,000 deaths each year. Most cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. However, persistent transcriptional activity of HPV oncogenes, which indicates active roles of HPV in cervical cancer maintenance and progression, has not been well characterized.

Effect of spray aeration on organics and nitrogen removal in vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland.

The objective of present study was to assess the simultaneous removal of organics and nitrogen by four lab-scale vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands (V-SFCWs). The emergent plants employed were Canna indica. Five-month experiments showed that the planted and aerated system largely reduced the COD by 95%, NH4 by 88% and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) by 83%.

Pref-1 marks very early mesenchymal precursors required for adipose tissue development and expansion.

Pref-1 is an EGF-repeat-containing protein that inhibits adipocyte differentiation. To better understand the origin and development of white adipose tissue (WAT), we generated transgenic mouse models for transient or permanent fluorescent labeling of cells using the Pref-1 promoter, facilitating inducible ablation. We show that Pref-1-marked cells retain proliferative capacity and are very early adipose precursors, prior to expression of Zfp423 or PPARγ.

Near-infrared-emitting two-dimensional codes based on lattice-strained core/(doped) shell quantum dots with long fluorescence lifetime.

Lattice-strained CdTe/CdS:Cu quantum dots (QDs) with a widely tunable near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence emission spectrum (700-910 nm) and long lifetime (up to 1 μs) are synthesized. Based on the multiemission and multi-lifetime of the well-defined QDs, NIR-emitting two-dimensional (2D) codes are achieved by embedding as-prepared QDs into agarose beads. This provides a new strategy for fluorescent 2D codes.

Carbon and RuO2 binary surface coating for the Li3V2(PO4)3 cathode material for lithium-ion batteries.

RuO2 nanocrystals are successfully impregnated into the surface carbon layer of the Li3V2(PO4)3/C cathode material by the precipitation method. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the RuO2 particles uniformly embed in the surface carbon layer. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicate that the coexistence of carbon and RuO2 enables high conductivity for both Li ions and electrons and thus stabilizes the interfacial properties of the electrode, facilitates the charge transfer reactions, and improves the Li(+) diffusion in the electrode.

[Application of conscious sedation with dexmedetomidine and sufentanil in patient for plastic surgery].

Objective: To observe the effectiveness of conscious sedation with dexmedetomidine and sufentanil in patients for plastic surgery.

Methods: Forty patients scheduled for elective plastic surgery under conscious sedation were infused 1 µg/kg intravenously within 15 minutes as loading dose followed by a continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine (0.5 µg·kg⁻¹·h⁻¹) and sufentanil (0.

Patterns of chronic venous insufficiency in the dural sinuses and extracranial draining veins and their relationship with white matter hyperintensities for patients with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) remains one of those neurodegenerative diseases for which the cause remains unknown. Many clinically diagnosed cases of IPD are associated with cerebrovascular disease and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of transverse sinus and extracranial venous abnormalities in IPD patients and their relationship with brain WMHs.

A serum metabolomic investigation on lipoprotein lipase-deficient mice with hyperlipidemic pancreatitis using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is often associated with acute pancreatitis. The relationship between these diseases and the role that hypertriglyceridemia plays in acute pancreatitis pathogenesis remains to be elucidated. In the present study, in order to investigate the mechanisms of hyper-lipidemic acute pancreatitis (HLP), we established an animal model using lipoprotein lipase (LPL)-deficient heterozygous mice injected with caerulein.

Adipose-specific knockout of SEIPIN/BSCL2 results in progressive lipodystrophy.

Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy type 2 (BSCL2) is the most severe form of human lipodystrophy, characterized by an almost complete loss of adipose tissue and severe insulin resistance. BSCL2 is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the BSCL2/SEIPIN gene, which is upregulated during adipogenesis and abundantly expressed in the adipose tissue. The physiological function of SEIPIN in mature adipocytes, however, remains to be elucidated.

Synthesis of H V O /Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite as a Promising Cathode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

H V O nanowires wrapped by reduced graphene oxide (RGO) are synthesized successfully through a simple hydrothermal process. The structural properties of the samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman scattering, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The RGO nanosheets modify the surfaces of the H V O nanowires through VC linkages.

MiR-29a/b/c regulate human circadian gene hPER1 expression by targeting its 3'UTR.

Several essential biological progresses in mammals are regulated by circadian rhythms. Though the molecular mechanisms of oscillating these circadian rhythms have been uncovered, the specific functions of the circadian genes are not very clear. It has been reported that knocking down circadian genes by microRNA is a useful strategy to explore the function of the circadian rhythms.

[Protective effect of ulinastatin on pulmonary function after cardiopulmonary bypass].

Objective: To investigate the effects of Ulinastatin with different doses on pulmonary protection after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Methods: Ninety patients after CPB were brought into this study and divided into low doses Ulinastatin group (L group, n=30, 5 000 U/kg), high doses Ulinastatin group (H group, n=30, 20 000 U/kg) and control group (C group, n= 30), respectively. When the patients were transferred into ICU after CPB, Ulinastatin was given intravenously to those in L and H group, while saline was given in C group.