Transport behaviors of photo-carriers across the aligned carbon nanotubes and silicon interface.

Transport of photo-carriers across the aligned carbon nanotubes and silicon (CNT/Si) interface determines cell performance. It is revealed that S-shaped current-voltage characters are generated due to the mismatch between the generation and transportation of photo-carriers, which can be eliminated by tuning the light intensity and CNT coverage on the Si surface, with the power conversion efficiency enhanced up to 121%.

Separation and detection of minor constituents in herbal medicines using a combination of heart-cutting and comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography.

Herbal medicines contain a large number of minor constituents, which could contribute to their therapeutic effects and provide valuable lead compounds for drug discovery. However, to explore minor constituents from complicated herbal extracts is usually laborious and time-consuming. In order to discover minor novel herbal constituents efficiently, we combined heart-cutting and comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (HC-2DLC) to remove major components from herbal extracts, and then characterized the minor ones by mass spectrometry.

Chemical analysis of the Tibetan herbal medicine by UPLC/DAD/qTOF-MS and simultaneous determination of nine major compounds.

is a traditional Tibetan herbal medicine for the treatment of hematemesis, hematuria, and menorrhagia. Despite its multiple biological activities, comprehensive chemical analysis of this herb has not been reported, so far. In this study, chemical constituents of were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/DAD/qTOF-MS).

[Analysis of 22 patients with congenital cleft lip and palate using high-resolution chromosome microarray].

Objective: To assess the value of chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) for identifying the etiology of patients with congenital cleft lip and palate.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with no identifiable chromosomal aberrations by conventional cytogenetic technique were selected. DNA was extracted and hybridized with Affymetrix CytoScan(TM) HD arrays following the manufacturer's protocol.

Prenatal diagnosis of foetuses with congenital abnormalities and duplication of the MECP2 region.

MECP2 duplication results in a well-recognised syndrome in 100% of affected male children; this syndrome is characterised by severe neurodevelopmental disabilities and recurrent infections. However, no sonographic findings have been reported for affected foetuses, and prenatal molecular diagnosis has not been possible for this disease due to lack of prenatal clinical presentation. In this study, we identified a small duplication comprising the MECP2 and L1CAM genes in the Xq28 region in a patient from a family with severe X-linked mental retardation and in a prenatal foetus with brain structural abnormalities.

Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of common aneuploidies by semiconductor sequencing.

Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) of cell-free fetal DNA from maternal plasma has revolutionized our ability to perform noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. This approach avoids the risk of fetal loss associated with more invasive diagnostic procedures. The present study developed an effective method for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of common chromosomal aneuploidies using a benchtop semiconductor sequencing platform (SSP), which relies on the MPS platform but offers advantages over existing noninvasive screening techniques.

Prenatal control of Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis: a two-year experience at a mainland Chinese hospital.

α-Thalassemia is a common inherited disease in southern China. The severest form is Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis, in which the affected fetuses almost always die in utero or shortly after birth, and the mothers are at high risk for severe morbidity. Therefore, this condition should be controlled, especially prenatally.

Planar-defect-rich zinc oxide nanoparticles assembled on carbon nanotube films as ultraviolet emitters and photocatalysts.

Structural defects in zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are complex and hard to be controlled during the synthesis, however, diversifying the chemical and physical performances. Here we report a rapid and low-temperature deposition method to fabricate planar-defect-rich ZnO nanoparticles on freestanding and aligned carbon nanotube films, different from common treatments which remove structural defects as many as possible. The defect energy states are very close to the valence band of ZnO and serve as recombination centers for a nearly monochromatic ultraviolet luminescence within a wavelength range of 373-376 nm.

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defect by genome-wide high-resolution SNP array.

Objective: This study aimed to detect genomic imbalances in fetuses with congenital heart defect (CHD) by high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array.

Methods: A total of 99 fetuses with CHDs with or without other ultrasound anomalies (including structural anomalies and soft markers) but normal karyotypes were investigated using Affymetrix CytoScan HD array.

Results: Clinical significant copy number variations (CNVs) were detected in 19 fetuses (19.

Electro-induced mechanical and thermal responses of carbon nanotube fibers.

The electromechanical and electrothermal responses of carbon nanotube fibers provide new ways to use energy conversion, including the modulation of assembly structures by alternative densification and relaxation. The most efficient way to strengthen the tensile strength up to 2.32-2.

[Coexisting rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis: 3 cases report].

Objective: To understand the clinical profiles of coexisting rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods: Coexisting RA and AS was discussed with 3 cases, 108 similar cases were found in the literature and reviewed here.

Results: Coexisting RA and AS was rarely reported.

Case report: prenatal diagnosis of Hb Hammersmith [β42(CD1)Phe→Ser; HBB: c.128T > C] in a family with an adult male patient.

Hb Hammersmith [β42(CD1)Phe → Ser; HBB: c.128T > C] is a rare, unstable hemoglobin (Hb) variant. In this case report, we describe another male case of Hb Hammersmith.

A new hemoglobin variant: Hb Henan [β90(F6)Glu → Gln; HBB: c.271G < C].

We have identified a new β chain hemoglobin (Hb) variant in a Chinese individual. Sequencing of the β-globin gene revealed a mutation in exon 2 at nucleotide 271, which results in the replacement of a glutamic acid by glutamine at codon 90 [β90(F6)Glu → Gln; GAG > CAG; HBB: c.271G > C] that we have named Hb Henan.

BMP-2 mRNA expression after endothelial progenitor cell therapy for fracture healing.

Purpose: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) represent a population of novel precursor cells with known ability to participate in angiogenesis. Our previous studies have shown that local EPC therapy significantly increased angiogenesis and osteogenesis to promote fracture healing in an animal bone defect model. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which EPC therapy promotes fracture healing remain largely unknown.

N-acetyltransferase 2 genetic variants confer the susceptibility to head and neck carcinoma: evidence from 23 case-control studies.

Previous evidence indicated that N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) polymorphisms might be a risk factor for several cancers. A number of studies have been conducted on the association between NAT2 polymorphisms and head and neck cancer (HNC) risk. Nevertheless, the results were conflicting.

Newborn screening for Hb H disease by determination of Hb Bart's using the Sebia capillary electrophoresis system in southern China.

Hb H (β4) disease is an inherited hemoglobin (Hb) defect in which three of the four α-globin genes are deleted or dysfunctional. The clinical manifestations vary widely from mild asymptomatic anemia to a severely anemic state. Recent literature suggests that Hb H disease is not as benign a disorder as previously thought.

[Anti-oxidative effects of dexamethasone on mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis].

Objective: To investigate the effects of dexamethasone (DXM) on the level of oxidative stress and antioxidant enzymes in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

Methods: C57BL/6 mice were immunized with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 (MOG35-55) to induce EAE. The mice were randomly divided into control group, EAE group, DXM group, and their clinical symptoms were observed.

Upregulated microRNA-155 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and fibroblast-like synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: This study was to screen for the miRNAs differently expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of RA, to further identify the expression of miR-155 in RA PBMC and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), and to evaluate the function of miR-155 in RA-FLS.

Methods: Microarray was used to screen for differentially expressed miRNAs in RA PBMC. miR-155 expression in PBMC and FLS of RA were identified by real-time PCR.

Sulforaphane ameliorates the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by antagonizing oxidative stress and Th17-related inflammation in mice.

Sulforaphane (SFN) is an organosulfur compound present in vegetables and has potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This study was aimed at investigating the effect of treatment with SFN on inflammation and oxidative stress, and the potential mechanisms underlying the action of SFN in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in C57BL/6 mice. Treatment with SFN significantly inhibited the development and severity of EAE in mice, accompanied by mitigating inflammatory infiltration and demyelination in the spinal cord of mice.

Molecular genetic assay of mucopolysaccharidosis IVA in South China.

Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (MPS IVA) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by the deficiency of N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS). Molecular mutational analysis was performed by PCR product sequencing for fourteen exons and exon-intron boundaries of GALNS gene in 21 patients from 19 unrelated families with severe MPS IVA in South China. We identified fifteen different mutations, including 10 reported mutations (p.

Acetylation reduces the ability of CheY to undergo autophosphorylation.

CheY, the response regulator of the chemotaxis system in Escherichia coli, can be regulated by two covalent modifications - phosphorylation and acetylation. Both covalent modifications are involved in chemotaxis, but the mechanism and role of the acetylation are still obscure. While acetylation was shown to repress the binding of CheY to its target proteins, the effect of acetylation on the ability of CheY to undergo autophosphorylate with AcP is not fully investigated.

Loss-of-function variation in the DPP6 gene is associated with autosomal dominant microcephaly and mental retardation.

The molecular basis of autosomal dominant microcephaly, a disorder associated with small head circumferences that results in variable mental retardation, is largely unknown. In the present study, we conducted a variation analysis of the DPP6 gene in patients with autosomal dominant microcephaly and variable mental retardation. The copy number variation analysis of DPP6 was performed on DNA samples from 22 patients with microcephaly using high-resolution, array-based genomic hybridization, and sequence analysis was performed to screen mutations in another 50 microcephalic patients.

KLF1 gene mutations in Chinese adults with increased fetal hemoglobin.

We investigated the Krüppel-like factor 1 (KLF1) gene mutations in Chinese adults with increased Hb F levels (>1.5%) referred to our laboratory for thalassemia screening. Functionally effective KLF1 mutations were identified in five out of 140 samples with an elevated Hb F (1.

High-resolution array-comparative genomic hybridization profiling reveals 20q13.33 alterations associated with ovarian endometriosis.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential genetic alterations at DNA level in patients with ovarian endometriosis by high-resolution array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) analysis.

Methods: Following the laparoscopic surgical and the post-operative pathological examination, genomic DNA was extracted from endometriomas of 11 women with endometriosis and endometrial tissue of the controls and analyzed by array-CGH. Real-time PCR was used for confirmation the result of array-CGH analysis and detected the DNA copy number variations of the eutopic endometrium from the five patients with the duplication in 20q13.