Effects of cluster nursing interventions on the prevention of pressure ulcers in intensive care units patients: A meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was conducted to comprehensively evaluate the impact of cluster nursing interventions on the prevention of pressure ulcers (PUs) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Computer searches were performed in databases including Embase, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Wanfang and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) implementing cluster nursing interventions for PUs prevention in ICU patients, with the search period covering the database inception to November 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data and conducted quality assessments. Stata 17.0 software was employed for data analysis. Overall, 17 RCTs involving 1463 ICU patients were included. The analysis showed that compared with conventional nursing, cluster nursing interventions significantly reduced the incidence of PUs (odds ratio: 0.24, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.17-0.34, p < 0.001) and also significantly improved the levels of anxiety (standardized mean difference [SMD]: -1.39, 95% CI: -1.57 to 1.22, p < 0.001) and depression (SMD: -1.64, 95% CI: -2.02 to 1.26, p < 0.001) in ICU patients. This study indicates that the application of cluster nursing interventions in ICU patients can effectively reduce the incidence of PUs, as well as improve patients' anxiety and depression levels, thereby enhancing their quality of life, which is worth clinical promotion and application.

Effectiveness and brain mechanism of multi-target transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on motor learning in stroke patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has proven to be an effective treatment for improving cognition, a crucial factor in motor learning. However, current studies are predominantly focused on the motor cortex, and the potential brain mechanisms responsible for the therapeutic effects are still unclear. Given the interconnected nature of motor learning within the brain network, we have proposed a novel approach known as multi-target tACS. This study aims to ascertain whether multi-target tACS is more effective than single-target stimulation in stroke patients and to further explore the potential underlying brain mechanisms by using techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: This study employs a double-blind, sham-controlled, randomized controlled trial design with a 2-week intervention period. Both participants and outcome assessors will remain unaware of treatment allocation throughout the study. Thirty-nine stroke patients will be recruited and randomized into three distinct groups, including the sham tACS group (SS group), the single-target tACS group (ST group), and the multi-target tACS group (MT group), at a 1:1:1 ratio. The primary outcomes are series reaction time tests (SRTTs) combined with electroencephalograms (EEGs). The secondary outcomes include motor evoked potential (MEP), central motor conduction time (CMCT), short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), intracortical facilitation (ICF), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Box and Block Test (BBT), and blood sample RNA sequencing. The tACS interventions for all three groups will be administered over a 2-week period, with outcome assessments conducted at baseline (T0) and 1 day (T1), 7 days (T2), and 14 days (T3) of the intervention phase. DISCUSSION: The study's findings will determine the potential of 40-Hz tACS to improve motor learning in stroke patients. Additionally, it will compare the effectiveness of multi-target and single-target approaches, shedding light on their respective improvement effects. Through the utilization of techniques such as TMS and MRI, the study aims to uncover the underlying brain mechanisms responsible for the therapeutic impact. Furthermore, the intervention has the potential to facilitate motor learning efficiency, thereby contributing to the advancement of future stroke rehabilitation treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2300073465. Registered on 11 July 2023.

Effect of Inhibiting SIX1 Expression on Drug-resistance of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cell Line HL-60/ADR Cells / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To establish HL-60 cells and adriamycin resistant HL-60 cells (H-60/ADR) in which the expression of homologous box gene 1 (SIX1) was inhibited, and investigate the effect of inhibiting the expression of SIX1 on the drug resistance.@*METHODS@#Lentivirus was used to transfect HL-60 and HL-60/ADR cells, and the cell lines stably inhibiting the expression of SIX1 were screened by puromycin. CCK-8 assay was used to detect the proliferation ability of cells in each group, apoptosis kit was used to detect the cell apoptosis, and real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression level of drug-resistant related genes.@*RESULTS@#HL-60 and HL-60/ADR stably transfected cell lines with down-regulation of SIX1 expression were successfully constructed. Compared with control group, the inhibition of SIX1 expression significantly inhibited the proliferation of HL-60 and HL-60/ADR cells (P <0.05), increased the apoptosis rate (P <0.05), and the sensitivity of cells to adriamycin increased after inhibition of SIX1 expression.@*CONCLUSION@#Inhibition of SIX1 expression can improve cell sensitivity to adriamycin, and its role in reversing drug resistance may be related to the promotion of apoptosis gene expression.

Protective Effect of Targeted Fluid Therapy on Patients with One-Lung Ventilation.

Objective: To evaluate the protective effect of target-directed fluid therapy on the lungs and postoperative rehabilitation in elderly patients with single-lung ventilation undergoing total endoscopic radical resection of esophageal cancer. Methods: Seventy elderly patients who underwent total endoscopic radical resection of esophageal cancer from January 2017 to December 2019 in our hospital were selected and divided into two groups by the random number table method: the goal-directed fluid treatment group (group G, n = 35) and the control group (group C, n = 35). Venous blood was extracted before surgery (T1), at the end of free esophagus (T2) by thoracoscopy, at the end of abdominal surgery (T3), and at the end of surgery (T4). IL-6 and IL-10 levels were detected by ELISA. The clinical pulmonary infection score (CIPS) was used to evaluate the pulmonary inflammation on the second day after surgery and the occurrence of complications. Duration of antibiotic use and length of hospital stay were recorded. Results: At T1, there were no significant differences in IL-6 and IL-10 levels between the two groups (P > 0.05). At T2, the IL-6 level in group G increased to 26.65 ± 1.80 pg/ml but was significantly lower than that in group C (32.28 ± 3.22 pg/ml) (P < 0.01). At T3 and T4, IL-6 and IL-10 levels in group G were significantly lower than those in group C (P < 0.01). The CIPS score of group G was lower than that of group C (1.5 ± 1.0 vs 2.7 ± 1.4), and the duration of antibiotic use in group G was shorter than that in group C (211.2 ± 15.4 vs 232.6 ± 18.7 h), with statistical significance (P < 0.01). The incidence of complications in group G was lower than that in group C (28.6% vs 40.0%), and the length of hospital stay in group G was shorter than that in group C (10.5 ± 1.7 vs 11.2 ± 1.9 days), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Target-directed fluid therapy inhibited inflammatory cytokine levels and had better lung protection, but no significant benefit in the complications or the length of hospital stay was observed.

[Effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on the expressions of GFAP and MAP2 in ischemic penumbra of rats with middle cerebral artery ischemia].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on the motor function and the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP2) in cerebral ischemic penumbra of rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and explore the mechanism of taVNS in the improvement of motor function in MCAO rats. METHODS: A total of 48 male SD rats were randomized into a sham-operation group, a model group, a transcutaneous auricular non-vagus nerve stimulation (tnVNS) group and a taVNS group, with 12 rats in each group. The suture-occluded method was adopted to prepare MCAO rat model. The auricular rim was stimulated in the tnVNS group and the concha stimulated in the taVNS group, 2 mA in intensity, 10 Hz in frequency, 30 min each time, once a day, for 14 days consecutively. The nerve functional assessment was recorded in each group. The expressions of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAchR) in the cerebral ischemic penumbra and the spleen were detected by using Western blot. With the immunofluorescence, the expressions of GFAP and MAP2 were detected. RESULTS: After modeling, compared with the sham-operation group, the nerve functional score was increased in the model group, the tnVNS group and the taVNS group (P<0.01), suggesting the success of modeling. After treatment, the score was increased in the model group (P<0.01) as compared with the sham-operation group. Compared with the model group, the neurological deficit score was reduced in the taVNS group (P<0.01). Compared with the sham-operation group, GFAP expression was increased and MAP2 expression was reduced remarkably in the cerebral ischemic penumbra in the model group (P<0.05). In comparison with the model group, GFAP expression was reduced, while MAP2 expression was increased remarkably in the cerebral ischemic penumbra in the taVNS group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the abovementioned indexes between the model group and tnVNS group (P>0.05). The differences in the expression of α7nAchR in the cerebral ischemic penumbra and the spleen had no statistical significance among groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: TaVNS is effective on neuroprotection in MCAO rats, which may be related to its function of inhibition of GFAP expression and promotion of MAP2 expression in the ischemic penumbra.

The Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia by Recombinant Human Thrombopoietin Combined with Glucocorticoid / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO) combined with glucocorticoid in treatment of newly diagnosed adult primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).@*METHODS@#Eleven male and 23 female patients with the diagnosis of primary ITP in our hospital from November 2018 to October 2019 were enrolled and randomly divided into test group (17 cases) and control group (17 cases), the median age was 52 years old (range: 20-76 years old). The patients in test group were treated with rhTPO 300 IU/(kg·d) combined with glucocorticoid , while the patients in control group were treated with rhTPO (15 000 IU/d) combined with glucocorticoid. Platelet count, platelet increase, as well as the overall response rate were compared. At the same time, the drug tolerance and any adverse drug reactions were observed.@*RESULTS@#The platelet counts and platelet increase of the patients in the test group were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in platelet counts and platelet increase between the patients in the test group and control group at day 3, 7 after treatment. There was no significant difference in overall response rates and complete response rates at day 7, 14 between the two groups either. In test group, there were 13 cases received platelet transfusion, while 12 cases in control group. The muscle aches occurred in one patient, and mild aminotransferase increased in another patient in test group which was self-recovery without treatment.@*CONCLUSION@#RhTPO 300 U/(kg·d) combined with glucocorticoid could rapidly increase the platelet count with a low incidence of tolerable adverse events compared with conventional dose rhTPO with glucocorticoid.

The Effect of si-PKM2 on Proliferation and Apoptosis of Acute Leukemic Cells and Its Molecular Mechanism / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase type 2 (PKM2) on the proliferation and apoptosis of human leukemia HL-60 cells.@*METHODS@#si-PKM2 plasmid was transfected into HL-60 cells (set as si-PKM2 group), and blank vector transfected cells were set as control group (si-Ctl group). The expression levels of PKM2 mRNA and protein in si-Ctl group and si-PKM2 group were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot. CCK-8 cell detection kit was used to detect the proliferation ability of the cells in the two groups. Flow cytometry was used to detect the changes of cell cycle and apoptosis. Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the changes of p-Akt and p-mTOR protein levels in PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and the changes of glycolysis-related mRNA levels of the cells in the two groups. The changes in glucose consumption and lactic acid production of the cells were assayed. Over expressed PKM2, HL-60 cells were treated with PI3K inhibitor LY294002 or galactose, the changes in cell proliferation ability, cell cycle and apoptosis, as well as changes in glucose consumption and lactic acid production were detected.@*RESULTS@#Interfered by si-PKM2, mRNA and protein levels of PKM2 in si-PKM2 group significantly decreased, and proliferation ability of the cells was also reduced (P<0.05). After PKM2 knockdown, the cells were significantly blocked at G@*CONCLUSION@#PKM2 knockdown can inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of HL-60 cells, and its molecular mechanism may be related to the PKM2-mediated PI3K/Akt/mTOR-glycolysis, which suggesting that PKM2 may serve as a molecular target for the prevention and treatment of leukemia.

Effectiveness of theta and gamma electroacupuncture for post-stroke patients on working memory and electrophysiology: study protocol for a double-center, randomized, patient- and assessor-blinded, sham-controlled, parallel, clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine have suggested that electroacupuncture (EA) could improve post-stroke cognitive impairment, based on the clinical evidence. This study protocol is aimed at showing the effectiveness of theta and gamma EA for post-stroke patients on working memory (WM) and electrophysiology. METHODS: After assessing their eligibility, 66 patients with stroke will be enrolled from two Chinese medicine hospitals and randomly divided into theta frequency EA group, gamma frequency EA group, and sham-EA group according to the ratio of 1:1:1. All patients will receive 20 sessions of EA procedures for 4 weeks. Patients in three groups will receive EA at two same acupoints in the head: Baihui (GV20) and Shenting (GV24). The frequency of the three groups of EA is set as follows: 6 Hz (theta-EA group), 40 Hz (gamma-EA group), and no current through the electrodes (sham EA). Patients and assessors will be blinded throughout the entire study. The primary outcome is the performance accuracy of 1-back task which is a frequently used measure of WM in cognitive neuroscience research contexts. Secondary outcome measures will include the response time of 1-back task, the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test, Trail Making Test, Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment Scale, modified Barthel Index, and electroencephalogram (EEG) signals during 1-back tasks. A blinding index will be assessed. Data will be statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA, at 5% of significance level. DISCUSSION: We expect this double-center, randomized, patient- and assessor-blinded, sham-controlled, parallel, clinical trial to explore the effectiveness of theta and gamma EA therapy, compared with sham EA, for post-stroke WM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000031995 . Registered on 17 April 2020.

A case report: Splenic abscess caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei.

RATIONALE: Melioidosis is an emerging infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. To our knowledge, there have been very few cases of splenic abscesses due to melioidosis in Hainan, China. PATIENT CONCERNS: The patient was a 55-year-old male farmer, who was admitted in our hospital with persistent left epigastric dull pain accompanied by chills and febrile. One month before, the patient presented with persistent abdominal pain. After received anti-infection therapy, the subjective symptoms eased slightly, but recently he suffered from intermittent abdominal pain again. DIAGNOSES: Bacteria isolated from splenic pus were identified as B. pseudomallei by the Phoenix-100 system and indirect immunofluorescence. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was treated by surgical excision and anti-infection therapy. OUTCOMES: The patient was then treated with intravenous ceftazidime and oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for 2 weeks and his clinical symptoms improved. LESSONS: In endemic areas, B. pseudomallei should be considered as a causative organism of splenic abscess in patients with established risk factors. The isolation of B. pseudomallei from abscess sites is crucial to improve clinical outcomes by appropriate antimicrobial therapy coupled with surgical drainage.

Intravenous lidocaine infusion for pain control after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: This meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficiency and safety of intravenous infusion of lidocaine for pain management after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). METHODS: A systematic search was performed in PubMed (August 1966-2017), Medline (August 1966-2017), Embase (August 1980-2017), ScienceDirect (August 1985-2017), and the Cochrane Library. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Fixed/random effect model was used according to the heterogeneity tested by I2 statistic. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata.11.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 5 RCTs were retrieved involving 274 patients. The present meta-analysis indicated that there were significant differences between groups in terms of visual analog scale scores at 12hours (weighted mean difference [WMD]=-0.743, 95% CI: -1.246 to -0.240, P = .004), 24hours (WMD=-0.712, 95% CI: -1.239 to -0.184, P = .008), and 48hours (WMD=-0.600, 95% CI: -0.972 to -0.229, P = .002) after LC. Significant differences were found regarding opioid consumption at 12hours (WMD=-3.136, 95% CI: -5.591 to -0.680, P = .012), 24hours (WMD=-4.739, 95% CI: -8.291 to -1.188, P = .009), and 48hours (WMD=-3.408, 95% CI: -5.489 to -1.326, P = .001) after LC. CONCLUSION: Intravenous lidocaine infusion significantly reduced postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption after LC. In addition, there were fewer adverse effects in the lidocaine groups. Higher quality RCTs are still required for further research.

Melioidosis in Hainan, China: a restrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Melioidosis is a tropical disease caused by infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei. Here, we report an 11 year (2002-2013) retrospective study of melioidosis cases in China. METHODS: A total of 170 culture-confirmed melioidosis cases were included in our analysis, with culture-positive confirmation, biochemical identification and 16S DNA sequencing. A retrospective study design was employed and a correlational analysis of potential risk factors for mortality was carried out with logistic regression. RESULTS: We observed a year-over-year increasing trend in the incidence of melioidosis in Hainan, particularly after 2007 (annual peak of 64 cases in 2012). Farmers and fishers were the main group susceptible to melioidosis (75/170; 44.1%). Forty-six (27.1%) of the cases were fatal. Pneumonia (58/170; 34.1%) and septicaemia (44/170; 25.9%) were common presentations. Meanwhile, pre-existing diabetes (74/170; 43.5%) and being employed in a job that involves outdoor labour (148/170; 87.1%) emerged as common factors among affected patients. We did not observe a significant effect of seasonal variation on melioidosis mortality, but the greatest number of cases did occur in the rainiest season. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first clinical retrospective study of melioidosis in Hainan, China. The present data will be a useful resource to melioidosis researchers worldwide.

[Determination of 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone in mouse brain by high performance liquid chromatography].

OBJECTIVE: To optimize and establish the experimental methods for the determination of 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone (BP-1) in mouse brain. METHODS: BP-1 was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and separated by Waters Symmetry C18 (4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 µm) using isocratic elution, and the sample preparation conditions were optimized by orthogonal experiment design. The mobile phase was methanol-water (volume ratio 3:1) containing 3% (volume fraction) acetic acid (pH 3.40) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and ultraviolet (UV) detection wavelength was set at 290 nm. Retention time was used for qualitative analysis and internal standard method for quantitative analysis. RESULTS: Under the optimized experimental conditions, the calibration curve was linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 8 over the concentration range of 0.2-10.0 mg/L. The recoveries of BP-1 were between 96.8% and 104.5%. The intra-day and inter-day precision of BP-1 were 3.5%-5.7% and 4.5%-6.4%, respectively. The extraction recoveries of BP-1 at three concentrations (0.5, 2.0, 8.0 mg/L) in the mouse brain were 90.5%, 89.5%, and 97.7%, and the matrix effect of BP-1 at these three concentrations were 102.9%, 102.7%, and 90.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The method is simple, accurate, and suitable for determination of the contents of BP-1 in mouse brain.

Photodynamic therapy in combination with CO2 laser for the treatment of Bowen's disease.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves the activation of a previously administered photosensitizing agent by visible light to induce tumor necrosis. Photosensitizers are topically applied in the treatment of skin tumors to avoid systemic side effects. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of aminolevulinic acid (ALA) as a photosensitizer (ALA-PDT) in combination with CO2 laser in the treatment of Bowen's disease (BD; intraepithelial squamous cell carcinoma). Twenty-two lesions from 18 patients were randomized into two groups: 11 lesions were treated with topical ALA-PDT (180 J/cm(2) at 100 mW/cm(2)) + CO2 laser for one to three sessions. The remaining 11 lesions were treated with CO2 laser alone, serving as control group. All patients were reviewed at ≤1-week intervals. Biopsies were taken from BD lesions prior to treatment. The initial evaluation was undertaken 1 month after treatment, and biopsies were harvested for histological evaluation. Patients who did not respond to the three sessions of treatment were referred to surgical treatment. In the ALA-PDT + CO2 laser group, 72.73 % (8/11) of BD lesions showed complete remission, with an overall clearance of 90.91 %, and only one recurred (9 %) during follow-up. Local side effects included mild erythema, edema, erosion, and burning and/or stinging sensation. No systemic side effects were observed. In the control group, 63.63 % (7/11) of lesions had complete remission and the overall clearance was 54.55 %. However, five lesions (45.45 %) had recurrence. Local side effects included mild to moderate edema, erosion, ulceration, delayed healing, prolonged pain, and scarring. There existed a significant difference in recurrence rate between the two groups (P < 0.05). Moreover, after ALA-PDT plus CO2 laser treatment, complete necrosis was observed in responsive lesions, and 3 months later, the atypical BD cells were replaced by normal keratinocytes. Topical ALA-PDT in combination with CO2 laser is safe, effective, and is associated with low recurrence and reduced side effects.

Facile one-step coating approach to magnetic submicron particles with poly(ethylene glycol) coats and abundant accessible carboxyl groups.

PURPOSE: Magnetic submicron particles (MSPs) are pivotal biomaterials for magnetic separations in bioanalyses, but their preparation remains a technical challenge. In this report, a facile one-step coating approach to MSPs suitable for magnetic separations was investigated. METHODS: Polyethylene glycol) (PEG) was derived into PEG-bis-(maleic monoester) and maleic monoester-PEG-succinic monoester as the monomers. Magnetofluids were prepared via chemical co-precipitation and dispersion with the monomers. MSPs were prepared via one-step coating of magnetofluids in a water-in-oil microemulsion system of aerosol-OT and heptane by radical co-polymerization of such monomers. RESULTS: The resulting MSPs contained abundant carboxyl groups, exhibited negligible nonspecific adsorption of common substances and excellent suspension stability, appeared as irregular particles by electronic microscopy, and had submicron sizes of broad distribution by laser scattering. Saturation magnetizations and average particle sizes were affected mainly by the quantities of monomers used for coating magnetofluids, and steric hindrance around carboxyl groups was alleviated by the use of longer monomers of one polymerizable bond for coating. After optimizations, MSPs bearing saturation magnetizations over 46 emu/g, average sizes of 0.32 µm, and titrated carboxyl groups of about 0.21 mmol/g were obtained. After the activation of carboxyl groups on MSPs into N-hydroxysuccinimide ester, biotin was immobilized on MSPs and the resulting biotin-functionalized MSPs isolated the conjugate of streptavidin and alkaline phosphatase at about 2.1 mg/g MSPs; streptavidin was immobilized at about 10 mg/g MSPs and retained 81% ± 18% (n = 5) of the specific activity of the free form. CONCLUSION: The facile approach effectively prepares MSPs for magnetic separations.

A flavonoid glycoside isolated from Smilax china L. rhizome in vitro anticancer effects on human cancer cell lines.

The anticancer activity of eight crude extracts of Smilax china L. rhizome (SCR) against HeLa cells was assessed by MTT assay and clonogenic assay, the fraction rich in flavonoids had show good activity against HeLa cells. A bioassay-guided separation on this extract lead to the detection of kaempferol-7-O-beta-D-glucoside (KG), which belongs to flavonoid glycoside, displayed marked anticancer activity. We evaluated its in vitro cytotoxicity and antiproliferative effect in a panel of established cancer cell lines by MTT assay and clonogenic assay. KG induces A375 and HL60 cells apoptosis, which was demonstrated by morphological changes, DNA fragmentation and flow cytometric analysis. Fluorescent staining with Hoechst 33258 showed fragmentation and condensation of chromatin in the A375 and HL60 cells. Flow cytometric analysis shown that A375 and HL60 cells treated with KG resulted in the appearance of a hypodiploid peak (A0 region), probably due to the presence of apoptosing cells and/or apoptotic bodies with DNA content less than 2n. Quantitation of the hypodiploid cells shows a dose-dependent response to KG, and this result is in good accordance with that of the DNA fragmentation assay by agarose gel electrophoresis. Our results suggested that cell cycle arrest at G(1) phase and induce apoptosis as a mechanism by which KG exerts an antiproliferative effect.

Cloning and characterization of a gene for an LRR receptor-like protein kinase associated with cotton fiber development.

Cotton fiber is an ideal model for studying plant cell elongation and cell wall biogenesis, but the genes that are critical for the regulation of fiber development are largely unknown. We report here the cloning and characterization of a receptor-like kinase gene (designated GhRLK1), expression of which is induced during the period of active secondary wall synthesis in the cotton fiber cells. We demonstrate that GhRLK1 is located in the plasma membrane and shows dual specificity as both a serine/threonine kinase and a tyrosine kinase. Our results suggest a possible role of GhRLK1 in the signal transduction pathway that is involved in the induction and maintenance of active secondary wall formation during fiber development.

[Identification of genes that are specifically/preferentially expressed in developing cotton fibers by mRNA fluorescence differential display (FDD)].

Fluorescence differential display (FDD) technique was used to identify genes that are specifically or preferentially expressed in different developmental stages of cotton fiber cells. One hundred and nine differentially displayed cDNA fragments were isolated using 9, 21 and 27 DPA (days postanthesis) fibers as experimental materials. By a combination of two rounds of reverse Northern hybridization and Northern blot analyses, a number of such cDNA fragments were proved to represent fiber-specific/preferential genes. Sequencing determination and database searching indicated that most of these genes are novel. This work is an important step towards cloning the full-length cDNAs and characterizing the cellular functions of aforementioned genes in fiber development.