Practical scale evaluation of a photocatalytic air purifier equipped with a Titania-zeolite composite bead filter for VOC removal and viral inactivation

A practical scale photocatalytic air purifier equipped with a TiO₂/H-ZSM-5 composite bead filter was demonstrated to be able to effectively remove indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and viruses with sustainable performances under UVA-LED illumination. TiO₂ hybridized with 5 wt% H-ZSM-5 zeolite significantly enhanced its photocatalytic activity for degrading VOCs including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and toluene, than bare TiO₂. H-ZSM-5 provided strong adsorption sites for these compounds, thus accelerating their photocatalytic conversion into CO₂ by adjacent TiO₂ photocatalyst. Moreover, owing to its superior adsorption capacity, the composite bead filter completely prevented the emission of formaldehyde produced by photocatalytic oxidation of toluene. The sustainability of this composite bead filter for VOC removal was confirmed by regeneration and accelerated durability tests. In addition, the photocatalytic air purifier was effective in removing aerosolized viral particles of bacteriophage Phi-X 174. It was confirmed that the viruses on filter surfaces were completely inactivated by photocatalytic oxidation. TiO₂/H-ZSM-5 composite beads also exhibited excellent efficacies for inactivation of pathogenic coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2. The photocatalytic process degraded viral RNAs of SARS-CoV-2 by more than 99.999% in 1 h, eliminating the viral infectivity. Results of this study suggest that the air purifier equipped with the composite bead filter is ready for practical applications for home and hospital uses.

Characterisation of the complete mitochondrial genome, genetic diversity and maternal origin of Huainan Partridge chicken

1. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the complete mitochondrial genome, genetic diversity and maternal origin of Huainan Partridge chicken (HPC).2. One complete mitochondrial genome and 37 complete D-loop regions of HPC were sequenced. Moreover, 400 mitochondrial genome D-loop sequences of Chinese native chicken were downloaded from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information database.3. The complete HPC genome was 16,785 bp in size, including 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes and one non-coding control region. The haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity of HPC were 0.964, and 0.00615, respectively. Twenty-three variable sites defining 22 haplotypes were identified, and the 22 haplotypes were distributed into three haplogroups (A, B, and C).4. In conclusion, HPC has a typical vertebrate mitochondrial genome, relatively high haplotype diversity, relatively low nucleotide diversity, and potentially three maternal lineages. HPC showed considerable genetic information exchange with Southwest Chinese chicken populations and had not admixed with European commercial breeds in the course of domestication.

[Comparative analysis of serum glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid levels in patients with bipolar depressive disorder and major depression disorder]

Objective: To investigate the difference of serum glutamate (Glu) and gamma- aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels between depressive patients and bipolar disorder patients with depressive episodes. Methods: From May 2018 to March 2019, forty-seven patients with depression (depression group) and 45 patients with bipolar depressive episode (bipolar depression group) were selected from the department of psychiatry, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, and 41 healthy controls (healthy control group) were simultaneously recruited from the community. The subjects' depression and anxiety were assessed by 17 items of Hamilton depression scale (HAMD-17) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). The serum levels of Glu, GABA and Glu decarboxylase (GAD) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) . Results: The serum Glu level ( (36±7) mg/L, (37±7) mg/L vs (28±4) mg/L, F=10.97, P<0.01) and Glu/GABA ratio (5.77±0.35, 8.18±0.24 vs 3.35±0.33, F=37.68, P<0.01) in depression and bipolar depression groups were higher than those of healthy control group, while the GABA level ((6.1±0.7) μmol/L,(4.1±0.8) μmol/L vs (8.1±1.2) μmol/L, F=21.61, P<0.01) and GAD ((31±6) U/L, (31±6) U/L vs (35±6) U/L, F=5.61, P<0.01) were lower than those of healthy control group. The level of serum GABA in bipolar depression group was lower than that in depression group. However, Glu/GABA was higher in bipolar depression group than that in depression group (P<0.01). The level of serum GABA in depression group was negatively correlated with HAMD sleep disorder factor (r=-0.46, P=0.01). Conclusions: Both depression and bipolar depression have abnormal levels of Glu, GABA neurotransmitters and imbalance between Glu and GABA in peripheral blood circulation. Moreover, these abnormalities are more obvious in patients with bipolar depression.

Whole-transcriptome sequencing of knee joint cartilage from osteoarthritis patients

Objectives

The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive understanding of alterations in messenger RNAs (mRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) in cartilage affected by osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

The expression profiles of mRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs in OA cartilage were assessed using whole-transcriptome sequencing. Bioinformatics analyses included prediction and reannotation of novel lncRNAs and circRNAs, their classification, and their placement into subgroups. Gene ontology and pathway analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs), and differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs). We focused on the overlap of DEGs and targets of DELs previously identified in seven high-throughput studies. The top ten DELs were verified by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in articular chondrocytes, both in vitro and in vivo.

Results

In total, 739 mRNAs, 1152 lncRNAs, and 42 circRNAs were found to be differentially expressed in OA cartilage tissue. Among these, we identified 18 overlapping DEGs and targets of DELs, and the top ten DELs were screened by expression profile analysis as candidate OA-related genes. WISP2, ATF3, and CHI3L1 were significantly increased in both normal versus OA tissues and normal versus interleukin (IL)-1β-induced OA-like cell models, while ADAM12, PRELP, and ASPN were shown to be significantly decreased. Among the identified DELs, we observed higher expression of ENST00000453554 and MSTRG.99593.3, and lower expression of MSTRG.44186.2 and NONHSAT186094.1 in normal versus OA cells and tissues.

Conclusion

This study revealed expression patterns of coding and noncoding RNAs in OA cartilage, which added sets of genes and noncoding RNAs to the list of candidate diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic agents for OA patients.

Cite this article: H. Li, H. H. Yang, Z. G. Sun, H. B. Tang, J. K. Min. Whole-transcriptome sequencing of knee joint cartilage from osteoarthritis patients. Bone Joint Res 2019;8:290–303. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.87.BJR-2018-0297.R1.

DVM students report higher psychological distress than the Australian public, medical students, junior medical officers and practicing veterinarians

AIM

To measure the stress levels of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students at the University of Sydney using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) questionnaire.

METHODS

DVM students in years 1 to 4 were surveyed in semester 2 of 2018. The voluntary online survey consisted of 6 demographic questions and the K10 scale, a standardised measure of stress commonly used in Australia by medical practitioners for evaluation and referral to mental health professionals. Academic year cohorts were compared to identify differences in stress levels. Cohorts were compared to published K10 scores from various populations including the Australian public, medical students, practicing veterinarians, and Junior Medical Officers (JMOs).

RESULTS

The response rate was 54.4% (n = 237). DVM students experienced a higher level of psychological distress (mean 24, median 23, range 10-50) than the Australian population (mean 14.5, median 13, range 10-50), medical students (mean 18.4, median 16, range 10-50), practicing veterinarians (mean 16.7, median 15.5, range 10-30), and JMOs (mean 18.1, median 16, range 10-50). Female students (median 23) had a significantly higher level of psychological distress compared to male students (median 18) (p = 0.0005). International students (median 23) had a higher level of psychological stress than domestic students (median 22) (p = 0.0488). Different year cohorts, age range, work hours, and exercise were not associated with difference in stress levels.

CONCLUSION

Based on higher levels of stress in DVM students than that of the general population, practicing veterinarians, JMOs and medical students, there is an urgent need for evidence-based interventions to target stress in DVM students.

[Predictive study on recurrence of chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps by tissue eosinophils and sinus CT]

Objective: To investigate the correlation between postoperative recurrence and clinical parameters in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), and to study predicitve value of total scores of eosinophils (EOS) and sinus CT for postoperative recurrence. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 264 patients with CRSwNP who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from June 2013 to December 2015 was performed. The patient was subjected to a visual analogue scale (VAS) score, a skin prick test, a peripheral blood cell count, a sinus CT score, and a nasal polyp EOS count. All patients underwent endoscopic surgery and were followed up for at least 2 years. The demographic characteristics of the nasal polyps recurrence group and the non-recurrence group were compared with other clinical indicators. Quantitative data were compared by t test or Mann-Whitney U test, qualitative data were compared by chi-square test, and Logistic regression analysis was used for Logistic regression analysis. The risk factors for recurrence were assessed. The best cut-off value was determined by using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The predictive value of the parameters was determined by area under curve (AUC). The difference was statistically significant at P<0.05. Results: The recurrence rate of the study patients was 43.56% (115/264). Sex, olfactory VAS score, total sinus CT score, peripheral blood neutrophil ratio, peripheral blood EOS absolute value and proportion, and tissue EOS absolute value and proportion were associated with postoperative recurrence of nasal polyps (χ(2)=5.241, t=-3.146, t=-7.441, χ(2)=180.617, t=-5.313, χ(2)=100.067, t=-7.471, χ(2)=258.916, all P<0.05), and the tissue EOS ratio and total sinus CT scores have higher predictive value for recurrence of nasal polyps (AUC values were 0.793, 0.767, respectively, all P<0.001). With the EOS ratio of nasal polyps >0.032, the sensitivity of predicting recurrence was 83.48%, the specificity was 56.38%. With the total score of sinus CT>15, the sensitivity of predicting recurrence was 51.30% and the specificity was 87.25%. The combined sensitivity of predictive recurrence was 92.00% and the specificity was 49.20%. Conclusion: The percentage of EOS in nasal polyps and the total score of sinus CT in patients with CRSwNP have better predictive diagnostic value for recurrence of nasal polyps.

[Evaluation of efficacy of 1 year after completing the 2-year specific sublingual immunotherapy treatment course in allergic rhinitis]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of treatment at 1 year after completing the 2-year specific sublingual immunotherapy in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 124 patients with AR who were allergic to dust mite and treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University since 2012 was performed. All patients achieved sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for 2 years and had a regular follow-up over 1 year. Efficacy evaluation index such as VAS score, total nasal symptom score and total medication score were compared between the time of SLIT for 2 years, and 1 year after termination of SLIT. Paired t test was used for the comparison of scores. Results: Compared with those before treatment, the VAS score, total nasal symptom score and total medication score at the time of SLIT for 2 years were significantly decreased in all patients with AR [(9.40±5.96) vs (24.78±6.36), (4.53±2.06) vs (9.51±2.02), (0.42±0.87) vs (3.02±0.41), t value was 17.627, 24.600, 5.331, respectively, all P<0.01]. Compared with 2 years SLIT treatment, VAS score and total nasal symptom score were significantly increased than 1 year after termination of immunotherapy [(12.52±6.92) vs (9.40±5.96), (5.30±2.36) vs (4.53±2.06), t=5.199, 3.744, respectively, all P<0.01], but the total medication score showed no significant difference [(0.34±0.84) vs (0.42±0.87), t=-1.043, P>0.05]. Conclusions: The symptoms after 2 years SLIT in patients with AR have been well controlled. One year after the termination of SLIT, there is a certain rebound in symptoms, 2 years SLIT may not be the ideal treatment cycle for AR.

[Clinical characteristics and whole exon sequence study of a Chinese family with autosomal dominant lateral temporal lobe epilepsy]

Objective: To explore the genetic characteristics in a Chinese family with autosomal dominant lateral temporal lobe epilepsy (ADLTE) and analyze the correlation between genotype and phenotype. Methods: The natural history, clinical data and peripheral blood sample were collected in all patients and two healthy members of this ADLTE family. Whole exon sequence (WES) analysis strategy was used to explore the underlying mutations. Possible causative genetic variation was further confirmed by direct PCR and Sanger sequencing. The genotype-phenotype features were compared with previously reported cases. Results: A novel pathogenetic LGI1 frameshift mutation p.T134fs was identified in this study. The clinical phenotype was different from reported. Conclusion: This study reports a pathogenic LGI1 mutation in a Chinese ADLTE family for the first time, which suggests that LGI1 is a new genetic abnormality of ADLTE in Chinese.

[Epidemiologic characteristics and risk factors for congenital hypothyroidism from 1989 to 2014 in Beijing]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the epidemiologic characteristics and risk factors for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in Beijing between the years 1989 and 2014.

METHODS

Information on neonatal screening, and diagnoses and treatment of CH from 1989 to 2014 were obtained from the database of the Beijing Neonatal Screening Center. The screening parameter was thyroid-stimulating hormone (thyrotropin; TSH), which was measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) from 1989 to 1995, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from 1996 to 2003, and time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (DELFIA(®)) from 2004 to 2014. The cutoff value of each screening method was set as the international standard for the corresponding years (20 mIU/L from 1989 to 1995 and 10 mIU/L from 1996 to 2014). CH was diagnosed using "The Technical Specification of Diagnosis and Treatment of Phenylketonuria and Congenital Hypothyroidism" , published in 2010 by the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China. Data on live birth infants were obtained from Beijing obstetric quality reports. The incidence of CH using different screening methods was compared, and trends in annual incidence were analyzed. To exclude the influence of different screening methods, data from the years 2004 to 2014 were used to identify the risk factors for CH.

RESULTS

Between 1989 and 2014, the incidence of CH in Beijing was 36.7 per 100 000 individuals, with permanent CH (PCH) and transient CH (TCH) having incidences of 16.4 per 100 000 and 15.9 per 100 000, respectively. The annual incidence of CH increased from 11.2 per 100 000 in 1989 to 51.0 per 100 000 in 2014 (χ(2)=119.02, P<0.001), with PCH increasing from 5.6 to 16.0 per 100 000 (χ(2)=34.38, P<0.001) and TCH increasing from 5.6 to 13.0 per 100 000 (χ(2)=26.93, P<0.001). Among the PCH cases, 70.44% (255/362) were thyroid dysgenesis or ectopic glands, while the other 29.56% (107/362) were dyshormonogenesis. Between 2004 and 2014, the incidence of CH in females (51.7/100 000) was higher than in males (37.0/100 000), and it was higher in post-term (334.5/100 000) and preterm births (77.8/100 000) than that in term births (41.4/100 000). It was also higher in the low birth weight (87.7/100 000) than the normal (42.4/100 000) and high birth weight (42.6/100 000) populations.

CONCLUSIONS

Between 1989 and 2014, there was a tendency towards an increase in the overall incidence of CH, and the incidence of both PCH and TCH in Beijing. Female sex, preterm birth, older gestational age, low birth weight, and preterm birth were risk factors affecting the incidence of CH in Beijing.

[The 452th case: rash, hypotension, abdominal pain and headache]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized with multiple organ involvements. Acute acalculous cholecystitis(AAC) is an extremely rare manifestation of digestive system involvement in SLE. We reported a case of 32-year-old woman who complained skin rashes for two weeks and stomachache and oliguria for one day. She had rashes at onset, and developed fever, stomachache, hypotension and headache. Physical examination at admission indicated blood pressure 76/47 mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), heart rate 107 beats/min, warm acra. Murphy's sign was positive. Ultrasound suggested the enlarged gallbladder with surrounding hypoecho band yet no biliary calculi were found. A diagnosis of SLE was made, characteristic with distributive shock at the onset and AAC, complicated with neuropsychiatric lupus and lupus nephritis. She had an acute and severe course of disease, which had been relieved after treatment of high dose glucocorticoid and immunosuppressants. This case arouses clinicians to pay more attention to AAC as a rare form of disease flare in SLE. Early diagnosis of AAC is crucial to a favorable prognosis and in avoid of abdominal surgery.

Abstract P5-08-20: Breast cancer patient survival prediction based on the signature derived from DNA methylation and mRNA expression

We analyzed a subset in the TCGA breast cancer data set for the samples with both expression and methylation assays. We first used the three Immunohistochemistry (IHC) markers for ER, PR and HER2 to find methylation sites that showed significant association to the IHC markers with Bonferroni adjustments. We obtained 2616 methylation sites in 2148 genes in the union of these significant methylation sites. On the other hand, based on the gene expression of samples, we selected top one percent most variable genes (179 genes). Intersection of the 2616 methylation markers with the 179 genes resulted in 58 methylation markers in 43 genes. We found 339 samples which have both expression and methylation data from which we can compute the correlation between the expression of a gene and the methylation of a marker in this gene. We defined a methylation expression index (MEI) which was a weighted sum of the expression of the 43 genes using the negative Spearman correlations as the weights. The expression index was applied in the survival analysis in three independent data sets GSE6532, NKI and METABRIC using Kaplan-Meier method and found the significant difference between the patient groups with high and low MEI index. Compared to the signature derived from the first principal component, the MEI gave better survival prediction across different data sets. We used Cox proportional hazards regression model to evaluate the hazard ratio of the MEI with adjustment of the other variables including age, grade, tumor size, ER and node and found HR=1.58 for the MEI with 95% confidence interval [1.06, 2.35].

Citation Format: Yang HH, Lee MP. Breast cancer patient survival prediction based on the signature derived from DNA methylation and mRNA expression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-08-20.

Determination of proteins at nanogram levels by a resonance light-scattering technique with tetra-substituted sulphonated aluminum phthalocyanine

This is the first report on the determination of proteins with tetra-substituted sulphonated aluminum phthalocyanine (AlS(4)Pc) by resonance light-scattering (RLS). At pH 3.0, the weak RLS of AlS(4)Pc can be enhanced by the addition of proteins. Based on this, a novel quantitative method has been developed for the determination of proteins in aqueous solutions. Under optimal conditions, the linear ranges of the calibration curves were 0.050-2.0 mug ml(-1) for both human serum albumin (HSA) and human r-IgG. The detection limits were 12.7 ng ml(-1) for HSA and 16.1 ng ml(-1) for human r-IgG. The method has been applied to the analysis of total protein in human serum samples collected from the hospital and the results were in good agreement with those reported by the hospital, which indicates that the method presented here is not only sensitive, simple, but also reliable and suitable for practical applications.

Abstract P3-04-04: Novel Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Signatures of Primary Breast Tumor Subtypes

Background: Gene expression signatures can be used to classify breast tumor tissues into distinct categories: luminal, “basal”, and HER2 subtypes, which have distinct clinical prognoses. Since gene expression is largely determined at the level of epigenetic modification, we hypothesize that DNA methylation signatures may also be used to classify breast tumor subtypes and possibly to define new cancer subtypes; thus, such epigenetic signatures can complement gene expression signatures for a better understanding of breast tumorigenesis and in turn, may lead to improvement in clinical diagnosis.

Material and Methods: We used antibodies to 5-methylcytosine to immunoprecipitate DNA enriched for methylation by means of the MeDIP method on 66 breast primary tumors. Then we analyzed the MeDIP-derived DNA by means of the Affymetrix 500K SNP array. We normalized DNA methylation data from the 66 tumors using a modified quantile normalization procedure. The data were generated in two phases, phase 1 consisting of 42 tumors and phase 2 containing 24 tumors, data from the latter being reserved for validation purposes. We concentrated DNA methylation analysis on the SNPs that are located within promoter regions, defined here as +/− 2 kb flanking the transcription start site (TSS), and within CpG islands, since methylation in these regions is especially relevant for gene expression regulation. We searched for DNA methylation signatures that show distinct patterns among tumors with different clinical phenotypes such as histological grade and lymph node involvement. Results: We identified one DNA methylation signature consists of 78 genes that separated the tumors with high grade from those with low-mid grade; we found another DNA methylation signature consists of 42 genes that separated the tumors with lymph node positive status from those with lymph node negative status. We were able to validate these signatures using methylation data obtained from an independent set of 24 tumors. The performance of the signature for predicting lymph node status in the testing samples showed accuracy of 83%, sensitivity of 70%, and specificity of 90%.

Discussion: We have identified DNA methylation signatures that could classify breast tumor subtypes and correlate with clinical phenotypes. We are investigating whether such epigenetic signatures can complement gene expression signatures for a better understanding of breast tumorigenesis and for application in clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-04-04.

The influence of complete coronary revascularization on long-term outcomes in patients with multivessel coronary heart disease undergoing successful percutaneous coronary intervention

The influence of complete revascularization (CR) compared with incomplete revascularization (ICR) on long-term outcomes was assessed in patients with multivessel coronary heart disease undergoing successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A retrospective analysis of the clinical data, lesion type and PCI data was carried out in 324 patients with multivessel coronary heart disease (CR group, 99 patients; ICR group, 225 patients). Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were recorded at follow-up (mean +/- SD follow-up interval, 18 +/- 7.1 months). There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups at follow-up, although the CR group showed a non-significant tendency to a higher incidence of non-fatal myocardial infarction, cardiac death, repeated revascularization and MACE compared with the ICR group. In conclusion, the long-term prognosis for ICR was not inferior to that for CR in patients with multivessel coronary heart disease undergoing successful PCI.

Safety and immunogenicity of an oral, inactivated, whole-cell vaccine for Shigella sonnei: preclinical studies and a Phase I trial

Orally delivered, inactivated whole-cell vaccines are safe methods of inducing local and systemic immunity. To increase surface proteins associated with adherence and invasion, Shigella sonnei were grown in BHI broth containing deoxycholate. A whole-cell vaccine (SsWC) was then produced by formalin inactivation. In pre-clinical studies, the SsWC vaccine was immunogenic and protected against S. sonnei-induced keratoconjunctivitis in the guinea pig model. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase I study, 10 evaluable subjects received either three doses of SsWC on Days 0, 14, and 28 (N = 3); five doses of SsWC on Days 0, 2, 4, 6, and 28 (N = 4); or placebo (N = 3). Each dose contained 2.0 x 10(10) inactivated cells. Serum and fecal antibodies against SsWC, LPS, and IpaC were measured by ELISA. A > or = 4-fold increase in titer was considered significant. Both SsWC dosing regimens were well tolerated. No fever or severe gastrointestinal symptoms were noted by any of the vaccinated subjects. Antibody responses were similar in the two dosing groups. Serum IgG or IgA responses to SsWC were seen in six of seven vaccinees (86%), to LPS in four of seven (57%), and to IpaC in five of seven (61%). Fecal IgA responses to these three antigens developed in five of five, three of five, and three of five subjects, respectively. Among the seven vaccinees, geometric mean rises in serum IgA levels to all three immunogens were significant; IgG increases trended toward significance (paired one-tailed t-test). We conclude that SsWC was immunogenic and protective in animal studies and well tolerated and immunogenic in a Phase I trial.

Morphometric Studies on the Testis of Korean Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus karpowi) during the Breeding and Non-breeding Seasons

The purpose of this study was to obtain detailed quantitative information on all cell types in the testis interstitium of Korean ring-necked pheasants and to combine these data with changes in the steroidogenic function of the testis during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. For animals collected during the breeding season, their testis weights, sperm production, serum testosterone levels and leuteinizing hormone (LH)-stimulated testosterone secretion were significantly (p < 0.01) increased compared to the non-breeding season. Testes of the pheasants during the non-breeding season displayed a 98% reduction in testis volume that was associated with a decrease in the absolute volume of seminiferous tubules (98% reduction), tubular lumen (100%), interstitium (90%), blood vessels (84%), lymphatic spaces (97%), Leydig cells (79%), mesenchymal cells (51%) and myoid cells (61%) compared to the breeding season. The numbers of Leydig cells, mesenchymal cells and myoid cells per testis in the breeding season were much higher than in the non-breeding season. Although the mean volume of a Leydig cell was 74% lower in the non-breeding season, the mean volumes of myoid and mesenchymal cells remained unchanged. These results demonstrate that there are striking differences in the testicular structure of the Korean ring-necked pheasant during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Every structural parameter of the Leydig cell was positively correlated with both testosterone serum levels and LH-stimulated testosterone secretion. The correlation of changes in hormonal status with the morphometric alterations of Leydig cells suggests that the Korean-ring necked pheasant may be used as a model to study structure-function relationships in the avian testis.

Macro- and nanoscale observations of adhesive behavior for several E. coli strains (O157:H7 and environmental isolates) on mineral surfaces

Subsurface biobarriers can be conceived to attenuate the migration of pathogens by adhesion to mineral surfaces. Candidate biobarrier materials of varied surface characteristics (dolomite, alpha-alumina, silica, pyrophyllite, and Pyrax (a composite form of pyrophyllite, mica, and silica)) were tested for Escherichia coli adhesive capacity in macroscale continuous-flow columns. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to determine nanoscale interaction energies. Predicted attractive interaction energies correlated well with macroscale adhesive behavior for tested E. coli strains. AFM measurements confirmed ExDLVO model predictions of attachment in the primary minima for E. coli O157:H7 and two environmental isolates E. coli (UCFL339 and UCFL-348) with MOPS conditioned Pyrax. In macroscale column experiments, pyrophyllite and Pyrax demonstrated significantly higher bacterial retention, higher deposition coefficients and lower initial cell breakthrough values for E. coli O157:H7 than did alpha-alumina, silica, or dolomite (pyrophyllite, 0.93, 3.56 h(-1), 3.2% ODo; Pyrax, 0.95, 3.73 h(-1), 2.8% ODo; alpha-alumina, 0.74, 1.60 h(-1), 33% ODo; silica, 0.63, 0.43 h(-1), 73% ODo; and dolomite, 0.33, 0.17 h(-1), 89% ODo, respectively). Bacterial hydrophilicity impacted cell retention in Pyrax columns with the relatively hydrophobic E. coli isolate UCFL-339 (0.99, 6.13 h(-1), 0.4% ODo) retained better than the more hydrophilic E. coli isolate UCFL348 (0.94, 3.70 h(-1), 3.6% ODo). The strong adhesive behavior of Pyrax was attributed to the hydrophobic (deltaGiwi = -32.4 mJ/m2) pyrophyllite component of the mineral. Vicinal water appears poised between the bacterial and the mineral surface during initial attachment. Overall, observed behavior of the various E. coli strains and the selected mineral surfaces was consistent with surface analyses, conducted at both the macro- and nanoscale.

Fluorescence immunoassay system based on the use of a pH-sensitive phase-separating polymer

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) [P(NIPAAm-co-MAA)], a linear water-soluble pH-sensitive phase-separating polymer, was synthesized and used as a novel separation carrier for the reactants in immunoassay. This polymer precipitates out of water below a critical pH 5.8 at 37 degrees C and redissolves when the pH of solution is above 6.2. The characteristic of this polymer makes it possible to carry out the immunochemical steps of an immunoassay in a true solution and then to quickly separate the resulting product from the reaction mixture. The above approach was applied to determination of alpha-fetoprotein with the competitive immunoassay format. Compared with traditional ELISA using the same reactants, the proposed method was much faster (the assay time decreased from 100-120 to 30 min) and showed similar sensitivity, i.e., 0.04 ng/mL. In addition, a sandwich immunoassay method for the determination of hepatitis B surface antigen was also studied, and the results showed that the pH phase-separating immunoassay could be carried out through a sandwich or a competitive method. This general technique may also be used for a wide variety of separation processes in addition to immunoassay, in which a specific component is to be isolated for analysis, recovery, or disposal.

Human papillomavirus type 16 is an important infectious factor in the high incidence of esophageal cancer in Anyang area of China

To investigate the potential role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the pathogenesis of esophageal carcinomas in the Anyang area of China, we have evaluated specimens collected by balloon cytology examination from volunteers in two regions with significantly different incidences of esophageal carcinoma. 138 donors were from a village in a county with an esophageal carcinoma (EC) age-adjusted mortality rate of 132x10(5), the remaining 68 were resident in a second village from another county with an EC mortality rate of 52x10(5). Specimens were evaluated using both polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and in situ hybridization (ISH) protocols. PCR results showed that the prevalence of the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) E6 gene in the high incidence area was 1.9-fold higher than that of the low incidence area (72 and 37%, respectively, P < 0.01). Moreover, the positive rate corresponded with pathology grade. Similar results were obtained with the HPV-16 E7 gene. As the cells undergoing cytopathological progress, the HPV-16 E6 positive rate was increased, in both villages. In contrast to HPV-16 E6 and E7, detection of the HPV L1 gene was consistently lower, and its prevalence decreased with increasing dysplasia grades (P < 0.05). By ISH analyses, the expression rate of HPV-16 E6 in the specimens collected from the high incidence area was 2.2-fold higher than those from the low incidence area (49 versus 22%, respectively; P < 0.05), and transcription of the E6 gene paralleled cytopathology. HPV-18 was also detected in 17 and 15% of the specimens from the high and low incidence areas, respectively, but most of these samples were also simultaneously HVP-16 positive. These results suggest that HVP-16 plays a causative role in the high incidence of esophageal cancer in the Anyang region of CHINA:

An Outbreak of Typhoid Fever, Xing‐An County, People's Republic of China, 1999: Estimation of the Field Effectiveness of Vi Polysaccharide Typhoid Vaccine

To evaluate the effectiveness of Vi polysaccharide vaccine (Vi vaccine) in preventing typhoid fever, an analysis was done of an outbreak of typhoid fever among students attending a middle school in the People's Republic of China, where Vi vaccine is licensed for use. Vi vaccine effectiveness was analyzed by using Cox proportional hazards modeling to account for the time-dependent nature of vaccination and illness status during the outbreak. Among 1260 students who had been immunized before the outbreak, receipt of Vi vaccine was associated with 73% (95% confidence interval [CI], 32%-89%) protection. Among the additional 441 students immunized during the outbreak, receipt of Vi vaccine was associated with 71% (95% CI, -9% to 92%) protection. These results provide the first evidence about the effectiveness of Vi vaccine when deployed routinely in a typhoid-endemic area and support the use of Vi vaccine as a public health tool to control typhoid fever.

Fluorescence immunoassay of alpha-fetoprotein with iron(III) tetrasulfonatophthalocyanine as a mimetic enzyme labeling reagent

A new fluorimetric immunoassay for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has been developed using a novel promising mimetic peroxidase, iron(III) tetrasulfonatophthalocyanine (FeTSPc), as a labeling reagent to catalyze the fluorescence reaction of P- hydroxyphenylacetic acid (P-HPA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In the competitive immunoassay, anti-AFP antibody was coated on a 96-well plate (polystyrene) and a constant amount of FeTSPc-labeled AFP and a known amount of test solution were added. Non-labeled and FeTSPc-labeled AFP compete for binding to the plate-bound antibody. After the immunoreaction, the immunochemically adsorbed FeTSPc-AFP conjugate moiety was determined by measuring the fluorescence produced in a solution containing P-HPA and H2O2. AFP can be determined in the concentration range of 1-300 ng mL(-1) with a detection limit of 0.5 ng mL(-1).

A new red-region substrate, tetra-substituted amino aluminium phthalocyanine, for the fluorimetric determination of H2O2 catalyzed by mimetic peroxidases

A new red-region fluorogenic substrate, tetra-substituted amino aluminium pthalocyanine, was developed for the selective determination of H2O2 based on the catalytic effect of mimetic peroxidases, viz., hemin or iron tetrasulfonatophthalocyanine (FeTSPc). Under the optimum conditions, the linearity of the calibration graph for the determination of H2O2 with hemin (or FeTSPc) as the catalyst was in the range from 0.0 to 3.0 x 10(-7) mol L-1 (or from 0.0 to 2.0 x 10(-6) mol L-1). The detection limits were 3.7 x 10(-9) and 4.9 x 10(-9) mol L-1 H2O2, respectively. The relative standard deviation (n = 7) was within 1.5% in the middle of the linear range. The peroxidase activity of the mimetic enzymes hemin and FeTSPc, the effects of some experimental conditions and the influence of foreign substances were investigated. With this substrate, 0.0-7.5 x 10(-8) mol L-1 hemin and 0.0-2.0 x 10(-6) mol L-1 FeTSPc can be determined with an accuracy and precision of about 1.3%. The potential application of the reagent was tested by the determination of H2O2 in rainwater.

Seasonal changes of testicular weight, sperm production, serum testosterone, and in vitro testosterone release in Korean ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus karpowi)

To study the biology of reproduction of male Korean ring-necked pheasants kept under natural conditions of temperature and photoperiod, testicular weight, serum testosterone concentrations, testosterone release from the luteinizing hormone (LH)-stimulated testis in vitro and sperm production were measured. Significant changes associated with seasonal cycles were found. Testis weight decreased dramatically in August, remained low until February, rapidly increased from March to high levels to June, and decreased subsequently. Serum testosterone concentrations remained little from August until February, but increased sharply in March to reach the highest levels in April. Thereafter, the concentrations decreased significantly from June. The testosterone release was low from August to February, increased abruptly in March to reach the highest levels in May, and showed rapid decrease thereafter. Sperm production decreased to nondetectable levels from August to February, increased markedly in March, reached a peak in May, and sharply decreased thereafter. Thus, the pheasants breed from late March to late June. These results indicate that the Korean ring-necked pheasant, under natural conditions, exhibits characteristics of a seasonal cycle in reproduction.

Efficacy trial of Vi polysaccharide vaccine against typhoid fever in south-western China

OBJECTIVE

To test the efficacy of locally produced Vi vaccine over a time period of longer than one year.

METHODS

A double-blinded, randomized field trial was performed in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south-western China, using 30 micrograms doses of locally produced Vi. Enrolled subjects were 3-50 years of age, although the majority (92%) were school-aged children, who have the highest rate of typhoid fever in this setting. A total of 131,271 people were systematically allocated a single dose of 30 micrograms of Vi polysaccharide or saline placebo. The study population was followed for 19 months, with passive surveillance conducted in the Ministry of Health and the Regional Health and Anti-epidemic Centre (HAEC). Clinically suspected cases of typhoid fever were confirmed by blood culture, or by serological reaction with O-antigen (Widal tests).

FINDINGS

After 19 months, there were 23 culture-confirmed cases of typhoid fever in the placebo group versus 7 cases in the Vi group (Protective efficacy (PE) = 69%; 95% CI = 28%, 87%). Most of the isolates were from school-aged children: 22 cases in the placebo group versus 6 in the Vi group (PE = 72%; 95% CI = 32%, 82%). No serious post-injection reactions were observed. The locally produced Vi polysaccharide vaccine showed levels of protective efficacy similar to those for Vi vaccine produced in industrial countries.

CONCLUSION

The slightly higher dose of vaccine did not seem to alter efficacy significantly in China.

The effect of hydration on adsorption and desorption of heavy metals in soils

Cr, Ni, and Cd adsorption-desorption on five characterized Taiwan soils was studied. The potential for toxicity and the fate of metals in the soils is dependent upon the ability of the metals to desorb into the aqueous phase. To simulate field conditions, the soils were subjected to wet-dry cycles. The amount and rate of desorption was found to decrease with increasing number of cycles. The wet-dry cycle effect in the desorption of metals from soils is related to the soil composition, with desorption being easiest from sandy soil with low organic content. The desorption process is much slower than adsorption process. More than 95% of each metal adsorption takes place within one hour, and the amount of metal adsorbed from solution reached equilibrium in one day. In contrast, less than 20% metal desorption could be attained after 3 days each of four wet-dry cycles for Cr, Ni, and Cd.

Similar potency of the enantiomers of huperzine A in inhibition of [(3)H]dizocilpine (MK-801) binding in rat cerebral cortex

The inhibition of huperzine A, a potential therapeutic agent to treat Alzheimer's disease, on rat cortical acetylcholinesterase was found to be highly stereospecific. In the present study the effect of the enantiomers of huperzine A on [(3)H]dizocilpine (MK-801) binding to synaptic membrane of rat cerebral cortex was compared. The natural (-)-huperzine A and the synthetic (+)-huperzine A inhibited the specific binding of [(3)H]MK-801 with a similar potency. The IC(50) values were 65+/-7 and 82+/-12 microM (n=5 for each enantiomer, P=0.248), respectively. The result indicates that huperzine A inhibits N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in rat cerebral cortex without stereoselectivity.

Effect of fuel aromatic content on PAH emission from a heavy-duty diesel engine

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emission tests for a heavy-duty diesel engine fueled with blend base diesel fuel by adding batch fractions of poly-aromatic and mono-aromatic hydrocarbons, Fluorene and Toluene, respectively, were simulated to five steady-state modes by a DC-current dynamometer with fully automatic control system. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of total aromatic content and poly-aromatic content in diesel fuels on PAH emission from the HDD engine exhaust under these steady-state modes. The results of this study revealed that adding 3% and 5% (fuel vol%) Fluorene in the diesel fuel increases the amount of total-PAH emission by 2.6 and 5.7 times, respectively and increases the amount of Fluorene emission by 52.9 and 152 times, respectively, than no additives. However, there was no significant variation of PAH emission by adding 10% (vol%) of Toluene. To regulate the content of poly-aromatic content in diesel fuel, in contrast to the total aromatic content, will be more suitable for the management of PAH emission.

A novel mimetic enzymatic fluorescence immunoassay for hepatitis B surface antigen by using a thermal phase separating polymer

Iron tetrasulfonatophthalocyanine (FeTSPc), a peroxidase mimic, was used as a labeling reagent and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIP) as the separation support of the immune complex for the mimetic-enzymatic immunoassay of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). PNIP was precipitated from aqueous solution when the ambient temperature was higher than its lower critical solution temperature of 31 degrees C. In a sandwich immunoassay, the antigen (HBsAg) first reacted with mouse anti-human HBsAg antibody immobilized on PNIP (PNIP-antibody) and then further reacted with FeTSPc-labeled mouse anti-HBsAg antibody (antibody-FeTSPc) at room temperature in a homogeneous format. After changing the temperature to separate the PNIP-antibody-HBsAg-antibody-FeTSPc conjugate moiety, it was re-dissolved and determined by coupling with the fluorogenic reaction of hydrogen peroxide and p-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid. The sensitivity of this method (3 ng mL-1) was close to that of the traditional ELISA using the same reactants. However, the assay was much faster (the assay time decreased from 100-120 to 45 min). This method was applied to determine HBsAg in human serum with satisfactory results.

A novel method for the determination of total protein in human serum by near infrared fluorescence recovery

A novel fluorometric method has been developed for the determination of total protein in human serum with a new near-IR reagent as a fluorescence probe, based on the fluorescence recovery of the cyanine-CTAB system in the presence of protein. Maximum fluorescence is produced with maximum excitation and emission wave-lengths at 765 and 812 nm, respectively. Under optimal conditions, the calibration graphs are linear over the range 0.4-12.0 microg/mL for protein. The detection limit is 70 ng/mL, and the relative standard deviation of six replicate measurements is 1.14% for 6.0 microg/mL protein. The results are satisfactory.

Determination of proteins at nanogram levels by their quenching effect on large particle scattering of colloidal silver chloride

A novel quantitative method for the determination of proteins in aqueous solutions has been based on the quenching of the resonance scattering light of colloidal silver chloride in the presence of proteins. The detection limits for eight kinds of proteins (BSA, HSA, egg albumin, human gamma-IgG,alpha-chymotrypsin, E. Coli. alpsase, myoglobin, alpha-casein) were at about 8 ng/mL; the linear ranges of the calibration curves were 10-400 ng/mL under optimal conditions,except for human gamma-IgG (20-400 ng/mL), myoglobin (10-300 ng/mL), and alpha-casein (10-300 ng/mL). Three wavelengths (398 nm, 475 nm, 499 nm) were all suitable for the determination and any acidity from pH 3.0 to pH 9.0 could be chosen. A few non-protein substances at high concentration levels interfered with this method, but this problem could simply be overcome by diluting the samples before the assay. Mechanism studies showed that the quenching effect of proteins on the scattering light of colloidal silver chloride was mainly due to the coagulation of AgCl particles retarded by protein. The method was employed for the determination of total protein in human serum with satisfactory results.

Application of magdala red as a fluorescence probe in the determination of nucleic acids

A fluorescence quenching method was developed for the rapid determination of DNA and RNA using magdala red as fluorescence probe. In weakly acidic medium, the fluorescence of magdala red (lambdaex/lambdaem = 540/555 nm) can be largely quenched by DNA or RNA. The calibration graphs are linear over the range 0.01-1.2 microg/mL for both calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) and salmon DNA (SM DNA), and 0.015-1.0 microg/mL for yeast RNA, respectively. The corresponding detection limits are 6.0 ng/mL for CT DNA, 7.0 ng/mL for SM DNA and 15.0 ng/mL for yeast RNA, respectively. CT DNA could be determined in the presence of 20% (w/w) yeast RNA, and the relative standard deviation of six replicate measurements is 3.18% for 400 ng/mL of CT DNA. Interference from coexisting substances in the determination of DNA was also examined. Real samples were determined with satisfactory results.

Comparison of the effects of cholinesterase inhibitors on [3H]MK-801 binding in rat cerebral cortex

Huperzine A, a selective inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase, was recently demonstrated to exert an antagonist effect on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in rat cerebral cortex. In the present study, the effects of six cholinesterase inhibitors, e.g. huperzine A, huperzine B, tacrine, donepezil (E2020), physostigmine and galanthamine on [3H]dizocilpine (MK-801) binding to synaptic membrane of rat cerebral cortex were compared. Their IC50 values (mean +/- SD) were 36.9 +/- 12.1, 316.8 +/- 93.2, 33.2 +/- 3.7, 135.0 +/- 15.1, 50.4 +/- 7.4, and 3344 +/- 295 microM, respectively. The rank order of potency is tacrine approximately huperzine A > physostigmine > donepezil > huperzine B >> galanthamine. There is no correlation between their activities to inhibit [3H]MK-801 binding and to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (r = +0.563, P = 0.245). The results suggest that most cholinesterase inhibitors available exhibit an antagonist effect on NMDA receptor in rat cerebral cortex in addition to their inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase.

[Protective effect of RenShen compound and DanHuang compound on muscle atrophy in suspended rats]

OBJECTIVE

To study the protective effect of RenShen compound and DanHuang compound on muscle atrophy caused by simulated weightlessness in rats.

METHOD

Percentage and cross sectional area of fibers and ultrastructure of soleus (SOL) and gastrocnemius (GAS) were determined in 30 d tail suspended rats with or without administration of the medicine.

RESULT

The percentage of type I fiber of SOL in RenShen (RS) group and DanHuang (DH) group increased by (13.5 +/- 0.96)% (P < 0.05) and (11.2 +/- 0.84)% (P < 0.05) respectively, and those of GAS showed only an increasing trend as compared with suspension control (SC). Cross sectional area of muscle fibers of SOL and GAS in both groups increased, especially in RS group (P < 0.05). The construction of SOL sarcomere in RS and DH groups was improved as compared with SC.

CONCLUSION

RS and DH compounds can partially prevent muscle atrophy caused by tail suspension.

Interaction of a novel red-region fluorescent probe, Nile blue, with DNA and its application to nucleic acids assay

A novel fluorimetric method was developed for the rapid determination of DNA and RNA based on their quenching effect on the cationic red-region fluorescent dye Nile Blue (NB). In the investigation of the interaction of NB with DNA by steady-state polarization measurements, thermal denaturing study, determination of absorption and fluorescence characteristics, salt effect study and electrophoresis experiments, the results supported the suggestion that NB served as an intercalator to the stack base pairs of nucleic acids. Further evidence showed that the quenching could be ascribed to the static quenching mode. A binding constant of about 10(6) M-1 and a binding site size of about three base pairs were obtained by spectral methods. Under optimum conditions, the calibration curves for the determination of calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) and yeast RNA were linear over the ranges 3.0 ng mL-1-2.0 micrograms mL-1 and 27 ng mL-1-10 micrograms mL-1, respectively. The detection limits were 3.0 ng mL-1 for CT DNA and 27 ng mL-1 for RNA. The relative standard deviation (n = 6) was within 2.1% in the middle of the linear range. Interferences from some interesting co-existing substances in the determination of DNA were also examined.

Modulation of NMDA receptor by huperzine A in rat cerebral cortex

AIM

To investigate the effects of huperzine A (Hup A) on NMDA receptors in rat cerebral cortex.

METHODS

1) The effect of hup A on NMDA-induced current was studied in acutely dissociated rat hippocampal pyramidal neurons using whole-cell recording. 2) The effect of Hup A on NMDA receptor binding was assessed using [3H] dizocilpine (Diz) binding assay in synaptic membrane preparation of rat cerebral cortex.

RESULTS

1) Hup A reversibly inhibited NMDA-induced current in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 of 45.4 mumol.L-1. 2) Hup A inhibited the specific binding of [3H]MK-801 to extensively washed synaptic membrane of rat cerebral cortex in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 of 0.5 (0.1-1.9) mumol.L-1 (n = 4). 3) L-Glutamate 10 mumol.L-1 markedly increased [3H] MK-801 binding. In the presence of L-glutamate, Hup A 0.001-0.1 mumol.L-1 caused a further increase of the binding, whereas Hup A 1-300 mumol.L-1 inhibited the binding in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 of 12.3 (5.8-26.3) mumol.L-1 (n = 5).

CONCLUSION

Hup A acted as an antagonist of NMDA receptor in cerebral cortex in addition to its inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase.

Complexity issues in natural gradient descent method for training multilayer perceptrons

The natural gradient descent method is applied to train an n-m-1 multilayer perceptron. Based on an efficient scheme to represent the Fisher information matrix for an n-m-1 stochastic multilayer perceptron, a new algorithm is proposed to calculate the natural gradient without inverting the Fisher information matrix explicitly. When the input dimension n is much larger than the number of hidden neurons m, the time complexity of computing the natural gradient is O(n).

Tetraethylammonium and 4-aminopyridine enhancement of 5-HT3 receptor-mediated contraction of guinea pig ileum in vitro

AIM

To study the effects of tetraethylammonium (TEA) and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) on 5-HT3 receptor-mediated contractions of the isolated guinea pig ileum longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus strip preparations (GPI).

METHODS

GPI contractions were recorded with a chart recorder through isometric transducers. The effect of TEA and 4-AP on binding properties of 5-HT3 receptors was assessed using [3H]GR65630 binding assay in membrane preparation of rat entorhinal cortex.

RESULTS

(1) Both TEA 0.5 mmol.L-1 and 4-AP 5 mumol.L-1 increased the spontaneous activity, and elicited contractions of GPI; atropine 10 mumol.L-1 or the selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist MDL72222 100 mumol.L-1 prevented these effects. (2) Both TEA 0.05-0.5 mmol.L-1 and 4-AP 1-10 mumol.L-1 enhanced GPI contractions induced by the selective 5-HT3 receptor agonists 2-methyl-5-HT in concentration-dependent manners. (3) Both TEA 0.5 mmol.L-1 and 4-AP 5 mumol.L-1 attenuated the inhibitory effects of the selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonists tropisetron 0.1 mumol.L-1 and benesetron 1 mumol.L-1 on 5-HT3 receptor-mediated GPI contractions. (4) Neither TEA 0.1-0.5 mmol.L-1 nor 4-AP 5-10 mumol.L-1 affected GPI contractions evoked by the selective M-ACh receptor agonist carbachol 1 mumol.L-1. (5) TEA 0.5 mmol.L-1 and 4-AP 10 mumol.L-1 had no effect on the properties of binding of the selective 5-HT3 receptor radioligand [3H]GR65630 to 5-HT3 receptors.

CONCLUSION

The enhancement by TEA and 4-AP of 5-HT3 receptor-mediated GPI contractile responses was due to blocking K+ channels in prejunctional myenteric neurons.

Increase in the peripheral lymphocyte populations expressing CD54 (ICAM-1) after hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion in patients with malignant melanoma: an analysis of four cases

The lymphocytes isolated from perfused or non-perfused circulations before, during, and after hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (HILP) in the four patients with malignant melanoma were analysed for the expression of CD54 (ICAM-1), CD58 (LFA-3), CD4, CD8, HLA class I and class II in order to investigate the mechanism(s) of the activation of such immunocompetent cells as natural killer (NK)-cells or T-lymphocytes by HILP. It was thus found that the lymphocyte populations expressing CD54 increased significantly 1 day after HILP in the four patients examined. The lymphocyte populations expressing CD58 apparently increased. It was also found that the NK-cell and T-lymphocyte activities increased during or after HILP in the present four cases as observed previously in the other melanoma patients. These results indicate that our HILP system may augment the immunological activities through the mechanisms of the induction of CD54 or CD58 expression in the peripheral lymphocytes of the melanoma patients who receive HILP.

Protein conformational changes determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry

It is shown that simultaneously to the unfolding of hen egg white lysozyme and horse heart cytochrome c the sequential conformational changes and molten globule states can be detected by the combination of proteolysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). This is demonstrated by the differences among the products and the time courses of native lysozyme as well as those unfolded in 1 and 3 M guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) when they were proteolyzed by proteinase K and analyzed by MALDI-MS. Due to the absence of disulfide bonds in the cytochrome c molecule, it is more sensitive to the disturbance of the denaturant. The partially unfolded state as detected at low concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride in our experiment resemble the molten globule state. One of the unique properties of the method described herein is to measure directly the peptide fragment liberated from proteolysis of the protein. It allows the identification of the sensitive sites susceptible to denaturation, which are subsequently cleaved by proteinase K proteolysis.

Transcriptional regulation of platelet-activating factor receptor gene in B lymphoblastoid Ramos cells by TGF-beta

The expression of platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor gene was up-regulated in a time- and dose-dependent manner in a B cell line (Ramos) following exposure to TGF-beta 2. The TGF-beta 2-induced increment of PAF receptor mRNA was at least partly due to an increase in transcriptional rate as demonstrated by nuclear run-off experiments. Transient transfection of cells with PAF receptor transcript I gene promoter fused to a luciferase reporter gene revealed that the TGF-beta-responsive element (T beta RE) lies between the sequence from -44 to -17 relative to the transcriptional start site. Insertion of the T beta RE upstream of the unresponsive minimal thymidine kinase promoter conferred the TGF-beta-inducibility. Gel mobility shift assay demonstrated the specific binding of nuclear factors to the T beta RE. The T beta RE binding activity was gradually increased and reached a maximum at 3 h and subsequently returned to basal level at 5 h in cells following TGF-beta 2-treatment. Concomitant treatment of cells with cycloheximide abolished the increases in both T beta RE-binding activity and expression of PAF receptor mRNA, indicating that de novo protein synthesis is required to exert TGF-beta 2 effect. Methylation interference analysis revealed that the T beta RE-binding protein recognized a purine-rich sequence, 5'-GGGGTG-3'. Point mutations of the consecutive guanine nucleotides significantly reduced the DNA-binding activity and the TGF-beta-induced promoter activity. Collectively, these results clearly demonstrate that a T beta RE proximal to the transcriptional initiation site of the human PAF receptor transcript I gene mediates the up-regulation of PAF receptor gene expression in Ramos cells by TGF-beta 2.

Transcriptional regulation of platelet-activating factor receptor gene in B lymphoblastoid Ramos cells by TGF-beta

The expression of platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor gene was up-regulated in a time- and dose-dependent manner in a B cell line (Ramos) following exposure to TGF-beta 2. The TGF-beta 2-induced increment of PAF receptor mRNA was at least partly due to an increase in transcriptional rate as demonstrated by nuclear run-off experiments. Transient transfection of cells with PAF receptor transcript I gene promoter fused to a luciferase reporter gene revealed that the TGF-beta-responsive element (T beta RE) lies between the sequence from -44 to -17 relative to the transcriptional start site. Insertion of the T beta RE upstream of the unresponsive minimal thymidine kinase promoter conferred the TGF-beta-inducibility. Gel mobility shift assay demonstrated the specific binding of nuclear factors to the T beta RE. The T beta RE binding activity was gradually increased and reached a maximum at 3 h and subsequently returned to basal level at 5 h in cells following TGF-beta 2-treatment. Concomitant treatment of cells with cycloheximide abolished the increases in both T beta RE-binding activity and expression of PAF receptor mRNA, indicating that de novo protein synthesis is required to exert TGF-beta 2 effect. Methylation interference analysis revealed that the T beta RE-binding protein recognized a purine-rich sequence, 5'-GGGGTG-3'. Point mutations of the consecutive guanine nucleotides significantly reduced the DNA-binding activity and the TGF-beta-induced promoter activity. Collectively, these results clearly demonstrate that a T beta RE proximal to the transcriptional initiation site of the human PAF receptor transcript I gene mediates the up-regulation of PAF receptor gene expression in Ramos cells by TGF-beta 2.

[Detection of poliovirus in fecal specimens by polymerase chain reaction]

Poliovirus-RNA was detected in 11 clinical fecal specimens with AFP out of 19 samples. These comparative results between NT and Mcab identifications showed a coincidence rate of 90.90%-100%. Our experiment suggested that PCR a simple, sensitive, identification type and could be used for intratypic-differentiation of poliovirus strains. It can also be applied for the detection of poliovirus contamination in the environment.

Effect of intracerebroventricular beta-funaltrexamine on mu opioid receptors in the rat brain: consideration of binding condition

Effects of 24 h pretreatment with intracerebroventricular (icv) beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA) on brain opioid receptor binding in rats were examined under various conditions. Agonist binding to mu and delta opioid receptors (with [3H][[cap]dAla2,MePhe4,Gly-ol5]enkephalin (DAMGO)[3H][D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin (DPDPE), respectively) was performed under three different conditions: i) pretreatment of membranes with GDP and Na+ and binding in the presence of Mg++ in Tris-HCI buffer containing EGTA and leupeptin for 1.5 to 3 h; ii) binding in Tris-HCI buffer containing bacitracin, leupeptin, chymostatin and bestatin for 3 to 4 h; iii) binding in Tris-HCI buffer containing EGTA and leupeptin for 45 min. Condition i was shown to convert opioid receptors to a high affinity state for agonists. beta-FNA (2, 6 or 20 nmol) significantly reduced 1 nM [3H]DAMGO binding in the whole brain with i but not with ii. With iii, 20 nmol beta-FNA reduced [3H]DAMGO binding, but not 2 or 6 nmol. Saturation experiments with i showed that the reduction in [3H]DAMGO binding after 6 or 20 nmol beta-FNA was due to a decrease in Bmax and an increase in KD. For delta binding, there was no significant change in [3H]DPDPE (2 nM) binding with i after 2, 6 or 20 nmol beta-FNA. Thus, under i, icv beta-FNA reduced [3H]DAMGO binding significantly without affecting [3H]DPDPE binding. In addition, mu binding was also conducted with 1 nM [3H]naloxone under three different conditions: iv) in the presence of Na+ and GDP; v), in the presence of Na+, Gpp(NH)p and Mg++; vi) in the presence of Na+. Both iv and v were shown to shift opioid receptors to a low affinity state for agonists. beta-FNA (20 nmol) significantly decreased 1 nM [3H]naloxone binding under each of the three conditions. Competitive inhibition of 1 nM [3H]naloxone binding by DAMGO in the presence of Na+ and GDP showed that receptors existed in a single low affinity state for DAMGO, and that icv beta-FNA caused a reduction in Bmax without affecting the KD of DAMGO. In summary, when all the receptors were converted to a high agonist affinity state i or a low agonist affinity state iv, the changes in mu binding induced by beta-FNA could be revealed with agonist binding. Additionally, changes in mu binding induced by beta-FNA could be detected with [3H]naloxone, which always displayed high affinity regardless of agonist affinity states, under each of the three conditions (iv, v and vi).

Effects of zearalenone and/or tamoxifen on swine and mink reproduction

Tamoxifen (TAM), which binds to estrogen receptors and can act as an estrogen antagonist, was incorporated into the diets of swine and mink to determine if it would ameliorate the effects of the estrogenic mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEN). Sows and female mink were fed diets containing 2 ppm (swine) or 20 ppm (mink) ZEN and/or 10 ppm TAM from day 30 of gestation through weaning (swine) or from 2 months prior to breeding through weaning (mink). The diets containing ZEN and/or TAM did not adversely affect reproduction in the sows. Although some hyperestrogenic effects on testes, uterine and ovarian weights were observed in the F1 piglets at 21 days of age, subsequent breeding performance was not affected. All the female mink exposed to ZEN mated, but only 25% whelped. No mink fed TAM (singly or in combination with ZEN) mated. Necropsy of these unmated females fed TAM revealed consistent severe pyometra. Histological examination of the reproductive tracts of the ZEN, TAM and ZEN + TAM-treated mink showed similar alterations, including ovarian follicular atrophy and degeneration, and mild to severe uterine atrophy, pyometra and endometritis. The results of these studies indicate that TAM was not effective in ameliorating the hyperestrogenic effects of ZEN in swine and mink, but rather it acted as an estrogen agonist.