[The immunological effects of phthalanilic acid on mice].

Objective: To explore the effects of phthalanilic acid on immune system in mice from the respects of blood, tissues, cell and cytokines. And to find sensitive index of immunological effects and offer experimental data for toxicological safety evaluation.

Methods: 60 balb/c mice were randomly divided into 4 groups.

Correlation between polymorphisms in the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1 and susceptibility to asthma in a Chinese population from the Henan Province.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between four single nucleotide polymorphisms in NR3C1 (Tth111I, BclI, ER22/23EK, and N363S), which encode the glucocorticoid receptor, and asthma susceptibility in patients from the Henan Province of China. Three hundred and twenty-eight patients with asthma and 60 healthy volunteers were recruited to this study. The target SNPs were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-high resolution melting and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism.

[Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis by Hebi Recipe: an Efficacy Observation].

Objective: To observe the auxiliary efficacy and safety of Hebi Recipe (HR)in treating early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Totally 63 early RA patients with Gan-Pi disharmony were randomly assigned to the treatment group [32 cases, treated by HR (one dose per day, taken in two portions for 24 successive weeks) plus Methotrexate (MTX)] and the control group (31 cases, treated by MTX alone). The dosage of MTX was increased from 7.

Multipetal-Structured and Dumbbell-Structured Gold-Polymer Composite Particles with Self-Modulated Catalytic Activity.

A simple synthesis route for gold-polymer composite particles with controlled structure (multipetal structure and dumbbell structure) is developed. It is intriguing to observe that by controlling the reaction time and size of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), tetrapetal-, tripetal-, and dumbbell-structured gold-polystyrene composite are obtained via seeded polymerization. The average number of petals on a single AuNP increases with the AuNP diameter.

Synthesis, structure-activity relationship and biological evaluation of novel nitrogen mustard sophoridinic acid derivatives as potential anticancer agents.

A series of novel nitrogen mustard sophoridinic acid derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxicity. Of the newly synthesized compounds, compound 6 exhibited a potent effect against hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. SAR analysis indicated that introduction of a nitrogen mustard group to the structure of sophoridinic acid significantly enhance the antitumor activity.

A Combined Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Study of Iodide-Based Ionic Liquid and Water Mixtures.

Iodide-based ionic liquids have been widely employed as iodide sources in electrolytes for applications utilizing the triiodide/iodide redox couple. While adding a low-viscosity solvent such as water to ionic liquids can greatly enhance their usefulness, mixtures of highly viscous iodide-containing ILs with water have never been studied. This paper investigates, for the first time, mixtures of water and the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide ([BMIM][I]) through a combined experimental and molecular dynamics study.

Adsorption and release of surfactant into and from multifunctional zwitterionic poly(NIPAm-co-DMAPMA-co-AAc) microgel particles.

We synthesize monodispersed zwitterionic microgel (ZI-MG) particles that undergo an extensive, reversible change in volume in response to environmental stimuli such as pH and temperature. These aqueous ZI-MG dispersions exhibit a minimum hydrodynamic diameter value at an adjustable isoelectric point (IEP). In addition, the study elucidates the controlled uptake and release of ionic and nonionic surfactants from these particle systems.

mir-233 modulates the unfolded protein response in C. elegans during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

The unfolded protein response (UPR), which is activated by perturbations of the endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis, has been shown to play an important role in innate immunity and inflammation. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying activation of the UPR during immune responses. Using small RNA deep sequencing and reverse genetic analysis, we show that the microRNA mir-233 is required for activation of the UPR in Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14.

Prenatal care in combination with maternal educational level has a synergetic effect on the risk of neonatal low birth weight: new findings in a retrospective cohort study in Kunshan City, China.

Objectives: To investigate the dose-response relationship and synergetic effect of the maternal educational level and two measures of prenatal care on neonatal low birth weight (LBW) risk.

Methods: Data were derived from the Perinatal Health Care Surveillance System (PHCSS) from January 2001 to September 2009 in Kunshan City, Jiangsu province, eastern China, which included data on 31412 women with a normal birth weight delivery and 640 women with a LBW delivery. Logistic modelling was performed to estimate the association including the joint effects with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) between the prenatal care measures and LBW risk after adjusting for the potential confounders.

[Study on pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics correlation of Danshensu in rats with focal cerebral ischemia].

To study the pharmacokinetic process of Danshensu in cerebal ischemia injury model rats and the correlation with its anti-cerebral ischemia effect. In this study, the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was established, in which all of the rats were intravenously injected of Danshensu at a single dose of 40 mg x kg(-1). The HPLC-DAD method was applied to determine the plasma concentration of Danshensu at different time points and draw the drug-time curve.

Total aglycones from Marsdenia tenacissima increases antitumor efficacy of paclitaxel in nude mice.

Marsdeniae tenacissimae Caulis (MTC) is a Chinese herbal medicine used mainly for treatment of cancer, whose pharmacologically active constituents responsible for its in vivo activity and clinical efficacy have not been clearly elucidated. In this study, total aglycones of MTC (ETA) showed the ability to sensitize KB-3-1, HeLa, HepG2 and K562 cells to paclitaxel treatment. More inspiringly, ETA markedly enhanced the antitumor activity of paclitaxel in nude mice bearing HeLa or KB-3-1 xenografts.

Regulatory effect of iron regulatory protein-2 on iron metabolism in lung cancer.

Iron metabolism plays an important role in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. This study aimed to investigate the effect of gene silencing of iron regulatory protein-2 (IRP2) on mRNA and protein expression of transferrin (Tf), transferrin receptor (TfR), and ferritin (Fn) in A549 lung cancer cells. A549 cells were cultured and divided into a liposome control group, a liposome + oligonucleotide (SCODN) control group, and a Lipofectamine + antisense oligonucleotide (ASODN) group.

Autophagy protects C. elegans against necrosis during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

Autophagy, a conserved pathway that delivers intracellular materials into lysosomes for degradation, is involved in development, aging, and a variety of diseases. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that autophagy plays a protective role against infectious diseases by diminishing intracellular pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. However, the mechanism by which autophagy regulates innate immunity remains largely unknown.

[Effect of deep electroacupuncture stimulation of "Huantiao" (GB 30) on changes of function and nerve growth factor expression of the injured sciatic nerve in rats].

Unlabelled: OBJECTIVE; To observe the effect of deep electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of "Huantiao"(GB 30) on the functional and pathological changes and nerve growth factor (NGF) expression of the damaged sciatic nerve in rats, so as to study its mechanisms underlying reliving sciatica.

Methods: Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into normal, model, deep EA and shallow EA groups (n = 12 in each group). The sciatic nerve injury model was established by mechanical clamp of the sciatic nerve stem.

Thermo-responsiveness and tunable optical properties of asymmetric polystyrene/PNIPAM-gold composite particles.

Environmentally responsive polystyrene/poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)-gold composite particles are successfully synthesized via a Pickering emulsion polymerization method. It is found that the core-shell and asymmetric structured particles are simultaneously formed during the polymerization. Compared with the core-shell structured composite particles, the asymmetric particles have a higher thermo-responsiveness as a result of differences in morphology and formation mechanism.

[Detection of anxiety and depression status of BALB/c asthmatic mice model].

Objective: To detect the anxiety and depression status of BALB/c asthmatic model in mice.

Methods: A total of 20 mice were randomly divided into asthma and control groups (n = 10 each). The animals were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin for asthmatic model.

[Specific causes of death among 381 AIDS patients who died in hospitals].

Objective: In this study, researchers investigated the demographic and clinical characteristics of AIDS patients who died in hospitals, analyzed the specific causes of death, and looked for the correlation between specific cause of death and their clinical characteristics.

Methods: Data of clinical characteristics of patients and their specific causes AIDS of death who died in the seven hospitals from 2009 to 2010 were collected retrospectively. All the specific causes of death were classified according to the Cause of Death (CoDe) project protocol.

Recurrent splice-site mutation in MBTPS2 underlying IFAP syndrome with Olmsted syndrome-like features in a Chinese patient.

Mutations in MBTPS2 have been reported to cause a broad phenotypic spectrum of X-linked genodermatoses, including IFAP (ichthyosis follicularis; atrichia and photophobia) syndrome (OMIM 308205) with or without BRESHECK (brain anomalies, retardation of mentality and growth, ectodermal dysplasia, skeletal malformations, Hirschsprung disease, ear deformity and deafness, eye hypoplasia, cleft palate, cryptorchidism, and kidney dysplasia/hypoplasia) syndrome, keratosis follicularis spinulosa decalvans (KFSD; OMIM 308800) and an X-linked form of Olmsted syndrome. We report a recurrent intronic mutation in MBTPS2 (c.671-9T>G) in a Chinese patient with the typical triad of IFAP syndrome (i.

Core-shell and asymmetric polystyrene-gold composite particles via one-step Pickering emulsion polymerization.

Core-shell structured polystyrene-gold composite particles are synthesized from one-step Pickering emulsion polymerization. The surface coverage of the core-shell composite particles is improved with increasing gold nanoparticle (AuNP) hydrophobicity and concentration. At high surface coverage, the AuNPs exhibit an ordered hexagonal pattern, likely due to electrostatic repulsion during the emulsion polymerization process.

Particle self-assembly at ionic liquid-based interfaces.

This review presents an overview of the nature of ionic liquid (IL)-based interfaces and self-assembled particle morphologies of IL-in-water, oil- and water-in-IL, and novel IL-in-IL Pickering emulsions with emphasis on their unique phenomena, by means of experimental and computational studies. In IL-in-water Pickering emulsions, particles formed monolayers at ionic liquid-water interfaces and were close-packed on fully covered emulsion droplets or aggregated on partially covered droplets. Interestingly, other than equilibrating at the ionic liquid-water interfaces, microparticles with certain surface chemistries were extracted into the ionic liquid phase with a high efficiency.

Lanthanide(III) oxalatophosphonates: syntheses, crystal structures and luminescence properties.

By the introduction of oxalate as the second ligand, five new lanthanide oxalatophosphonate hybrids with a 2D layered structure, namely, [Ln(H2L)(C2O4)(H2O)]·2H2O [Ln = Nd (1), Sm (2), Eu (3), Tb (4), Dy (5), H3L = H2O3PCH2NCH2(CH2CH2OPO2H)], have been hydrothermally synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray single-crystal diffraction, X-ray powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. Compounds 1-5 are isostructural and exhibit a 2D layer formed by the interconnection of a 1D zigzag chain of {Ln(C2O4)}(+) with the phosphonate ligands. The effect of lanthanide contraction induces the decrease of the lattice parameters and crystal size from Nd to Dy.

Comparison of the capillary wave method and pressure tensor route for calculation of interfacial tension in molecular dynamics simulations.

We have studied the calculation of surface and interfacial tension for a variety of liquid-vapor and liquid-liquid interfaces using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Because of the inherently small scale of MD systems, large pressure fluctuations can cause imprecise calculations of surface tension using the pressure tensor route. The capillary wave method exhibited improved precision and stability throughout all of the simulated systems in this study.

Adsorption and release of active species into and from multifunctional ionic microgel particles.

We synthesize monodisperse ionic microgel particles which undergo a large change in volume in response to environmental stimuli such as pH and temperature. In addition, the study elucidates the effective uptake and release of rheology modifiers from these microgel particles to alter the bulk viscosity of a surrounding fluid. Moreover, we found that the prepared ionic microgel particles can demonstrate abilities to adsorb and repel iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) upon pH variation.

Nonconvective mixing of miscible ionic liquids.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are ionic compounds that are liquid at room temperature. We studied the spontaneous mixing behavior between two ILs, ethylammonium nitrate (EAN) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF6]), and observed notable phenomena. Experimental studies showed that the interface between the two ILs was unusually long-lived, despite the ILs being miscible with one another.

Spontaneous transport of microparticles across liquid-liquid interfaces.

Transporting micrometer-sized particles through the liquid-liquid interface generally requires high shear force and sometimes surfactant functionalization. Without these aids, particles adhere to the interface due to strong capillary forces (can be on the order of 10(6) kT). Thus, spontaneous transport of microparticles through the liquid-liquid interface has not yet been reported.