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To determine the content of linarin in Yuye Jiedu granule. A HPLC method was developed. The chromatographic conditions are as follows Luna C18 column and acetonitrile-0.05 mol x L(-1) phosphate buffer-phosphoric acid (30:70:0.06) as mobil phase, detection wavelenth at 327 nm. The linear range of linarin was 0.025-0.50 microg. The average recovery was 98.7% and RSD 2.7%. The method is simple and accurate, with good repeatability, and can be used for determination of linarin in Yuye Jiedu granule.

Both the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR) have been implicated in the tumorigenesis of a variety of cancers. Here we propose that simultaneous targeting of both receptors with a bispecific antibody would lead to enhanced antitumor activity. To this end, we produced a recombinant human IgG-like bispecific antibody, a Di-diabody, using the variable regions from two antagonistic antibodies: IMC-11F8 to EGFR and IMC-A12 to IGFR. The Di-diabody binds to both EGFR and IGFR and effectively blocked both EGF- and IGF-stimulated receptor activation and tumor cell proliferation. The Di-diabody also inherited the biological properties from both of its parent antibodies; it triggers rapid and significant IGFR internalization and degradation and mediates effective antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in a variety of tumor cells. Finally, the Di-diabody strongly inhibited the growth of two different human tumor xenografts in vivo. Our results underscore the benefits of simultaneous targeting of two tumor targets with bispecific antibodies.

We have shown that high epithelial cell density is a major barrier to the distribution of protein-bound drugs in solid tumors, and tumor priming (expansion of interstitial space using an apoptosis-inducing pretreatment) can promote drug delivery. This study evaluated the optimal conditions of paclitaxel tumor priming (time window, particle size) and its effects on the delivery and efficacy of nanomedicines. Paclitaxel tumor priming was applied to mice bearing human xenograft tumors. The kinetics of paclitaxel-induced apoptosis was evaluated to identify the time window of tumor priming. The effects of tumor priming on the tumor delivery and interstitial dispersion of fluorescence-labeled nanoparticles of various sizes, the perfusion of tumor and normal tissues, the delivery of doxorubicin HCl liposomes to tumor and host tissues, and the antitumor activity and host toxicity were studied. Tumor priming by a single i.v. injection of paclitaxel induced apoptosis, expanded the interstitial space, vessel diameter and blood-perfused area, and promoted the delivery and interstitial dispersion of nanoparticles (100- and 200-nm diameter, administered 48 h after paclitaxel) in a tumor-selective manner. Tumor priming also enhanced the tumor delivery and antitumor activity of doxorubicin HCl liposomes (85 nm) without affecting the delivery to noncancerous host tissues or enhancing host toxicity. Tumor priming represents a potentially useful means to promote tumor-selective delivery and efficacy of nanomedicines. The current study will have significant impact on enhancing delivery and efficacy of nanomedicines and dosing regimen optimization of combination chemotherapy in the clinical setting.

To explore the inhibitory effect of KAI1 gene on breast cancer cell growth in vitro. Highly metastatic human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 was transfected with pCMV-KAI1 or mock transfected plasmid pCMV with lipofectamine. Western blot was used to determine the expression of target protein of KAI1. The proliferative ability of cells was tested by MTT assay and colony-forming test. The cell cycle pattern was assayed by flow cytometry. The metastatic ability was investigated by cell adhesion and invasion assays. A stable cell clone transfected with KAI1 gene was obtained and over-expression of KAI1 protein was observed. There was a significant decline in cell proliferative ability of pCMV-KAI1 transfected MDA-MB-231 cells in comparison with the mock-transfected ones and non-transfected ones, revealed by MTT assay and colony-forming test (P < 0.05). The ability of adherence and invasion of pCMV-KAI1 transfected cells was significantly reduced in comparison with the other two groups (P < 0.05). Also, flow cytometry analysis revealed that in KAI1 transfected cell group the number of cells in G0/G1 phase increased markedly from 36.78% +/- 0.61% to 64.00% +/- 7.56%, while the number of cells in G2/M phase decreased from 17.88% +/- 0.76% to 7.63% +/- 0.60%, comparing with the non-transfected ones. KAI1 gene suppresses the invasive ability of human breast cancer cells in vitro and may inhibit the proliferative ability by changing the cell cycle pattern.

In recent years, both laboratory and clinical studies have demonstrated that bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) may have significant potential application in cancer therapy either by targeting tumor cells with cytotoxic agents including effector cells, radionuclides, drugs, and toxins, or by simultaneously blocking two tumor-associated targets, e.g., tumor growth factors and/or their cell surface receptors. A major obstacle in the development of BsAb has been the difficulty of producing the materials in sufficient quality and quantity by traditional technologies such as the hybrid hybridoma and chemical conjugation methods. The development of recombinant BsAbs as therapeutic agents will depend heavily on the advances made in the design of the constructs (or formats) and production efficiency. Here we describe a recombinant method for the construction and production of a tetravalent IgG-like BsAb molecule, IgG-scFv fusion, in which, a single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody fragment of one antigen specificity is genetically fused to the c-terminal of a conventional IgG of a different antigen specificity.

To find fractions from Spatholobi caulis with cytotoxic effects on cancer cell lines, screening tests were carried out using the SRB assay on the HL60 cell line. Further investigation with HL60 and another four human cancer cell lines (KB, K562, MCF-7 and Hep G2), revealed a dose-dependent response. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC- ESI-MSn) was used to isolate and identify the active constituents from the active fraction. Three fractions (F-IV, F-V and F-VII) showed in vitro cytotoxicity. F-V inhibited the growth of cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. The IC50 values for KB, K562 and HL60 cells were 17.6, 8.3 and 9.7 microg/mL, respectively. The dominating constituents of F-V were either identified or tentatively characterized as nine phenolic compounds, eight isoflavones and 9-methoxycoumestrol. The isoflavones 7-hydroxy-3',4'-dimethoxy isoflavone, 7-hydroxy-6,2',4'-trimethoxy isoflavone and 3'-hydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxy isoflavone are reported for the first time for Spatholobi caulis. The results suggest that these compounds contribute to the cytotoxic effect of Spatholobi caulis.

Chemical investigation of the roots of Viburnum dilatatum Thunb resulted in the isolation and characterization of a new phenolic glycosides 2-(-glucopyranosyloxy)-benzyl 3-(-glucopyranosyloxy)-benzoate (1), together with two known compounds. Their structures were established by spectroscopic means and by comparison with the literature values.

To construct a prokaryotic expression vector of human SUMO-2, purify GST-SUMO2-SUMO2 fusion protein produced by the expression system, and prepare its antiserum. The human SUMO-2 gene was amplified by PCR. The target fragment digested by the enzyme was cloned into a pET41a(+) expression vector and then transfected into E.coli. BL21 (DE3) pLysS, in which GST-SUMO2-SUMO2 fusion protein was induced by IPTG. After the soluble protein was purified by GST affinity chromatography and by identified by SDS-PAGE, the rabbits were immunized with the fusion protein and the antiserum was obtained. DNA sequence analysis showed the cloned SUMO-2 gene sequence was completely corresponding to GenBank data. SDS-PAGE and Western blot showed that the GST-SUMO2-SUMO2 fusion protein was about 52 kDa, which was mainly the soluble protein of E.coli and could be purified by GST affinity chromatography. The result of ELISA was positive and Western blot confirmed the antiserum reacted specifically to SUMO-2 protein. SUMO-2 protein and its specific polyclonal antibody have been prepared, which provides a basis for the establishment of immunoassays of human SUMO-2.

From the CHCl(3)-soluble portion of the 70% EtOH extract of the stems and leaves of Dioscorea nipponica Makino, two new phenanthrenes, 7-hydroxy-2,3,5-trimethoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (1) and 2,2',7,7'-tetrahydroxy-4,4',6,6'-tetramethoxy-1,1'-biphenanthrenes (2), as well as three known phenanthrenes, 6-methoxycoelonin (3), 4,7-dihydroxy-2,3,6-trimethoxyphenanthrene (4), and 3,7-dihydroxy-2,4,6-trimethoxyphenanthrene (5), were isolated. The structures were determined by means of HR-MS, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, and HMBC experiments.

From the CHCl3-soluble portion of the 70% EtOH extract of the stems and leaves of Dioscorea nipponica Makino, two new dihydrophenanthrenes were isolated, 2,7-dihydroxy-3,4,6-trimethoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene, and 4,4',7,7'-tetrahydroxy-2,2',6,6'-tetramethoxy-1,1'-bi-9,10-dihydrophenanthrenyl. The structures were determined by means of HRMS, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and HMBC experiments.

The lamin A/C (LMNA), nuclear intermediate filament proteins, is a basic component of the nuclear lamina. Mutations in LMNA are associated with a broad range of laminopathies, congenital diseases affecting tissue regeneration and homeostasis. Heart tissue specific transgenic mice of human LMNA E82K, a mutation causing dilated cardiomyopathy, were generated. Lmna(E82K) transgenic mouse lines exhibited thin-walled, dilated left and right ventricles, a progressive decrease of contractile function assessed by echocardiography. Abnormalities of the conduction system, myocytes disarray, collagen accumulation and increased levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), procollagen type III α1 (Col3α1) and skeletal muscle actin α1 (Actα1) were detected in the hearts of Lmna(E82K) transgenic mice. The LMNA E82K mutation caused mislocation of LMNA in the nucleus and swollen mitochondria with loss of critae, together with the loss of nuclear envelope integrity. Most interestingly, we found that the level of apoptosis was 8.5-fold higher in the Lmna(E82K) transgenic mice than that of non-transgenic (NTG) mice. In the presence of the LMNA E82K, both of FAS and mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis were activated consistent with the increase of FAS expression, the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol and activation of caspase-8, -9 and -3. Our results suggested that the apoptosis, at least for the LMNA E82K or the mutations in the rod region of Lamin A/C, might be an important mechanism causing continuous loss of myocytes and lead to myocardial dysfunction. It could be a potential therapeutic means to suppress and/or prevent inappropriate cardiac cell death in patients carrying LMNA mutation.

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was established to determine nucleosides in Rhizoma Pinelliae, which is a dried stem tuber of Pinellia pedatisecta Schott in Pinellia plant belonging to Araceae family and has multiple efficiencies about down-bear counterflow and check vomiting, eliminating dampness and phlegm, etc. The separation of adenine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, uridine, thymine, adenosine and guanosine was achieved on a Lichrospher C18 column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with the detection at 254 nm and gradient elution by acetonitrile-water containing 0.1% formic acid as the mobile phase. The linear ranges were from 1.6 mg/L to 50 mg/L for adenine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, uridine and guanosine, while from 1.2 mg/L to 40 mg/L for thymine and adenosine with correlation coefficients above 0.999 5. The average recoveries were between 98.9% and 101.2% with the relative standard deviations below 3%. The results of methodological study demonstrated that the method met the requirements of the determination. The nucleosides in Rhizoma Pinelliae from different districts were determined. The method is convenient and accurate with good reproducibility and can be used to evaluate the quality of Rhizoma Pinelliae.

Six triterpenoid saponins, including one new compound, quinquenoside F₆(1), and five known compounds ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rg₁, ginsenoside Rg₂, ginsenoside Rh₁ and pseudo-ginsenoside F₁₁, were isolated from the fruits of Panax quinquefolium L., and the structure of compound 1 was elucidated as 6-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-20-O-[α-l-arabino- furanosyl-(1-6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl]-dammar-24-ene-3β, 6α, 12β, 20S-tetraol by the combination of the analysis of spectroscopic data and chemical evidences. The complete signal assignments of the six compounds were carried out by means of 2D NMR spectral analysis.

To evaluate the clinic manifestation, pathologic behavior, therapy and prognosis of rare aggressive fibromatosis in the head and neck. Two cases of aggressive fibromatosis were analyzed and relevant literatures were reviewed. Aggressive fibromatosis was characterized as infiltrative, locally aggressive and tended to recur after surgical resection. Pathology showed fibroblastic monoclonal proliferation. Fibromatosis was composed of well-differentiated fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, lacking cytological features of malignancy and scanty or absent mitotic activity. Complete surgical excision of aggressive fibromatosis was considered to be the only effective method of cure by most authorities. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be used together with surgery in recurrence or unsatisfactory surgical margin. In our study, one patient recurred after the first operation, and after another operation, the patient did not recur after 6 months follow up, and the other one did not recur after 6 months follow up. The diagnosis of aggressive fibromatosis depended on pathological examination. Radical removal was an important way to reduce recurrence rate. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy can be used as adjuvant therapy in patients with recurrent or unresectable or inoperable disease.

To evaluate the clinic manifestation, therapy and prognosis of neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx. Nine cases with neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx treated between May 2005 and June 2011 were analyzed retrospectively. There were six males and three females, with a median age of 58 years (ranging from 35 to 65 years). Five cases were treated by only operation, and four cases by combined treatment (surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy). Two patients with typical carcinoid tumor had not any recurrence with following up of 28 and 30 months, respectively. Of three patients with atypical carcinoid tumor, one patient recurred in 36 months after the first operation and followed by re-operation, with no recurrence by further 30 month follow-up, and the other two patients did not recur 15 and 20 month follow-up, respectively. Of three patients with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, two died after 11 and 14 months, respectively, and another patient was followed up for 18 months, with no recurrence. One patient with paraganglioma showed no recurrence with a follow up of 32 months. Neuroendocrine carcinoma in larynx included typical carcinoid tumor, atypical carcinoid tumor, small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and paraganglioma. Accurate diagnosis relies on histopathologic and immunohistochemical examination. There is no standard treatment plan and based-surgery combined treatment should be adopted to laryngeal neuroendocrine carcinoma. The prognosis is dependent on tumor types.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are myeloid neoplasms characterized by dysplasia in one or more linages of cells and increased risk of development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Along with the deeply understanding of myelodysplastic syndrome, the diagnosis standards of this disease experienced a leap in essence: from a single standard of morphological test in FAB to multiple detecting means in WHO standard of 2008, flow cytometry has been proposed as an adjunctive diagnostic test in the 2007 Vienna standards and the 2008 WHO standards. Recently, A heterogeneous spectrum of immunophenotypic abnormalities have been reported in MDS, and some of which are of great significance to the diagnosis, classification, prognosis assessment, and treatment of the disease. In the year of 2003, a flow cytometric scoring system (FCSS) was built to evaluate the prognosis of MDS patients, which was able to qualify the phenotypic aberrancies in the myelomonocytic, erythroid, and megakaryocytic lineage. It filled the gap of the international prognostic scoring system (IPSS) and the WHO classification-based prognostic scoring system (WPSS), and was of great value to the clinical diagnosis and treatment of MDS. In this article, the value of MDS immunophenotyping in diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of MDS is reviewed in term of MDS immunophenotypic abnormalities and flow cytometric scoring system.

Aneurysms of the thoracic aorta are rare manifestations that have never been reported in association with a pulsatile cervical mass. A 55-year-old man presented with a 10-year history of a gradually increasing pulsatile mass in the left side of his neck. He had developed intermittent hoarseness for the previous 3 months. Imaging revealed a widened mediastinum, with an enlarged ascending aorta and thoracic aorta. It was diagnosed as an aneurysm of the thoracic aorta. An observation trial without surgical treatment was given in the patient, at a 10-month follow-up, the size of the mass had not changed significantly, but the symptom of hoarseness had abated.

Although many oncoproteins promote cell growth and proliferation, some also possess the potential to induce cell death by apoptosis. Deregulated expression of the myc oncogene promotes apoptosis in both cultured cells and in some tissues in vivo. Here we describe techniques to detect Myc-induced apoptosis in vitro using flow cytometry and microscopy and in vivo using immunohistochemical staining.

In recent years, both laboratory and clinical studies have demonstrated that bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) may have significant potential application in cancer therapy either by targeting tumor cells with cytotoxic agents including effector cells, radionuclides, drugs, and toxins, or by simultaneously blocking two tumor-associated targets, e.g., tumor growth factors and/or their cell surface receptors. A major obstacle in the development of BsAb has been the difficulty of producing the materials in sufficient quality and quantity by traditional technologies such as the hybrid hybridoma and chemical conjugation methods. The development of recombinant BsAbs as therapeutic agents will depend heavily on the advances made in the design of the constructs (or formats) and production efficiency. Here we describe a recombinant method for the construction and production of a tetravalent IgG-like BsAb molecule, IgG-scFv fusion, in which, a single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody fragment of one antigen specificity is genetically fused to the c-terminal of a conventional IgG of a different antigen specificity.

Angiomyolipomas are benign neoplasms composed of smooth muscle, vasculature, and mature adipose tissue, which most commonly occur in the kidney and located in the head and neck region. A very rare neoplasm, there are only 3 cases of angiomyolipoma in the parotid gland that have been reported to date. Here, we report a case of a 38-year-old man who had a slow-growing mass in the parotid gland for the past 7 years. The results of a physical examination revealed a rubbery mass that was 2.5 cm in diameter in the below superficial lobe of the left parotid gland. A computed tomographic scan showed a heterogeneous and lobulated nodule with a well-defined margin, which was resected through partial parotidectomy with preservation of the facial nerve. A histologic finding revealed an angiomyolipoma of the parotid gland. In conclusion, angiomyolipoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of rubbery parotid gland masses.

The total synthesis of aminoethyl glycoside of sialyl Lewis(x) (sLe(x)) is described. A galactose donor was condensed with a diol of glucosamine to afford regioselectively a β1,4 linked disaccharide, which was further stereoselectively fucosylated to provide a protected Lewis(x) trisaccharide. After chemical modification, the trisaccharide was sialylated to give regio- and stereoselectively an azidoethyl glycoside of sLe(x). Finally, deprotection and azide reduction afforded the target compound. This compound will be coupled with protein and then be used to conduct further preclinical studies for the diagnosis of cancer.

This study was aimed to distinguish abnormal cells and to diagnose hematologic diseases through recognizing antigen expression pattern and percentage of peripheral blood cells in normal elderly men. Antigen expression of blast cells, granulocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, nucleated red blood cells and plasma cells was detected by seven-color flow cytometry in a total of 88 peripheral blood samples from normal elderly men, aged median 82 years old, from 70 to 98 years. Groups were divided according to age, region and underlying diseases, and the percentages of different subgroup cells were examined to confirm whether the differences were significant or not. The results showed that the median proportion of CD34(+) blast cells in peripheral blood from normal elderly men were 0.017% (0.015%-0.020%), with high expression of HLA-DR, CD33, CD13 and CD117, low expression of myeloid antigens, such as CD15, CD11b and CD16, while lymphoid antigens were seldom positive, including CD7, CD19 and CD56. Dim-expression of CD38 was found in peripheral blood blast cells, CD38(dim)+/- cell percentage in blast cells was 61.36% ± 18.26%. In the differentiation and development of granulocytes, CD16(-), CD13(+) CD16(+) (intermediate) and CD16(+) (strong) CD13(+) cells appeared in sequence from immature to mature granulocytes, whose median proportions in nuclear cells were 0.04%, 0.30% and 61.30%, respectively. The percentages of immature monocytes, such as CD64(+) CD14(-) and HLA-DR(+) CD11b(-) cells, were from 0.00% to 0.10% and from 0.07% to 0.68%, separately. No significant differences were found between different subgroups (P > 0.05). It is concluded that the immunophenotypic characteristics and referential percentages of CD34(+) blast cells, granulocytes and monocytes with different development stages in peripheral blood from normal elderly men are recognized, which can help to discriminate abnormal cells.

A concise and efficient synthetic route for preparation of four ganglioside GM3 analogues was described. The key step is a highly regioselective and stereoselective α-sialylation from a suitably protected glycoside acceptor with a sialyl xanthate to provide the sialo-oligosaccharide in good yield. The cytotoxic properties of the synthetic gangliosides were evaluated against normal human keratinocytes and human HCT116 and K562 cancer cells. Two of them exhibited good antiproliferative activity and displayed a better cytotoxicity against cancer cell than HaCaT normal cell.

Lysozyme is often used as a feed additive and acts as an antimicrobial protein that enhances immune function and defends against pathogenic bacteria in pigs. In this study, we genetically added recombinant human lysozyme (rhLZ) to sow milk by somatic cell nuclear transfer and investigated whether the presence of recombinant human lysozyme can influence intestinal microbiota and morphology in sucking pigs. We generated transgenic cloned pigs and the first-generation hybrids (F1) produced high levels of rhLZ in milk. The average concentration of rhLZ was 116.34 ± 24.46 mg/L in the milk of F1 sows, which was 1500-fold higher than that of the native pig lysozyme. In vitro, it was demonstrated that rhLZ in milk of transgenic pigs had enzyme levels at 92,272 ± 26,413 U/mL. In a feeding experiment, a total of 40 newborn piglets were nursed by four transgenic sows and four sibling non-transgenic sows (F1), with five piglets per gilt. The piglets were allowed to nurse for 21 days and the sow milk was the only source of nutrition for the piglets. All piglets were slaughtered on postnatal day 22. Six types of bacteria were cultured and analyzed to detect the impact of rhLZ on gut microbiota. The number of Escherichia coli in the duodenum of piglets reared by transgenic sows was significantly decreased (p<0.001) and their villus height to crypt depth ratio in the intestine were increased due to the significant decrease of crypt depth in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum (p<0.001). Together, we successfully generated rhLZ transgenic cloned pigs and elevated lysozyme level in nuring piglets. The results of the feeding experiments demonstrated that rhLZ-enhanced milk can inhibit the growth of E. coli in the duodenum and positively influence intestinal morphology without adversely affecting weight gain or piglet growth.

This study was aimed to explore the transcription level of WT1 and PRAME two genes in bone marrow and peripheral blood samples of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS) and their relationship with bone marrow dysplasia and karyotype. The quantitative expression of WT1 and PRAME transcripts detected by RQ-PCR in the bone marrow samples of 203 MDS patients and 19 aplastic anemia(AA), 6 other benign anemia(BA), 4 paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria(PNH) patients from July 2009 to June 2012 and 14 healthy donors, and in 92 peripheral blood samples. The results showed that WT1 and PRAME expression levels in both BM and PB samples of MDS group were higher than those in normal controls, AA, and BA patients (BM: WT1:P = 0.000, 0.000, 0.000, PRAME: P = 0.048, 0.000, 0.064; PB: WT1:P = 0.012, 0.000, 0.011, PRAME: P = 0.020, 0.004, 0.003). What is more, this expression in high risk MDS group (RAEB1, RAEB2, MDS-AML) were higher than those in low risk group (RCUD, RCMD, MDS-U) and AA and BA. The WT1 and PRAME mRNA expression levels in PB and BM were well correlated (WT1:r = 0.6028, P = 0.001; PRAME: r = 0.7628, P = 0.000), as well as the WT1 expression levels in BM samples with the Karyotype (P = 0.049). In addition, the same positive rate of WT1 or PRAME expression existed in BM and PB samples of MDS patients. It is concluded that the WT1 and PRAME gene expression levels in both BM and PB samples of MDS patients are higher than those in healthy controls, AA and other benign anemia patients, and increase with the progression of the disease. The WT1 and PRAME transcripts constitute good molecular markers for the clinical diagnosis and prognosis and monitoring minimal residual disease after treatment of MDS. What is more, when bone marrow is not so convenient to get, the transcript levels of PB samples can be detected.

We have carried out a systematic study to optimize the processing conditions in oxygen-plasma treatments on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates used in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The treated ITO substrates were investigated by both contact angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that oxygen-plasma treatment was quite effective in removing organic contaminants on the ITO surface, causing a reduction in contact angle. XPS revealed that the treatment led to a decrease in the surface content of carbon and an increase in the surface content of oxygen. Consequently, enhanced hole-injection, increased luminance efficiency and improved operational stability were observed in OLEDs having an ITO anode treated at the optimized conditions.

To investigate the roles of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 in maternal serum, amniotic fluid and umbilical cord serum in predicting premature rupture of the membranes (PROM) and chorioamnionitis. The levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in maternal serum, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord serum of 58 pregnant women with PROM and 38 women with normal pregnancies. Chorioamnionitis was histopathologically confirmed after delivery. (1) The levels of MMP-9 in maternal serum, umbilical cord serum and amniotic fluid were (141.9 +/- 84.6) ng/L, (138.2 +/- 81.4) ng/L and (85.6 +/- 27.5) ng/L respectively, significantly higher in patients with PROM than those of the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively), while the levels of TIMP-1 in maternal serum, amniotic fluid and umbilical cord serum were (378.1 +/- 220.2) ng/L, (44.6 +/- 24.0) ng/L and (257.2 +/- 98.8) ng/L respectively, significantly lower in patients with PROM than those of the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively). (2) The longer the duration from rupture of membranes to delivery was, the more serious chorioamnionitis was, and the higher the levels of MMP-9 and the lower the TIMP-1 levels in maternal serum, amniotic fluid, and umbilical cord serum were. (3) The levels of MMP-9 in maternal serum, umbilical cord serum and amniotic fluid were (183.8 +/- 84.7) ng/L, (171.2 +/- 92.9) ng/L and (95.5 +/- 21.1) ng/L respectively, significantly higher in patients with chorioamnionitis than those of non-chorioamnionitis (P < 0.05, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively), while the levels of TIMP-1 in maternal serum, amniotic fluid and umbilical cord serum were (269.7 +/- 144.4) ng/L, (32.1 +/- 16.6) ng/L and (210.6 +/- 81.9) ng/L respectively, significantly lower in patients with chorioamnionitis than those of non-chorioamnionitis (P < 0.05, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively). (4) The levels of MMP-9 in maternal serum, umbilical cord serum and amniotic fluid were (234.4 +/- 79.4) ng/L, (222.1 +/- 120.1) ng/L and (108.5 +/- 42.2) ng/L respectively, significantly higher in neonates whose Apgar score < or = 7 than those of neonates whose Apgar score > or = 8 (P < 0.05, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively), while the levels of TIMP-1 in maternal serum, amniotic fluid and umbilical cord serum were (225.3 +/- 121.7) ng/L, (25.2 +/- 15.8) and (181.7 +/- 135.2) ng/L respectively, significantly lower in neonates whose Apgar score < or = 7 than those of neonates whose Apgar score > or = 8 (P < 0.05, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively). It is suggested that preterm PROM is associated with increased MMP-9 and decreased TIMP-1 levels. MMP-9 and TIMP-1 are valuable clinical biological markers for identifying chorioamnionitis and predicting neonates prognosis.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is closely correlated to an unfavorable prognosis in various human cancers. However, the clinical significance of the expression of MDR-related proteins p-glycoprotein (PGP), glutathione-s-transferases (GST-pi), topoisomerase-II (Topo-II) and lung resistance protein (LRP) in primary gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma (PGCA) remains unclear. In this study, the total of the four kinds of MDR-related proteins mentioned above were detected by using immunohistochemistry and their clinical significance in chemoresistance were also investigated. This retrospective study included 69 resected specimens from patients with PGCA. The expression of PGP, GST-pi, Topo-II and LRP in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections was determined by a labelled streptavidin-biotin immunohistochemical technique, and the results were analyzed in correlation with clinicopathological data. None of these patients received chemotherapy prior to surgery. The positive rates of expression of PGP, GST-pi, Topo-II and LRP in malignant tissues (49.2%, 75.4%, 68.1% and 58%, respectively) were all higher than that of the normal tissues (0, 30%, 20% and 0, respectively, P<0.01). PGP expression in tumors that had metastasized was significantly more frequent than in tumors that had not metastasized (67.5% vs. 24.1%, P<0.01).The expression of PGP was closely related with clinicopathologic staging (staging 1/2 vs. 3/4, 28.6% vs. 58.3%, P<0.05). No significant correlation was shown between PGP and increasing differentiated degree (40%, 42.4% and 61.5%, P>0.05). GST-pi expression status progressively increased with increasing differentiated degree (40%, 75.8% and 88.5%, P<0.05) and clinico pathologic stage (staging 1/2 vs. 3/4, 57.1% vs. 83.3%, P<0.05). In addition, a significant positive correlation was also observed between GST-pi and lymphatic metastasis (with vs. without metastasis, 87.5% vs. 58.6%, P<0.05). The expression of Topo-II was associated with increasing differentiated degree (33.3%, 69.7% and 80.7%, P<0.01). No significant differences with Topo-II expression was found in relation to the clinicopathologic stage (staging 1/2 vs. 3/4, 57.1% vs. 72.9%, P>0.05) and lymphatic metastasis (with vs. without metastasis, 65.0% vs. 72.4%, P>0.05). Moreover, a significant difference with the expression of LRP was found in relation to the clinicopathologic stage (staging 1/2 vs. 3/4, 38% vs. 66.6%, P<0.05), and lymphatic metastasis (with vs. without metastasis, 70.0% vs. 41.4%, P<0.05). Comparing the well, moderately and poorly differentiated cohort, a non-statistical increasing trend towards LRP expression status was noted (50.0%, 54.5% and 65.3%, respectively, P>0.05). Besides, the co-expression of all four tested MDR-related proteins also existed. The positive rates of co-expression of PGP and GST-pi, PGP and Topo-II, PGP and LRP, GST-pi and Topo-II, LRP and GST-pi, LRP and Topo-II, PGP, GST-pi, Topo-II and LRP in malignant cells were 23.2%,…

A new methodology for understanding the construction of polyhedral links has been developed on the basis of the Platonic solids by using our method of the ‘n-branched curves and m-twisted double-lines covering’. There are five classes of platonic polyhedral links we can construct: the tetrahedral links; the hexahedral links; the octahedral links; the dodecahedral links; the icosahedral links. The tetrahedral links, hexahedral links, and dodecahedral links are, respectively, assembled by using the method of the ‘3-branched curves and m-twisted double-lines covering’, whereas the octahedral links and dodecahedral links are, respectively, made by using the method of the ‘4-branched curves’ and ‘5-branched curves’, as well as ‘m-twisted double-lines covering’. Moreover, the analysis relating topological properties and link invariants is of considerable importance. Link invariants are powerful tools to classify and measure the complexity of polyhedral catenanes. This study provides further insight into the molecular design, as well as theoretical characterization, of the DNA polyhedral catenanes.