Analysis of several heavy metals in wild edible mushrooms from regions of China.

The metal (Cu, Ni, Cd, Hg, As, Pb) contents in wild edible mushrooms collected from three different sites in China were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry and atomic fluorescence spectrometry. All element concentrations were determined on a dry weight basis. A total of 11 species was studied, five being from the urban area and six from rural areas in China.

First-principles characterization of the anisotropy of theoretical strength and the stress-strain relation for a TiAl intermetallic compound.

We perform first-principles computational tensile and compressive tests (FPCTT and FPCCT) to investigate the intrinsic bonding and mechanical properties of a γ-TiAl intermetallic compound (L 1(0) structure) using a first-principles total energy method. We found that the stress-strain relations and the corresponding theoretical tensile strengths exhibit strong anisotropy in the [001], [100] and [110] crystalline directions, originating from the structural anisotropy of γ-TiAl. Thus, γ-TiAl is a representative intermetallic compound that includes three totally different stress-strain modes.

Isolation and molecular characterization of equine H3N8 influenza viruses from pigs in China.

During 2004-2006 swine influenza virus surveillance, two strains of H3N8 influenza viruses were isolated from pigs in central China. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses of eight gene segments revealed that the two swine isolates were of equine origin and most closely related to European equine H3N8 influenza viruses from the early 1990s. Comparison of hemagglutinin (HA) amino acid sequences showed several important substitutions.

Characterization of the genes encoding complete US10, SORF3, and US2 proteins from duck enteritis virus.

Based on the understanding that the analysis on unique short (US) region of duck enteritis virus (DEV) might contribute to the recognition of the molecular characterization and the evolution of DEV, in the study, a 5,121 bp fragment, which contained three genes encoding complete US10, unique short region open reading frame (SORF) 3, and US2 proteins, was amplified from the DEV (C-KCE) genome. The transcription orientation of the US10 and SORF3 was in a tail-to-tail way, and the SORF3 and US2 was the same. Potential core promoters and polyadenylation (poly(A)) sites were predicted for US10, SORF3, and US2 and further confirmed by polymerase chain reaction.

Carnosine inhibits high glucose-induced mesangial cell proliferation through mediating cell cycle progression.

Increased mesangial cell proliferation is one of the major pathologic features in the early stage of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Carnosine is an endogenously synthesized dipeptide that has been reported as a protective factor in diabetic nephropathy. However, the underlying mechanism involved in this effect remains to be elucidated.

Genetic characterization of an H5N1 avian influenza virus with neurovirulence in ducks.

In this report, an H5N1 avian influenza virus, A/duck/Hubei/hangmei01/2006, which could lead to acute disease including neurovirulence and mortality in ducks, was isolated in brains of domestic ducks in spring of 2006. Molecular characterization of the genes revealed that this virus harbored the common characteristics of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that this virus was a member of the Fujian-like virus sublineage.

Application of real-time PCR to monitor population dynamics of defined mixed cultures of moderate thermophiles involved in bioleaching of chalcopyrite.

To compare oxidative dissolution rates of chalcopyrite by different consortia of moderately thermophilic acidophiles, various defined mixed cultures of three bacteria Acidithiobacillus caldus s2, Leptospirillum ferriphilum YSK, and Sulfobacillus sp. LN and one archaeon Ferroplasma thermophilum L1 were studied in batch shake flask cultures incubated at 45 degrees C. Chalcopyrite dissolution was determined by measuring variations of soluble copper, ferric iron, and pH.

Generation and characterization of an H5N1 avian influenza virus hemagglutinin glycoprotein pseudotyped lentivirus.

An H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) hemagglutinin (HA) protein pseudotyped lentivirus, HIV/H5-HA, was generated, characterized in vitro and evaluated for its ability to induce protective immunity against virulent wild type AIV in mice. The HIV/H5-HA virus was able to infect 293T, BHK, Vero, PK-15, MDCK cells but not IBRS-2 cells and therefore demonstrated cell tropism similar to the wild type AIV. HIV/H5-HA agglutinated chicken erythrocytes and cell entry was blocked by ammonium chloride, indicating that the process is pH-dependent.

[Optimization of culture condition of a moderately thermophilic acidophilic Ferroplasma thermophilum].

The extreme microorganisms Ferroplasma spp., play an important role in bioleaching of sulphide ores at low pH value and temperatures around 50 degrees C. Without cell wall, Ferroplasma spp.

[The rescue of H1N1 subtype swine influenza virus].

The swine influenza virus (SIV) strain A/Swine/TianJin/01/2004(H1N1) (A/S/TJ/04) was rescued successfully by an eight-plasmid rescue system. The cDNAs of SIV 8 gene segments were synthesized by RT-PCR and cloned into the RNA polymerase I/II bidirection expression vector PHW2000 independently, resulting in 8 recombinant plasmids. The 8 recombinant plasmids were cotransfected into COS-1 cell, 30 h later TPCK-trypsin was added to 0.

Bioleaching of chalcopyrite concentrate by a moderately thermophilic culture in a stirred tank reactor.

A mixed culture of moderately thermophilic microorganisms was enriched from acid mine drainage samples collected from several chalcopyrite mines in China. Such mixed culture can be used to effectively extract copper from chalcopyrite. Furthermore, after being adapted to gradually increased concentration of chalcopyrite concentrate, the tolerance of the mixed culture to chalcopyrite concentrate was brought up to 80 g/L.

[Determination of organochlorine pesticides redidues in traditional Chinese medicine including ginseng or American ginseng].

Objective: To determine the residues of 19 organochlorine pesticides in traditional chinese medicine (TCM) including Radix ginseng or Radix panacis quinquefolii by capillary gas chromatograrhy.

Methods: The samples were extracted with ethyl acetate by ultrasonic, then cleaned up by a column packed with Florisil. The capillary column was DB-1701 (30 m x 0.

A charge-transfer salt, 3,5-dimethyl-1-(4-nitro-benz-yl)pyridinium 7,7,8,8-tetra-cyano-quinodimethane.

In the title salt, C(14)H(15)N(2)O(2) (+)·C(12)H(4)N(4) (-), the asymmetric unit contains one cation and one anion. C-H⋯N and C-H⋯N and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking inter-actions (inter-planar distance 3.845 Å) are found in the crystal structure.

Evolutionary characterization of influenza virus A/duck/Hubei/W1/2004 (H9N2) isolated from central China.

Full-length eight gene segments of avian influenza virus A/duck/Hubei/W1/2004(H9N2) (Dk/Hub/W1/04) were amplified by RT-PCR and completely sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Dk/Hub/W1/04 was derived from A/Duck/HongKong/Y280/97, not displaying direct evolutional relationship with A/Quail/HongKong/G1/97 or Hubei H5N1 viruses. Meanwhile, Dk/Hub/W1/04 was found highly related to recent three chicken isolates.

Effective small interfering RNAs targeting matrix and nucleocapsid protein gene inhibit influenza A virus replication in cells and mice.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool to silence gene expression. Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-induced RNA degradation has been recently used as an antivirus agent to inhibit specific virus replication. Here, we showed that several siRNAs specific for conserved regions of influenza virus matrix (M2) and nucleocapsid protein (NP) genes could effectively inhibit expression of the corresponding viral protein.

Altered B:9-23 insulin, when administered intranasally with cholera toxin adjuvant, suppresses the expression of insulin autoantibodies and prevents diabetes.

Insulin peptide B:9-23 is a major autoantigen in type 1 diabetes that contains two distinct CD4 epitopes (B:9-16 and B:13-23). One of the two epitopes, B:13-23, overlaps with a CTL epitope (B:15-23). In this study, we report that the elimination of the CTL epitope from the B:9-23 peptide by amino acid substitution (with alanine) at positions B:16 and 19 (A16,19 altered peptide ligand) or truncation of the C-terminal amino acids from the peptide (B:9-21), neither of which stimulated the proliferation of insulin B:15-23 reactive CD8 T cells, provided significant intranasally induced suppression of diabetes when coadministered with a potent mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin (CT).

[Bacterial diversity analysis of moderately thermophilic microflora enriched by different energy sources].

Bacterial biodiversities of three moderately thermophilic bioleaching microfloras grown at 50 degrees C on media with pyrite, chalcopyrite, and pure ferrous iron supplemented with sulfur as energy sources were investigated respectively. The 16S rRNA genes of the microorganisms in the cultures flasks were PCR amplified and cloned to identify the bacterial species by comparative sequence analysis, the structural differences of microfloras enriched by different energy sources were compared. A total of 303 clones were recovered and evaluated by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis.

Development and evaluation of an immunochromatographic strip for detection of Streptococcus suis type 2 antibody.

In this study, an immunochromatographic strip (ICS) was developed for the detection of antibody against Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (SS2). Colloidal gold particles labeled with staphylococcal protein A (SPA), which can bind to the F(C) fragment of mammalian immunoglobulin, were used as the detector reagent. The capsular polysaccharide (CPS) of SS2 and affinity-purified IgG from a healthy naive pig were immobilized on test and control regions of a nitrocellulose membrane, respectively.

Avian influenza (H5N1) virus in waterfowl and chickens, central China.

In 2004, 3 and 4 strains of avian influenza virus (subtype H5N1) were isolated from waterfowl and chickens, respectively, in central People's Republic of China. Viral replication and pathogenicity were evaluated in chickens, quails, pigeons, and mice. We analyzed the sequences of the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of the isolates and found broad diversity among them.

[Cloning, prokaryotic expression of chicken interferon-alpha gene and study on antiviral effect of recombinant chicken interferon-alpha].

The full length of chicken interferon alpha (ChIFN-alpha) gene was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from total liver genome of Sanhuang meat-chicken and sequenced. The amplified gene was about 582bp. The coding region for mature protein (489bp) was subcloned into pET-28a(+).

Simple pulse compression scheme based on filtering self-phase modulation-broadened spectrum and its application in an optical time-division multiplexing system.

We propose a simple and stable pulse compression scheme based on a filtering self-phase modulation broadened spectrum in a highly nonlinear fiber. It is found experimentally that under offset filtering the compressed pulse has a better quality compared with center filtering, such as a no pulse pedestal. Furthermore, numerical simulations reveal that the scheme has the potential to improve the pulse extinction ratio during compression.

Development of a specific latex agglutination test based on a recombinant hemagglutinin protein to detect antibodies to H5 avian influenza viruses.

A latex agglutination test (LAT) was developed for rapid detection of antibodies to H5 avian influenza viruses (AIVs). The hemagglutinin protein of H5 AIV was covalently linked to carboxylated latex by ethyl-dimethyl-amino-propyl carbodiimide to prepare the sensitized latex beads. The LAT was evaluated with the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay as the reference test.

Genome-sequence analysis of the pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A virus isolated in China in 2004.

Analysis of the sequences of the genome of the avian influenza A/chicken/Hubei/327/2004 (H5N1) virus, isolated from a poultry farm during the outbreak of avian influenza (AI) in Hubei Province, central China, in the spring of 2004, revealed that the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of the virus was genetically similar to those of the H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI). Notably, the neuraminidase gene of the virus had a 20-amino acid deletion in the stalk region and a 5-amino acid deletion in the NS gene which belonged to allele B. Furthermore, the internal genes (PB2, PA, NP, M2) of the A/chicken/Hubei/327/2004 virus with the particular amino acid residues were more closely related to H5N1 viruses of 2000-2003 isolated in Hong Kong and the AIV of Thailand and Vietnam in 2004, but less likely to evolve from the viruses of Hong Kong 1997.

[Role of P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in expression of P-selectin on human umbilical vein endothelial cells].

Aim: To investigate the role of P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P38MAPK) in expression of P-selectin on human umbilical vein endothelial cells and diabetic atherosclerosis.

Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cell line ECV304 were stimulated with high glucose, advanced glycosylation end products (AGE), high insulin and H(2)O(2) respectively, and then expression of phosphorylated-P38MAPK and P-selectin was detected after being pre-treated with SB203580 (P38MAPK specific inhibitor).

Results: High glucose, AGE, high insulin and H(2)O(2) could activate P38MAPK by oneself, and increased notably expression of phosphorylated-P38MAPK and P-selectin on cell line ECV304; Expression of P-selectin was inhibited significantly by SB203580.

[Changes of prostaglandin E2 levels in periapical exudates after root canal treatment].

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the levels of prostaglandin E2 in periapical exudates before and after root canal treatment.

Methods: Periapical exudates specimens were quantitatively sampled from root canals of 25 teeth at consecutive treatment visits, and the concentration of prostaglandin E2 in each sample was determined using a commercial kit.

Results: The mean prostaglandin E2 levels significantly decreased after the endodontic therapy.