Ordered Au nanocrystals on a substrate formed by light-induced rapid annealing.

Light-induced rapid annealing (LIRA) is a widely used method to modify the morphology and crystallinity of noble metal nanoparticles, and the nanoparticles generally evolve into nanospheres. It is rather challenging to form faceted Au nanocrystals on a substrate using LIRA. Here the formation of spatially ordered Au nanocrystals using a continuous wave infrared laser is reported, assisted by a metamaterial perfect absorber.

Higher frequency of peripheral blood interleukin 21 positive follicular helper T cells in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Objective: The role of follicular Th (TFH) cells remains unclear in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Our study examined the frequency of different subsets of circulating CXCR5+CD4+ T cells in patients with AS before and after receiving therapy.

Methods: Percentages of peripheral blood inducible costimulator (ICOS)+, programmed death 1 (PD-1)+, and interleukin 21 (IL-21)+ CXCR5+CD4+ T cells in 26 patients with AS and 12 healthy controls (HC) were examined by flow cytometry, and the disease activity of individual patients was measured by Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI).

Berberine improves neurogenic contractile response of bladder detrusor muscle in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Coptidis Rhizoma has been used to treat diabetes mellitus for more than 1400 years in China. Berberine, one of the main alkaloids of Coptidis Rhizoma, is a principal antidiabetic component of Coptidis Rhizoma. To investigate the effects of berberine on impaired neurogenic contractility of detrusor muscle from urinary bladder of rats with early stage diabetes.

Peripheral B-cell activation and exhaustion markers in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Aims: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease and is associated with abnormal B cell function. However, the roles of different B cell subsets are less clear. This study aimed to examine the frequency of different subsets of B cells in AS patients following standard therapies.

[Total colonic exclusion plus side to side ileorectal antiperistaltic anastomosis in the treatment for elderly patients with slow transit constipation].

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of total colonic exclusion plus side to side antiperistaltic ileorectal anastomosis in the treatment for elderly patients with slow transit constipation (STC).

Methods: Clinical data of 13 patients with severe idiopathic STC undergoing the above novel procedure in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University between May 2009 and September 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. The Wexner constipation score and gastrointestinal quality of life index (GIQLI) before and 6 months after operation were compared.

Near-infrared broadband absorber with film-coupled multilayer nanorods.

Turning the surfaces of noble metals (metasurfaces) into black (highly absorptive) surfaces can be potentially applied in thermophotovoltaics, sensing, tailoring thermal emissivity, etc. Here we demonstrate an extremely broadband absorber for the 900-1600 nm wavelength range with robust high absorption efficiency. The inexpensive droplet evaporation method is implemented to create patterns of nanoparticles dispersed on a gold film spaced by a thin dielectric layer.

Double-sided polarization-independent plasmonic absorber at near-infrared region.

A double-sided polarization-independent plasmonic absorber is proposed and numerically investigated. Distinct from previously studied absorbers, it could absorb light incident from both sides of the surface through an ultrathin three-layer metal-insulator-metal nanostructure. Patterned metal particles are adopted instead of metal films in this absorber.

Characterization of xanthatin: anticancer properties and mechanisms of inhibited murine melanoma in vitro and in vivo.

Anti-cancer investigations on Xanthatin mainly focus on in vitro experiments. We herein reported the anti-tumor effects of Xanthatin both in vitro and in vivo. MTS assay results showed that Xanthatin had a remarkable anti-proliferative effect on B16-F10 cells.

Current role of surgery for the treatment of fulminant Clostridium difficile colitis.

Objective: This review discusses the current status and progress in studies on fulminant Clostridium difficile colitis (FCDC), including the definition, risk factor, diagnostic role of CT, surgical treatment, postoperative mortality, and new therapeutic strategy.

Data Sources: A literature search was conducted mainly in Medline and PubMed published in English between January 2000 and May 2011. The search terms were "ulminant Clostridium difficile colitis" "reatment", "urgery" and "ortality"

Results: Recent studies show that the overall mortality rate for FCDC remains high despite early surgical intervention.

Polarization-sensitive perfect absorbers at near-infrared wavelengths.

Three different types of polarization-sensitive perfect absorbers are designed and numerically investigated. The bottle-like and the cup-like absorbers are narrowband absorbers, which strongly absorb light of a specific polarization and reflect almost all light of another polarization. By varying the geometric parameters, their absorption peaks can be tuned from 1300 nm to 2300 nm and 700 nm to 1400 nm, respectively.

Memristive properties of hexagonal WO3 nanowires induced by oxygen vacancy migration.

Tungsten trioxide (WO3) is always oxygen-deficient or non-stoichiometric under atmospheric conditions. Positively charged oxygen vacancies prefer to drift as well as electrons when the electric field is strong enough, which will alter the distribution of oxygen vacancies and then endow WO3 with memristive properties. In Au/WO3 nanowire/Au sandwich structures with two ohmic contacts, the axial distribution of oxygen vacancies and then the electrical transport properties can be more easily modulated by bias voltage.

Antioxidant properties of cis-Z,Z'-3a.7a',7a.3a'-dihydroxyligustilide on human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro.

A new chemical component, cis-Z,Z'-3a.7a',7a.3a'-dihydroxyligustilide, was isolated from Angelica sinensis and its structure elucidated from its NMR and MS spectra and confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction analysis.

[Experimental study of acellular dermal matrix biological patch enriched with bone marrow mesenchymal cells for the treatment of external anal sphincter injury].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(MSC)with the acellular dermal matrix(ADM) biological patch for the treatment of external anal sphincter injury on the animal models.

Methods: Thirty Wistar rats with sphincter injury were randomly divided into three groups. Group A underwent end to end sphincteric repair directly, group B underwent end to end repair and then covered by ADM patch, and group C underwent end to end repair and then covered by ADM which was previously seeded with MSC.

Chiral recognition of doxazosin enantiomers in 3 targets for therapy as well as adverse drug reactions in animal experiments.

Doxazosin used in benign prostatic hyperplasia has the side effects of causing hypotension and the risk of heart failure. The 3 targets of α(1A)-adrenoceptors (in the prostate), α(1D)-adrenoceptors (in the aorta), and an unknown mechanism (in the heart) are involved, respectively. We hypothesized that there is a chiral recognition of doxazosin enantiomers in the 3 targets.

[Study on in vitro antioxidant activity of flavonoids contained in Hebei balmy chrysanthemum and structure-activity relationship].

Objective: To study the antioxidant activity in vitro of five flavonoids contained Hebei balmy chrysanthemum, luteolin, apigenin, acacetin, acacetin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside and acacetin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside and discuss the antioxidant mechanism of Hebei balmy chrysanthemum as well as the structure-activity relationship of antioxidant activity of flavonoids.

Method: UV-visible spectrophotometric method was used to determine the DPPH scavenging rate and anti-hemolysis activity of the five flavonoids. The inhibitions on lipid peroxidation in rat brain homogenate were evaluated by measuring the content of MDA, and detected by the TBA method.

Rosiglitazone improves insulin sensitivity and baroreflex gain in rats with diet-induced obesity.

Obesity decreases baroreflex gain (BRG); however, the mechanisms are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that impaired BRG is related to the concurrent insulin resistance, and, therefore, BRG would be improved after treatment with the insulin-sensitizing drug rosiglitazone. Male rats fed a high-fat diet diverged into obesity-prone (OP) and obesity-resistant (OR) groups after 2 weeks.

A novel splicing mutation in COL1A1 gene caused type I osteogenesis imperfecta in a Chinese family.

Osteogenesis imperfect (OI) is a heritable connective tissue disorder with bone fragility as a cardinal manifestation, accompanied by short stature, dentinogenesis imperfecta, hyperlaxity of ligaments and skin, blue sclerae and hearing loss. Dominant form of OI is caused by mutations in the type I procollagen genes, COL1A1/A2. Here we identified a novel splicing mutation c.

Baroreflex function in females: changes with the reproductive cycle and pregnancy.

This review briefly describes the changes in baroreflex function that occur during female reproductive life, specifically during the reproductive cycle and pregnancy. The sensitivity or gain of baroreflex control of heart rate and sympathetic activity fluctuates during the reproductive cycle, reaching a peak when gonadal hormone levels increase, during the follicular phase in women and proestrus in rats. The increase in baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is likely mediated by estrogen because ovariectomy in rats eliminates the BRS increase, the cyclic profile of changes in BRS mirror the changes in estrogen, and estrogen acts in the brainstem to increase BRS.

Effects of imidazolines on neurogenic contraction in isolated urinary bladder detrusor strips from rabbit.

Moxonidine and clonidine, which are imidazoline compounds, are sympathetic modulators used as centrally acting antihypertensive drugs. Moxonidine, clonidine, and agmatine produce extensive effects in mammalian tissues via imidazoline recognition sites (or receptors) or α(2)-adrenoceptors. To investigate the effects of imidazolines on the function of the urinary bladder, we tested the effects of moxonidine, clonidine, and agmatine on the neurogenic contraction induced by electric field stimulation, and on the post-synaptic receptors in isolated urinary bladder detrusor strips from rabbit.

[Use of antiperistaltic cecoproctostomy in colorectal reconstruction].

Objective: To explore the feasibility and functional outcome of antiperistaltic cecoproctostomy in colorectal reconstruction.

Methods: Fifty-six patients who underwent antiperistaltic cecoproctostomy were retrospectively studied. Indications for antiperistaltic cecoproctostomy included slow transit constipation(n=44), synchronous colon cancer or colonic polyps(n=5), acute obstructing left colon carcinoma(n=4), and adult megacolon(n=3).

Adenovirus-mediated anti-sense ERK2 gene therapy inhibits tubular epithelial-mesenchymal transition and ameliorates renal allograft fibrosis.

Purpose: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in progress of renal allograft fibrosis. The adenovirus-mediated anti-sense extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (Adanti-ERK2) gene therapy was used to block ERK signaling pathway, and its effect on EMT and renal allograft fibrosis both in vivo and in vitro was explored.

Methods: We first generated an in vitro EMT model by connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) stimulation in a HK-2 cell culture system, and then applied Adanti-ERK2 gene therapy on it.

Binding of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and adenophostin A to the N-terminal region of the IP3 receptor: thermodynamic analysis using fluorescence polarization with a novel IP3 receptor ligand.

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) receptors (IP(3)R) are intracellular Ca(2+) channels. Their opening is initiated by binding of IP(3) to the IP(3)-binding core (IBC; residues 224-604 of IP(3)R1) and transmitted to the pore via the suppressor domain (SD; residues 1-223). The major conformational changes leading to IP(3)R activation occur within the N terminus (NT; residues 1-604).

Pregnancy impairs baroreflex control of heart rate in rats: role of insulin sensitivity.

Recent studies in rabbits suggest that insulin resistance and reduced brain insulin contribute to impaired baroreflex control of heart rate (HR) during pregnancy; however, the mechanisms are unknown. The rat model is ideal to investigate these mechanisms because much is known about rat brain baroreflex neurocircuitry and insulin receptor locations. However, it is unclear in rats whether pregnancy impairs the HR baroreflex or whether insulin resistance is involved.

[Inducing of epithelial mesenchymal transition of HK-2 cells by connective tissue growth factor in vitro].

Objective: To investigate the role of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in epithelial mesenchymal transition of HK-2 cells in vitro.

Methods: HK-2 cells were randomly divided into two groups: (1) control group including cells cultured in DMEM medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum only; and (2) experimental group including cells cultured in DMEM medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and recombinant CTGF at a final concentration of 5 microg/L. The cells were collected at 72 h time points.

Effects of (-)doxazosin on histomorphologic and cell apoptotic changes of the hyperplastic prostate in castrated rats.

Background: (-)Doxazosin is one of the enantiomers of (+/-)doxazosin, and it was reported that (-)doxazosin possessed higher selectivity for lower urinary tract between the cardiovascular system and the urinary system in the animal experiments in comparison with that of (+/-)doxazosin and (+)doxazosin. Therefore, it is important to know whether (-)doxazosin has a therapeutic effect on the hyperplastic prostate.

Methods: (-)Doxazosin and (+/-)doxazosin were administered intragastrically to prostatic hyperplasia rats, induced by testosterone propionate for 4 weeks, and each experimental group contained 8 animals.