Efficacy of supplemented Er-xian decoction combined with acupoint application for poor ovarian response

This study aims to observe the efficacy of supplemented Er-xian decoction combined with acupoint application in treating poor ovarian response (POR). This study was a randomized controlled trial. A total of 80 patients, who were treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2016 to December 2017, were divided into two groups by tables of random numbers: experimental group (n = 40), and control group (n = 40). In the experimental group, patients orally received supplemented Er-xian decoction with acupoint application. In the control group, a Kuntai capsule was administered according to the course of treatment. The therapeutic effects in the two groups were observed and compared. In the experimental group, the total effective rate was 90%, the cure rate was 15% (six patients), the markedly effective rate was 35% (14 patients), the effective rate was 40% (16 patients), and the ineffective rate was 10% (four patients). In the control group, the total effective rate was 50%, the cure rate was 5% (two patients), the markedly effective rate was 15% (six patients), the effective rate was 30% (12 patients), and the ineffective rate was 50% (20 patients). The differences were statistically significant (P > 0.05). Definite efficacy was observed when a poor ovarian response was treated by supplemented Er-xian decoction combined with acupoint application. Improvements in perimenopausal symptoms, menstruation conditions, hormone levels, inhibin B (INHB), and antral follicle count (AFC) were markedly better in the experimental group than in the control group. In addition, the treatment was safe and had few side effects.

[The diagnostic value of eosinophilic and eosinophilic cationic proteins in blood and nasal secretions for allergic rhinitis]

Objective:To compare the diagnostic value of eosinophil and eosinophil cationin protein（ECP） in blood and nasal secretions for allergic rhinitis（AR）. Method:Collecting the blood samples of 33 patients with AR （AR group） and 40 healthy people（control group）, and test the concentration of ECP in serum and the percentage of eosinophil in blood. At the same time, collecting the nasal secretions samples of 33 patients with AR and 24 healthy people, and test the concentration of ECP and the percentage of eosinophils in nasal secretions. Using receiver operating characteristic curve（ROC） analysis, calculate the area under the curve（AUC） for each parameter and determine their predictive capabilities, then analyzing the correlation between each indicator and clinical symptom scores. Result:Compared with the healthy control group, the concentration of ECP and the percentage of eosinophil in blood and nasal secretion increased significantly（P<0.001） in patients with AR. The AUG of ECP concentration in nasal secretions was 0.965 9, when the cut-off value was 3.634, 100% sensitivity and 88% specificity were obtained; the AUG of eosinophil percentage in blood was 0.9087, and when its cut-off value was 4.6, 95% sensitivity and 73% specificity were obtained; the ECP concentration in serum had an AUG of 0.903, and when the cut-off value was 0.866, 90% sensitivity and 76% specificity were obtained; the AUG of nasal secretion eosinophil's percentage was 0.863 6, when its cut-off value is 0.72, 100% sensitivity and 73% specificity were obtained. Conclusion:For allergic rhinitis, ECP concentrate in nasal secretions is the ideal auxiliary diagnosis marker, and has the best predictive capability.

[Expression of eosinophilic cationic protein in neutrophils and its effect on objective evaluation of nasal inflammation]

Objective:The aim of this study is to explore the expression of ECP in the neutrophils and its impact on the evaluation of nasal inflammation.Method:Neutrophils and eosinophils in nasal secretions were collected and stained with ECP immunohistochemistry to observe the staining of ECP in different cells. The concentration of ECP and MPO in nasal secretion were detected of 32 patients with allergic rhinitis (AR group), 29 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps and allergic rhinitis (CRSsNP group), and 21 healthy people (control group). The percentage of neutrophils and eosinophils were calculated and analyzed as well.Result:ECP could be found in both eosinophils and neutrophils with immunohistochemical staining. The expression of ECP is much stronger in eosinophils than that in neutrophils. The ECP and MPO concentration in the nasal secretions of AR group and CRSsNP group were significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.000 1), and the ECP concentration in AR group and CRSsNP group had no difference. The expression of ECP in the AR group was not different from that in CRSsNP group, but the expression of MPO was significantly lower than that in CRSsNP group(P<0.000 1).Conclusion:ECP is expressed in neutrophils, and which is likely to have influence on the objective evaluation to nasal inflammation. Combining with the expression of ECP and MPO, we can make a more accurate judgment of local inflammation.

Recognizing basal cell carcinoma on smartphone-captured digital histopathology images with a deep neural network

BACKGROUND

Pioneering effort has been made to facilitate the recognition of pathology in malignancies based on whole-slide images (WSIs) through deep learning approaches. It remains unclear whether we can accurately detect and locate basal cell carcinoma (BCC) using smartphone-captured images.

OBJECTIVES

To develop deep neural network frameworks for accurate BCC recognition and segmentation based on smartphone-captured microscopic ocular images (MOIs).

METHODS

We collected a total of 8046 MOIs, 6610 of which had binary classification labels and the other 1436 had pixelwise annotations. Meanwhile, 128 WSIs were collected for comparison. Two deep learning frameworks were created. The 'cascade' framework had a classification model for identifying hard cases (images with low prediction confidence) and a segmentation model for further in-depth analysis of the hard cases. The 'segmentation' framework directly segmented and classified all images. Sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the overall performance of BCC recognition.

RESULTS

The MOI- and WSI-based models achieved comparable AUCs around 0·95. The 'cascade' framework achieved 0·93 sensitivity and 0·91 specificity. The 'segmentation' framework was more accurate but required more computational resources, achieving 0·97 sensitivity, 0·94 specificity and 0·987 AUC. The runtime of the 'segmentation' framework was 15·3 ± 3·9 s per image, whereas the 'cascade' framework took 4·1 ± 1·4 s. Additionally, the 'segmentation' framework achieved 0·863 mean intersection over union.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the accessible MOIs via smartphone photography, we developed two deep learning frameworks for recognizing BCC pathology with high sensitivity and specificity. This work opens a new avenue for automatic BCC diagnosis in different clinical scenarios. What's already known about this topic? The diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is labour intensive due to the large number of images to be examined, especially when consecutive slide reading is needed in Mohs surgery. Deep learning approaches have demonstrated promising results on pathological image-related diagnostic tasks. Previous studies have focused on whole-slide images (WSIs) and leveraged classification on image patches for detecting and localizing breast cancer metastases. What does this study add? Instead of WSIs, microscopic ocular images (MOIs) photographed from microscope eyepieces using smartphone cameras were used to develop neural network models for recognizing BCC automatically. The MOI- and WSI-based models achieved comparable areas under the curve around 0·95. Two deep learning frameworks for recognizing BCC pathology were developed with high sensitivity and specificity. Recognizing BCC through a smartphone could be considered a future clinical choice.

[Mean blood pressure among the adults in China 2010-2012: based on the results of mercury sphygmomanometer and converted electronic sphygmomanometer]

Objective: To analyze the average systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) among adults aged 18 years old and above in China between 2010 and 2012; and to compare the difference in the results measured by mercury sphygmomanometer and converted electronic sphygmomanometer. Methods: The data was collected from Chinese Nutrition and Health Surveillance in 2010-2012. 120 428 adults aged 18 years old and above were selected from 150 survey counties (districts) of 31 provinces in China Mainland, by multi-stage stratified and probability proportion to size (PPS) cluster randomization sampling method. The average blood pressure value was calculated from three systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings measured by mercury sphygmomanometer. The value of Electronic Sphygmomanometer was converted by regression formula. Age-standardized results were calculated incorporating a complex sample weighting using the population data from the National Bureau of Statistics in 2009. Results: The overall adjusted mean of SBP based on the value of mercury sphygmomanometer among Chinese adults aged 18 years old and above was 122 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), 124 mmHg in men and 120 mmHg in women. The average SBP value was separately 115, 127, and 137 mmHg in groups of adults aging 18-44, 45-59 and ≥60 years old. The average SBP was 122 mmHg in urban and 122 mmHg in rural areas. Mean DBP was 78 mmHg, 79 mmHg in men and 76 mmHg in women. The average DBP was separately 75, 81, and 81 mmHg in groups of adults aging 18-44, 45-59 and ≥60 years old. The average DBP was 78 mmHg in urban and 77 mmHg in rural areas. The overall adjusted mean of SBP based on converted electronic device was 129 mmHg,130 mmHg in men and 127 mmHg in women, respectively. The mean of SBP was separately122, 134, and 143 mmHg in groups of adults aging 18-44, 45-59 and ≥60 years old. Mean SBP was both 129 mmHg in urban and in rural areas. Mean DBP was 76 mmHg, 78 mmHg in men and 75 mmHg in women, respectively. The average DBP was separately 74, 79, and 79 mmHg in groups of adults aging 18-44, 45-59 and ≥60 years old. The average DBP was both 76 mmHg in urban and rural areas. Conclusion: The average SBP and DBP was different between the mercury sphygmomanometer and converted electronic device. However, the results from both measures showed that the blood pressure was higher in men than in women, the blood pressure increased with the increase of age, and there was no difference between urban and rural areas.

[Epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference and abdominal obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years]

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference and abdominal obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years. Methods: Data was from the samples of aged 6-17 years in the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance program in 2010-2012. P(90) (the same age, the same sex) was used as the diagnostic value for abdominal obesity. Results: The overall waist circumference of children and adolescents in all the age groups appeared higher in males than that in females (P<0.000 1), higher in cities than that in the rural areas (P<0.05), and higher in children with high family income than those with middle or low family incomes (P=0.000 3). The rate of abdominal obesity in children and adolescents aged 6-17 years appeared as 11.2% on average and 10.7% and 11.8% for boys and girls, respectively but with no significant difference (P>0.05). Rates on abdominal obesity appeared as 13.2% and 8.5% for boys while as 12.3% and 11.2% for girls respectively, in urban or rural areas. As for the levels of family income, the abdominal obesity rates appeared as 15.8%, 11.5% and 8.8% respectively for boys while 13.5%, 11.9% and 11.6% respectively for girls, under high, middle and low levels of family income. Conclusion: The rate of abdominal obesity in boys seemed more responsive to the impact of income in urban or rural areas.

[Prevalence and characteristics of overweight and obesity in Chinese children aged 0-5 years]

Objective: To study the prevalence and characteristics of overweight and obesity among Chinese children aged 0-5 years, in 2010-2013. Methods: Data was from the'China Nutrition and Health Surveillance-0-5-Years-Old Children and Lactating Women'project in 2013. Stratified multistage cluster sampling method was used to select 55 districts/counties from 30 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) with the sample size of children as 32 862. Definition of overweight and obesity were according to both the WHO 2006 growth standard in children less than 5-year-old and the WHO 2007 growth reference in children of 5-years-old. Results: were calculated by complex weight based on national census from the National Bureau of Statistics in 2010. Results The overall prevalence of overweight was 8.4% among the 0-5-year-old in 2013, with 9.4% in boys and 7.2% in girls. Both of the rates from urban and rural areas were the same, as 8.4%. The prevalence rates of overweight in the 0-, 6-, 12-, 24-, 36-, 48- and 60-71 months age groups appeared as 13.0%, 11.1%, 8.3%, 6.0%, 4.8%, 3.9% and 15.9%, respectively. The rates of overweight in low, medium and high income families were 8.0%, 8.8% and 8.9%, respectively. The prevalence of obesity was 3.1% among the 0-5-year-old, with 3.6% in boys and 2.5% in girls. There was no significant difference seen in urban (3.3%) and rural areas (2.9%). The prevalence rates for obesity in the 0-, 6-, 12-, 24-, 36-, 48- and 60-71 months age groups were 5.8%, 3.8%, 2.5%, 1.6%, 1.2%, 1.3% and 7.8%, respectively. The rates of obesity in low, medium and high income families were 2.8%, 3.3% and 3.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence rates of both overweight and obesity were increasing among the 0-5-year-olds in China, suggesting that it is necessary to timely conduct the surveillance and intervention programs on overweight and obesity in this target population.

[Epidemiological characteristics of overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years]

Objective: To analyze the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, and to provide scientific basis for the development of prevention strategies on obesity. Methods: Data was from children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance 2010-2012 program. In children aged 6 years, criteria of overweight and obesity were followed the WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. In children and adolescents aged 7-17 years, overweight and obesity were defined by sex and age specific BMI, recommended by Guidelines for prevention and control of overweight and obesity among school-age children and adolescents according to the Chinese guidelines. Results: The overall rates on overweight and obesity were 9.6% and 6.4% among the Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, with 11.0% (12.8% for boys and 9.0% for girls) in urban and 7.7% (boys 9.7%, girls 5.5%) in rural areas. The rates of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents were 8.4% (boys 9.3%, girls 7.4%) and 5.2% (boys 6.2%, girls 4.1%) in the rural areas. According to the levels of household income, the overweight rates of children in high, middle and low incomes were 12.3%, 10.7% and 8.2%, with obesity as 8.6%, 7.2% and 5.7% respectively. Conclusions: In 2012, the prevalence rates of overweight and obese were 9.6% and 6.4% among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, respectively, higher in urban than in rural areas and higher boys than in girls. The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity seemed to be related to the levels of household income.

[Epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference and abdominal obesity among Chinese adults in 2010-2012]

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference (WC) and abdominal obesity (AO) among Chinese adults aged 18 and above. Methods: Data were collected from China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance in 2010-2012. Multi-stage stratifies proportion to the population cluster random sampling method was conducted to determine 120 265 subjects aged 18 and above at 150 counties in 31 provinces in China mainland. WC was determined for all subjects, and AO was judged according to the "Healthy Adult Weight Determination" (WS/T 428-2013). Using the demographic data published by the National Bureau of Statistics of China in 2009, we performed complex sampling weighted treatment to calculate the WC, AO rate and 95%CI. Results: The mean WC of Chinese men aged 18 and above was 82.8 cm, which of urban men (84.1 cm) was higher than that of rural men (81.4 cm) (P<0.001). The average WC of women was 78.5 cm. There was no statistical difference between urban (78.7 cm) and rural women (78.4 cm) (P=0.965). With the increase of education level, the mean WC of male increased gradually from 81.2 cm to 84.3 cm (P<0.001), and the mean WC of female decreased from 80.3 cm to 74.3 cm (P<0.001). With the family income rose, the mean WC of men increased gradually from 81.9 cm to 84.7 cm (P<0.001), and the mean of WC of women decreased from 78.8 cm to 77.6 cm (P<0.001). The AO rate was 25.7% (95% CI: 23.7%-27.7%) in adults aged 18 years and older. The AO rate in urban males (29.8% (95%CI: 26.5%-33.1%)) was significantly higher than that of rural males (22.3% (95%CI: 19.3%-25.2%)) (P=0.001). There was no significant difference in the female AO rate between urban (25.6% (95%CI: 22.8%-28.4%)) and rural areas (25.1% (95%CI: 22.2%-27.9%)) (P=0.772). With the increase of the educational level, the AO rate of men increased from 20.1% (95%CI: 18.0%-22.1%) to 32.6% (95%CI: 28.6%-36.6%) (P<0.001), the rate of women decreased gradually from 31.3% (95%CI: 28.7%-33.9%) to 13.5% (95%CI: 10.9%-16.1%) (P<0.001). With the increase of family income, the AO rate of male increased gradually from 23.3% (95%CI: 20.7%-25.9%) to 31.8% (95%CI: 27.6%-36.1%) (P<0.001), the rate of female decreased from 26.5% (95% CI: 24.2%-28.7%) to 20.0% (95% CI: 17.2%-22.8%) (P<0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of AO among Chinese residents aged 18 years and above was high, and there were significant differences in WC and AO rate between men and women under different age, region, educational level and family income level.

[The epidemic status of metabolic syndrome among Chinese adolescents aged 10-17 years in 2010-2012]

Objective: To invesigate the epidemic status of the metabolic syndrome (MS) among mainland Chinese adolescents aged 10-17 in 2010-2012. Methods: Data were collected from Chinese Nutrition and Health Surveillance in 2010-2012. Multi-stage stratified proportion to the population cluster random sampling method was conducted to determine 16 872 adolescents in 150 counties from 31 provinces in mainland China. The epidemic status of metabolic syndrome was analyzed by China criterion (defined by Chinese Pediatric Society, Chinese Medical Association) and Cook criterion, respectively. The prevalence of MS and 95%CI were calculated through weighted complex sampling processing by population data released by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2009. Results: Based on China criterion, the weighted prevalence of MS was 2.4% (95% CI: 2.1%-2.6%) among Chinese adolescents aged 10-17. Prevalence in urban was higher than in rural (2.8%, 95%CI: 2.4%-3.2% and 1.9%, 95%CI:1.6%-2.3%, respectively). Prevalence in boys and girls were 2.7% (95% CI: 2.3%-3.0%), and 2.0% (95% CI: 1.7%-2.4%), respectively. Based on Cook criterion, the weighted prevalence was 4.3% (95% CI: 4.0%-4.7%) . The highest weighted prevalence of the components of the metabolic syndrome was low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (26.8%, 95% CI: 26.0%-27.5%), followed by high fasting glucose (11.5%, 95% CI: 11.0%-12.0%), abdominal obesity (11.1%, 95%CI: 10.6%-11.7%) , hypertriglyceridemia (8.8%, 95%CI: 8.4%-9.3%) , and high blood pressure (6.4%, 95% CI: 6.0%-6.8%). Conclusion: Among the five indicators of metabolic syndrome, the prevalence of central obesity and hypertriglyceridemia were relative high in Chinese adolescents aged 10-17 years, though the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was not high.

Atmospheric organic nitrogen deposition: analysis of nationwide data and a case study in Northeast China

The origin of atmospheric dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) deposition is not very clear at present. Across China, the DON deposition was substantially larger than that of world and Europe, and we found significant positive correlation between contribution of DON and the deposition flux with pristine site data lying in outlier, possibly reflecting the acute air quality problems in China. For a case study in Northeast China, we revealed the deposited DON was mainly derived from intensive agricultural activities rather than the natural sources by analyzing the compiled dataset across China and correlating DON flux with NH4(+)-N and NO3(-)-N. Crop pollens and combustion of fossil fuels for heating probably contributed to summer and autumn DON flux respectively. Overall, in Northeast China, DON deposition could exert important roles in agro-ecosystem nutrient management and carbon sequestration of natural ecosystems; nationally, it was suggested to found rational network for monitoring DON deposition.

Mechanistic correlations between two itch biomarkers, cytokine interleukin-31 and neuropeptide β-endorphin, via STAT3/calcium axis in atopic dermatitis

BACKGROUND

Itch is the cardinal symptom of atopic dermatitis (AD). β-Endorphin, a neuropeptide, is increased in both AD skin and sera. Interleukin (IL)-31, an itch-relevant cytokine, activates IL-31 receptors in keratinocytes. However, how IL-31 and β-endorphin interact in AD skin remains elusive.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the mechanistic interaction of IL-31 and β-endorphin in AD.

METHODS

This was a prospective cross-sectional study. We recruited adult patients with AD and controls according to Hanifin's AD criteria. Serum levels of IL-31 and β-endorphin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Expressions of IL-31 receptor A (IL-31RA) and β-endorphin in the skin were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Their expression in the skin and blood was compared and correlated in patients with AD and in controls. We also treated primary keratinocytes with IL-31 and measured calcium influx, β-endorphin production and signalling pathways to define their mechanistic interactions.

RESULTS

β-Endorphin was increased in the supernatant from IL-31-treated keratinocytes. IL-31 receptor activation resulted in calcium influx and STAT3 activation; pretreatment with STAT3 inhibitor stopped the increase of β-endorphin. Notably, either replacement of extracellular calcium or treatment with 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate, an inhibitor for the store-operated channel, blocked STAT3 activation. We found higher levels of blood β-endorphin and IL-31, which were significantly correlated, in patients with AD. Moreover, IL-31RA and β-endorphin were increased and colocalized both in AD human skin and TPA-painted mouse skin.

CONCLUSIONS

IL-31 receptor activation in keratinocytes induces calcium influx and STAT3-dependent production of β-endorphin. These results might contribute to an understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying peripheral itch.

Noninvasive cutaneous blood flow as a response predictor for visible light therapy on segmental vitiligo: a prospective pilot study

BACKGROUND

Visible light is a treatment option for segmental vitiligo (SV), and visible light-induced repigmentation is associated with normalization of sympathetic dysfunction. Currently, it is difficult to predict individual patients' response to visible light therapy.

OBJECTIVES

To test whether cutaneous blood flow can serve as a response predictor for visible light on treating SV.

METHODS

Fourteen patients with SV were recruited in this prospective pilot study. Laser Doppler flowmetry was used to evaluate the cutaneous blood flow over SV lesions and contralateral normal skin. The pretreatment blood flow evaluation consisted of two stages: stage 1, following cold stress without prior visible light irradiation, and stage 2, following cold stress with prior visible light irradiation. Subsequently, the patients received regular visible light treatment for 3months, and a comparison of the pretreatment blood flow patterns between the visible light responding and nonresponding groups was carried out at the end of the study period.

RESULTS

The SV lesions showed different blood flow profiles as compared with the contralateral normal skin. At the end of the 3-month study period, seven (50%) patients showed clinical repigmentation of >25%. The visible light responding group showed a more consistent occurrence of increased blood flow after stage 2 of the pretreatment evaluation while the nonresponding counterpart showed no significant changes.

CONCLUSIONS

Normalization of sympathetic dysfunction may account for the efficacy of visible light in treating SV. Evaluation of cutaneous blood flow with and without prior visible light irradiation on cold-stressed SV lesions may serve as a treatment response predictor.

Microcalorimetric study on the growth and metabolism of microencapsulated microbial cell culture

The rate of heat output is one of the suitable measurements of metabolic activity of the organism or its parts, down to the cellular or even the sub-cellular levels. In this paper, microcalorimetry was first applied to study the metabolic activity of microbial in both alginate-polylysine-alginate and alginate-chitosan-alginate microencapsulated cultures as well as in free non-encapsulated culture. The organisms used for the measurements were Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As a result of this work, it was found that, despite E. coli cell in free non-encapsulated culture has the highest metabolic rate due to the highest value of heat output, the proliferation of the cells terminates quickly with a lowest biomass formed. And we found also an obviously longer stationary phase in microencapsulated culture. As far as S. cerevisiae was concerned, it was found that there was also the highest value of heat output in free non-encapsulated culture, but the cell density was lower than that in microencapsulated culture. On account of the microcalorimetric and metabolic measurements, it can be concluded that more substrate can be used to convert to biomass in microencapsulated culture which means a higher biomass yield existed.

Characterization of structure and diffusion behaviour of Ca-alginate beads prepared with external or internal calcium sources

Ca-alginate beads were prepared with either external or internal calcium sources. The structures of both beads were investigated with the aid of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy. It was shown that the beads with internal calcium source had a looser structure and bigger pore size than those with external calcium source. The attempts to interpret the difference were carried out by determining the Ca content within the beads at various times, which indicated that it was the different gelation mechanisms that caused the difference of structures of both beads. Furthermore, it was also found that the diffusion rate of haemoglobin (Hb) within the beads with an internal calcium source was faster than that of the beads with an external one, which was consistent with the observation of their structures.

Polymeric diaquatetra-mu;-thiocyanato-manganese(II)mercury(II) bis(N,N-dimethylacetamide) solvate

In the title complex, ¿[MnHg(SCN)(4)(H(2)O)(2)].2C(4)H(9)NO¿(n), each Mn atom is octahedrally coordinated to four equatorial thiocyanate N atoms and two axial water O atoms. The Mn atom and two O atoms lie on a twofold axis. Two kinds of crystallographically independent Hg atoms (denoted Hg1 and Hg2) are tetrahedrally coordinated with four thiocyanate S atoms and each Hg atom lies on a -4 axis. N,N-Dimethylacetamide molecules are connected to coordinated water molecules through hydrogen bonds. Each pair of Mn and Hg atoms is bridged via one thiocyanate ion. An Mn(2)Hg1Hg2(SCN)(4) 16-membered ring is formed as a unit and the four metal atoms are in a chair-form tetrahedral arrangement. The units are linked with one another and form infinite two-dimensional networks.

Transmembrane grasshopper Semaphorin I promotes axon outgrowth in vivo

Members of the Semaphorin family of glycoproteins play an important role in axonal pathfinding by functioning as inhibitory guidance cues. Here we provide evidence that a transmembrane form of Semaphorin (Semaphorin I), which is expressed by bands of epithelial cells in the developing grasshopper limb bud, functions as an attractive/permissive cue for the growth cones of the subgenual organ. In addition, we demonstrate that Semaphorin I is needed for initial axonal outgrowth from the subgenual organ. These results are consistent with an alternative function for a transmembrane form of Semaphorin and may explain the previously reported arrest of the proximal extension of the subgenual organ growth cones in the absence of the Ti1 pioneer pathway.