Investigation of microbiologically influenced corrosion inhibition of 304 stainless steel by D-cysteine in the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The influence of D-cysteine (D-cys) on the microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) of 304 stainless steel caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was investigated in this work. Immersion tests in the sterile and P. aeruginosa-inoculated culture media with different D-cys concentrations were carried out. The results showed that the addition of D-cys inhibited the formation of P. aeruginosa biofilms on stainless steel surfaces. D-cys itself did not affect the corrosion of stainless steel but could decrease the corrosion rate of MIC of stainless steel caused by P. aeruginosa. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) analysis indicated that the biofilm inhibition effect of D-cys greatly reduced the destructive effect of the adhered P. aeruginosa cells on the passive film of the stainless steel, thus inhibiting the MIC of the stainless steel.

Life satisfaction, coping, self-esteem and suicide ideation in Chinese adolescents: a school-based study.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of suicidal ideation (SI) among junior, senior high and college school students. METHODS: A total of 5249 students in Anhui Province of China participated in a self-administered anonymous survey. RESULTS: Females were more likely to report SI than males (32.1% vs. 20.6%). Using binary logistic regression analysis, we found that being female, passive coping, lower family satisfaction, lower school satisfaction, lower living environment satisfaction and higher self-esteem were associated with an increased risk of SI. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that SI was common among Chinese adolescents. Being female, high score of passive coping, lower family satisfaction, lower school satisfaction, lower living environment satisfaction and higher self-esteem were significantly associated with an increased risk of SI. There is an urgent need to take effective measures reducing the rate of SI among adolescents through collaboration among families, schools and society.

Salmonella induce autophagy in melanoma by the downregulation of AKT/mTOR pathway.

Salmonella have been demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth. However, the mechanism of Salmonella-induced tumor cell death is less defined. Autophagy is a cellular process that mediates the degradation of long-lived proteins and unwanted organelles in the cytosol. Tumor cells frequently display lower levels of basal autophagic activity than their normal counterparts and fail to increase autophagic activity in response to stresses. Autophagy is involved in the cell defense elimination of bacteria. The signaling pathways leading to activation of Salmonella-induced autophagy in tumor cells remain to be elucidated. We used autophagy inhibitor (3-Methyladenine) and apoptosis inhibitor (Z-VAD-FMK) to demonstrate that Salmonella may induce cell death via apoptosis and autophagic pathway. Meanwhile, we suggested that Salmonella induce autophagy in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The autophagic markers were increased after tumor cell infected with Salmonella. In addition, the protein express levels of phosph-protein kinase B (P-AKT), phosph-mammalian targets of rapamycin (P-mTOR), phosph-p70 ribosomal s6 kinase (P-p70s6K) in tumor cells were decreased by western analysis after Salmonella infection. In conclusion, our results point out that Salmonella induce the autophagic signaling pathway via downregulation of AKT/mTOR pathway. Herein, our findings that Salmonella in controlling tumor growth may induce autophagic signal pathway.

Problem behaviours of middle school students in eastern China and its associated factors.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the problem behaviours of middle school students and its associated factors in Anhui province of China, and to provide a theoretical basis for promoting early health education. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted and 4235 middle school students were measured by Prediction Test of Problem Children, Family Environment Scale - Chinese Version, Simple Coping Style Questionnaire, Psychological Sense of School Membership and general state questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of problem behaviours in our sample was 4.5%. Using binary logistic regression analysis, we found that family environment, school belonging, coping style, relationship with mother and classmate relationship were associated with problem behaviours of middle school students. CONCLUSIONS: Poor family environment, poor sense of school belonging, passive acting style were significantly correlated with problem behaviours. There is an urgent need to improve problem behaviours through collaboration among families, schools and society.

Disruption of Type-I IFN pathway ameliorates preservation damage in mouse orthotopic liver transplantation via HO-1 dependent mechanism.

Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) remains unresolved problem in clinical organ transplantation. We analyzed the role of Type-I interferon (IFN) pathway in a clinically relevant murine model of extended hepatic cold preservation followed by orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Livers from Type-I IFN receptor (IFNAR) knockout (KO) or wild-type (WT) mice (C57/BL6) were harvested, preserved at 4°C in UW solution for 20 h and transplanted to groups of syngeneic IFNAR KO or WT recipients. Liver graft but not recipient IFNAR deficiency was required to consistently ameliorate IRI in OLTs. Indeed, disruption of Type-I IFN signaling decreased serum alanine aminotransferase (sALT) levels (p < 0.001), diminished Suzuki's score of histological OLT damage (p < 0.01) and improved 14-day survival (from 42%[5/12] in WT to 92%[11/12] in IFNAR KO; p < 0.05). Unlike in WT group, IFNAR deficiency attenuated OLT expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, MCP-1, CXCL-10, ICAM-1; diminished infiltration by macrophages/PMNs; and enhanced expression of antioxidant HO-1/Nrf2. The frequency of TUNEL+ apoptotic cells and caspase-3 activity/expression selectively decreased in IFNAR KO group. Small interfering (si)RNA-directed targeting of HO-1 restored cardinal features of liver IRI in otherwise resistant IFNAR-deficient OLTs. Thus, intact Type-I IFN signaling is required for hepatic IRI, whereas HO-1 is needed for cytoprotection against innate immunity-dominated organ preservation damage in IFNAR-deficient liver transplants.

Transforming growth factor-ß1 polymorphisms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex polygenic disease in which gene- environment interactions play a critical role in disease onset and progression. Transforming growth factor-ß 1 (TGF-ß 1) is one of several candidate loci for the pathogenesis of COPD, and is highly polymorphic. OBJECTIVE: To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship between the T869C and C-509T polymorphisms of the TGF-ß 1 gene and COPD, a meta-analysis of 11 published case-control studies was performed. METHODS: Ten studies with 1507 cases and 2542 controls for T869C polymorphism and six studies with 955 cases and 2136 controls for C-509T polymorphism were included. The pooled odds ratios were performed respectively for allele contrasts, additive genetic model, dominant genetic model and recessive genetic model. A subgroup analysis was also performed by ethnicity for T869C polymorphism. RESULTS: With respect to T869C polymorphism, a significant association of TGF-ß 1 gene polymorphism at 869T/C with COPD was observed in the overall analysis (C vs. T: OR 0.82, 95%CI 0.70-0.96, P = 0.01). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, significant risks were also found in the Caucasian population for C vs. T (OR 0.77, 95%CI 0.60-0.98, P = 0.03), but not in the Asian population (C vs. T: OR 0.88, 95%CI 0.76-1.03, P = 0.10). With respect to C-509T polymorphism, no significant association with COPD was demonstrated in the overall analysis (T vs. C: OR 0.84, 95%CI 0.68- 1.04, P = 0.11). CONCLUSION: Potentially functional TGF-ß 1 T869C polymorphism may play a low penetrance role in COPD susceptibility in an ethnicity-specific manner.

Suppression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibits hepatitis B virus replication in human hepatoma cell: the antiviral role of nitric oxide.

The role of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication was investigated in this study. After transient transfection with HBV plasmid, p38 MAPK, but not JNK or ERK1/2, was significantly phosphorylated in human hepatoma cell Huh7. Interestingly, HBV proteins and RNA synthesis were significantly inhibited by a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK, SB203580, in a dose-dependent manner. Intracellular core-associated DNA, extracellular virion-associated DNA and covalently closed circular DNA were also significantly inhibited by SB203580. Further results showed the antiviral role of nitric oxide (NO) on the suppression of HBV replication and downregulation of p38 MAPK phosphorylation. In conclusion, these results suggested that suppression of phosphorylation of p38 MAPK by inhibitor or NO could inhibit intracellular HBV replication.

Mutation analysis of the tumor suppressor gene PPP2R1B in human cervical cancer.

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) holoenzyme plays a critical role in cell cycle control and growth factor signaling. The PPP2R1B gene encodes the beta isoforms of the subunit A of the PP2A. We aimed to evaluate the role of the PPP2R1B gene in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. Twenty-four women with primary cervical cancer were included. All resected specimens were divided into two groups: (1) cervical cancers (n = 24), (2) nearby noncancerous tissues (n = 24). We performed nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis and complementary DNA sequencing on the genomic DNA samples of all specimens. The aberrant transcripts and gene mutation as well as the genotype and allele frequencies of codon 66 CTA/CTG of PPP2R1B genes in both groups were compared. The percentages of aberrant transcripts between both groups were nonsignificantly different (20.8% vs 33.3%). There was no mutation in all specimens. The genotype and allele frequencies between both groups were non-different. Proportions of CTA homozygote/heterozygote/CTG homozygote were (1) 66.7/8.3/25% and (2) 58.3/12.5/29.2%. Proportions of CTA/CTG alleles in both groups were (1) 70.8/29.2% and (2) 64.6/35.4%. We conclude that PPP2R1B genes may not play a role in the carcinogenesis of cervical cancer. Mutations of PPP2R1B gene are not frequent in cervical cancer.

Serotonin transporter mRNA expression is decreased by lamivudine and ribavirin and increased by interferon in immune cells.

Clinical reports document that depression as a side effect is more prevalent in hepatic patients given interferon (IFN)-alpha therapy than in those given lamivudine. The mechanisms, however, are poorly understood. Serotonin transporter (5-HTT), via uptake of serotonin (5-HT) into presynaptic serotoninergic neurons, is an initial action site for antidepressants. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to quantify 5-HTT mRNA expression in immune cells in order to evaluate whether 5-HTT acted as an indicator of depression. Results showed that the 5-HTT mRNA expression was much higher in T-cell and B-cell lines than that in a monocytic cell line. Treatment with either lamivudine or ribavirin reduced the 5-HTT mRNA expression, protein level and 5-HT uptake in T-cell line. Treatment with IFN-alpha, however, increased those levels in the same group. A similar effect was observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Mimicking clinical use by treating PBMC with a combination of IFN-alpha and ribavirin increased the 5-HTT mRNA expression level. Our study indicates that these therapeutic drugs regulate 5-HTT expression, which implies that 5-HTT might be a trait marker in IFN-alpha-induced depression after hepatic therapy.

The use of dextromethorphan to treat repetitive self-directed scratching, biting, or chewing in dogs with allergic dermatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of oral dextromethorphan in dogs with a repetitive behavior problem (self-licking, self-chewing, and self-biting associated with chronic allergic dermatitis). ANIMALS: Fourteen dogs with chronic allergic dermatitis were enrolled in the study. Twelve dogs completed the study. PROCEDURE: The dogs were treated for 2 weeks each with dextromethorphan (2 mg/kg BID) and placebo in a randomized, double blind, crossover designed study. A dermatology score, including an assessment of affected areas of the integument and the level of self-directed behavior, was generated before and following each 2-week phase of the study. Owners were required to record daily the amount of time they spent with their dog and the amount of time that the dog was observed to be engaged in any of the specified self-directed behaviors. RESULTS: The percent of the observed time that the dogs were reported to be involved in self-directed behaviors was significantly less during the 2-week active drug treatment phase. The pruritus score component of the dermatology score also was significantly less during the active treatment phase. In addition, a dermatologist-rated global assessment was more favorable in 11 of 12 dogs following the active treatment phase. CONCLUSIONS: Dextromethorphan significantly reduces the percentage of time that allergic dogs spend self-licking, self-chewing, and self-biting. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dextromethorphan may be a useful adjunct in the management of self-directed behaviors associated with allergic dermatitis and possibly in other repetitive behaviors as well.

Development of hematogenous pneumococcal meningitis in adult mice: the role of TNF-alpha.

Bacterial penetration across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) into the central nervous system is the first step in development of meningitis. The role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the penetration process was examined with peripheral infection of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 6. After intraperitoneal infection of S. pneumoniae type 6, the BBB opening was increased continuously from 6 h and the mice died of septic shock within 36 h due to bacterial overgrowth. The bacteria crossed the BBB and began to deposit in brain at 6 h post infection. There was strong staining of TNF-alpha on blood vessels of brain from 6 h to 24 h post infection. Anti-TNF-alpha antibody blocked both the BBB opening and the entrance of circulatory S. pneumoniae type 6 into brain, indicating that TNF-alpha played an important role in controlling the opening of BBB. Furthermore, an adult murine model of hematogenous pneumococcal meningitis was developed that is based on opening of the BBB by TNF-alpha and controlling the degree of bacteremia by cefazolin antibiotic. In conclusion, hematogenous meningitis developed as TNF-alpha initiated BBB opening, peripheral bacteria entered into the brain and formed bacterial emboli, and then progressed to meningitis.

Gastric schwannoma found incidentally 19 years after a horizontal gastroplasty for morbid obesity.

This report represents the first known case of a gastric schwannoma in a patient subsequent to a gastric stapling and partitioning procedure for morbid obesity. The submucosal tumor found in the collapsed distal portion of the stomach was merely an incidental finding and it appeared that all of the patient's ongoing symptomatology (nausea and vomiting after meals) was a reflection of the chronic obstruction that was present at the gastric partitioning staple-line. No correlation between gastric stapling and partitioning and the development of gastric schwannoma is known or is suggested in this report.

Chinese dialect identification using segmental and prosodic features.

Several approaches to Chinese dialect identification based on segmental and prosodic features of speech are described in this paper. When using segmental information only, the system performs phonotactic analysis after speech utterances have been tokenized into sequences of broad phonetic classes. The second scheme comprises prosodic models which are trained to capture tone sequence information for individual dialects. Also proposed is a novel approach that examines differences between Chinese dialects at broad phonetic and prosodic levels. These algorithms were evaluated via a multispeaker read-speech mode. Simulation results indicate that the combined use of segmental and prosodic features allows the proposed system to discriminate among three major Chinese dialects spoken in Taiwan with 93.0% accuracy.

Patterns of protein synthesis and tolerance of anoxia in root tips of maize seedlings acclimated to a low-oxygen environment, and identification of proteins by mass spectrometry.

Tolerance of anoxia in maize root tips is greatly improved when seedlings are pretreated with 2 to 4 h of hypoxia. We describe the patterns of protein synthesis during hypoxic acclimation and anoxia. We quantified the incorporation of [(35)S]methionine into total protein and 262 individual proteins under different oxygen tensions. Proteins synthesized most rapidly under normoxic conditions continued to account for most of the proteins synthesized during hypoxic acclimation, while the production of a very few proteins was selectively enhanced. When acclimated root tips were placed under anoxia, protein synthesis was depressed and no "new" proteins were detected. We present evidence that protein synthesis during acclimation, but not during subsequent anoxia, is crucial for acclimation. The complex and quantitative changes in protein synthesis during acclimation necessitate identification of large numbers of individual proteins. We show that mass spectrometry can be effectively used to identify plant proteins arrayed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Of the 48 protein spots analyzed, 46 were identified by matching to the protein database. We describe the expression of proteins involved in a wide range of cellular functions, including previously reported anaerobic proteins, and discuss their possible roles in adaptation of plants to low-oxygen stress.

Sarcoidosis after renal transplantation.

This is the case of a 41-year-old renal transplant recipient taking tacrolimus immunosuppressive therapy, who had a large pleural effusion, found on a chest radiograph during the work-up of digital clubbing. The patient had undergone a renal transplant 17 months earlier for end-stage renal disease secondary to immunoglobulin A nephropathy. Analysis of the effusion fluid demonstrated a lymphocytic exudate. Biopsy specimens of pleural and lung tissues showed noncaseating granulomas. Fluid and tissue cultures were negative for viral, fungal, and bacterial pathogens. Diagnosis of sarcoidosis was established by identification of noncaseating granulomas in pleural and lung tissue, the exclusion of other conditions, and rapid resolution of the effusion after the institution of corticosteroid therapy. The patient has remained free of pulmonary symptoms and had normal chest radiographs during the 20-month follow-up period.

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the common bile duct.

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the common bile duct is rare. To date, nine cases have been recorded in the literature. We report an additional case of a 39-yr-old woman presented with obstructive jaundice. Pathological studies of the surgical specimen disclosed that the wall of the common bile duct was transmurally infiltrated by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of diffuse large cell type of B-cell lineage intimately associated with reticular fibers. The patient received postoperative brachytherapy, followed by six cycles of chemotherapy according to the CHOP regimen. There is no evidence of lymphoma recurrence 13 months after the surgery. Our analysis of the reported cases indicates that common bile duct non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a rapidly progressive disease, terminating in death within a year. A complete surgical resection of the lymphoma followed by chemotherapy has shown a promising result.

Immunocytochemical expression of the 70 kD heat shock protein in ischaemic bowel disease.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of polypeptides which are induced in response to diverse forms of cell injury including hyperthermia, anoxia, ethanol, heavy metals, and others, with a presumably protective function. Among several species of HSPs, the 70 kD protein (HSP70) is the most abundant and consistently induced in mammalian cells. Anti-HSP70 monoclonal antibody and a standard immunocytochemical method were used to study the expression of HSP70 in 28 surgical specimens of small and large intestines from patients with ischaemic bowel disease. Strong immunoreactivity was observed in viable, regenerating cells of both the crypt and surface epithelium within or adjacent to the necrotic foci in 86 per cent of the ischaemic bowel specimens. Staining was mostly cytoplasmic, but focally both cytoplasmic and nuclear. Smooth muscle cells of the muscularis mucosae in the ischaemic areas of some cases also showed immunoreactivity. On the other hand, HSP70 was not expressed in control specimens of small and large intestine or in colonic specimens of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and adenocarcinoma. These findings suggest a possible role of HSP70 in intestinal epithelial and smooth muscle cell response to ischaemic injury, especially in the recovery phase.

A prospective evaluation of atherosclerotic risk factors and hypercoagulability in young adults with premature lower extremity atherosclerosis.

PURPOSE: Fifty-one consecutive patients with premature lower extremity atherosclerosis were prospectively evaluated for atherogenic risk factors and primary or acquired hypercoagulability, which might contribute to early ischemia and revascularization failure. METHODS: Laboratory tests included plasma assays of (1) natural anticoagulants (NAC), lipoprotein (a) (Lp[a]), and anticardiolipin antibodies, and (2) fibrinolytic activators and inhibitors at baseline and stimulated after 20 minutes of upper extremity venous occlusion. RESULTS: Forty-six (90%) of these 51 patients had laboratory abnormalities. One or more NAC deficiencies were found in 15 (30%) patients and included antithrombin III (n = 5), protein C (n = 8), protein S (n = 4), and heparin cofactor II (n = 2). Hypofibrinolysis was identified as a deficiency of stimulated tissue plasminogen activator in 22 (45%) patients and elevated plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in 29 (59%). Elevated Lp(a) was found in 43 (86%) patients. Five (10%) patients had anticardiolipin antibodies. Ten patients had combined NAC deficiency and hypofibrinolysis. Five (10%) patients had no abnormality. NAC deficiencies, especially protein C deficiency, were associated with acute ischemia (p < 0.01), prior vascular intervention (p < 0.01), an increasing number of total vascular procedures (p < 0.01), and major amputation (p < 0.01). PAI-1 was associated with a history of heart disease (p < 0.05) and prior vascular procedures (p < 0.05). Elevated Lp(a) was associated with elevated PAI-1 (p < 0.05). Retesting in 20 patients suggested that 80% of NAC deficiencies were acquired, but abnormalities persisted in 66% of patients with elevated PAI-1 and in 93% of those with elevated Lp(a). CONCLUSIONS: These data strongly support the hypothesis that the convergence of atherogenic risk factors and hypercoagulability play an important role in early ischemia and poor results reported for lower extremity vascular procedures in young adults.