Chinese Medicine Plaster as A New Treatment for Surgical Site Infection in Patients with Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the efficacy of Chinese plaster containing rhubarb and mirabilite on surgical site infection (SSI) in patients with cesarean delivery (CD) by performing a randomized controlled trial.@*METHODS@#This randomized controlled trial included 560 patients with CD due to fetal head descent enrolled at a tertiary teaching center between December 31, 2018 and October 31, 2021. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to a Chinese medicine (CM) group (280 cases) or a placebo group (280 cases) by a random number table, and were treated with CM plaster (made by rhubarb and mirabilite) or a placebo plaster, respectively. Both courses of treatment lasted from the day 1 of CD, followed day 2 until discharge. The primary outcome was the total number of patients with superficial, deep and organ/space SSI. The secondary outcome was duration of postoperative hospital stay, antibiotic intake, and unplanned readmission or reoperation due to SSI. All reported efficacy and safety outcomes were confirmed by a central adjudication committee that was unaware of the study-group assignments.@*RESULTS@#During the recovery process after CD, the rates of localized swelling, redness and heat were significantly lower in the CM group than in the placebo group [7.55% (20/265) vs. 17.21% (47/274), P<0.01]. The durution of postoperative antibiotic intake was shorter in the CM group than in the placebo group (P<0.01). The duration of postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the CM group than in the placebo group (5.49 ± 2.68 days vs. 8.96 ± 2.35 days, P<0.01). The rate of postoperative C-reactive protein elevation (≽100 mg/L) was lower in the CM group than in the placebo group [27.6% (73/265) vs. 43.8% (120/274), P<0.01]. However, there was no difference in purulent drainage rate from incision and superficial opening of incision between the two groups. No intestinal reactions and skin allergies were found in the CM group.@*CONCLUSIONS@#CM plaster containing rhubarb and mirabilite had an effect on SSI. It is safe for mothers and imposes lower economic and mental burdens on patients undergoing CD. (Registration No. ChiCTR2100054626).

Genomic epidemiology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from acute diarrheal patients in Shenzhen City from 2013 to 2021 / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: To characterize the prevalence and genomic epidemiology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from acute diarrheal patients in Shenzhen City from 2013 to 2021. Methods: Based on the Shenzhen Infectious Diarrhea Surveillance System, acute diarrheal patients were actively monitored in sentinel hospitals from 2013 to 2021. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates was performed, and the genomic population structure, serotypes, virulence genes and multilocus sequence typing were analyzed. Outbreak clusters from 2019 to 2021 were explored based on single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis. Results: A total of 48 623 acute diarrhea cases were monitored in 15 sentinel hospitals from 2013 to 2021, and 1 135 Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains were isolated, with a positive isolation rate of 2.3%. Qualified whole-genome sequencing data of 852 isolates were obtained. Eighty-nine serotypes, 21 known ST types and 5 new ST types were identified by sequence analysis, and 93.2% of strains were detected with toxin profile of tdh+trh-. 8 clonal groups (CGs) were captured, with CG3 as the absolute predominance, followed by CG189. The CG3 group was dominated by O3:K6 serotype and ST3 sequence type, while CG189 group was mainly O4:KUT, O4:K8 serotypes and ST189a and ST189 type. A total of 13 clusters were identified, containing 154 cases. About 30 outbreak clusters with 29 outbreak clusters caused by CG3 strains from 2019 to 2021. Conclusion: Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major pathogen of acute infectious diarrhea in Shenzhen City, with diverse population structures. CG3 and CG189 have been prevalent and predominant in Shenzhen City for a long time. Scattered outbreaks and persistent sources of contamination ignored by traditional methods could be captured by WGS analysis. Tracing the source of epidemic clone groups and taking precise prevention and control measures are expected to significantly reduce the burden of diarrhea diseases caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection in Shenzhen City.

Effect of Morus alba extract sanggenon C on growth and proliferation of glioblastoma cells / 中国中药杂志

Glioblastoma is the most common primary cranial malignancy, and chemotherapy remains an important tool for its treatment. Sanggenon C(San C), a class of natural flavonoids extracted from Morus plants, is a potential antitumor herbal monomer. In this study, the effect of San C on the growth and proliferation of glioblastoma cells was examined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay and 5-bromodeoxyuridinc(BrdU) labeling assay. The effect of San C on the tumor cell cycle was examined by flow cytometry, and the effect of San C on clone formation and self-renewal ability of tumor cells was examined by soft agar assay. Western blot and bioinformatics analysis were used to investigate the mechanism of the antitumor activity of San C. In the presence of San C, the MTT assay showed that San C significantly inhibited the growth and proliferation of tumor cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. BrdU labeling assay showed that San C significantly attenuated the DNA replication activity in the nucleus of tumor cells. Flow cytometry confirmed that San C blocked the cell cycle of tumor cells in G_0/G_1 phase. The soft agar clone formation assay revealed that San C significantly attenuated the clone formation and self-renewal ability of tumor cells. The gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA) implied that San C inhibited the tumor cell division cycle by affecting the myelocytomatosis viral oncogene(MYC) signaling pathway. Western blot assay revealed that San C inhibited the expression of cyclin through the regulation of the MYC signaling pathway by lysine demethylase 4B(KDM4B), which ultimately inhibited the growth and proliferation of glioblastoma cells and self-renewal. In conclusion, San C exhibits the potential antitumor activity by targeting the KDM4B-MYC axis to inhibit glioblastoma cell growth, proliferation, and self-renewal.

Aneurysmal bone cyst of the proximal femur concomitant with Graves' disease and Moyamoya disease: report of a rare case.

Aneurysmal bone cyst is a type of benign bone pathology with expansile and osteolytic features whose etiology remains unclear. Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by diffuse goiter and hyperthyroidism. Moyamoya disease is a progressive cerebral vasculopathy. It has been reported that Graves' disease and Moyamoya disease share a similar etiology involving cytokines and autoimmune and genetic factors. There are no previous reports regarding the relationship between aneurysmal bone cyst and Graves' disease. Here, we present the rare case of a 25-year-old woman with suspected aneurysmal bone cyst of the left proximal femur and a definite preoperative diagnosis of Graves' disease, in whom lesion resection combined with left total hip replacement was indicated. Biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of aneurysmal bone cyst. Three days postoperatively, the patient developed acute ischemic cerebral infarction owing to Moyamoya disease, which was subsequently confirmed. This case elucidates the potential interaction among aneurysmal bone cysts, Graves' disease, and Moyamoya disease and provides lessons regarding appropriate perioperative preparation for patients with Graves' disease who require surgery to avoid potential severe complications.

Acute myocarditis presenting as accelerated junctional rhythm in Graves' disease: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Acute myocarditis is an acute myocardium injury that manifests as arrhythmia, dyspnea, and elevated cardiac enzymes. Acute myocarditis is usually caused by a viral infection but can sometimes be caused by autoimmunity. Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that is a rare etiology of acute myocarditis. Accelerated junctional rhythm is also a rare manifestation of acute myocarditis in adults. CASE SUMMARY: A rare case of new-onset Graves' disease combined with acute myocarditis and thyrotoxic periodic paralysis is reported. The patient was a 25-year-old young man who suddenly became paralyzed and felt palpitations and dyspnea. He was then sent to our emergency department (ED). Upon arrival, electrocardiography revealed an accelerated junctional rhythm and ST-segment depression in all leads, and laboratory findings showed extreme hypokalemia and elevated troponin I, with the troponin I level being 0.32 ng/mL (reference range, 0-0.06 ng/mL). Coronary computer tomography angiography was performed, and there were no abnormal findings in the coronary arteries. Subsequently, the patient was admitted to the ED ward, where further testing revealed Graves' disease, along with continued elevated cardiac enzyme levels and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels. The troponin I level was 0.24 ng/mL after admission. All of the echocardiography results were normal: Left atrium 35 mm, left ventricle 48 mm, end-diastolic volume 102 mL, right atrium 39 mm × 47 mm, right ventricle 25 mm, and ejection fraction 60%. Cardiac magnetic resonance was performed on the fifth day of admission, revealing myocardial edema in the lateral wall and intramyocardial and subepicardial late gadolinium enhancement in the lateral apex, anterior lateral, and inferior lateral segments of the ventricle. The patient refused to undergo an endomyocardial biopsy. After 6 d, the patient's cardiac enzymes, BNP, potassium, and electrocardiography returned to normal. After the patient's symptoms were relieved, he was discharged from the hospital. During a 6-mo follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic and subjected to thyroid function, liver function, kidney function, troponin I, and electrocardiograph routine tests for medicine adjustments. The hyperthyroid state was controlled. CONCLUSION: Acute myocarditis is a rare manifestation of Graves' disease. Accelerated junctional rhythm is also a rare manifestation of acute myocarditis in adults. When the reason for hypokalemia and elevated cardiac enzymes in patients is unknown, cardiologists should consider Graves' disease and also pay attention to accelerated junctional rhythm.

Effect of acupuncture on analgesia and sedation in elderly patients with severe pneumonia during invasive mechanical ventilation / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the analgesic and sedative effects of acupuncture in elderly patients with severe pneumonia during invasive mechanical ventilation.@*METHODS@#A total of 188 elderly patients with severe pneumonia were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 94 cases in each group. Both groups were treated with routine nursing and treatment of severe pneumonia such as invasive mechanical ventilation, analgesia and sedation. Based on these, the observation group was treated with acupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6), Hegu (LI 4), Yintang (GV 29) and Baihui (GV 20), twice a day until the mechanical ventilation was offline. The critical care pain observation tool (CPOT) score and Richmond agitation-sedation score (RASS) were observed before treatment and 0.5 h after analgesia and sedation; the average time of reaching the standard, the reaching standard rate of shallow sedation and analgesia within 0.5 h and 72 h as well as the dosage of analgesic and sedative drugs and compilations were compared between the two groups. The mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and blood oxygen saturation (SpO@*RESULTS@#At the time point of 0.5 h after treatment, the CPOT and RASS scores in the two groups were lower than those before treatment (@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture has analgesic and sedative effect in elderly patients with severe pneumonia during invasive mechanical ventilation, which could reduce the dosage of sedative and analgesic drugs and the occurrence of complications, improve blood oxygen, and has good safety.

Protective effect and related mechanism of tea saponin on Shigella infection / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To explore the protective effects and related mechanism of tea saponin (TS) on intestinal inflammation due to Shigella infection. Methods:In vitro, the antibacterial activity of TS was detected by standard broth microdilution method. The absorbance at 600 nm of the bacterial liquid was detected by Microplate Reader under different concentrations of TS, and the growth curve was drawn. Bacterial count was obtained by plate colony counting. In vivo, 15 mice were divided into 3 groups ( n=5 each): control group, Sf301 group and TS group. Sterile water or TS was applied to mice in the Sf301 group and the TS group per gavage once a day for 8 days, and the mouse model of Shigella infection was established on day 3. The disease activity index (DAI) was used to evaluate the general condition of mice. The mice were sacrificed on day 8. Colon length was measured and colon tissues were stained with HE to analyze the pathological changes. The cecal contents and feces of mice were taken for plate counting and Shigella load was obtained. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of inflammatory factors. Results:(1) In vitro, the MIC of TS was 1 024 μg/ml. The plate counting and A600 of TS decreased in proportion to increasing concentrations (256, 512, 1 024 μg/ml) in comparison with the control group (all P<0.05). (2) In vivo, colon length was (7.70±0.24) cm in the control group and (7.35±0.41) cm in the TS group, which was significantly longer than that of the Sf301 group ([6.13±0.05] cm, P<0.05). Histopathological examination evidenced colonic epithelial cells shedding, decreased goblet cells, and inflammatory cell infiltration in the colon tissue of the Sf301 group. In the TS group, the colonic mucosa was intact without significant inflammatory cell infiltration. Bacterial load in cecal contents was significantly lower in the TS group than in the Sf301 group ( P<0.05). The level of tumor necrosis factor-α was significantly lower, and the level of interleukin-10 was significantly higher in the TS group than in the Sf301 group (all P<0.05). Conclusion:TS can effectively inhibit Shigella and alleviate Shigella infective enteritis by reducing Shigella load and inhibiting inflammation.

Genetic mapping and identification of new major loci for tolerance to low phosphorus stress in rice.

Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential macronutrients for rice. In this study, we used 120 rice backcross recombinant inbred lines (BRILs) derived from a cross indica cv. Changhui 891 and japonica cv. 02428. To elucidate the genetic control of P deficiency tolerance in rice, we have used high quality SNPs bin markers to identify some important loci underlying phosphorus deficiency. The bin map was generated which includes 3057 bins covering distance of 1266.5 cM with an average of 0.41 cM between markers. Based on this map, 50 loci, including four novel loci, qSL-3, qRL-11, qSDW-1, qRDW-1 with phenotypic variance 23.26%, 12.06%, 9.89% associated with P deficiency-related seedling traits were identified. No significant QTLs was found for root length under P+, shoot fresh weight P- and root length, shoot fresh weight for P+, P- and their ratio respectively. Root fresh weight, and root dry weight were strongly correlated to each other, and QTLs for these variables were located on the same chromosome 1 at the same region. Notably, 3 pleiotropic regions is the pioneer of our study, and these regions would facilitate map-based cloning to expedite the MAS selection for developing low phosphorous tolerant varieties. This study not only improves our knowledge about molecular processes associated with P deficiency, but also provides useful information to understand the genetic architecture of low phosphorous tolerance.

Role of miRNA and lncRNA in animal fat deposition-a review / 生物工程学报

MicroRNA (miRNA) is a type of highly conserved nucleotide sequence composed of 18 to 25 nucleotides, which can specifically bind to the 3'-noncoding regions of mRNA, and then play a negative regulatory role in degrading mRNA or inhibiting translation. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a type of nucleotide sequence that exceeds 200 nucleotides in length and cannot encode proteins or can only encode protein peptides. It regulates gene expression at the levels of epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional. As an important energy storage organ, fat plays an important role in regulating the energy balance of animals, and is closely related to meat production traits such as meat production and meat quality. And the disorder of fat function can lead to hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes and a series of cardiovascular diseases, so the molecular regulation mechanism of animal fat deposition has attracted more attention. In recent years, more and more studies have found that miRNA and lncRNA play a crucial role in animal fat deposition. We review here the current research progresses in the role of miRNA and lncRNA in animal fat deposition, to provide theoretical guidance and new ideas for further revealing the molecular regulation mechanism of animal fat deposition.

Effects of lentivirus-mediated DKC1 gene silence on radiosensitivity of human cervical cancer HeLa cells / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of decreasing DKC1 gene expression on radiosensitivity of HeLa cells.Methods:A cell model with low expression of DKC1 gene was established by shRNA technology with lentivirus as vector, and the interference efficiency was verified by RT-PCR and Western blot assay. Cells were divided into two groups of interference (Lv-shDKC1) and its negative control. Telomerase activity was detected by TRAP-ELISA, and telomere length was measured by Real-time PCR. Cell survival was obtained through clone formation assay and fitted by multi-target single-hit model, and radiobiological parameters ( D0, Dq, N, SF2) and radiosensitization ratio (SER) were calculated. Results:After DKC1 interfering, the expression levels of mRNA and protein of DKC1 in HeLa cells were significantly decreased by (71.330±4.112)% ( t=25.53, P<0.05) and (35.520±3.804)% ( t=4.833, P<0.05), respectively. Compared with the blank control group and negative control group, the telomerase activity of Lv-shDKC1 group decreased significantly from 0.900±0.044 and 0.897±0.031 to 0.713±0.021 ( F=31.44, P<0.05), the relative telomere length was significantly decreased from 4.233±0.306 and 4.633±0.379 to 2.667±0.404 ( F=39.15, P<0.05). The telomerase activity and relative telomere length of blank control group and Lv-shDKC1 negative control group had no significant difference( P>0.05). SF2 in the interference group (0.571±0.006) was significantly lower than that of the blank control group (0.861±0.009) and the Lv-shDKC1 negative control group (0.807±0.002) ( F=1812, P<0.05), and the radiosensitization ratio (SER) of shDKC1 interference was 1.508. Conclusions:Downregulation of DKC1 in human cervical cancer HeLa cells enhances the radiosensitivity through inhibiting the activity of telomerase and shortening the length of telomere. DKC1 gene may become a new target of radiosensitization.

Estrogen signaling effects on muscle-specific immune responses through controlling the recruitment and function of macrophages and T cells.

BACKGROUND: Estrogen signaling is indispensable for muscle regeneration, yet the role of estrogen in the development of muscle inflammation, especially in the intramuscular T cell response, and the influence on the intrinsic immuno-behaviors of myofibers remain largely unknown. We investigated this issue using the mice model of cardiotoxin (CTX)-induced myoinjury, with or without estrogen level adjustment. METHODS: CTX injection i.m. (tibialis anterior, TA) was performed for preparing mice myoinjury model. Injection s.c. of 17ß-estradiol (E2) or estrogen receptor antagonist 4-OHT, or ovariectomy (OVX), was used to change estrogen level of animal models in vivo. Serum E2 level was evaluated by ELISA. Gene levels of estrogen receptor (ERs) and cytokines/chemokines in inflamed muscle were monitored by qPCR. Inflammatory infiltration was observed by immunofluorescence. Macrophage and T cell phenotypes were analyzed by FACS. Immunoblotting was used to assess protein levels of ERs and immunomolecules in C2C12 myotubes treated with E2 or 4-OHT, in the presence of IFN-γ. RESULTS: We monitored the increased serum E2 level and the upregulated ERß in regenerated myofibres after myotrauma. The absence of estrogen in vivo resulted in the more severe muscle inflammatory infiltration, involving the recruitment of monocyte/macrophage and CD4+ T cells, and the heightened proinflammatory (M1) macrophage. Moreover, estrogen signaling loss led to Treg cells infiltration decrease, Th1 response elevation in inflamed muscle, and the markedly expression upregulation of immunomolecules in IFN-γ-stimulated C2C12 myotubes in vitro. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that estrogen is a positive intervention factor for muscle inflammatory response, through its effects on controlling intramuscular infiltration and phenotypes of monocytes/macrophages, on affecting accumulation and function of Treg cells, and on suppressing Th1 response in inflamed muscle. Our findings also imply an inhibition effect of estrogen on the intrinsic immune behaviors of muscle cells.

An experimental study on endoscopic ultrasound-guided microwave ablation for porcine liver and pancreas / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and safety of endoscopic ultrasound-guided microwave ablation ( EUS-MWA ) for porcine liver and pancreas by assessing physiological state and pathological changes. Methods EUS-MWA was performed on liver and pancreas of 8 healthy pigs after general anesthesia. The needle size was 1. 9 mm in diameter, and the power of ablation was 65 W, 10 min on liver and 60 W, 5 min on pancreas. The levels of blood amylase and hepatic transaminase were examined before and after the operation. All pigs underwent CT scan on the right postoperative day to assess the extent of ablation and complications. Two pigs were killed 6 hours after operation and 2 others were killed 24 hours after operation to assess structural damage around the puncture path. The remaining 4 pigs were raised to 2 weeks after operation to observe diet, activities and mental state. The ablated areas of liver and pancreas underwent pathological analysis after dissection, and non-ablation regions were treated as the control. Results All 8 pigs underwent EUS-MWA and their vital signs were stable during the operation. Except for the difficulty in locating the pancreas in one case, other surgical procedures were smooth and 18 ablations were performed totally ( 10 in liver and 8 in pancreas) . CT scans showed quasi-circular low density lesions in the liver and pancreas, and the maximum diameter of the ablation area in liver and pancreas was 2. 8 ± 0. 3 cm, 1. 8±0. 2 cm respectively. There was no free intraperitoneal gas, ascites or pleural effusion. The level of blood amylase increased at 6 hours after operation and the peak value occurred within 12-24 hours. The level of hepatic transaminase had a mild elevation. The rearing group showed transient food refusal and activity reduction after the operation, but all returned to normal within 1-2 days. No fever, vomiting or other abnormalities occurred. Puncture path burn, adjacent organ damage and bleeding was not observed except for one case of gastric wall burns during pancreas ablation. Pathology showed massive coagulative necrosis and peripheral bleeding area in the liver ablation center, and diffuse focal necrosis in the tissue of the pancreatic ablation area. Conclusion EUS-MWA is safe and feasible for porcine liver and pancreas, which can be used for the treatment of human liver and pancreatic diseases in the future.

The Effect and Its Factors of Autonomy Learning and Its Influencing Factors on the Postgraduates for Professional Degree Education / 昆明医科大学学报

Objective To evaluate the effect and its factors of the postgraduates’ autonomy learning in medical English, and to suggest improving methods. Methods The postgraduates enrolled in Kunming Medical University in 2016 were divided into two groups. Those for professional degree education learnt Medical English by the approach of autonomy learning, while those for academic degree education were taught in traditional method. At the end of the semester,an examination was applied to measure and compare the learning effects in both groups, and questionnaires were conducted to investigate their attitudes and satisfaction. The results were evaluated by quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis.Results The postgraduates for professional degree education got lower examination scores than the postgraduates for academic degree education. Time management appeared to be the main problem. Conclusion Although the postgraduates highly regard the necessity of medical English learning and have great sense of learning responsibility, process supervision from the administration is suggested to assist their time management so that better learning effects can be achieved.

Construction of an eukaryotic expression plasmid for AY358935 gene / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To construct an eukaryotic expression plasmid for AY358935 gene and explore its function.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>cDNA of the AY358935 gene was amplified by reverse transcription-PCR and cloned into pGEM-Teasy. The pGEM-T-AY was validated by sequencing and served as a template for the construction of eukaryotic expression plasmid. The pcDNA3.1-AY recombinant was validated by double enzyme digestion and used for transient transfection of M14 cells. Expression of the AY358935 protein and proliferation of the M14 cells were determined respectively by Western blotting and 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo(-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) colorimetry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The amplicons of RT-PCR were confirmed to have similar size with the cDNA fragment of the AY358935 gene as well as cloned region of pcDNA3.1-AY. The cloned region of pGEM-T-AY was sequenced to be identical with cDNA sequence of the AY358935 gene. M14 cells were transfected by the AY358935 gene, pcDNA3.1 and liposomes, respectively. After 48 h, expression of the AY358935 protein in M14 cells transfected with the AY358935 gene was significantly higher than other two groups. They also had a significantly higher absorbance value (A=0.74) than other two groups (A=0.39 and 0.46, respectively; P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>An eukaryotic expression plasmid of the AY358935 gene was successfully constructed. Product of the AY358935 gene may promote the proliferation of M14 cells.</p>

Chlorogenic acid inhibits non-enzymatic glycation and oxidation of low density lipoprotein / 浙江大学学报·医学版

OBJECTIVE@#: To investigate the effect of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on non-enzymatic glycation and oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL).@*METHODS@#: The non-enzymatic glycation incubation system of LDL-glucose was established. The contents of early glycation products (Amodori product) and intermediate products (dicarbonyl compound) were determined by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, and the content of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) was determined by fluorescence spectrophotometry. The LDL oxidation incubation system was established. The contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances(TBARS) and conjugated diene were determined by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. The tryptophan fluorescence quenching, and the content of lipofuscin, total fluorescence products, active aldehydes and malondialdehyde were determined by fluorescence spectrophotometry, and further verified by three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy.@*RESULTS@#: In the LDL glycation experiment, 150 μg/mL and 300 μg/mL CGA inhibited the formation of Amadori product, dicarbonyl compounds and AGEs. In the LDL oxidation experiment, 15 μg/mL and 25 μg/mL CGA inhibited the formation of TBARS effectively; 5 μg/mL and 10 μg/mL CGA inhibited tryptophan fluorescence quenching, and the formation of active aldehydes, malondialdehyde, total fluorescence products, lipofuscin and conjugated diolefine. And the three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy showed the same results.@*CONCLUSIONS@#: CGA can inhibit non-enzymatic glycation and oxidation of LDL.

Modality-Invariant Image Classification Based on Modality Uniqueness and Dictionary Learning.

We present a unified framework for the image classification of image sets taken under varying modality conditions. Our method is motivated by a key observation that the image feature distribution is simultaneously influenced by the semantic-class and the modality category label, which limits the performance of conventional methods for that task. With this insight, we introduce modality uniqueness as a discriminative weight that divides each modality cluster from all other clusters. By leveraging the modality uniqueness, our framework is formulated as unsupervised modality clustering and classifier learning based on modality-invariant similarity kernel. Specifically, in the assignment step, each training image is first assigned to the most similar cluster according to its modality. In the update step, based on the current cluster hypothesis, the modality uniqueness and the sparse dictionary are updated. These two steps are formulated in an iterative manner. Based on the final clusters, a modality-invariant marginalized kernel is then computed, where the similarities between the reconstructed features of each modality are aggregated across all clusters. Our framework enables the reliable inference of semantic-class category for an image, even across large photometric variations. Experimental results show that our method outperforms conventional methods on various benchmarks, such as landmark identification under severely varying weather conditions, domain-adapting image classification, and RGB and near-infrared image classification.

Effects of extreme environmental conditions on sensitivity and specificity of collodial gold immunochromatography products / 军事医学

Objective To assess the limit of detection(LOD),sensitivity and specificity of collodial gold immunochrom-atography(GICA)products purchased from two manufacturers under special environmental conditions.Methods The sensitivity and specificity of GICA made in InTec Products, INC.and Beijing WANTAI Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co., LTD.for detecting HBsAg, anti-HCV and anti-Treponema pallidum(TP)serum samples were evaluated under different conditions(conventional facilities,simulated hot and humid environments and simulated low pressure and hypoxia environments)according to the protocol of kits.LOD was estimated by detecting the standard materials obtained from the National Center for Clinical Laboratory(NCCL)of China.Results LOD for syphilis improved from 2 NCU to 1 NCU using GICA from InTec Products in hot and humid environments.The extreme conditions did not influence the specificity of GICA from the two manufacturers in the course of detection of clinical samples,but the sensitivity of detection was affected.For InTec Products,the sensitivity of hepatitis B virus and syphilis detection was improved in hot and humid environments,but was reduced in low pressure and hypoxia environments.In addition,the sensitivity of hepatitis C virus detection by InTec Products decreased in hot and humid environments.As for WANTAI products,the sensitivity of hepatitis B virus detection was reduced under extreme conditions and that of hepatitis C virus was only influenced by hot and humid environments. Interestingly, extreme conditions had no impact on the sensitivity of syphilis.Conclusion LOD of InTec Products is better than that of the WANTAI products for detection of standard materials from blood-borne diseases.In the process of detecting clinical samples,the sensitivity of the two manufacturers′GICA is influenced by extreme conditions, with the specificity unchanged.Overall, WANTAI products are more stable than those of InTec, and are also less influenced by extreme conditions.

Molecular cloning and characterization of the MsHSP17.7 gene from Medicago sativa L.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are ubiquitous protective proteins that play crucial roles in plant development and adaptation to stress, and the aim of this study is to characterize the HSP gene in alfalfa. Here we isolated a small heat shock protein gene (MsHSP17.7) from alfalfa by homology-based cloning. MsHSP17.7 contains a 477-bp open reading frame and encodes a protein of 17.70-kDa. The amino acid sequence shares high identity with MtHSP (93.98 %), PsHSP17.1 (83.13 %), GmHSP17.9 (74.10 %) and SlHSP17.6 (79.25 %). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that MsHSP17.7 belongs to the group of cytosolic class II small heat shock proteins (sHSP), and likely localizes to the cytoplasm. Quantitative RT-PCR indicated that MsHSP17.7 was induced by heat shock, high salinity, peroxide and drought stress. Prokaryotic expression indicated that the salt and peroxide tolerance of Escherichia coli was remarkably enhanced. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing MsHSP17.7 exhibited increased root length of transgenic Arabidopsis lines under salt stress compared to the wild-type line. The malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the transgenic lines were significantly lower than in wild-type, although proline levels were similar between transgenic and wild-type lines. MsHSP17.7 was induced by heat shock, high salinity, oxidative stress and drought stress. Overexpression analysis suggests that MsHSP17.7 might play a key role in response to high salinity stress.

Small RNA deep sequencing identifies novel and salt-stress-regulated microRNAs from roots of Medicago sativa and Medicago truncatula.

Small 21- to 24-nucleotide (nt) ribonucleic acids (RNAs), notably the microRNA (miRNA), are emerging as a posttranscriptional regulation mechanism. Salt stress is one of the primary abiotic stresses that cause the crop losses worldwide. In saline lands, root growth and function of plant are determined by the action of environmental salt stress through specific genes that adapt root development to the restrictive condition. To elucidate the role of miRNAs in salt stress regulation in Medicago, we used a high-throughput sequencing approach to analyze four small RNA libraries from roots of Zhongmu-1 (Medicago sativa) and Jemalong A17 (Medicago truncatula), which were treated with 300 mM NaCl for 0 and 8 h. Each library generated about 20 million short sequences and contained predominantly small RNAs of 24-nt length, followed by 21-nt and 22-nt small RNAs. Using sequence analysis, we identified 385 conserved miRNAs from 96 families, along with 68 novel candidate miRNAs. Of all the 68 predicted novel miRNAs, 15 miRNAs were identified to have miRNA*. Statistical analysis on abundance of sequencing read revealed specific miRNA showing contrasting expression patterns between M. sativa and M. truncatula roots, as well as between roots treated for 0 and 8 h. The expression of 10 conserved and novel miRNAs was also quantified by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The miRNA precursor and target genes were predicted by bioinformatics analysis. We concluded that the salt stress related conserved and novel miRNAs may have a large variety of target mRNAs, some of which might play key roles in salt stress regulation of Medicago.