Evaluation of Quadrox-i and Capiox FX neonatal oxygenators with integrated arterial filters in eliminating gaseous microemboli and retaining hemodynamic properties during simulated cardiopulmonary bypass

Perfusion quality during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) procedures can contribute to postoperative neurological complications and influence patient recovery and outcome. Gaseous microemboli generated in the circuit and hemodynamic properties of blood reaching the patient can be monitored during CPB to optimize perfusion. Oxygenators that oxygenate the blood during CPB can significantly influence the quality of blood reaching the patient by their manufacturing designs. New hollow-fiber membrane oxygenators are developed with integrated arterial filters to reduce priming volume and eliminate a separate arterial filter in the circuit. To evaluate the performance of these new oxygenators, we used a simulated model to compare the Quadrox-i Neonatal and the Capiox Baby FX05 neonatal oxygenators and to provide a review of these oxygenators with their respective counterparts which have separate arterial filters. We found that microemboli counts for the new Quadrox-i and Capiox FX05 oxygenators are similar in the arterial line, but different across the oxygenator for all experimental conditions. The arterial purge line diverting blood from the patient reduces microemboli count for the Capiox FX05, but is inconsistent for the Quadrox-i Neonatal. While hemodynamic energy delivered to the patient is similar for both oxygenators, shunted blood flow for the Quadrox-i Neonatal oxygenator is three times higher than the Capiox FX05 (103.6 mL/min vs 33.0 mL/min at 400 mL/min and 35°C) (p<0.001).

Staphylococcus aureus infections after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND

More data on the risk factors and outcomes after Staphylococcus aureus infections in liver transplantation are needed.

METHODS

Liver recipients with S. aureus infections (cases) were retrospectively identified and compared to gender-, age-, and transplant type-matched (1:2) non-S. aureus-infected controls. Risk factors associated with S. aureus infections were identified by conditional logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

We evaluated 51 patients (median age 52 years). First S. aureus infections developed at a median time of 29 days after transplantation, with 52.94% of them in the first month; 88.24% were nosocomial, 41.18% were polymicrobial, and 47.06% were caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Surgical site infections represented 58.82% and bacteremia 23.53%. By univariate analysis, patients with S. aureus infections were intubated more frequently (odds ratio [OR] 26.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.23-3,504.15, p = 0.0006), had a central line (OR 11.69, 95% CI 1.42-95.9, p = 0.02), or recent surgery (OR 26.92, 95% CI 3.23-3,504.15, p = 0.0006) compared with controls. By multivariate analysis, subjects who underwent surgery within 2 weeks prior to infection had a 26.9 times higher risk of developing S. aureus infection (95% CI 3.23-3,504.15, p = 0.0006); these results were adjusted for matched criteria. S. aureus infections did not affect graft or patient survival, but the study was not powered for such outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Only recent surgical procedure was found to be a significant independent risk factor for S. aureus infections after liver transplantation.

Evaluation of three hollow-fiber membrane oxygenators without integrated arterial filters for neonatal cardiopulmonary bypass

The cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) procedure has been shown to be a possible cause of postoperative neurological morbidity for various reasons, including: large amounts of gaseous microemboli (GME) reaching the patient and hypoperfusion of the patient due to "stolen" blood flow. This study used a simulated CPB circuit identical to that in a clinical setting to examine three different hollow-fiber membrane oxygenators without intergrated arterial filters - the Capiox RX05, the Quadrox-i neonatal, and the KIDS D100 - to determine their ability to reduce the number of GME delivered to the neonatal patient and their hemodynamic properties in response to varying flow rates, normothermic vs hypothermic conditions, and open vs closed purge line. The circuit was primed with Ringer's Lactate and then human blood with a hematocrit of 30%. Injections of 5cc bolusses of air were injected into the venous line proximal to the venous reservoir over a thirty-second interval. Six injections were done for each oxygenator at each of the eight different experimental conditions for a total of 64 experiments per oxygenator (192 total injections). A flow probe, pressure transducer, and Emboli Detection and Classification (EDAC) quantifier transducer were positioned both upstream and downstream of the oxygenator to measure differences in each parameter. Results demonstrated that the Capiox RX05 is the most effective oxygenator at reducing the number of microemboli that potentially can be delivered to the neonatal patient. In regards to the hemodynamic properties, the Quadrox-i has the most favorable results, with the lowest mean pressure drop and the best energy retention across the oxygenator.

Benefits of pulsatile flow in pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass procedures: from conception to conduction

This review on the benefits of pulsatile flow includes not only experimental and clinical data, but also attempts to further illuminate the major factors as to why this debate has continued during the past 55 years. Every single component of the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuitry is equally important for generating adequate quality of pulsatility, not only the pump. Therefore, translational research is a necessity to select the best components for the circuit. Generation of pulsatile flow depends on an energy gradient; precise quantification in terms of hemodynamic energy levels is, therefore, a necessity, not an option. Comparisons between perfusion modes should be done after these basic steps have been taken. We have also included experimental and clinical data for direct comparisons between the perfusion modes. In addition, we included several suggestions for future clinical trials for other interested investigators.

Genomics of hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma and adjacent noncancerous tissues with cDNA microarray

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common primary cancer frequently associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, whether these identified genes are particularly associated with HBV-related HCC remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the differential gene expression between HBV-related HCC tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues.

METHODS

cDNA microarray was used to detect the differential gene expression profile in the HBV-related HCC tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to verify the differential expression of candidate genes obtained from cDNA microarray experiment.

RESULTS

In this study, 1369 genes or expressed sequence tags (ESTs) including 121 genes or ESTs with at least two-fold expression alterations between cancerous and noncancerous tissues were identified. Special AT-rich sequence binding protein 1 (SATB-1) expression was positive in 73% (16/22) of cancerous tissues and negative (0/22) in all noncancerous tissues of HBV-related HCC patients. Transmembrane 4 superfamily member 1 (TM4SF-1) expression was positive in 86% (19/22) of cancerous tissues and negative (0/22) in all noncancerous tissues. Suppression of tumorigenicity 14 (ST-14) expression was positive in 73% (16/22) of noncancerous tissues in patients with HBV-related HCC and negative in all HCC tissues (0/22).

CONCLUSION

This study provided the gene expression profile of HBV-related HCC and presented differential expression patterns of SATB-1, TM4SF-1 and ST-14 between cancerous and noncancerous tissues in patients with HBV-related HCC.

Hemodynamic evaluation of arterial and venous cannulae performance in a simulated neonatal extracorporeal life support circuit

Objective: To construct an ideal extracorporeal life support (ECLS) circuit in terms of hemodynamic performance, each component of the circuit should be evaluated. Most cannulae manufacturers evaluate their products using water as the priming solution. We conducted this study to evaluate the different sizes of arterial and venous cannulae in a simulated neonatal ECLS circuit primed with human blood.

Methods: The simulated neonatal ECLS circuit was composed of a Capiox Baby RX05 oxygenator, a Rotaflow centrifugal pump and a heater & cooler unit. Three Medtronic Bio-Medicus arterial cannulae (8Fr, 10Fr, 12Fr) and three venous cannulae (10Fr, 12Fr, 14Fr) were tested in seven combinations (8A-10V, 8A-12V, 10A-10V, 10A-12V, 10A-14V, 12A-12V, 12A-14V). All the experiments were conducted using human blood at a hematocrit of 40% and at a constant temperature of 37°C. The “tip to tip” priming volume of the entire circuit was 135ml. The blood volume of the pseudo patient was 500ml.

Results: Flow rates increased linearly with increasing size in both venous and arterial cannulae at the same pump speeds. The increase in flow rate was greater when changing the arterial cannulae (next size larger) compared to changing the venous cannulae (next size larger). The pressure drops of the arterial cannula were correlated with the flow rates, regardless of the pseudo patient pressure and the venous cannula used simultaneously.

Conclusions: The results show the difference in flow ranges and pressure drops of seven combinations of arterial and venous cannulae. It also suggests that the arterial cannula, not the venous cannula, has greater impact on the flow rate when a centrifugal pump is used in a neonatal ECLS circuit. The results of this study have been translated to further advancing the clinical practice in our institution.

Characteristics of male fertility after renal transplantation

We investigated factors such as time span between transplantation and having offspring, the dosage of immunosuppressive agents during fertilisation and the effects of fertilisation on recipient's renal allograft function in 212 male recipients registered at eight Chinese organ transplantation centres. Our results are as follows: the 212 male renal allograft recipients conceived with their wives between 15 and 204 months after transplantation. The wives who became pregnant at 15-24 months after the renal transplantation gave birth to a total of 20 babies with an average weight of 3115 ± 517 g, of which 3 (15.0%) were premature. The wives who became pregnant at 25-204 months after the renal transplantation gave birth to a total of 196 babies with an average weight of 3384 ± 438 g, of which 6 (3.1%) were premature. All recipients had normal renal function during the fertile period. In conclusion, the fertility capacity of male renal allograft recipients was associated with the time after transplantation and the dose of immunosuppressive agents used during fertilisation. It might be helpful to have a fertility capacity evaluation before fertilisation. There were no effects of fertility on renal allograft function.

Endotoxin tolerance impairs IL-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK) 4 and TGF-beta-activated kinase 1 activation, K63-linked polyubiquitination and assembly of IRAK1, TNF receptor-associated factor 6, and IkappaB kinase gamma and increases A20 expression

Endotoxin tolerance reprograms Toll-like receptor 4 responses by impairing LPS-elicited production of pro-inflammatory cytokines without inhibiting expression of anti-inflammatory or anti-microbial mediators. In septic patients, Toll-like receptor tolerance is thought to underlie decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in response to LPS and increased incidence of microbial infections. The impact of endotoxin tolerance on recruitment, post-translational modifications and signalosome assembly of IL-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK) 4, IRAK1, TNF receptor-associated factor (TRAF) 6, TGF-β-activated kinase (TAK) 1, and IκB kinase (IKK) γ is largely unknown. We report that endotoxin tolerization of THP1 cells and human monocytes impairs LPS-mediated receptor recruitment and activation of IRAK4, ablates K63-linked polyubiquitination of IRAK1 and TRAF6, compromises assembly of IRAK1-TRAF6 and IRAK1-IKKγ platforms, and inhibits TAK1 activation. Deficiencies in these signaling events in LPS-tolerant cells coincided with increased expression of A20, an essential deubiquitination enzyme, and sustained A20-IRAK1 associations. Overexpression of A20 inhibited LPS-induced activation of NF-κB and ablated NF-κB reporter activation driven by ectopic expression of MyD88, IRAK1, IRAK2, TRAF6, and TAK1/TAB1, while not affecting the responses induced by IKKβ and p65. A20 shRNA knockdown abolished LPS tolerization of THP1 cells, mechanistically linking A20 and endotoxin tolerance. Thus, deficient LPS-induced activation of IRAK4 and TAK1, K63-linked polyubiquitination of IRAK1 and TRAF6, and disrupted IRAK1-TRAF6 and IRAK1-IKKγ assembly associated with increased A20 expression and A20-IRAK1 interactions are new determinants of endotoxin tolerance.

Activation of cytokine-producing and antitumor activities of natural killer cells and macrophages by engagement of Toll-like and NOD-like receptors

Macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells are important antitumor effectors by virtue of their ability to produce cytokines, chemokines and interferons (IFNs) and to mediate tumor cytotoxicity. Little is known about the impact of Toll-like receptor (TLR) and nucleotide binding and oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor (NLR) pathways on NK cell functions, and the role of TLRs and NLRs in macrophage activation is incompletely understood. In this study, we examined the capacities of expressed TLRs and NLRs to elicit cytokine production in human NK cells and THP1 macrophages, and to activate NK cytotoxicity against the squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck cell line Tu167 and erythroleukemia K562 cells. We found that NK cells express high levels of NOD2, NLRP3, TLR3, TLR7, and TLR9, while NOD1 was expressed at low levels. All tested NLR and TLR agonists potentiated NK cytotoxicity against Tu167 cells, whereas only poly (I:C) increased NK cytotoxicity against K562 cells. Poly (I:C) and Escherichia coli RNA markedly up-regulated TNF-α and IFN-γ expression in the NK92 cell line and human CD56(+)CD3(-) primary NK cells. High levels of NOD2, TLR7 and TLR9 proteins were observed in human THP1 cells, followed by TLR3, NOD1, and NLRP3. Stimulation of NLRP3 with E. coli RNA led to the highest induction of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12p40, RANTES and IFN-β, whereas TLR7, TLR3, TLR9, NOD1 and NOD2 agonists had lower effects. Our data reveal involvement of TLRs and NLRs in potentiation of antitumor cytotoxicity and cytokine-producing activities of human NK cells and macrophages.

Asp299Gly TLR4 polymorphism impairs sensing of Escherichia coli, Rickettsia akari and LPS-mediated activation of MyD88- and TRIF-dependent signaling pathways (37.17)

TLR4 is a key sensor of Gram negative bacteria and LPS. The Asp299Gly (D299G) and Thr399Ile (T399I) SNPs of TLR4 have been associated with increased risks or severity of certain bacterial infections and Gram negative sepsis. This study employed transfection-based complementation of TLR4-negative HEK293T cells to elucidate the role of TLR4 SNPs in sensing Gram-negative bacteria and LPS, and to determine their effect on LPS-elicited activation of MyD88- and TRIF-dependent signaling pathways. Overexpression of wild-type YFP-TLR4 led to marked activation of the NF-κB-dependent pELAM-luciferase reporter in HEK293/CD14/MD2 transfectants exposed to heat-killed E. coli, R. akari and LPS, whereas the D299G (but not T399I) TLR4 exhibited signaling deficiency. Likewise, LPS-mediated activation of TRIF-dependent pRANTES-luciferase and p125 (IFN-beta)-luciferase reporters was significantly lower in HEK293/CD14/MD-2 cells expressing D299G YFP-TLR4. Immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analyses revealed similar total expression levels of wild-type and mutant YFP-TLR4 proteins, and similar LPS binding was observed in HEK293/CD14/MD-2 cells expressing WT or mutant TLR4 species, as detected by FACS. Our data indicate that the D299G SNP impairs TLR4-elicited activation of MyD88- and TRIF-dependent signaling pathways in response to heat-inactivated Gram negative bacteria and LPS not due to lower expression levels of mutant TLR4 or impaired LPS recognition by D299G TLR4/MD2/CD14 complexes.

Reprogramming of TLR4 signaling in endotoxin tolerance: altered IRAK4 and TAK1 activation, K63-linked polyubiquitination and signalosome assembly of IRAK1, TRAF6, IKKγ and increased A20 expression (136.23)

Prior exposure to LPS induces endotoxin tolerance that impairs TLR4-elicited pro-inflammatory cytokines without inhibiting anti-inflammatory or anti-microbial mediators, and is important for pathogenesis of the anti-inflammatory response syndrome and secondary infections in septic patients. The impact of endotoxin tolerance on the earliest TLR4 signaling events is largely unknown. We report that endotoxin tolerization impairs LPS-mediated activation of IRAK4 and TAK1 in human monocytes and THP1 cells. Overexpression of wild-type and mutant ubiquitin variants and the use of antibodies discriminating K48- vs. K63-linked polyubiquitin chains revealed that endotoxin tolerization compromises LPS-induced K63-linked, but not K48-linked polyubiquitination of IRAK1 and TRAF6. Diminished K63-linked polyubiquitination of IRAK1 and TRAF6 correlated with compromised LPS-inducible IRAK1-TRAF6 and IRAK1-IKKγ complex assemblies observed in endotoxin-tolerant cells. Alterations in these proximal signaling events manifested by LPS-tolerant cells correlated with increased expression of A20, an essential de-ubiquitination enzyme that targets TRAF6 to remove K63-linked polyubiquitin chains. Thus, deficiencies in LPS-induced activation of IRAK4 and TAK1, K63-linked polyubiquitination of IRAK1 and TRAF6 and IRAK1-TRAF6 and IRAK1-IKKγ assembly associated with increased expression of A20 represent new critical molecular determinants of endotoxin tolerance.

Low molecular weight heparin in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis: a multiple centre prospective clinical study

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).

METHODS

A total of 265 SAP patients were randomly divided into two groups: firstly, the conventional treatment group (C group, n = 130; and secondly the conventional treatment plus the LMWH treatment group (LT group, n = 135). The clinical parameters, laboratory parameters and computed tomography (CT) score of pancreatic necrosis (CTSPN) in the two groups were compared.

RESULTS

On admission, all the clinical parameters, laboratory parameters and CTSPN in the two groups were not significantly different (p > 0.05). However, after treatment, in LT group, the clinical presentation improvement rate and laboratory parameters improvement were significantly higher than those in C group (p < 0.05-0.01), and the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score, complication rate, mortality and mean hospital stay in LT group were obviously lower than those in C group (p < 0.05-0.01). The CT score in LT group was much lower than that in C group (p < 0.05). Two weeks after treatment FBI decreased obviously in C group, but not in LT group, and no haemorrhagic complications occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

LMWH can enhance the effect of conventional treatment for SAP, and can markedly decrease the mortality of SAP. LMWH is a simple, safe, economic and effective method for treatment of SAP. It is can be used in every hospital.

Effect of low molecular weight heparin on pancreatic micro-circulation in severe acute pancreatitis in a rodent model

BACKGROUND

Alleviation of microcirculation disorders in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) can improve survival rates, and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is well known to have potent ameliorative effect on microcirculation disorders caused by anti-coagulant activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of LMWH on pancreatic microcirculation in SAP in rats.

METHODS

SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham operation (S) group, SAP group, and LMWH treatment (LT) group. The concentrations of serum amylase, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), endothelin-1 (ET-1), pancreatic ultrastructure were examined at 24 hours after the models were set up in each group.

RESULTS

Compared with S group, the concentration of serum amylase, ET-1, and TNF-alpha in SAP group were significantly increased (P < 0.001); After LMWH treatment, the concentration of serum amylase, ET-1, TNF-alpha were decreased significantly compared with SAP group (P < 0.001, 0.01, 0.001, respectively). On electron microscopy, the microthrombosis in LT group was significantly less than that in SAP group. The 3-day survival rate in SAP group (25.0%) was significantly lower than that in S group (100.0%, P < 0.05) and in LT group (87.5%, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The disorder of pancreatic microcirculation may be involved in the inflammatory response of rats with SAP. LMWH can effectively improve the survival rate of SAP, and alleviate the severity of microcirculation disorders through its antithrombin effects and down-regulate the levels of serum ET-1 and TNF-alpha.

CD4+ T helper cell response is required for memory in CD8+ T lymphocytes induced by a poly(I:C)-adjuvanted MHC I-restricted peptide epitope

It was known that double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) has vaccine adjuvant activity by acting through the dsRNA/toll-like receptor (TLR)3 signaling. More recently, it was reported that immunization of mice with a poly(I:C)-adjuvanted major histocompatibility (MHC) class I-restricted peptide epitope derived from a tumor-specific antigen protein induced strong tumor-killing CD8 CTL responses. However, it remains unclear whether the poly(I:C) can help an MHC class I-restricted peptide epitope to induce a strong and functional memory CD8 CTL response in the absence of a T helper (TH) response. By using in vivo CTL and direct tumor challenging assays, we demonstrated that, although poly(I:C) as a vaccine adjuvant significantly enhanced the immune responses induced by an MHC I-restricted peptide epitope, MHC class II-restricted TH cell responses were still required to generate memory CTL responses. The MHC class II-restricted TH epitopes can be cognate, noncognate, or even from the necrotic bodies of un-related tumor cells. Thus, future efforts of using synthetic dsRNA as an adjuvant to induce specific and long-lasting memory CTL immune responses should include the provision of an appropriate TH cell response.

Learning from viruses: the necrotic bodies of tumor cells with intracellular synthetic dsRNA induced strong anti-tumor immune responses

PURPOSE

Coaxing dead tumor cells to induce specific immune responses is an attractive tumor therapy. However, there continues to be a need for adjuvants that can promote the cross-presentation of the dead tumor cells to induce specific anti-tumor response. Viral dsRNA has multiple mechanisms to promote the cross-presentation of viral antigens in virus-infected cells. We propose to learn from viruses by generating dead tumor cells having synthetic dsRNA delivered inside them to allow the dsRNA to promote the cross-presentation of dead tumor cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using synthetic dsRNA, poly(I:C), and the TC-1 cervical cancer model, we evaluated the extent to which the poly(I:C) can promote the necrotic bodies of TC-1 cells to induce specific anti-tumor immune response. The poly(I:C) was either simply mixed with the dead TC-1 cells or pre-loaded inside them.

RESULTS

Immunization of tumor-bearing mice with the necrotic bodies of tumor cells admixed with poly(I:C) significantly inhibited the tumor growth. More importantly, immunization with the necrotic bodies having poly(I:C) pre-loaded inside led to a significantly stronger anti-tumor response than when the necrotic bodies were simply admixed with the poly(I:C), apparently through a CD8(+) CTL response-mediated mechanism.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings are expected to be clinically relevant for devising improved whole cell-based tumor vaccines.

Microbial transformation of curcumol by Cunninghamella blakesleana

Microbial transformation of curcumol (1) by Cunninghamella blakesleana (AS 3.970) yielded six metabolites. On the basis of spectral data, their structures were elucidated as 14-hydroxy-9E curcumol (2), 10R,14-dihydroxy curcumol (3), 10S,14-epoxy curcumol (4), 10R,14-epoxy curcumol (5), 10S,14-epoxy-7,11-dehydrocurcumol (6), 10R,14-epoxy-7,11-dehydrocurcumol (7), respectively. Among them 2, 3, 6 and 7 are new compounds; 4 and 5, 6 and 7 are two pairs of epimers.

Patterns of practice and outcomes in intermediate- and high-risk stage I and II endometrial cancer: a population-based study

To evaluate patterns of practice and outcomes in intermediate- and high-risk stage I and II endometrial cancer in the province of Ontario, Canada. This was a retrospective population-based study of women diagnosed with stage I and II endometrial cancer in Ontario from 1996 to 2000. After excluding low-risk (stages IA and IB, grades 1 and 2) and nonendometrioid histologies, the population was stratified into two risk groups: intermediate risk (stages IA and IB, grade 3; stages IC and IIA, grades 1 and 2; stage IIA, grade 3 if <50% myometrial invasion) and high risk (stage IC, grade 3; stage IIA, grade 3 if >50% myometrial invasion, and all stage IIB). Patterns of practice were assessed in each risk group, including use of surgical staging and adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy (APRT). Cox proportional hazards models determined effects of prognostic factors on 5-year overall survival (OS), including age, income, comorbidities, lymphvascular space invasion (LVSI), surgical staging, and APRT. There were 995 women in this study: 748 intermediate risk (75.2%) and 247 high risk (24.8%). Only 69 (9.2%) and 40 (16.2%) women underwent surgical staging in the intermediate- and high-risk groups, respectively. Surgical staging did not reduce rates of APRT. Determinants of survival included age >60 and comorbidities in the intermediate-risk group, and age >60, income, and LVSI in the high-risk group. In this population-based study, there were variable patterns of practice for intermediate- and high-risk stage I and II endometrial cancer. Surgical staging and APRT did not affect OS

The quantification of ADAMTS expression in an animal model of cerebral ischemia using real-time PCR

BACKGROUND

ADAMTS1 and ADAMTS8 are proteases involved in extracellular matrix proteolysis and antiangiogenesis, but little is known about their expression and function in cerebral ischemia. We investigated the changes in ADAMTS1 and ADAMTS8 in a rat model of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). The expressions of glyseraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), beta-actin, cyclophilin, and RPL13A were examined in order to validate the appropriate housekeeping genes for a long duration after inducing cerebral ischemia.

METHODS

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to pMCAO, and ischemic penumbra was collected at 2, 24 h, 3, 7, and 21 days after inducing ischemia, ADAMTS1, ADAMTS8, and the four housekeeping genes were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RESULTS

The expression of beta-actin increased up to 21 days, and that of GAPDH decreased at 24 h after pMCAO, with no statistically significant changes in RPL13A and cyclophilin being detected. ADAMTS1 mRNA increased at 2 h after pMCAO, peaked at 24 h, and remained at a high level until 21 days. The expression of ADAMTS8 mRNA decreased at 2 and 24 h after pMCAO, followed by a slight increase at 3 days, and then decreased again at 7 days.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that RPL13A and cyclophilin are two appropriate housekeeping genes for the rat pMCAO model up to 21 days. ADAMTS1 mRNA levels increased, but ADAMTS8 decreased after pMCAO. Our data provide new insight into the mechanism of brain ischemia and self-repair after injury.

Three major urinary metabolites of sinomenine in rats

Urinary metabolites of sinomenine were investigated in rats after intragastric administration. Three major metabolites were obtained and characterised as 4-hydroxy-3,7,7-trimethoxy-17-methyl-(9alpha,13alpha,14alpha)-morphinan-6-one (1), 7,8-didehydro-4-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxy-17-methyl-N-oxide-(9alpha,13alpha,14alpha)-morphinan-6-one (2), and 7,8-didehydro-4-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxy-(9alpha,13alpha,14alpha)-morphinan-6-one (3). Their structures have been elucidated on the base of spectral analysis, among which 1 and 2 were new compounds.

Synthetic double-stranded RNA poly(I:C) as a potent peptide vaccine adjuvant: therapeutic activity against human cervical cancer in a rodent model

Due to the inherent lack of immunogenicity of peptides, it is generally recognized that the strong inflammatory signals that are required to elicit specific responses against peptide-based therapeutic tumor vaccines may not be provided by the standard/conventional vaccine adjuvants. In this study, we have demonstrated dsRNA in the form of synthetic pI:C as a potent adjuvant to enhance the specific anti-tumor immune responses against a peptide-based vaccine. When complexed with an MHC I-restricted minimal peptide epitope derived from the HPV 16 E7 protein, the resulting pI:C/E7(49-57) molecular complex induced strong E7(49-57)-specific CTL responses that caused significant regressions of model human cervical cancer tumors pre-established in mice. In addition, although the proportion of DCs in tumor-bearing mice was significantly decreased when compared to that in naïve mice, immunization with pI:C/E7(49-57 )restored the proportion of DCs in tumor-bearing mice. Double-stranded RNA may hold a great potential as an adjuvant to induce cellular immune responses for tumor immunotherapy.

Self-assembled pattern formation of block copolymers on the surface of the sphere using self-consistent field theory

The spherical surface is spatially discretized with triangular lattices to numerically calculate the Laplace-Beltrami operator contained in the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) equations using a finite volume method. Based on this method we have developed a spherical alternating-direction implicit (ADI) scheme for the first time to help extend real-space implementation of SCFT in 2D flat space to the surface of the sphere. By using this method, we simulate the equilibrium microphase separation morphology of block copolymers including AB diblocks, ABC linear triblocks and ABC star triblock copolymers occurred on the spherical surface. In general, two classes of microphase separation morphologies such as striped patterns for compositionally symmetric block copolymers and spotted patterns for asymmetric compositions have been found. In contrast to microphase separation morphology in 2D flat space, the geometrical characteristics of a sphere has a large influence on the self-assembled morphology. For striped patterns, several of spiral-form and ring-form patterns are found by changing the ratio of the radius of a sphere to the averaging width of the stripes. The specific pattern such as the striped and spotted pattern with intrinsic dislocations or defects stems from formed periodic patterns due to microphase separation of block copolymers arranged on the curved surface.