[Intensive utilization of land in Tiexi old industrial district, Shenyang, Northeast China]

Land use types of the Tiexi old industrial district, Shenyang, Northeast China were derived from QUICKBIRD and IKONOS satellite image interpretation to analyze its dynamics and intensive use by geostatistics and convention statistical methods which could reveal regional environment and socio-economic services. The results showed the main land use types were industrial land and residential land in Tiexi old industrial district. Land use changed significantly from 2000-2010, i. e., the industrial land area decreased rapidly and the housing land area, park land, commercial service land, and grassland increased simultaneously. The district environment was improved and the comprehensive livable level was increasing. Also, the regional functional orientation was becoming clear, the living and business function verged to maturity, and the land use efficiency was increasing. From 2002, the intensive land use level in Tiexi old industrial district was evidently improved, however, the potential of intensive land use could still be further exploited.

Observation of a charged charmoniumlike structure Zc(4020) and search for the Zc(3900) in e+e-→π+π-hc

We study e+e-→π+π-hc at center-of-mass energies from 3.90 to 4.42 GeV by using data samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider. The Born cross sections are measured at 13 energies and are found to be of the same order of magnitude as those of e+e-→π+π-J/ψ but with a different line shape. In the π±hc mass spectrum, a distinct structure, referred to as Zc(4020), is observed at 4.02  GeV/c2. The Zc(4020) carries an electric charge and couples to charmonium. A fit to the π±hc invariant mass spectrum, neglecting possible interferences, results in a mass of (4022.9±0.8±2.7)  MeV/c2 and a width of (7.9±2.7±2.6)  MeV for the Zc(4020), where the first errors are statistical and the second systematic. The difference between the parameters of this structure and the Zc(4025) observed in the D*D[over ¯]* final state is within 1.5σ, but whether they are the same state needs further investigation. No significant Zc(3900) signal is observed, and upper limits on the Zc(3900) production cross sections in π±hc at center-of-mass energies of 4.23 and 4.26 GeV are set.

Mycophenolate mofetil affects monocyte Toll-like receptor 4 signaling during mouse renal ischemia/reperfusion injury

BACKGROUND

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been used to prevent transplant rejection for many years and has been shown to have protective effects against renal failure. The objective was to investigate the effect of MMF on monocyte Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling in the early stages of renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) of mice.

METHODS

Sixty BALB/C mice were randomly divided into two groups: an IRI group, in which renal IRI was induced by clamping the renal pedicles for 45 minutes, and an MMF group, in which MMF was given (40 mg×kg(-1)×d(-1), intraperitoneally) from 2 days before renal IRI. The plasma creatinine level and renal tissue damage of each group mice were observed 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after reperfusion. The concentration of plasma high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1) (TLR4 ligand), interleukin 6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and the expression of TLR-4 on monocytes were determined.

RESULTS

The plasma creatinine concentration in the MMF group was lower compared to the IRI group (after reperfusion of 6, 12, 24, or 48 hours, P < 0.05). Pathological analysis showed that the renal damage was slighter, TLR-4 expression was reduced (after reperfusion of 6, 12, 24, or 48 hours, P < 0.05), and the concentration of cytokines in the plasma was lower (P < 0.05) in the MMF group. No differences in the concentrations of HMGB-1 were observed (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Monocyte TLR4 signaling is important in the early stage of kidney IRI, but MMF can inhibit it and improve renal function.

Changes in the coagulation and fibrinolytic system of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage

The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamic changes in the coagulation and fibrinolytic system with subarachnoid hemorrhage. The blood coagulation enzyme-AT complex (TAT), anticoagulant enzyme (AT), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activin inhibitor (PAI-1), and mean blood flow velocity were measured. The TAT level was significantly higher 6 h after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), whereas AT was significantly lower. These changes were maintained at 12 h to 1 d after SAH, returned to normal at 3 d, significantly changed again at 7 d to 14 d. The tPA level gradually increased after SAH and peaked at 14 d, and then returned to normal at 21 d. The PAI-1 levels were significantly lower than those in the control group 1 d after SAH gradually increased, and returned to normal at 21 d. In the cerebral vasospasm (CVS) groups, the levels of TAT, and AT significantly changed compared to the non-CVS groups after SAH. The PAI-1 levels were higher at 7 d and 14 d, but the changes were not significant. In groups Fisher III and IV as well as Hunt III to V, the TAT, AT, tPA, and PAI-1 levels were significantly higher than those in both Fisher and Hunt I and II 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 7 d, and 14 d after SAH. The changes in the coagulation and fibrinolytic system of patients with SAH are correlated with the progress and symptoms of SAH as well as the blood content and CVS.

[EEMD de-noising adaptively in Raman spectroscopy]

It is well known that the second generation wavelet is the best de-noising means, but the result of de-noising depends on how to set up the basis function, decomposition layers and threshold parameters. Without parameter setting empirical mode decomposition (EMD) decomposes the signal into intrinsic mode functions (IMF), then structuring IMF filter and the de-noising process is adaptive. It is worth noting that the signal and the noise are mixed together in very high frequency, that is to say that there has been mode overlap, and what happened will affect the de-noising effect. It was found that ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) decomposes Raman spectrum into the signal and the noise effectively avoiding from mode overlap in high frequency in the experiments, and it is similar with wavelet in de-nosing effect fortunately. At first, a period of non-linear and non-smooth bean greases Raman spectrum was decomposed by EMD in the paper, there was mode overlap, but the authors have got clear characteristic components by EEMD. Secondly noisy spectrum was processed by fast Fourier transform (FFT), wave-let, EMD and EEMD independently, and signal to noise ratio, root mean square error and correlation coefficient indicate that FFT is the worse means in high frequency de-noising than EMD, and the appropriate wavelet is similar with EEMD in de-noising result, but the de-noising process of EEMD is adaptive. In the last section, a brief research direction of the spectrum study method in time frequency field and noise properties criterion on IMF are given for the future.

Novel core-shell cerium(IV)-immobilized magnetic polymeric microspheres for selective enrichment and rapid separation of phosphopeptides

In this work, novel magnetic polymeric core-shell structured microspheres with immobilized Ce(IV), Fe3O4@SiO2@PVPA-Ce(IV), were designed rationally and synthesized successfully via a facile route for the first time. Magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 microspheres were first prepared by directly coating a thin layer of silica onto Fe3O4 magnetic particles using a sol-gel method, a poly(vinylphosphonic acid) (PVPA) shell was then coated on the Fe3O4@SiO2 microspheres to form Fe3O4@SiO2@PVPA microspheres through a radical polymerization reaction, and finally Ce(IV) ions were robustly immobilized onto the Fe3O4@SiO2@PVPA microspheres through strong chelation between Ce(IV) ions and phosphate moieties in the PVPA. The applicability of the Fe3O4@SiO2@PVPA-Ce(IV) microspheres for selective enrichment and rapid separation of phosphopeptides from proteolytic digests of standard and real protein samples was investigated. The results demonstrated that the core-shell structured Fe3O4@SiO2@PVPA-Ce(IV) microspheres with abundant Ce(IV) affinity sites and excellent magnetic responsiveness can effectively purify phosphopeptides from complex biosamples for MS detection taking advantage of the rapid magnetic separation and the selective affinity between Ce(IV) ions and phosphate moieties of the phosphopeptides. Furthermore, they can be effectively recycled and show good reusability, and have better performance than commercial TiO2 beads and homemade Fe3O4@PMAA-Ce(IV) microspheres. Thus the Fe3O4@SiO2@PVPA-Ce(IV) microspheres can benefit greatly the mass spectrometric qualitative analysis of phosphopeptides in phosphoproteome research.

Ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction promotes angiogenesis and heart function by inducing myocardial microenvironment change

The myocardial microenvironment plays a decisive role in the survival, migration and differentiation of stem cells. We studied myocardial micro-environmental changes induced by ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) and their influence on the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Various intensities of ultrasound were applied to the anterior chest in canines with myocardial infarction after intravenous injection of microbubbles. The expression of cytokines and adhesion molecules in the infarcted area of the myocardium was detected after three sessions of UTMD in 1 wk. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTQ-PCR) showed that the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the 1.5 W/cm(2) and 1 W/cm(2) groups was markedly increased compared with the 0.5 W/cm(2) or the control groups (3.8- to 4.7-fold, p < 0.01), and the expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the 1.5 W/cm(2) group was increased twofold over the 1.0 W/cm(2) group, whereas the 0.5 W/cm(2) group experienced no significant changes. UTMD at 1.0 W/cm(2) was performed as previously described before mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation. Myocardial perfusion, angiogenesis and heart function were investigated before and 1 month after MSC transplantation. Coronary angiography and 99mTc-tetrofosmin scintigraphy revealed that myocardial perfusion was markedly improved after UTMD + MSCs treatment (p < 0.05). At echocardiographic analysis, heart function and the wall motion score index were significantly improved by UTMD + MSCs treatment compared with MSCs or UTMD alone and the control. In a canine model of myocardial infarction, therapeutic effects were markedly enhanced by MSC transplantation after the myocardial micro-environmental changes induced by UTMD; therefore, this novel method may be useful as an efficient approach for cellular therapy.

AMPK activity is down-regulated in endothelial cells of GHS-R(-/-) mice

Ghrelin/GHS-R axis is known as its role in stimulating growth hormone release. Besides, it is also implicated in the regulation of atherosclerosis (AS), a chronic vascular disease that has been recognized as the main cause of coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. It has been reported that both Ghrelin and AMPK play protective roles in AS by inhibiting the inflammatory response as well as cell proliferation. However, it remains unclear whether AMPK pathway is involved in Ghrelin/GHS-R-mediated inhibition of the inflammatory response and cell proliferation in AS. Here, we established the GHS-R gene knockout mice (GHS-R(-/-)) and found that AMPK activity is notably down-regulated in endothelial cells (ECs) of GHS-R(-/-) mice and the ECs from GHS-R(-/-) mice possess higher proliferative capability than the ECs from wild-type mice. Moreover, AMPK is activated in primary ECs upon Ghrelin induction in vitro. Taking together, the present study unravels that Ghrelin/GHS-R could efficiently activate AMPK in ECs, suggesting a possible mechanism that the roles of Ghrelin/GHS-R in the inhibition of inflammatory response and cell proliferation in AS disease may be partially mediated by activating AMPK.

Observation of a charged charmoniumlike structure in e+ e- → π+ π- J/ψ at sqrt[s] = 4.26 GeV

We study the process ee+ e- → π+ π- J/ψ at a center-of-mass energy of 4.260 GeV using a 525  pb(-1) data sample collected with the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider. The Born cross section is measured to be (62.9±1.9±3.7)  pb, consistent with the production of the Y(4260). We observe a structure at around 3.9  GeV/c2 in the π(±)J/ψ mass spectrum, which we refer to as the Z(c)(3900). If interpreted as a new particle, it is unusual in that it carries an electric charge and couples to charmonium. A fit to the π(±)J/ψ invariant mass spectrum, neglecting interference, results in a mass of (3899.0±3.6±4.9)  MeV/c2 and a width of (46±10±20)  MeV. Its production ratio is measured to be R = (σ(e+ e- → π(±)Z(c)(3900)(∓) → π+ π- J/ψ)/σ(e+ e- → π+ π- J/ψ)) = (21.5±3.3±7.5)%. In all measurements the first errors are statistical and the second are systematic.

[Clinical classification of gluteal muscle contracture under arthroscopy]

OBJECTIVE

To explore clinical effects of gluteal muscle contracture and minimum invasive surgery under the arthroscopy.

METHODS

Totally 358 patients with gluteus contracture were treated,which included 175 males and 183 females with an average age of (19.7 +/- 6.8) years old (ranged, 14 to 41). All patients have a history of repetitive intramuscular injection of penicillin with benzyl alcohol solvent. According to clinical characteristics and intraoperative situation, patients were classified into four groups:cable strip (118 cases), fanshaped (107 cases), mixed (87 cases), tensor fasciae latae contracture(46 cases). The curative effects were evaluated according to postoperative function evaluation standard of gluteus contracture.

RESULTS

All patients were followed up and 37 cases withdrew. The following up time ranged from 1.5 to 8 years with an average of 3.5 years. According to evaluation standard of gluteus contracture, 303 cases got excellent results, 13 cases good,and 5 cases fair at the final follow-up. No recurrence, infection and neurovascular injury occurred.

CONCLUSION

The classification of gluteal muscle contracture is beneficial for choose surgical strategy and improve curative effect. The advantage of plasma knife minimally invasive solution in treating gluteal muscle contracture with radiofrequency under arthroscopy is minimally invasive, safe, and benefit for early functional exercises.

[Studies on toxicity of four kinds of heavy metals in water by synchronous-scan fluorescence]

Spectrofluorometry of chlorella pyrenoidosa was studied by three dimensional excitation-emission (3DEEM) fluorescence spectroscopy and synchronous scan fluorescence spectroscopy with Delta gamma = 20 nm in the stress of Hg+, Cd2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+. The conclusion from two kinds of Spectrofluorometry was the same: after 96h stress by heavy metals, the maximum fluorescence values reduced obviously, chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-b in the photosynthetic system were seriously damaged by heavy metal. Further analysis of the correlations between heavy metal concentration and fluorescence quenching efficiency I0/I can conclude that the toxicity of heavy metal and the fluorescence quenching efficiency I0/I were positively correlated, and they all increased with the heavy metal concentration and stress time. For one kind of heavy metals, synchronous scan fluorometry is a sensitive method for its toxicity assessment. Compared to 3DEEM fluorescence spectroscopy, synchronous scan fluorescence spectroscopy is less time consuming and of higher selectivity. It is suitable to assess the toxicity of pollutions in water.

Magnetic affinity microspheres with meso-/macroporous shells for selective enrichment and fast separation of phosphorylated biomolecules

The flowerlike multifunctional affinity microspheres prepared by a facile solvothermal synthesis and subsequent calcination process consist of magnetic cores and hierarchical meso-/macroporous TiO2 shells. The hierarchical porous structure of the flowerlike affinity microspheres is constructed by the macroporous shell from the stacked mesoporous nanopetals which are assembled by small crystallites. The affinity microspheres have a relatively large specific surface area of 50.45 m(2) g(-1) and superparamagnetism with a saturation magnetization (Ms) value of 30.1 emu g(-1). We further demonstrate that they can be applied for rapid and effective purification of phosphoproteins, in virtue of their selective affinity, porous structure, and strong magnetism. In addition, the affinity microspheres can also be used for enrichment of phosphopeptides, and the selectivity is greatly improved due to the increase of mass transport and prevention of the possible "shadow effect" resulting from the smaller and deeper pores by taking advantage of the unique porous structure. Overall, this work will be highly beneficial for future applications in the isolation and identification of phosphorylated biomolecules.

Tat peptide-decorated gelatin-siloxane nanoparticles for delivery of CGRP transgene in treatment of cerebral vasospasm

Background

Gene transfer using a nanoparticle vector is a promising new approach for the safe delivery of therapeutic genes in human disease. The Tat peptide-decorated gelatin-siloxane (Tat-GS) nanoparticle has been demonstrated to be biocompatible as a vector, and to have enhanced gene transfection efficiency compared with the commercial reagent. This study investigated whether intracisternal administration of Tat-GS nanoparticles carrying the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) gene can attenuate cerebral vasospasm and improve neurological outcomes in a rat model of subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Method

A series of gelatin-siloxane nanoparticles with controlled size and surface charge was synthesized by a two-step sol-gel process, and then modified with the Tat peptide. The efficiency of Tat-GS nanoparticle-mediated gene transfer of pLXSN-CGRP was investigated in vitro using brain capillary endothelial cells and in vivo using a double-hemorrhage rat model. For in vivo analysis, we delivered Tat-GS nanoparticles encapsulating pLXSN-CGRP intracisternally using a double-hemorrhage rat model.

Results

In vitro, Tat-GS nanoparticles encapsulating pLXSN-CGRP showed 1.71 times higher sustained CGRP expression in endothelial cells than gelatin-siloxane nanoparticles encapsulating pLXSN-CGRP, and 6.92 times higher CGRP expression than naked pLXSN-CGRP. However, there were no significant differences in pLXSN-CGRP entrapment efficiency and cellular uptake between the Tat-GS nanoparticles and gelatin-siloxane nanoparticles. On day 7 of the in vivo experiment, the data indicated better neurological outcomes and reduced vasospasm in the subarachnoid hemorrhage group that received Tat-GS nanoparticles encapsulating pLXSN-CGRP than in the group receiving Tat-GS nanoparticles encapsulating pLXSN alone because of enhanced vasodilatory CGRP expression in cerebrospinal fluid.

Conclusion

Overexpression of CGRP attenuated vasospasm and improved neurological outcomes in an experimental rat model of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Tat-GS nanoparticle-mediated CGRP gene delivery could be an innovative strategy for treatment of cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Molecular cytogenetic characterization of the Aegilops biuncialis karyotype

Aegilops biuncialis can be hybridized with wheat (Triticum spp) and has been used for wheat breeding and genetic studies. The A. biuncialis karyotype (U(b) U(b) M(b) M(b)) was investigated based on three A. biuncialis accessions grown in China. Two pairs of SAT chromosomes were identified as 1U(b) and 5U(b), with a karyotype formula of 2n = 4x = 28 = 14m + 10sm + 4st. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and C-banding approaches were used to analyze the A. biuncialis accession chromosomes at the mitotic stage. Based on the C-banding and FISH patterns, all U(b) and M(b) chromosomes could be discriminated simultaneously; the three A. biuncialis accessions exhibited similar patterns, suggesting a common origin. The U(b) genome from A. biuncialis resembled the U genome in the diploid species A. umbellulata, and it may be related to the tetraploid species containing the U genome. The M(b) genome had some differences compared to the M genome in the diploid species A. comosa, and it may be related to the tetraploid species possessing the M genome. A generalized ideogram was proposed for the A. biuncialis genome, which could be useful for standardized and accurate identification of the A. biuncialis karyotype and chromosomes.

Comparative molecular analysis of the prokaryotic diversity of two salt mine soils in southwest China

While much is known about the microbial diversity in some hypersaline environments, little is known about those of salt mine tunnel soils. The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive phylogenetic comparison of the archaeal and bacterial communities present in Yipinglang salt mine (YPL) and Qiaohou salt mine (QH) tunnels differing in salinity and salt composition using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Two hundred twenty-eight sequences for QH and 182 sequences for YPL were analyzed by amplified ribosomal DNA-restriction analysis. Libraries revealed 44 bacterial and 57 archaeal different operational taxonomic units belonging to at least 8 bacterial and 3 archaeal divisions, but not all divisions were observed in both salt mines. The bacterial community affiliated with the Bacteroidetes was the most abundant (60% of clones) in QH, while the community in YPL was dominated by δ-Proteobacteria (45% of clones). All archaeal clones from QH were affiliated with Halobacteriaceae. In contrast, in the YPL library, 49% of clones belonged to Halobacteriaceae, 31% of clones related to unclassified archaea, and 21% of clones belonged to Crenarchaeota. Bioinformatic analysis and comparisons showed that the clone libraries were significantly different between two salt mines.

[Analysis on arthroscopic debridement and visco supplement for the treatment of degenerative osteoarthropathy of ankle]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate effects of arthroscopic debridement and visco supplement for the treatment of degenerative osteoarthropathy of ankle.

METHODS

From October 2008 to May 2012, 30 patients with degenerative osteoarthropathy of ankle were treated with arthroscopy after ineffective treatment with conservative methods. Two patients lost follow-up. Among the patients, 19 patients were male and 9 patients were female, ranging in age from 28 to 56 years old, with a mean of (40.0+ 5.9)years old. Patients who had inflammatory or postinfectious arthritis,rheumatoid,gout,tuberculosis were excluded. Other exclusion criteria included previous arthroscopic treatment for ankle osteoarthropathy, intraarticular corticosteroid injection within the previous 6 months, a major neurologic deficit, serious medical illness and pregnancy. Articular cartilage iijuries were classified according to Outerbridge by the same doctor. Follow procedures were involved in the surgery: synovectomy,debridement or excision of fragments of articular cartilage or chondral flaps and osteophytes that prevented full extension. Microfracture of chondral defects was not performed. Ogilvie-Harris criteria was used to evaluate therapeutic effects.

RESULTS

According to Ogilvie-Harris criteria, 10 patients got an excellent results, 14 good, 3 poor and 1 bad. The mean VAS score of pain decreased from preoperative 7.5+/-1.3 to postoperative 2.4+/-2.3. The score of dorsiflexion range (ROM-D) had no obvious change after operation [preoperative(27.0+/-7.3)degree and postoperative(29.0+/-5.6)degree]. The mean Tegner score increased from preoperative 2.7+/-1.3 to postoperative 5.6+/-2.2.

CONCLUSION

Synovectomy, debridement or excision of chondral flaps and osteophytes under arthroscopy, as well as scheduled intraarticular sodium hyaluronate injection should be recommened to treat ankle degenerative osteoarthropathy.

A graphene-based multifunctional affinity probe for selective capture and sequential identification of different biomarkers from biosamples

A novel multifunctional graphene-based affinity probe has been explored for selective capture of two different types of peptides from the biosamples for sequential detection.

Spleen stiffness and splenoportal venous flow: assessment before and after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement

OBJECTIVES

To prospectively assess changes in spleen stiffness and splenoportal venous flow before and after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement.

METHODS

We prospectively evaluated spleen stiffness measured by the mean shear wave velocity with acoustic radiation force impulse imaging and the splenoportal venous velocity with color Doppler sonography in 12 patients (mean age ± SD, 42.6 ± 11.0 years; range, 29-65 years) who underwent TIPS placement for portal hypertension and gastroesophageal bleeding. The mean shear wave velocity and angle-corrected splenoportal venous velocity at the main portal and splenic veins were measured 1 day before and 3 to 9 days after TIPS placement (mean interval, 6.0 ± 1.95 days; range, 4-10 days) and were compared with portal vein pressure measured during the procedure.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference in portal vein pressure before and after TIPS (25.34 ± 6.21 versus 15.66 ± 6.07 mm Hg; P = .0005). After TIPS, the mean shear wave velocity decreased significantly in all 12 cases (3.50 ± 0.46 versus 3.15 ± 0.39 m/s before and after TIPS; P = .00015). The flow velocity at the main portal vein increased significantly after TIPS (22.21 ± 4.13 versus 47.25 ± 12.37 cm/s; P = .0000051). The splenic vein velocity and spleen index measured 25.57 ± 6.98 cm/s and 55.99 ± 21.27 cm(2), respectively, before TIPS and 35.72 ± 11.10 cm/s and 50.11 ± 21.12 cm(2) after TIPS (P = .0004 and .003).

CONCLUSIONS

A significant decrease in the mean shear wave velocity and increase in the splenoportal venous velocity occurred with reduced portal vein pressure after TIPS placement. Hence, both parameters can be used as noninvasive quantitative markers for monitoring TIPS function after placement.

Observation of two new N* resonances in the decay ψ(3686)→ppπ0

Based on 106×10(6)ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII facility, a partial wave analysis of ψ(3686)→ppπ0 is performed. The branching fraction of this channel has been determined to be B(ψ(3686)→ppπ0)=(1.65±0.03±0.15)×10(-4). In this decay, 7 N* intermediate resonances are observed. Among these, two new resonances, N(2300) and N(2570) are significant, one 1/2+ resonance with a mass of 2300(-30-0)(+40+109)  MeV/c2 and width of 340(-30-58)(+30+110)  MeV/c2, and one 5/2- resonance with a mass of 2570(-10-10)(+19+34)  MeV/c2 and width of 250(-24-21)(+14+69)  MeV/c2. For the remaining 5 N* intermediate resonances [N(1440), N(1520), N(1535), N(1650) and N(1720)], the analysis yields mass and width values that are consistent with those from established resonances.

The ABCG2 transporter is a key molecular determinant of the efficacy of sonodynamic therapy with Photofrin in glioma stem-like cells

We aimed to investigate the role of the ABCG2 transporter in the efficacy of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) with Photofrin in the glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) isolated and cultured from U251 glioma cells. Immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry analyses showed that ABCG2 was overexpressed in GSCs, and the percentage of ABCG2-positive GSCs was approximately 100%. The effect of ABCG2 on Photofrin extrusion in the absence or presence of a specific inhibitor of ABCG2 (fumitremorgin C; FTC) was investigated by determining the intracellular concentration of Photofrin in GSCs incubated with 20μg/ml Photofrin. Extrusion of Photofrin by ABCG2 was inhibited by 10μM FTC, which significantly increased the intracellular Photofrin concentration (p<0.05) from 0.32±0.11μg/10(6) cells to 0.89±0.13μg/10(6) cells. MTT and TUNEL assays showed that the antitumor effect of SDT (incubation of GSCs with 20μg/ml Photofrin for 6h in the dark and ultrasonic activation at 1.0MHz and 0.5W/cm(2) for 2min) was significantly improved by FTC pretreatment (p<0.05). Moreover, incubation of GSCs with FTC significantly increased the relative production of ROS in response to SDT. The overexpression of ABCG2 in GSCs results in efflux of Photofrin, indicating that the antitumor effect of SDT with Photofrin may be reduced in GSCs overexpressing ABCG2. However, since FTC improves the efficacy of SDT in GSCs by inhibiting ABCG2-mediated efflux of Photofrin, FTC may be useful in SDT treatment of ABCG2-expressing cancer cells.