Effect of total peony glucoside pretreatment on NF-κB and ICAM-1 expression in myocardial tissue of rat with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Early recovery of myocardial perfusion is beneficial for myocardial ischemia. However, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) may exacerbate myocardial injury. Research shows that total peony glucoside (TPG) can inhibit ischemic myocardial cell apoptosis. However, whether it can ameliorate I/R injury remains poorly understood. This study explored the effect of TPG pretreatment on I/R, through nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expressions in I/R-affected myocardium. Healthy 7-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly categorized into sham operation (A), modeling (B), and 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg TPG pretreatment groups (C, D, and E, respectively), with 20 rats in each group. I/R rat models were designed by ligating left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min to induce ischemia and for 120 min to induce reperfusion. Serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) levels were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA and protein expressions were detected through RT-PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Compared to group A, serum IL-6 and IL-8 levels of group B elevated significantly (P < 0.05), whereas NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA and protein expressions increased in the myocardium (P < 0.05). Serum IL-6 and IL-8 levels, and NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA and protein expressions, in myocardium of TPG groups reduced in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, TPG pretreatment could alleviate myocardium reperfusion injury in I/R rat models by reducing NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA and protein expressions and cytokine secretions. This mechanism could be associated with the inhibition of NF-κB activation and downregulation of ICAM-1 expression.

Expression of macrophage migration-inhibitory factor in duodenal ulcer and its relation to Helicobacter pylori infection.

The aim of this study was to examine the expression of macrophage migration-inhibitory factor (MIF) in duodenal ulcer epithelial cells and its relation to Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, and to discuss the pathogenic roles of MIF expression and Hp infection in duodenal ulcer. MIF protein and mRNA expression was examined in samples from patients with duodenal ulcer with and without Hp infection (N = 40 each, experimental group), and in normal duodenal bulb mucosal tissue (N = 40, control group) using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Patients without Hp infection received routine treatment, and treatment was provided to the patients positive for Hp to eradicate Hp infection. Hp and MIF expression levels before treatment and after the ulcer had been cured were compared. The positive rates of MIF protein and mRNA in patients with Hp infection before treatment were 67.5 and 65%, respectively, and were 18.9 and 21.6% in the 37 patients from whom Hp was eliminated. These were statistically different both before and after treatment compared with controls (P < 0.05). In the patients without Hp infection, the positive rates of MIF protein and mRNA expression before (45 and 47.5%, respectively) and after (32.5 and 30%) treatment were not significantly different (P > 0.05). The results of this study suggested that MIF is related to the development of duodenal ulcer, and that the presence of Hp is closely related with the expression of MIF in the duodenal mucosa and the development of duodenal ulcer.

Effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the ATP-binding cassette B1 gene on the clinical outcome of traumatic brain injury.

The critical role of ATP-binding cassette B1 (ABCB1) in the function of the blood-brain barrier led us to conducted this prospective study in order to investigate the clinical outcome of patients suffering from severe traumatic brain injury. A total of 182 patients with traumatic brain injury were included in our study. Genotyping of ABCB1 C3435T and G2677T/A was conducted using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Using multivariate-logistic regression analysis, we found that patients carrying the CT+CC genotype of ABCB1 C3435T were more likely to have a better neurological outcome when compared with the TT genotype (odds ratio = 2.71, 95% confidence interval = 1.12-6.86). However, no significant association was found between the G2677T/A polymorphism and outcome of traumatic brain injury patients. Our study provides important information regarding the prognostic value of ABCB1 C3435T, and the ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism may be used as a predictive marker for the outcome of traumatic brain injury patients.

ApoE and S-100 expression and its significance in the brain tissue of rats with focal contusion.

This study explored the effect of focal cerebral contusion on the expression of ApoE and S-100, and its significance in determining the time of brain injury. Based on a rat model of cerebral contusion, immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expressions of S-100 and ApoE at different time points after injury. Thirty minutes following cerebral contusion, ApoE protein expression was significantly increased in cortex neurons (P < 0.01), and S-100 protein expression was significantly (P < 0.001) elevated 2 h after cerebral contusion. Over time, the number of ApoE and S-100 positively expressing cells gradually increased. Three days after injury, ApoE was widely distributed throughout the tissue and the number of ApoE-positive cells and staining intensity reached a peak. ApoE expression decreased after this time point. Five days after cerebral contusion, the number of S-100-positive cells reached a peak level of expression higher than that in the control group. Our data demonstrate that the expression of ApoE and S-100 correlated with the progression of focal cerebral contusion. This suggests that both proteins may serve as effective biomarkers of focal cerebral contusions.

Genetic diversity and variability in populations of the white wax insect Ericerus pela, assessed by AFLP analysis.

The white wax insect Ericerus pela Chavannes (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) is an economically valuable insect species that has been used for over a thousand years in China. The present study focuses on assessing the genetic variability in different populations of E. pela collected from seven Chinese provinces. The amplified fragment length polymorphism technique was used to generate DNA fingerprints of individuals from each population using nine primer combinations (EcoRI-MseI). A total of 435 polymorphic loci were generated; fragment sizes ranged from 200 to 1000 bp. The percentage of polymorphic loci was 85.29%. Nei's genetic diversity and Shannon index indicated consistency in the results, which showed that the Sichuan population had the highest diversity, followed by Yunnan and Zhejiang populations. Dendrogram analysis showed the shortest genetic distance between the Sichuan and Yunnan populations, suggesting that they probably form sister groups. High genetic differentiation between population values among all sampled populations indicated a low degree of genetic variability within each population (40.85%) and higher variation among populations (59.15%). Gene flow estimate values were low in all samples, suggesting low gene flow from events such as interbreeding and migration. Low gene flow values also suggested that populations among species of E. pela might become genetically heterogeneous, due to counteracting forces such as strong differential selection. Our data support the probability that E. pela will remain localized, and has a low potential to spread beyond current habitats.

Isolation, identification, and antioxidant activity of polysaccharides from the shell of abalone (Haliotis discus hannai Ino).

In this study, two antioxidative substances, a homogeneous polysaccharide [abalone shell polysaccharide (ASP-1), corresponding to the first peak by size exclusion chromatography] and a non-polysaccharide compound [abalone shell compound (ACS-2), corresponding to the second peak by size exclusion chromatography], were extracted from the abalone (Haliotis discus hannai Ino) shell. We primarily focused on the investigation of ASP-1. As a heteropolysaccharide, ASP-1 is comprised of 9.3% uronic acid and 86.4% saccharide, the latter including mannose, ribose, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, arabinose, and two unknown monosaccharides, NO1 and NO2, with a mass ratio of 9.5:10.1:2.2:18.2:21.8:5.5:16.5:16.2. The antioxidant activity assays indicated that 5.0 mg/mL ASP-1 has significant scavenging effects on superoxide radicals (86.2%) compared to the positive control of ascorbic acid (95.6%).

Sex differences in piercing-sucking sites on leaves of Ligustrum lucidum (Oleaceae) infested by the Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela (Chavannes) (Hemiptera: Coccidae).

The type of host tissues and cells ingested by piercing and sucking insects greatly affects their nutrient intake, which may subsequently affect insect fitness. This study describes the sex differences in feeding site selection between male and female nymphs of the Chinese white wax scale insect (CWWS), Ericerus pela (Chavannes), feeding on leaves of the Chinese privet, Ligustrum lucidum. Our data showed that the stylet tips of female nymphs terminated in the phloem sieve elements of main or lateral veins, while those of male nymphs terminated in the palisade parenchyma. We concluded that female nymphs fed from sieve elements and males fed from parenchyma cells. The potential impact of these feeding patterns was discussed in relation to the selection of a site for attachment, nutrient acquisition, and mouthpart stretching mechanism. Among these factors, selection of a site for attachment and mouthpart stretching mechanism may be the main cause of sex differences in feeding sites between female and male nymphs of CWWS.

Damaging effects of water-borne cadmium chloride on DNA of lung cells of immature mice.

We investigated the effects of cadmium on lung cell DNA in immature mice. The mice were randomly divided into four groups: control group, low-dose group (1/100 LD(50)), middle-dose group (1/50 LD(50)), and high-dose group (1/25 LD(50)); they were supplied with cadmium chloride or control water for 40 days. Lung cells collected from sacrificed mice were used to evaluate the extent of DNA damage by comet assay. The ratio of tailing cells, DNA tail length, DNA comet length, DNA tail moment, DNA olive tail moment, and percentage of DNA in the comet tail were measured. The rate of tailing lung cells exposed to cadmium increased significantly; the low-concentration group had significantly (P < 0.05) higher rates, and the middle- and high-concentration groups had higher (P < 0.01) rates compared to the control. DNA tail length, DNA comet length, DNA tail moment, and DNA olive tail moment all increased with the increase in cadmium doses, but compared with those of the control group, no significant differences in low-dose group were found (P > 0.05), and the differences in middle- and high-dose groups were all highly significant (P < 0.01). The degree of DNA damage also increased with the increase of the cadmium concentrations. We conclude that cadmium significantly increases DNA damage in lung cells of immature mice in a dose-dependent manner.

Transmission electron microscopy and theoretical analysis of AuCu nanoparticles: atomic distribution and dynamic behavior.

Though the application of bimetallic nanoparticles is becoming increasingly important, the local atomistic structure of such alloyed particles, which is critical for tailoring their properties, is not yet very clearly understood. In this work, we present detailed study on the atomistic structure of Au-Cu nanoparticles so as to determine their most stable configurations and the conditions for obtaining clusters of different structural variants. The dynamic behavior of these nanoparticles upon local heating is investigated. AuCu nanoparticles are characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy filtering elemental composition mapping (EFECM), which allowed us to study the internal structure and the elemental distribution in the particles. Quantum mechanical approaches and classic molecular dynamics methods are applied to model the structure and to determine the lowest energy configurations, the corresponding electronic structures, and understand structural transition of clusters upon heating, supported by experimental evidences. Our theoretical results demonstrate only the core/shell bimetallic structure have negative heat of formation, both for decahedra and octahedral, and energetically favoring core/shell structure is with Au covering the core of Cu, whose reverse core/shell structure is not stable and may transform back at a certain temperature. Experimental evidences corroborate these structures and their structural changes upon heating, demonstrating the possibility to manipulate the structure of such bimetallic nanoparticles using extra stimulating energy, which is in accordance with the calculated coherence energy proportions between the different configurations.