Sensitive and useful biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of infectious diseases have been widely developed. An example of these biomarkers is triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell-1 (TREM-1), which is...Sensitive and useful biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of infectious diseases have been widely developed. An example of these biomarkers is triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell-1 (TREM-1), which is a cell surface receptor expressed on monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils. TREM-1 amplifies inflammation by activating the TREM-1/DAP12 pathway. This pathway is triggered by the interaction of TREM-1 with ligands or stimulation by bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Consequently, pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines are secreted. Soluble TREM-1 (sTREM-1) is a special form of TREM-1 that can be directly tested in human body fluids and well-known biomarker for infectious diseases, sTREM-1 level can be potentially used for the early diagnosis and prognosis prediction of some infectious diseases, including infectious pleural effusion, lung infections, sepsis, bacterial meningitis, viral infections (e.g., Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and dengue fever), fungal infections (e.g., Aspergillus infection), and burn-related infections, sTREM-1 is a more sensitive and specific biomarker than traditional indices, such as C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels, for these infectious diseases. Therefore, sTREM-1 is a feasible biomarker for the targeted therapy and rapid and early diagnosis of infectious diseases.展开更多
Objective:To investigate the change of the hs-CRP,sVC AM-1,NT-proBNP levels of the patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension(PIH) syndrome.Methods:A total of 200 patients with PIH were divided into mild,moderate an...Objective:To investigate the change of the hs-CRP,sVC AM-1,NT-proBNP levels of the patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension(PIH) syndrome.Methods:A total of 200 patients with PIH were divided into mild,moderate and severe group,and 50 healthy pregnancy patients served as the control group.The serum sVCAM-1 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,hs-CRP were detected by immunity transmission turbidity,and NT-proBNP levels were determined by the colloidal gold method.Patients were treated with magnesium sulfate and nifudipine and the contrastive analysis was performed before and after treatment.And the pathological changes in placental of PIH patients were delected by hematoxylin-eosin staining at the same time.Results:The hs-CRP,sVCAM-l,NT-proBNP levels of patients in the mild, moderate and severe PHI group were significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05). The hs-CKP,sVCAM-l,NT-proBNP levels in the severe group were significantly higher than the mild group and the moderate group,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The hsCRP,sVCAM-l,NT-proBNP of the moderate group were significantly higher than the mild group(P<0.05).There was a positive correlation between hs-CRP,sVCAM-1,NT-proBNP expression levels and the degree of the PIH.The expression of hs-CRP,sVCAM-1,NT-proBNP levels of the moderate and the severe group were significantly decreased(P<0.05).The number of placental villi and interstitial blood vessel in the moderate and severe PIH group were significantly less than the control group(P<0.05).Conclusions:The increased levels of serum hs-CRP,sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP may be involved in the process of vascular endothelial cell injury of the PIH,and the hs-CRP,sVCAM-1,NT-proBNP can be used as the auxiliary index for diagnosis of PIH and determination of PIH severity.展开更多
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles(MSNs) are attracting increasing interest for potential biomedical applications. With tailored mesoporous structure, huge surface area and pore volume,selective surface functionality, as...Mesoporous silica nanoparticles(MSNs) are attracting increasing interest for potential biomedical applications. With tailored mesoporous structure, huge surface area and pore volume,selective surface functionality, as well as morphology control, MSNs exhibit high loading capacity for therapeutic agents and controlled release properties if modified with stimuli-responsive groups, polymers or proteins. In this review article, the applications of MSNs in pharmaceutics to improve drug bioavailability, reduce drug toxicity, and deliver with cellular targetability are summarized. Particularly,the exciting progress in the development of MSNs-based effective delivery systems for poorly soluble drugs, anticancer agents, and therapeutic genes are highlighted.展开更多
Gelatinization temperature (GT) is an important parameter for evaluating the cooking and eating quality of rice besides amylose content (AC). The inheritance of the genes affecting GT has been widely studied and is co...Gelatinization temperature (GT) is an important parameter for evaluating the cooking and eating quality of rice besides amylose content (AC). The inheritance of the genes affecting GT has been widely studied and is considered to be controlled by a major gene. Here, we report the map-based cloning of rice ALK that encodes the soluble starch synthase II (SSSII). Comparison between the DNA sequences from different rice varieties, together with the results obtained with digestion of the rice seeds in alkali solution, indicates that the base substitutions in coding se-quence of ALK may cause the alteration in GT.展开更多
As some studies have reported that strategies targeting the gut microbiota such as fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT) with or without other microecological therapy might have efficacy in treating slow transit const...As some studies have reported that strategies targeting the gut microbiota such as fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT) with or without other microecological therapy might have efficacy in treating slow transit constipation(STC), we conducted a singlecenter, open-label trial to study the long-term effect of FMT combined with soluble dietary fiber(pectin) on STC. Thirty-one adult patients with STC were enrolled into the trial. Patients received 6-day FMT procedures repeatedly for the first 3 months and soluble dietary fiber(pectin) daily during the follow-up. The rate of clinical remission and improvement, stool consistency, the Wexner constipation scale, and assessment of constipation-related symptoms were evaluated at week 4 and 1 year later. The clinical remission and improvement rates at week 4 were 69.0%(20/29) and 75.9%(22/29), respectively. At the end of the study,48.3%(14/29) of patients continued to have at least three complete spontaneous bowel movements per week and 58.6%(17/29)of patients showed clinical improvements. Stool consistency, the Wexner constipation scale, and constipation symptoms improved both at short-term and long-term follow-up. The results indicated that FMT in combination with soluble dietary fiber(pectin) had both short-term and long-term efficacy in treating STC.展开更多
Bai-Hua-She-She-Cao Hedyotis diffusa Willd. (Ru-biaceae) is a medicinal herbwidely distributed in northeast Asian countries. In traditional Chinese medicine, it has the effectof 'clearing away heat and toxic mater...Bai-Hua-She-She-Cao Hedyotis diffusa Willd. (Ru-biaceae) is a medicinal herbwidely distributed in northeast Asian countries. In traditional Chinese medicine, it has the effectof 'clearing away heat and toxic material, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis'.It is a well known Chinese folk-medicine used for the treatment of appendicitis, sore throat, mumps,acne, sebo-rheic dermatitis and various kinds of tumors, such as tumors of digestive tract,carcinoma of liver. It was reported that the MeOH extract of H. diffusa demonstrated a significantantitumor activity and ursolic acid succeeded in being isolated from the MeOH extract as an activecomponent . Shan BN, et al suggested that the direct aqueous extract of H. diffusa hadimmuno-modulating activity and antitumor activity in vitro through stimulating the immune system tokill or engulf tumor cells. But regarding anti-tumor activity in vivo of water soluble extracts fromH. diffusa, no detail was reported. Therefore, we prepared water soluble extracts (H_1 and H_2)from H. diffusa and evaluated their anti-tumor property in vivo experiments as well as protectiveeffect on chemo-therapeutic damage.展开更多
AIM: To determine the role of leptin system in non-al- coholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) development by deli- neating the changes in serum levels of leptin and soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R). METHODS: Blood samples...AIM: To determine the role of leptin system in non-al- coholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) development by deli- neating the changes in serum levels of leptin and soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R). METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 30 consecutive patients with liver-biopsy-proven NAFLD and 30 patients with cholecystolithiasis (stationary phase) as controls. Serum leptin levels were determined by radio- immunoassay and concentration of sOB-R was measured by ELISA. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for all subjects, and serum insulin, C-peptide, and lipoprotein levels were also detected. RESULTS: Mean serum leptin level and BMI in the NAFLD group were significantly higher than in the con- trols (both P < 0.001), but mean sOB-R level was lower in the NAFLD group when compared to the controls. Both men and women in the NAFLD group had higher mean serum leptin levels and lower sOB-R levels than did the men and women in the control group (all P < 0.001). The- re was a significant negative correlation between serum leptin and sOB-R levels (r = -0.725, P < 0.001). Multiva- riate analysis showed that the percentage of hepatocyte steatosis, sex, BMI, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA IR) were independently rela- ted to serum leptin levels. CONCLUSION: Elevated serum leptin seems to be afeature of steatosis, and serum leptin seems to increase as hepatocyte steatosis develops. An enhanced release of leptin is accompanied by an decrease in sOB-R con- centration, which suggests higher resistance of periphe- ral tissues towards the action of leptin.展开更多
Size segragated samples were collected during high polluted winter haze days in 2006 in Beijing, China. Twenty nine elements and 9 water soluble ions were determined. Heavy metals of Zn, Pb, Mn, Cu, As, Cr, Ni, V and ...Size segragated samples were collected during high polluted winter haze days in 2006 in Beijing, China. Twenty nine elements and 9 water soluble ions were determined. Heavy metals of Zn, Pb, Mn, Cu, As, Cr, Ni, V and Cd were deeply studied considering their toxic effect on human being. Among these heavy metals, the levels of Mn, As and Cd exceeded the reference values of National Ambient Air Quality Standard (GB3095-2012) and guidelines of World Health Organization. By estimation, high percentage of atmospheric heavy metals in PM2.5 indicates it is an effective way to control atmospheric heavy metals by PM2.5 controlling. Pb, Cd, and Zn show mostly in accumulation mode, V, Mn and Cu exist mostly in both coarse and accumulation modes, and Ni and Cr exist in all of the three modes. Considering the health effect, the breakthrough rates of atmospheric heavy metals into pulmonary alveoli are: Pb (62.1%) 〉 As (58.1%) 〉 Cd (57.9%) 〉 Zn (57.7%) 〉 Cu (55.8%) 〉 Ni (53.5%) 〉 Cr (52.2%) 〉 Mn (49.2%) 〉 V (43.5%). Positive matrix factorization method was applied for source apportionment of studied heavy metals combined with some marker elements and ions such as K, As, SO42- etc., and four factors (dust, vehicle, aged and transportation, unknown) are identified and the size distribution contribution of them to atmospheric heavy metals are discussed.展开更多
Background Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common cardiac emergency with high mortality.Serum soluble ST2 (sST2) is a new emerging biomarker of cardiac diseases.The present study is to investigate the predi...Background Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common cardiac emergency with high mortality.Serum soluble ST2 (sST2) is a new emerging biomarker of cardiac diseases.The present study is to investigate the predictive value of sST2 and interleukin-33 (IL-33) for risk stratification and prognosis in patients with AMI.Methods Fifty-nine patients with AMI,whose chief complaint was chest pain or dyspnea,were selected for our study.Physical examination,chest radiograph,electrocardiograph (ECG),biomarkers of myocardial infarction,NT-proBNP,echocardiography and other relevant examinations were performed to confirm the diagnosis of AMI.Thirty-six healthy people were chosen as the control group.Serum samples from these subjects (patients within 24 hours after acute attack) were collected and the levels of sST2 and IL-33 were assayed by enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) kit.The follow-up was performed on the 7th day,28th day,3rd month and 6th month after acute attack.According to the follow-up results we defined the end of observation as recurrence of AMI or any causes of death.Results Median sST2 level of the control group was 9.38ng/ml and that of AMI patients was 29.06ng/ml.Compared with the control group,sST2 expression in the AMI group was significantly different (P〈0.001).In contrast,the IL-33 level showed no significant difference between the two groups.Serum sST2 was a predictive factor independent of other variables and may provide complementary information to NT-proBNP or GRACE risk score.IL-33 had no relationship to recurrence of AMI.Both sST2 and the IL-33/sST2 ratio were correlated with the 6-month prognosis; areas under the ROC curve were 0.938 and 0.920 respectively.Conclusions Early in the course (〈24 hours) of AMI,sST2 usually increases markedly.The increase of sST2 has an independent predictive value for the prognosis in AMI patients and provides complementary information to NT-proBNP or GRACE risk score.The IL-33/sST2 ratio correlates with the 6-month prognos展开更多
PM(2.5) samples were collected in Zhengzhou during 3 years of observation, and chemical characteristics and source contribution were analyzed. Approximately 96% of the daily PM(2.5) concentrations and annual avera...PM(2.5) samples were collected in Zhengzhou during 3 years of observation, and chemical characteristics and source contribution were analyzed. Approximately 96% of the daily PM(2.5) concentrations and annual average values exceeded the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Daily and Annual Standards, indicating serious PM(2.5) pollution. The average concentration of water-soluble inorganic ions was 2.4 times higher in heavily polluted days(daily PM32.5 concentrations &gt; 250 μg/mand visibility &lt; 3 km) than that in other days, with sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium as major ions. According to the ratio of NO-3/SO2-4,stationary sources are still the dominant source of PM(2.5) and vehicle emission could not be ignored. The ratio of secondary organic carbon to organic carbon indicated that photochemical reactivity in heavily polluted days was more intense than in other days.Crustal elements were the most abundant elements, accounting for more than 60% of 23 elements. Chemical Mass Balance results indicated that the contributions of major sources(i.e., nitrate, sulfate, biomass, carbon and refractory material, coal combustion, soil dust,vehicle, and industry) of PM(2.5) were 13%, 16%, 12%, 2%, 14%, 8%, 7%, and 8% in heavily polluted days and 20%, 18%, 9%, 2%, 27%, 14%, 15%, and 9% in other days, respectively.Extensive combustion activities were the main sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during the episode(Jan 1-9, 2015) and the total benzo[a]pyrene equivalency concentrations in heavily polluted days present significant health threat. Because of the effect of regional transport, the pollution level of PM(2.5) in the study area was aggravated.展开更多
PM2.5 aerosols were sampled in urban Chengdu from April 2009 to January 2010, and their chemical compositions were characterized in detail for elements, water soluble inorganic ions, and carbonaceous mat- ter. The ann...PM2.5 aerosols were sampled in urban Chengdu from April 2009 to January 2010, and their chemical compositions were characterized in detail for elements, water soluble inorganic ions, and carbonaceous mat- ter. The annual average of PM2.5 was 165 btg m a, which is generally higher than measurements in other Chinese cities, suggesting serious particulate pollution issues in the city. Water soluble ions contributed 43.5% to the annual total PM2.5 mass, carbonaceous aerosols including elemental carbon and organic car- bon contributed 32.0%, and trace elements contributed 13.8~0. Distinct daily and seasonal variations were observed in the mass concentrations of PM2.5 and its components, reflecting the seasonal variations of dif- ferent anthropogenic and natural sources. Weakly acidic to neutral particles were found for PMz5. Major sources of PM2.u identified from source apportionment analysis included coal combustion, traffic exhaust, biomass burning, soil dust, and construction dust emissions. The low nitrate: sulfate ratio suggested that stationary emissions were more important than vehicle emissions. The reconstructed masses of ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, particulate carbonaceous matter, and fine soil accounted for 79% of the total measured PM2.5 mass; they also accounted for 92% of the total measured particle scattering.展开更多
A pot experiment was performed to determine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizM fungi (AMF) communities on soil properties and the growth of cucumber seedlings in a degraded soil that had been used for continuous c...A pot experiment was performed to determine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizM fungi (AMF) communities on soil properties and the growth of cucumber seedlings in a degraded soil that had been used for continuous cucumber monoculture in a greenhouse for 15 years. In the experiment, AMF communities (created by combining various AMF species that were found to be dominant in natural farm soil) were inoculated into the degraded soil, and then the soil was planted with cucumber. Inoculation with AMF communities did not affect soil pH but increased soil aggregate stability and decreased the concentrations of salt ions and electrical conductivity (EC) in the soil. Inoculation with AMF communities increased the numbers of culturable bacteria and actinomycetes but reduced the number of fungi. AMF communities increased plant growth, soluble sugar content, chlorophyll content, and root activity compared to non-mycorrhizal or a single AMF species treatments. Improvements of soil quality and plant growth were greatest with the following two communities: Glomus etunicatum + G. mosseae + Gigaspora margarita + Acaulospora lacunosa and G. aggregatum + G. etunicatum + G. mosseae + G. versiforme + G. margarita + A. lacunosa. The results suggested that certain AMF communities could substantially improve the quality of degraded soil.展开更多
Haze phenomena were found to have an increasing tendency in recent years in Yong'an, a mountainous industrial city located in the center part of Fujian Province, China. Atmospheric fine particles (PM2.5) in the urb...Haze phenomena were found to have an increasing tendency in recent years in Yong'an, a mountainous industrial city located in the center part of Fujian Province, China. Atmospheric fine particles (PM2.5) in the urban area during haze periods in three seasons (spring, autumn and winter) from 2007 to 2008 were collected, and the mass concentrations and chemical compositions (seventeen elements, water soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs) and carbonaceous species) of PM2.5 were determined. PM2.5 mass concentrations did not show a distinct difference among the three seasons. The carbonaceous species organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) constituted up to 19.2%-30.4% of the PM2.5 mass during sampling periods, while WSIIs made up 25.3%-52.5% of the PM2.5 mass. The major ions in PM2.5 were SO42-, NO3- and NH4~, while the major elements were Si, K, Pb, Zn, Ca and A1. The experimental results (from data based on three haze periods with a 10-day sampling length for each period) showed that the crustal element species was the most abundant component of PM2.5 in spring, and the secondary ions species (SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, etc.) was the most abundant component in PM2.5 in autumn and winter. This indicated that dust was the primary pollution source for PM2.5 in spring and combustion and traffic emissions could be the main pollution sources for PM2.5 in autumn and winter. Generally, coal combustion and traffic emissions were considered to be the most prominent pollution sources for this city on haze days.展开更多
文摘Sensitive and useful biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of infectious diseases have been widely developed. An example of these biomarkers is triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell-1 (TREM-1), which is a cell surface receptor expressed on monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils. TREM-1 amplifies inflammation by activating the TREM-1/DAP12 pathway. This pathway is triggered by the interaction of TREM-1 with ligands or stimulation by bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Consequently, pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines are secreted. Soluble TREM-1 (sTREM-1) is a special form of TREM-1 that can be directly tested in human body fluids and well-known biomarker for infectious diseases, sTREM-1 level can be potentially used for the early diagnosis and prognosis prediction of some infectious diseases, including infectious pleural effusion, lung infections, sepsis, bacterial meningitis, viral infections (e.g., Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and dengue fever), fungal infections (e.g., Aspergillus infection), and burn-related infections, sTREM-1 is a more sensitive and specific biomarker than traditional indices, such as C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels, for these infectious diseases. Therefore, sTREM-1 is a feasible biomarker for the targeted therapy and rapid and early diagnosis of infectious diseases.
文摘Objective:To investigate the change of the hs-CRP,sVC AM-1,NT-proBNP levels of the patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension(PIH) syndrome.Methods:A total of 200 patients with PIH were divided into mild,moderate and severe group,and 50 healthy pregnancy patients served as the control group.The serum sVCAM-1 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,hs-CRP were detected by immunity transmission turbidity,and NT-proBNP levels were determined by the colloidal gold method.Patients were treated with magnesium sulfate and nifudipine and the contrastive analysis was performed before and after treatment.And the pathological changes in placental of PIH patients were delected by hematoxylin-eosin staining at the same time.Results:The hs-CRP,sVCAM-l,NT-proBNP levels of patients in the mild, moderate and severe PHI group were significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05). The hs-CKP,sVCAM-l,NT-proBNP levels in the severe group were significantly higher than the mild group and the moderate group,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The hsCRP,sVCAM-l,NT-proBNP of the moderate group were significantly higher than the mild group(P<0.05).There was a positive correlation between hs-CRP,sVCAM-1,NT-proBNP expression levels and the degree of the PIH.The expression of hs-CRP,sVCAM-1,NT-proBNP levels of the moderate and the severe group were significantly decreased(P<0.05).The number of placental villi and interstitial blood vessel in the moderate and severe PIH group were significantly less than the control group(P<0.05).Conclusions:The increased levels of serum hs-CRP,sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP may be involved in the process of vascular endothelial cell injury of the PIH,and the hs-CRP,sVCAM-1,NT-proBNP can be used as the auxiliary index for diagnosis of PIH and determination of PIH severity.
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81473155)the Natural Science Fund Project of Guangdong Province (Grant No. 2016A030312013)+1 种基金the Science and Technology Plan Projects of Guangdong Province (Grant No. 2015B020232010)the Science and Technology Foundation Guangzhou (201707010103)
文摘Mesoporous silica nanoparticles(MSNs) are attracting increasing interest for potential biomedical applications. With tailored mesoporous structure, huge surface area and pore volume,selective surface functionality, as well as morphology control, MSNs exhibit high loading capacity for therapeutic agents and controlled release properties if modified with stimuli-responsive groups, polymers or proteins. In this review article, the applications of MSNs in pharmaceutics to improve drug bioavailability, reduce drug toxicity, and deliver with cellular targetability are summarized. Particularly,the exciting progress in the development of MSNs-based effective delivery systems for poorly soluble drugs, anticancer agents, and therapeutic genes are highlighted.
基金supported by the National Special Program for Research and Transgenic Plants(Grant No.JY03-A-07-01)Natural Science Foundation,Zhejiang Province.
文摘Gelatinization temperature (GT) is an important parameter for evaluating the cooking and eating quality of rice besides amylose content (AC). The inheritance of the genes affecting GT has been widely studied and is considered to be controlled by a major gene. Here, we report the map-based cloning of rice ALK that encodes the soluble starch synthase II (SSSII). Comparison between the DNA sequences from different rice varieties, together with the results obtained with digestion of the rice seeds in alkali solution, indicates that the base substitutions in coding se-quence of ALK may cause the alteration in GT.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81670493)by the National Gastroenterology Research Project (2015BAI13B07)
文摘As some studies have reported that strategies targeting the gut microbiota such as fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT) with or without other microecological therapy might have efficacy in treating slow transit constipation(STC), we conducted a singlecenter, open-label trial to study the long-term effect of FMT combined with soluble dietary fiber(pectin) on STC. Thirty-one adult patients with STC were enrolled into the trial. Patients received 6-day FMT procedures repeatedly for the first 3 months and soluble dietary fiber(pectin) daily during the follow-up. The rate of clinical remission and improvement, stool consistency, the Wexner constipation scale, and assessment of constipation-related symptoms were evaluated at week 4 and 1 year later. The clinical remission and improvement rates at week 4 were 69.0%(20/29) and 75.9%(22/29), respectively. At the end of the study,48.3%(14/29) of patients continued to have at least three complete spontaneous bowel movements per week and 58.6%(17/29)of patients showed clinical improvements. Stool consistency, the Wexner constipation scale, and constipation symptoms improved both at short-term and long-term follow-up. The results indicated that FMT in combination with soluble dietary fiber(pectin) had both short-term and long-term efficacy in treating STC.
文摘Bai-Hua-She-She-Cao Hedyotis diffusa Willd. (Ru-biaceae) is a medicinal herbwidely distributed in northeast Asian countries. In traditional Chinese medicine, it has the effectof 'clearing away heat and toxic material, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis'.It is a well known Chinese folk-medicine used for the treatment of appendicitis, sore throat, mumps,acne, sebo-rheic dermatitis and various kinds of tumors, such as tumors of digestive tract,carcinoma of liver. It was reported that the MeOH extract of H. diffusa demonstrated a significantantitumor activity and ursolic acid succeeded in being isolated from the MeOH extract as an activecomponent . Shan BN, et al suggested that the direct aqueous extract of H. diffusa hadimmuno-modulating activity and antitumor activity in vitro through stimulating the immune system tokill or engulf tumor cells. But regarding anti-tumor activity in vivo of water soluble extracts fromH. diffusa, no detail was reported. Therefore, we prepared water soluble extracts (H_1 and H_2)from H. diffusa and evaluated their anti-tumor property in vivo experiments as well as protectiveeffect on chemo-therapeutic damage.
文摘AIM: To determine the role of leptin system in non-al- coholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) development by deli- neating the changes in serum levels of leptin and soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R). METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 30 consecutive patients with liver-biopsy-proven NAFLD and 30 patients with cholecystolithiasis (stationary phase) as controls. Serum leptin levels were determined by radio- immunoassay and concentration of sOB-R was measured by ELISA. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for all subjects, and serum insulin, C-peptide, and lipoprotein levels were also detected. RESULTS: Mean serum leptin level and BMI in the NAFLD group were significantly higher than in the con- trols (both P < 0.001), but mean sOB-R level was lower in the NAFLD group when compared to the controls. Both men and women in the NAFLD group had higher mean serum leptin levels and lower sOB-R levels than did the men and women in the control group (all P < 0.001). The- re was a significant negative correlation between serum leptin and sOB-R levels (r = -0.725, P < 0.001). Multiva- riate analysis showed that the percentage of hepatocyte steatosis, sex, BMI, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA IR) were independently rela- ted to serum leptin levels. CONCLUSION: Elevated serum leptin seems to be afeature of steatosis, and serum leptin seems to increase as hepatocyte steatosis develops. An enhanced release of leptin is accompanied by an decrease in sOB-R con- centration, which suggests higher resistance of periphe- ral tissues towards the action of leptin.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41105111,41275134)the National Department Public Benefit Research Foundation(MEP)(No.201109005)the Research Found of CRAES(No.2012ysky09)
文摘Size segragated samples were collected during high polluted winter haze days in 2006 in Beijing, China. Twenty nine elements and 9 water soluble ions were determined. Heavy metals of Zn, Pb, Mn, Cu, As, Cr, Ni, V and Cd were deeply studied considering their toxic effect on human being. Among these heavy metals, the levels of Mn, As and Cd exceeded the reference values of National Ambient Air Quality Standard (GB3095-2012) and guidelines of World Health Organization. By estimation, high percentage of atmospheric heavy metals in PM2.5 indicates it is an effective way to control atmospheric heavy metals by PM2.5 controlling. Pb, Cd, and Zn show mostly in accumulation mode, V, Mn and Cu exist mostly in both coarse and accumulation modes, and Ni and Cr exist in all of the three modes. Considering the health effect, the breakthrough rates of atmospheric heavy metals into pulmonary alveoli are: Pb (62.1%) 〉 As (58.1%) 〉 Cd (57.9%) 〉 Zn (57.7%) 〉 Cu (55.8%) 〉 Ni (53.5%) 〉 Cr (52.2%) 〉 Mn (49.2%) 〉 V (43.5%). Positive matrix factorization method was applied for source apportionment of studied heavy metals combined with some marker elements and ions such as K, As, SO42- etc., and four factors (dust, vehicle, aged and transportation, unknown) are identified and the size distribution contribution of them to atmospheric heavy metals are discussed.
文摘Background Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common cardiac emergency with high mortality.Serum soluble ST2 (sST2) is a new emerging biomarker of cardiac diseases.The present study is to investigate the predictive value of sST2 and interleukin-33 (IL-33) for risk stratification and prognosis in patients with AMI.Methods Fifty-nine patients with AMI,whose chief complaint was chest pain or dyspnea,were selected for our study.Physical examination,chest radiograph,electrocardiograph (ECG),biomarkers of myocardial infarction,NT-proBNP,echocardiography and other relevant examinations were performed to confirm the diagnosis of AMI.Thirty-six healthy people were chosen as the control group.Serum samples from these subjects (patients within 24 hours after acute attack) were collected and the levels of sST2 and IL-33 were assayed by enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) kit.The follow-up was performed on the 7th day,28th day,3rd month and 6th month after acute attack.According to the follow-up results we defined the end of observation as recurrence of AMI or any causes of death.Results Median sST2 level of the control group was 9.38ng/ml and that of AMI patients was 29.06ng/ml.Compared with the control group,sST2 expression in the AMI group was significantly different (P〈0.001).In contrast,the IL-33 level showed no significant difference between the two groups.Serum sST2 was a predictive factor independent of other variables and may provide complementary information to NT-proBNP or GRACE risk score.IL-33 had no relationship to recurrence of AMI.Both sST2 and the IL-33/sST2 ratio were correlated with the 6-month prognosis; areas under the ROC curve were 0.938 and 0.920 respectively.Conclusions Early in the course (〈24 hours) of AMI,sST2 usually increases markedly.The increase of sST2 has an independent predictive value for the prognosis in AMI patients and provides complementary information to NT-proBNP or GRACE risk score.The IL-33/sST2 ratio correlates with the 6-month prognos
基金supported by the public welfare projects from MEPPRC (No. 201409010)
文摘PM(2.5) samples were collected in Zhengzhou during 3 years of observation, and chemical characteristics and source contribution were analyzed. Approximately 96% of the daily PM(2.5) concentrations and annual average values exceeded the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Daily and Annual Standards, indicating serious PM(2.5) pollution. The average concentration of water-soluble inorganic ions was 2.4 times higher in heavily polluted days(daily PM32.5 concentrations &gt; 250 μg/mand visibility &lt; 3 km) than that in other days, with sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium as major ions. According to the ratio of NO-3/SO2-4,stationary sources are still the dominant source of PM(2.5) and vehicle emission could not be ignored. The ratio of secondary organic carbon to organic carbon indicated that photochemical reactivity in heavily polluted days was more intense than in other days.Crustal elements were the most abundant elements, accounting for more than 60% of 23 elements. Chemical Mass Balance results indicated that the contributions of major sources(i.e., nitrate, sulfate, biomass, carbon and refractory material, coal combustion, soil dust,vehicle, and industry) of PM(2.5) were 13%, 16%, 12%, 2%, 14%, 8%, 7%, and 8% in heavily polluted days and 20%, 18%, 9%, 2%, 27%, 14%, 15%, and 9% in other days, respectively.Extensive combustion activities were the main sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during the episode(Jan 1-9, 2015) and the total benzo[a]pyrene equivalency concentrations in heavily polluted days present significant health threat. Because of the effect of regional transport, the pollution level of PM(2.5) in the study area was aggravated.
基金supported by the Special Scientific Research Funds for Environment Protection Commonweal Section of China (Grant Nos. 201009001)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2010CB428503)+4 种基金the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. IAP09320)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41075096 and 40975076)the Research and Development Special Fund for Public Welfare Industry (Meteorology) of the China Meteorological Administration (Grant No. GYHY201006047)the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2010DFA22770)the Innovation Method Fund of China (Grant No. 2008IM020500)
文摘PM2.5 aerosols were sampled in urban Chengdu from April 2009 to January 2010, and their chemical compositions were characterized in detail for elements, water soluble inorganic ions, and carbonaceous mat- ter. The annual average of PM2.5 was 165 btg m a, which is generally higher than measurements in other Chinese cities, suggesting serious particulate pollution issues in the city. Water soluble ions contributed 43.5% to the annual total PM2.5 mass, carbonaceous aerosols including elemental carbon and organic car- bon contributed 32.0%, and trace elements contributed 13.8~0. Distinct daily and seasonal variations were observed in the mass concentrations of PM2.5 and its components, reflecting the seasonal variations of dif- ferent anthropogenic and natural sources. Weakly acidic to neutral particles were found for PMz5. Major sources of PM2.u identified from source apportionment analysis included coal combustion, traffic exhaust, biomass burning, soil dust, and construction dust emissions. The low nitrate: sulfate ratio suggested that stationary emissions were more important than vehicle emissions. The reconstructed masses of ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, particulate carbonaceous matter, and fine soil accounted for 79% of the total measured PM2.5 mass; they also accounted for 92% of the total measured particle scattering.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30871737)the 2010 Open Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture,Institute of Soil Science,Chinese Academy of Sciences(No. Y052010038)
文摘A pot experiment was performed to determine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizM fungi (AMF) communities on soil properties and the growth of cucumber seedlings in a degraded soil that had been used for continuous cucumber monoculture in a greenhouse for 15 years. In the experiment, AMF communities (created by combining various AMF species that were found to be dominant in natural farm soil) were inoculated into the degraded soil, and then the soil was planted with cucumber. Inoculation with AMF communities did not affect soil pH but increased soil aggregate stability and decreased the concentrations of salt ions and electrical conductivity (EC) in the soil. Inoculation with AMF communities increased the numbers of culturable bacteria and actinomycetes but reduced the number of fungi. AMF communities increased plant growth, soluble sugar content, chlorophyll content, and root activity compared to non-mycorrhizal or a single AMF species treatments. Improvements of soil quality and plant growth were greatest with the following two communities: Glomus etunicatum + G. mosseae + Gigaspora margarita + Acaulospora lacunosa and G. aggregatum + G. etunicatum + G. mosseae + G. versiforme + G. margarita + A. lacunosa. The results suggested that certain AMF communities could substantially improve the quality of degraded soil.
基金supported by the Commonweal Program of Environment Protection Department of China (No.201009004)the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KZCX2-YW-453,KZCX2-YW-JS404,KZCX2-EW-408)the Program of Bureau of Science and Technology, Xiamen, China (No.350205Z20095001)
文摘Haze phenomena were found to have an increasing tendency in recent years in Yong'an, a mountainous industrial city located in the center part of Fujian Province, China. Atmospheric fine particles (PM2.5) in the urban area during haze periods in three seasons (spring, autumn and winter) from 2007 to 2008 were collected, and the mass concentrations and chemical compositions (seventeen elements, water soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs) and carbonaceous species) of PM2.5 were determined. PM2.5 mass concentrations did not show a distinct difference among the three seasons. The carbonaceous species organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) constituted up to 19.2%-30.4% of the PM2.5 mass during sampling periods, while WSIIs made up 25.3%-52.5% of the PM2.5 mass. The major ions in PM2.5 were SO42-, NO3- and NH4~, while the major elements were Si, K, Pb, Zn, Ca and A1. The experimental results (from data based on three haze periods with a 10-day sampling length for each period) showed that the crustal element species was the most abundant component of PM2.5 in spring, and the secondary ions species (SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, etc.) was the most abundant component in PM2.5 in autumn and winter. This indicated that dust was the primary pollution source for PM2.5 in spring and combustion and traffic emissions could be the main pollution sources for PM2.5 in autumn and winter. Generally, coal combustion and traffic emissions were considered to be the most prominent pollution sources for this city on haze days.