Determination of radium isotopes in environmental samples by gamma spectrometry, liquid scintillation counting and alpha spectrometry: a review of analytical methodology.

Radium (Ra) isotopes are important from the viewpoints of radiation protection and environmental protection. Their high toxicity has stimulated the continuing interest in methodology research for determination of Ra isotopes in various media. In this paper, the three most routinely used analytical techniques for Ra isotope determination in biological and environmental samples, i.

IL-13 polymorphisms contribute to the risk of asthma: a meta-analysis.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of interleukin-13 (IL-13) polymorphisms on the risk of asthma using a meta-analysis.

Design And Methods: Fifteen publications were identified by searching Pubmed, Embase, ISI, OVID, and EBSCO databases. Odds ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were computed to estimate the association between IL-13 polymorphisms and risk of asthma.

Preparative separation of methylswertianin, swerchirin and decussatin from the Tibetan medicinal plant Swertia mussotii using high-speed counter-current chromatography.

Introduction: Xanthones, the primary constituents of Swertia mussotii, are known to possess a variety of biological activities, including anti-depressant, anti-leukaemic, anti-tumour, anti-tubercular, choleretic, diuretic, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, cardiotonic and hypoglycemic properties. However, high performance, environmentally friendly methods for isolating and purifying xanthones from S. mussotii are not currently available.

Effects of an isopropanolic-aqueous black cohosh extract on central body temperature of ovariectomized rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) is widely used in menopause symptoms strategy.

Aim Of The Study: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of isopropanolic black cohosh extract (iCR) on the central body temperature (CBT) of ovariectomized rats (OVX) and elaborate its possible effects in alleviating menopause related hot flushes.

Materials And Methods: 64 female Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 230 ± 10g and aged 6-8 weeks, were divided into four groups: ovariectomy (OVX), sham, ovariectomy plus estradiol valerate (OVX+E), and ovariectomy plus iCR (OVX+ICR).

Calcium-sensing receptor activating phosphorylation of PKCδ translocation on mitochondria to induce cardiomyocyte apoptosis during ischemia/reperfusion.

The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that activates intracellular effectors; for example, it causes inositol phosphate (IP) and 1,2 diacylglycerol (DAG) accumulation, stimulating the release of intracellular calcium and the activation of the protein kinase Cs (PKCs). The activation of CaSR by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) induces cardiomyocyte apoptosis through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, rat hearts were subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion in the presence of a CaSR activator, GdCl(3).

Lack of CCR7 induces pulmonary hypertension involving perivascular leukocyte infiltration and inflammation.

The chemokine receptor CCR7 regulates lymphocyte trafficking, and CCR7 deficiency induces infiltration of T and B cells adjacent to vessels in mouse lungs. Perivascular infiltration of T and B cells has also been found in human pulmonary arterial hypertension, and downregulation of the CCR7 receptor in circulating leukocytes of such patients has been observed. To investigate whether changes in the CCR7 system contribute to the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension, we utilized mice deficient of the CCR7 receptor.

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides antagonize the suppression on lymphocytes induced by culture supernatants of B16F10 melanoma cells.

Objectives: Tumour cells produce factors such as interleukin 10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that suppress the function of immune cells or induce apoptosis of immune cells. One of the most important goals of tumour immunotherapy is to antagonize this suppression on immune cells. Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (Gl-PS) may have this potential.

Effect of different cell cluster models on the radiobiological output for (211)At-radioimmunotherapy.

The cell cluster modeling is a widely used method to estimate the small-scale dosimetry and provides the implication for a clinic. This work evaluated the effect of different regular cluster models on the radiobiological outputs for (211)At-radioimmunotherapy. The cell activity threshold was estimated using a tumor control probability of 0.

Effects of 2-aminoindan-2-phosphonic acid treatment on the accumulation of salidroside and four phenylethanoid glycosides in suspension cell culture of Cistanche deserticola.

2-Aminoindan-2-phosphonic acid (AIP), a specific competitive phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) inhibitor was applied to a suspension cell culture of Cistanche deserticola. The effects of AIP treatment on cell growth, PAL activity, contents and yields of total phenolic compound, salidroside and four phenylethanoid glycosides (PheGs) are investigated. The results demonstrated that, 0.

Molecular characterization of phenylalanine ammonia lyase gene from Cistanche deserticola.

We cloned the gene, CdPAL1, from Cistanche deserticola callus using RACE PCR with degenerate primers that were designed based on a multiple sequence alignment of known PAL genes from other plant species. The gene shows high homology to other known PAL genes registered in GenBank. The recombinant protein exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a Km of 0.

The new immunosuppressant PLNPK prolongs allograft survival in mice.

The pentapeptide PLNPK (Pro-Leu-Asn-Pro-Lys) is extracted from the spleen. Preliminary studies have shown that PLNPK could inhibit T lymphocyte transformation and antibody production. In the present study, we detected the inhibitory effect of PLNPK on one-way mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR) in vitro and observed the effect of PLNPK on the duration of allograft survival in mouse models of skin or cardiac transplantation.

The association between two polymorphisms in pre-miRNAs and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

Emerging evidence has shown that miRNAs participate in human carcinogenesis as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) which located in the pre-miRNA may affect the processing and then influence the expression of mature miRNA. Previous studies yielded conflicting results as to the association of two common polymorphisms in pre-miRNAs (i.

Conjugating folic acid to gold nanoparticles through glutathione for targeting and detecting cancer cells.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were modified with glutathione (GSH) to form GSH-capped GNPs, which have carboxyl groups on the surface of these nanoparticles. Then folic acid (FA) was conjugated with GNPs through the reaction between amino group of FA and carboxyl group of GSH. These folic acid-conjugated nanoparticles (FA-GSH-GNPs) were stable in aqueous solution over a broad range of pH and ionic strength values.

MyoD expression profile and developmental differences of leg and breast muscle in Peking duck (Anas platyrhynchos Domestica) during embryonic to neonatal stages.

In order to investigate the developmental differences between the duck breast muscle and leg muscle tissues during the embryonic stage to neonatal stages, as well as the expression profile of MyoD between the two muscle tissues, the morphologic characteristics in the two muscle tissues during duck embryo stages at E14, E18, E22, E27 and D7 were compared through the muscle paraffin sections. The coding domain sequence of duck MyoD gene was cloned, and then the expression of MyoD in duck leg muscle and breast muscle during embryo stage on E10, E14, E18, E22, E27 and D7 was detected using qRT-PCR method. Results showed that the developmental status of the duck breast muscle in embryonic phrases lag behind that of leg muscle.

IL-8 -251A/T polymorphism is associated with decreased cancer risk among population-based studies: evidence from a meta-analysis.

Growing evidence suggests that interleukin-8 (IL-8) play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of cancer through the modulation of tumour immune response or enhanced angiogenesis. A single nucleotide polymorphism, -251A/T, has been identified in the promoter region of the IL-8 gene and has been shown to influence its production. Results from previous studies on the association of -251A/T polymorphism with different cancer types remained contradictory.

4-[(7-Fluoro-quinazolin-4-yl)-oxy]aniline.

In the mol-ecule of the title compound, C(14)H(10)FN(3)O, the bicyclic quinazoline system is effectively planar, with a mean deviation from planarity of 0.0140 (3) Å. The quinazoline heterocyclic system and the adjacent benzene ring make a dihedral angle of 85.

Ethyl 1-(2,6-difluoro-benz-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C(12)H(11)F(2)N(3)O(2), the dihedral angle between the triazole and phenyl rings is 73.74 (9)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into chains along [010] via weak C-H⋯O and C-H⋯N hydrogen bonds.

[Discriminating processed betel nut's degree of stir-frying and quantizing empirical index based on color difference meter and electronic nose fingerprint analyzer].

Objective: The color difference meter and electronic nose fingerprint analyzer were introduced to discriminate processed betel nut's different huohou and quantize empirical index during the processing of Chinese medicine.

Method: By collecting the color's and the smell's characteristic parameters of betel nut and its processed products to set up huohou's math discrimination modules and 90% reference value scale.

Result: We set up a huohou's math discrimination module and 90% reference value range base on L a*b*, which discrimination coincidence was 100% and 90% reference value range respectively was Shengpin: L* (50.

[Clinical treatment of acute traumatic central cervical spinal cord syndrome without fracture and dislocation].

Objective: To analyze clinical characteristics and therapeutic efficacy of acute traumatic central cervical spinal-cord syndrome without fracture and dislocation,and to investigate its treatment methods.

Methods: Clinical data of 47 cases with acute traumatic central cervical spinal-cord syndrome without fracture and dislocation were retrospectively analyzed. There were 3 female and 44 male,with a mean age of 56.

[Evaluation of the inhibitory effect of tripeptide tyroservatide on growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma using a hollow fiber assay].

Objective: To investigate the inhibitory effect of tyroservatide (YSV) on growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Methods: In vitro effects of YSV on five human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines were assayed by MTS. In vivo effects of YSV on 5 human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines were assayed by hollow fiber tumor model.

[Cold induced cDNA library construction of highland barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum Hk. f.) using suppression subtractive hybridization technology].

Cold-induced genes of highland barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum Hk.

[Cloning and expression of human single-chain Fv antibody against A beta(1-42) peptide involved in Alzheimer disease].

Objective: Screening of antibody clones specific for beta amyloid peptide 1-42 from human phage-display single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody library, and to clone the antibody gene and to express it in a bacterial system, with an ultimate intention to obtain human anti-A beta(1-42) antibody for Alzheimer disease (AD) therapy.

Methods: beta amyloid peptide 142 was bound on the solid surface of 96 wells plate as the antigen for the binding antibody clones from a human phage-display scFv antibody library. After four rounds of biopanning, random, well-separated colonies were identified by ELISA test.

Tripeptide tyroserleutide plus doxorubicin: therapeutic synergy and side effect attenuation.

Background: Tripeptide tyroserleutide (YSL) is a novel small molecule anti-tumor polypeptide that has been shown to inhibit the growth of human liver cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of YSL plus doxorubicin on the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma BEL-7402 cells that had been transplanted into nude mice.

Methods: Nude mice bearing human hepatocellular carcinoma BEL-7402 tumors were treated with successive intraperitoneal injections of saline; low-, mid-, or high-dose doxorubicin; or low-, mid-, or high-dose doxorubicin plus YSL.

Molecular characterization of iron binding proteins, transferrin and ferritin heavy chain subunit, from the bumblebee Bombus ignitus.

Transferrin and ferritin are iron-binding proteins involved in transport and storage of iron as part of iron metabolism. Here, we describe the cDNA cloning and characterization of transferrin (Bi-Tf) and the ferritin heavy chain subunit (Bi-FerHCH), from the bumblebee Bombus ignitus. Bi-Tf cDNA spans 2340 bp and encodes a protein of 706 amino acids and Bi-FerHCH cDNA spans 1393 bp and encodes a protein of 217 amino acids.

[Transformation of Astragalus melilotoides Pall with AtNHX1 gene and the expression of salinity tolerance of transformants].

Using RT-PCR method, the open reading frame (ORF) of AtNHX1-cDNA, encoding the vacuolar Na+/H+ antiportor, was cloned from Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings pretreated with 100 mmol/L NaCl for 24h. This ORF was inserted between CaMV35S promoter, a Omega fragment of TMV RNA 5'UTR and NOS polyA terminator in the T-DNA region of a binary expression vector pNT (Fig1). The recombinant plasmid, designated as pNT-AtNHX1, was then transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404.