The effect of tumor size on the imaging diagnosis: a study based on simulation.

Positron emission tomography (PET) has been widely used in early diagnosis of tumors. Though standardized uptake value (SUV) is a common diagnosis index for PET, it will be affected by the size of the tumor. To explore how the tumor size affects imaging diagnosis index, dynamic PET images were simulated to study the relationship between tumor size and the imaging diagnosis index.

A simple LC-MS/MS method for determination of sitafloxacin in human urine.

Sitafloxacin is a new fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agent with high activity. In this article, we reported a simple, rapid and specific LC-MS/MS method for accurate determination of sitafloxacin concentrations in human urine from healthy volunteers in detail. A two-step dilution method for the analysis of sitafloxacin in human urine using LC coupled to positive MS/MS has been developed and validated according to US FDA guidelines and Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) guidelines for the validation of bioanalytical methods.

Inkjet printing controllable footprint lines by regulating the dynamic wettability of coalescing ink droplets.

Inkjet printing lines with controllable footprints is the prerequisite of fabricating high-quality patterns. However, achieving precise footprints of lines by inkjet printing is still a challenge because of the difficulty in controlling coalescences of ink droplets. Here, controllable footprint lines were fabricated by adjusting the ink droplets' dynamic wettability which is depended on the ink droplets' surface tension difference.

Ordinal feature selection for iris and palmprint recognition.

Ordinal measures have been demonstrated as an effective feature representation model for iris and palmprint recognition. However, ordinal measures are a general concept of image analysis and numerous variants with different parameter settings, such as location, scale, orientation, and so on, can be derived to construct a huge feature space. This paper proposes a novel optimization formulation for ordinal feature selection with successful applications to both iris and palmprint recognition.

A novel protein, RafX, is important for common cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae: implications for bacterial virulence.

Teichoic acid (TA), together with peptidoglycan (PG), represents a highly complex glycopolymer that ensures cell wall integrity and has several crucial physiological activities. Through an insertion-deletion mutation strategy, we show that ΔrafX mutants are impaired in cell wall covalently attached TA (WTA)-PG biosynthesis, as evidenced by their abnormal banding patterns and reduced amounts of WTA in comparison with wild-type strains. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed an essential role for external loop 4 and some highly conserved amino acid residues in the function of RafX protein.

LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of PA-824, moxifloxacin and pyrazinamide in rat plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic study.

A simple, sensitive and rapid LC-MS/MS method has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of PA-824, moxifloxacin, and pyrazinamide in rat plasma using metronidazole as internal standard. Sample preparation involved a simple one-step protein precipitation with methanol, followed by centrifugation and evaporation of the organic solvent. The residue was redissolved in mobile phase and analyzed by LC-MS/MS.

Placental mesenchymal stem cells of fetal and maternal origins demonstrate different therapeutic potentials.

Introduction: Therapeutic potentials of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from different sources have been evaluated in pre-clinical and clinical settings. Although MSCs from different sources share MSC-specific characteristics and functions, inconsistent or controversial results of pre-clinical and clinical applications of such cells are frequently reported. This may be partially due to the fact that MSCs isolated from different origins may differentially express some functions not typical for MSCs, and hence have different therapeutic potentials.

[Comparison of therapeutic effects of olfactory ensheathing cells derived from olfactory mucosa or olfactory bulb on spinal cord injury mouse models].

Objective: To isolate and culture olfactory ensheathing cells from different origins, compare their different biological characteristics, and evaluate their therapeutic effect on spinal cord injury mouse models.

Methods: The olfactory ensheathing cells from olfactory mucosa or olfactory bulb were isolated and cultured by differential adhesion method. The expressions of S100 and P75 proteins were examined by immunofluorescence staining; their growth curves were drawn by MTT colorimetric assay; the secretion of neurotrophic factors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) was measured by ELISA; the gene expressions of BDNF, NGF, NT-3, neurotrophin-4 (NT-4), growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), and microtubule-associated protein (MAP-2) were quantified by real-time PCR; the therapeutic effect on spinal cord injury mouse models was evaluated by Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale, which had been carried out daily for 8 weeks after the olfactory ensheathing cells of the two different origins were respectively grafted to the mouse models.

Controllable printing droplets for high-resolution patterns.

Inkjet printing has attracted wide attention due to the important applications in fabricating biological, optical, and electrical devices. During the inkjet printing process, the solutes prefer to deposit along the droplet periphery and form an inhomogeneous morphology, known as the coffee-ring effect. Besides, the feature size of printed dots or lines of conventional inkjet printing is usually limited to tens or even hundreds of micrometers.

Thyroid surgery without antibiotic prophylaxis: experiences with 1,030 patients from a teaching hospital in China.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the outcome of thyroidectomy without the use of prophylactic antibiotics. This study was held from January 2005 to May 2012 in a teaching hospital in Dongguan, China.

Methods: A total of 1,030 thyroidectomy patients were retrospectively reviewed and basic data were recorded, including age, sex, peri-operative antibiotic use, type of thyroid surgery done, and post-operative complications.

Changes in ruminal fermentation, milk performance and milk fatty acid profile in dairy cows with subacute ruminal acidosis and its regulation with pelleted beet pulp.

The aims of the experiment were to investigate the variation in ruminal fermentation, milk performance and milk fatty acid profile triggered by induced subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA); and to evaluate the ability of beet pulp (BP) as a replacement for ground maize in order to alleviate SARA. Eight Holstein-Friesian cows were fed four diets (total mixed rations) during four successive periods (each of 17 d): (1) without wheat (W0); (2) with 10% finely ground wheat (FGW) (W10); (3) with 20% FGW (W20); (4) with 20% FGW and 10% pelleted BP (BP10). Inducing SARA by diet W20 decreased the daily mean ruminal pH (6.

Balance fatigue design of cast steel nodes in tubular steel structures.

Cast steel nodes are being increasingly popular in steel structure joint application as their advanced mechanical performances and flexible forms. This kind of joints improves the structural antifatigue capability observably and is expected to be widely used in the structures with fatigue loadings. Cast steel node joint consists of two parts: casting itself and the welds between the node and the steel member.

[MicroRNA-10a accelerates endodermal lineage differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells from human placenta].

Objective: To improve the potential of endodermal differentiation of human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs) by microRNA-10a (miR-10a)-mediated post-transcriptional regulation of its mRNA targets.

Methods: Lentiviral vectors were used to stably and specifically over-express miR-10a and inhibited the miR-10a function by its antagomir. In addition, the relationship between miR-10a and Hoxa1 expression was analyzed.

[Immunomodulatory effects of human placental-derived mesenchymal stem cells on immune rejection in mouse allogeneic skin transplantation].

Objective: To investigate the effect of human placental-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs) on immunological rejection in mouse allogeneic skin transplantation.

Methods: The placenta fetal tissues from voluntary donors were used to isolate and culture the PMSCs, and the 3rd passage PMSCs were used in the experiment. Thirty Vr: CD1 (ICR) mice at age of 1-2 days were used as skin donors for allogeneic skin transplantation.

Apoptosis induced by PGC-1β in breast cancer cells is mediated by the mTOR pathway.

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) coactivator-1β (PGC-1β) is a well-established regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. However, the underlying mechanism of PGC-1β action remains elusive. This study reveals that knockdown of endogenous PGC-1β by short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) leads to a decrease in the expression of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway-related genes in MDA-MB-231 cells.

Landmark lipid-lowering trials in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Although atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in the world, the long disease latency affords ample opportunity for preventive care. Indeed, lifelong exposure to atherogenic apoliprotein B-containing lipoproteins has consistently been shown to increase the cumulative risk of suffering a CVD event, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and symptomatic peripheral arterial disease. Over the past 25 years, lipid-lowering therapies have been developed that are proven to not only lower cholesterol, but also to decrease adverse CVD events and CVD mortality.

Functional characterization of a novel mutation in NKX2-5 associated with congenital heart disease and adult-onset cardiomyopathy.

Background: The transcription factor NKX2-5 is crucial for heart development, and mutations in this gene have been implicated in diverse congenital heart diseases and conduction defects in mouse models and humans. Whether NKX2-5 mutations have a role in adult-onset heart disease is unknown.

Methods And Results: Mutation screening was performed in 220 probands with adult-onset dilated cardiomyopathy.

An enhanced sensing platform for ultrasensitive impedimetric detection of target genes based on ordered FePt nanoparticles decorated carbon nanotubes.

We demonstrate a novel high-performance DNA hybridization biosensor with a carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based nanocomposite membrane as the enhanced sensing platform. The platform was constructed by homogenously distributing ordered FePt nanoparticles (NPs) onto the CNTs matrix. The surface structure and electrochemical performance of the FePt/CNTs nanocomposite membrane were systematically investigated.

[Isolation and characterization of human breast tumor stem cells].

Aim: To isolate and culture human breast cancer stem cells, and characterize their biological properties in vitro.

Methods: Fresh tumor tissues of breast cancer patients were collected from surgical rooms. The tissue samples were mechanically sheared and enzyme-digested to get single cell suspensions.

[Effects of IFN-γ on immunomodulation of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from fetal side of human placenta tissues].

Aim: To obtain fetal mesenchymal stem cells isolated from human placental tissue (hfPMSCs) and study the effects of IFN-γ on immunomodulatory property of hfPMSCs in vitro.

Methods: hfPMSCs were isolated from the fetal side of human placentas by enzyme digestion. Expressions of cell surface antigens CD73, CD90, CD105, CD14, CD34, CD45 and HLA-DR were tested by flow cytometry.

Androgenetic haploid embryonic stem cells produce live transgenic mice.

Haploids and double haploids are important resources for studying recessive traits and have large impacts on crop breeding, but natural haploids are rare in animals. Mammalian haploids are restricted to germline cells and are occasionally found in tumours with massive chromosome loss. Recent success in establishing haploid embryonic stem (ES) cells in medaka fish and mice raised the possibility of using engineered mammalian haploid cells in genetic studies.

Colloidal photonic crystals with narrow stopbands assembled from low-adhesive superhydrophobic substrates.

This article presents a facile approach to centimeter-scale colloidal photonic crystals (PCs) with narrow stopbands assembled on low-adhesive superhydrophobic substrates. The full-width-at-half-maxima of the stopbands are just 12 nm. The narrow stopbands of colloidal PCs are ascribed to the combined effects of perfectly ordered assembly structure, large-scale crack elimination, decreased void fraction, and sufficient thickness of the colloidal PCs.

Characterization of placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells cultured in autologous human cord blood serum.

Human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (P-MSCs) have drawn increasing attention in the field of stem cell research due to their potential in clinical applications as well as their rich and easy to procure cell source. While studies demonstrating the potential of P-MSCs for therapeutic transplantations have been documented, a clinically compliant procedure for P-MSC expansion in vitro has yet to be established. To this end, previous studies have demonstrated that MSCs of bone marrow and cord blood origins cultured in human cord blood serum (hCBS) are comparable to those cultured in fetal bovine serum (FBS), indicating that hCBS may be an alternative to FBS for the development of in vitro cell expansion procedures free of animal components.

Truncations of titin causing dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy arise from mutations in many genes. TTN, the gene encoding the sarcomere protein titin, has been insufficiently analyzed for cardiomyopathy mutations because of its enormous size.

Methods: We analyzed TTN in 312 subjects with dilated cardiomyopathy, 231 subjects with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and 249 controls by using next-generation or dideoxy sequencing.