[The analysis of the value of spontaneous nystagmus in peripheral vestibular hypofunction]

Objective:To study the characteristics and clinical value of spontaneous nystagmus in patients with peripheral vestibular dysfunction.Method:Sixty cases with acute unilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction were studied.All were diagnozed as vestibular neuritis(VN) . The relationship between SN and disease duration,DP and UW were analyzed.Result:SN was present in49 patients(81.7%)and absent in the remaining 11(18.3%).The intensity of SN ranged from 0.5°/s-20.4°/s and had negative correlation with the disease duration(r=-0.478，P<0.01). The patients were divided into 3 groups (mild,medium and severe) according to SN intensity,with median duration of disease being 6.5 d，5 d and 3 d respectively. The difference between groups was statistically significant(χ²=9.071，P<0.01).The result of the caloric test were as following：caloric test revealed DP in 44 cases（89.8%） of SN ;DP values were normal in 8 cases（10.2%）;SN intensity was positively correlated with DP value（r=0.513,P<0.01） ;unilateral weakness was found in 35 cases（71.4%）,with the direction of SN towards the weakness side in 4 cases and towards the opposite direction in the remaining 31 cases; 7 cases（14.3%）had bilateral weakness and 7 cases（14.3%）normal. There were no relationship between the intensity of SN and UW value（r=-0.321,P>0.05）.The UW value of patients with SN (40.9±26.3）% was compared to the group without SN（29.9±18.2）% . The difference was statistically significant (F=4.497,P<0.05).Conclusion:The intensity of SN in patients with acute unilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction was often moderate and severe. The intensity of SN waned as the disease progressed or the direction reversed,The vestibular injury in patient with SN was more severe than those without. SN is useful in clinical assessment of vestibular injury and compensatory status.

[The distribution characteristics of etiology of chronic cough in Lanzhou]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the distribution characteristics of etiology and clinical feature of chronic cough in Lanzhou.

METHODS

Based on the guidelines of the diagnostic process of chronic cough in China, data of medical history and physical examinations were collected, and chest X-ray, pulmonary function plus airway hyperresponsiveness, induced sputum eosinophils, sinus X-ray or CT, 24 h esophageal pH monitoring, chest high-resolution CT and bronchoscopy were performed accordingly for outpatients with chronic cough. The cause of chronic cough was identified by the test results and treatment response. The results were compared with those reported previously in other areas of China.

RESULTS

A total of 173 patients with completed data were collected, including 90 males and 83 females.The causes were as follows: 45 cases (26.01%) of cough variant asthma, 35 (20.23%) upper airway cough syndrome, 20 (11.56%) allergic cough, 17 (9.83%) chronic pharyngitis, 14 (8.09%) gastroesophageal reflux, 14 (8.09%)postinfectious, 13 (7.51%) eosinophilic bronchitis, 8 (4.62%) chronic bronchitis, 4 (2.31%) cough associated with ACEI, 3 (1.73%) bronchial tuberculosis, 2 (1.16%) pulmonary fibrosis and bronchiectasis repectively. The causes of the remaining 14 patients (8.09%)were unknown. The causes of chronic cough were identified in 159 patients (91.91%), of which 141 (88.68%) with a single cause and 18(11.32%)with more than 2 etiological factors.The percentage of cough variant asthma in our series was significantly higher than that reported in Guangzhou (13.6%, χ(2)=5.60, P=0.018, P<0.05), but lower than that reported in Shenyang (39.4%, χ(2)=7.91, P=0, 004, P<0.01). The percentage of allergic cough was higher than that reported in Beijing (3.3%, χ(2)=6.66, P=0.010, P<0.05), and that of eosinophilic bronchitis was lower than those reported in Guangzhou(22.4%, χ(2)=22.38, P=0.000, P<0.01) and Shenyang (12.5%, χ(2)=8.09, P=0.005, P<0.01). The percentage of esophageal reflux cough was lower than that reported in Beijing (20.3%, χ(2)=9.40, P=0.002, P<0.01) but higher than that reported in Shenyang (1.9%, χ(2)=3.98, P=0.036, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

In Lanzhou, cough variant asthma, upper airway cough syndrome, allergic cough, chronic pharyngitis and gastroesophageal reflux were the main causes of chronic cough, and the etiological distribution was different from Guangzhou, Beijing, Shenyang and other areas.

[Immunomodulatory effect of oyster peptide on immunosuppressed mice]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the immunomodulating effect of oyster peptide on immunosuppressed mice.

METHODS

ICR mice injected with cyclophosphamide (CTX) were adopted as the module group, with mice without treatment as the control group, and different dosages of oyster peptide (0.5 g/kg, 1.0 g/kg, and 2.0 g/kg) were given to the low, middle, and high groups for 15 days. The body weight, spleen, and thymus weight of the mice, structures under the microscope of the immune organs, numbers of white blood cells, ratios of T lymphocyte subsets, immune cytokines and numbers of nuclear cells, and DNA content in bone marrow were all assessed.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the structures of thymus and spleen of the mice in the CTX group appeared obscure and shrunk when observed under microscope, the number of their white blood cells declined (P=0.04), the proportion of their CD3(+) T cells in peripheral blood declined (P=0.003), the proportion of their CD8(+) T cells in peripheral blood declined (P=0.002), the concentration of their IL-5 in peripheral blood significantly increased (P<0.01), the concentration of their nucleated cells and DNA density in bone marrow decreased (P=0.04, P<0.01). Oyster could improve the structures of thymus and spleen of the immunosuppressed mice. Compared with the CTX group, the number of white blood cells in 2.0 g/kg group increased (P=0.003), the proportion of CD3(+) T cells in peripheral blood in 1.0 g/kg group (P=0.04) and 2.0 g/kg group (P=0.02) increased, the proportion of CD8(+) T cells in peripheral blood in 2.0 g/kg group increased (P=0.002), the concentration of IL-5 in peripheral blood in all the oyster treated groups increased (P<0.01 in 0.5 g/kg, 1.0 g/kg, and 2.0 g/kg groups), the concentration of IL-17 in peripheral blood in 2.0 g/kg group decreased (P=0.03), the concentration of nucleated cells in bone marrow of all the oyster treated groups increased (0.5 g/kg vs. CTX, P=0.04; 1.0 g/kg vs. CTX, P=0.02; 2.0 g/kg vs. CTX P=0.01), the DNA content in bone marrow of all the oyster treated groups increased (P<0.01 in the 0.5 g/kg, 1.0 g/kg, and 2.0 g/kg groups).

CONCLUSION

Oyster peptide could improve the structures of immune organs of the CTX-induced immunosuppressed mice, recover the imbalances of T lymphocyte subsets, improve the immune cytokines and increase numbers of nucleated cells and DNA content in bone marrow, thus improving the immunologic function.

Coherent population transfer between uncoupled or weakly coupled states in ladder-type superconducting qutrits

Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage offers significant advantages for coherent population transfer between uncoupled or weakly coupled states and has the potential of realizing efficient quantum gate, qubit entanglement and quantum information transfer. Here we report on the realization of the process in the superconducting Xmon and phase qutrits—two ladder-type three-level systems in which the ground state population is coherently transferred to the second excited state via the dark state subspace. We demonstrate that the population transfer efficiency is no less than 96% and 67% for the two devices, which agree well with the numerical simulation of the master equation. Population transfer via stimulated Raman adiabatic passage is significantly more robust against variations of the experimental parameters compared with that via the conventional resonant π pulse method. Our work opens up a new venue for exploring the process for quantum information processing using the superconducting artificial atoms.

Quantum state engineering necessitates transfer between quantum states. Here the authors demonstrate coherent population transfer between un- or weakly-coupled states of solid state systems, superconducting Xmon and phase qutrits, using stimulated Raman adiabatic passage and microwave driving.

Resolving intravoxel fiber architecture using nonconvex regularized blind compressed sensing

In diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, accurate and reliable estimation of intravoxel fiber architectures is a major prerequisite for tractography algorithms or any other derived statistical analysis. Several methods have been proposed that estimate intravoxel fiber architectures using low angular resolution acquisitions owing to their shorter acquisition time and relatively low b-values. But these methods are highly sensitive to noise. In this work, we propose a nonconvex regularized blind compressed sensing approach to estimate intravoxel fiber architectures in low angular resolution acquisitions. The method models diffusion-weighted (DW) signals as a sparse linear combination of unfixed reconstruction basis functions and introduces a nonconvex regularizer to enhance the noise immunity. We present a general solving framework to simultaneously estimate the sparse coefficients and the reconstruction basis. Experiments on synthetic, phantom, and real human brain DW images demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach.

Advances in the research of AMPK and its subunit genes

AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) is a heterotrimeric complex composed of three subunits and is the core energy sensor of the cell. The AMPK activity is important for survival during periods of stress and starvation and also has implications in type II diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, longevity and cancer, etc. The activation of AMPK is triggered through binding of Adenosine Monophosphate Activated Proteins (AMP) to the Bateman domains of the gamma subunit, leading to increased phosphorylation of the threonine 172 on the alpha subunit by inducing allosteric activation and inhibiting dephosphorylation. AMPK and its subunits have been the focuses of many researchers dealing with genetic and metabolic issues. The study makes a comprehensive review on the structure, function, distribution, enzyme activity, the genetic mutation and other aspects of AMPK and its subunit genes, with the aim to outline main aspects of present researches on AMPK and its subunits in animal genetics.

Impacts of the herbicide butachlor on the larvae of a paddy field breeding frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) in subtropical Taiwan

Butachlor is the most commonly used herbicide on paddy fields in Taiwan and throughout Southeast Asia. Since paddy fields provide habitat for pond breeding amphibians, we examined growth, development, time to metamorphosis, and survival of alpine cricket frog tadpoles (Fejervarya limnocharis) exposed to environmentally realistic concentrations of butachlor. We documented negative impacts of butachlor on survival, development, and time to metamorphosis, but not on tadpole growth. The 96 h LC(50) for tadpoles was 0.87 mg/l, much lower than the 4.8 mg/l recommended dosage for application to paddy fields. Even given the rapid breakdown of butachlor, tadpoles would be exposed to concentrations in excess of their 96 h LC(50) for an estimated 126 h. We also documented DNA damage (genotoxicity) in tadpoles exposed to butachlor at concentrations an order of magnitude less than the 4.8 mg/l recommended application rate. We did not find that butachlor depressed cholinesterase activity of tadpoles, unlike most organophosphorus insecticides. We conclude that butachlor is likely to have widespread negative impacts on amphibians occupying paddy fields with traditional herbicide application.

Stimulatory effect of LPS and feedback effect of PGE2 on IL-27 production

Interleukin (IL)-27 is a new member of the IL-6/IL-12 family, composed of two subunits, the Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 3 (EBI3) and p28 chains (p28), and produced by activated monocytes and dendritic cells. IL-27 plays an important role in the regulation of differentiation of naive T helper cells and has diverse effects on innate immune cells. However, the pro-inflammatory mechanisms of IL-27 are still not well known. In this study, we investigated the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the production of IL-27. We found that LPS-stimulated IL-27 production was in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner in THP-1 cells. We have also shown that IL-27 induced PGE2 production and COX-2 gene expression at the level of mRNA as well as protein. Moreover, we found feed back effect of PGE2 on the production of IL-27 in THP-1 cells. The results suggest that PGE2 significantly inhibits LPS-induced IL-27 production, without affecting basal IL-27 expression. Further experiment suggests that PGE2 and LPS regulate IL-27 through NF-κB pathway. Our findings may have wide implication for IL-27 in inflammatory diseases.

[Synthesis and fluorescence property of new La3+ complex]

The solid complex of lanthanum nitrate hydrate with 4-(p-dimethylaminobenzaldehydeamino)-4H-1,2,4-triazole (L) LaL3 (NO3)3 x (H2O)2 x (C2 H5 OH)2 was synthesized in dry N2 atmosphere and absolute alcohol. The composition of the complex was determined by chemical and elemental analyses. The crystal structure showed that La3+ was coordinated by ten oxygen atoms with three nitrate, two water and two alcohol molecules. Characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and solid fluorescence, the experimental results showed that the free ligand is a thermally stable material, and emitted intensive blue fluorescence at the peak wavelength of 451 nm. Compared with the fluorescence emission of free ligand in solid-state, the emission of complex of LaL3 (NO3)3 x (H2O)2 x (C2H5 OH)2 red-shifted to 464 nm and exhibited stronger blue fluorescence.

[Synthesis, characterization and fluorescence of Zn3 (NCS)6 (L1)6 (NO3)2 and Ni3(NCS)6(L2)6(NO3)2]

The complexes of Zn2+, Ni2+ with 4-amino-3,5-dimethyl-1,2,4-triazole and 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole were synthesized in water, respectively. By elemental analysis, coordination titration and molar conductivities studies, the compositions of the complexes were suggested as Zn3 (NCS)6 (L1)6 (NO3)2 and Ni3 (NCS)6 (L2)6 (NO3)2 respectively. The ligands and coordination compounds were studied by means of IR spectra, UV and fluorescence excitation and emission spectra. The IR spectra studies indicate that triazolate was bonded with RE (II) through nitrogen atoms in the heterocyclic ring. The fluorescence spectra showed that the fluorescence emission intensity of Ni3 (NCS)6 (L2)6 (NO3)2 was stronger than that of Zn3 (NCS)6 (L1)6 (NO3)2.

[Study on the characterization of beta-cyclodextrin-diferrocenylenone inclusion complex and micro-environmental effects]

The structure of the inclusion complex of diferrocenylenone and beta-cyclodextrin prepared by a novel method of solid-grinding was studied by UV, FTIR and powder X-ray diffractometry. Continuous variation plot proved that 2 : 3 (DFE : beta-CD) inclusion complex has been formed. The binding constant of the inclusion compound was found to be 1.48 x 10(15) (L4 x mol(-4)) with the data of UV spectroscopy. Furthermore, the influence of different solvents and pH on the UV spectrum of DFE and beta-CD-DFE was discussed respectively. The results show that different micro-environment has apparently different effects on the electric spectra of guest and inclusion complex.

Electrochemical oxidation of isoniazid catalyzed by (FcM)TMA at the platinum electrode and its practical analytical application

The electrocatalytic oxidation of isoniazid (INH) by (ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium [(FcM)TMA] at the platinum electrode in 0.10 M Na2SO4 aqueous solution was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Although INH itself showed a very poor electrochemical response at the platinum electrode, the response could be greatly enhanced by using (FcM)TMA as a mediator, which enables a sensitive electrochemical determination of the substrate INH. The reaction rate constant for catalytic oxidation reaction was evaluated as (3.98+/-0.10)x10(3) M(-1) s(-1) by using chronoamperometry (CA). Experimental conditions such as supporting electrolyte and its concentration, solution pH, and the concentrations of the catalyst (FcM)TMA and the substrate INH were investigated to maximize the current efficiency of the electrocatalytic oxidation. The method can be used for the sensitive practical determination of INH, and also opens an avenue for using (FcM)TMA as a mediator in electroanalytical determination which is very simple, cheap, and rapid. Furthermore, no sample pretreatment or time-consuming extraction steps are required prior to the analysis.

Halobacillus dabanensis sp. nov. and Halobacillus aidingensis sp. nov., isolated from salt lakes in Xinjiang, China

Two moderately halophilic spore-forming bacteria were isolated from salt lakes in the Xinjiang region of China. The two strains, designated AD-6T and D-8T, were aerobic, Gram-positive, rod-shaped and motile by means of peritrichous flagella. Strains AD-6T and D-8T grew in the presence of 0·5–20 % and 0·5–25 % (w/v) NaCl in complex medium, respectively. Their cell-wall peptidoglycan was of the l-orn–d-Asp type. The major menaquinone found in both strains was menaquinone-7 (MK-7). The fatty acid profile contained a large amount of branched fatty acids; the main fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content of strains D-8T and AD-6T was 41·4 and 42·2 mol%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strains D-8T and AD-6T were located in the genus Halobacillus. Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between the isolated strains and the type strains of Halobacillus species were in the range 96·2–99·5 %. DNA–DNA relatedness values of 17·0–52·2 % were found between the two strains and other Halobacillus species. The DNA–DNA relatedness value between D-8T and AD-6T was 50·6 %. On the basis of phenotypic and chemotaxonomic properties, phylogenetic analysis and genomic distinctiveness, strains D-8T and AD-6T should be placed in the genus Halobacillus as two novel species, for which the names Halobacillus dabanensis sp. nov. (type strain=JCM 12772T=CGMCC 1.3704T) and Halobacillus aidingensis sp. nov. (type strain=JCM 12771T=CGMCC 1.3703T) are proposed, respectively.

Structural and functional studies of cinnamomin, a new type II ribosome-inactivating protein isolated from the seeds of the camphor tree

Cinnamomin is a new type II ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP). Its A-chain exhibits RNA N-glycosidase activity to inactivate the ribosome and thus inhibit protein synthesis, whereas the glycosylated B-chain is a lectin. The primary structure of cinnamomin, which exhibits approximately 55% identity with those of ricin and abrin, was deduced from the nucleotide sequences of cDNAs of cinnamomin A- and B-chains. It is composed of a total of 549 amino-acid residues: 271 residues in the A-chain, a 14-residue linker and 264 residues in the B-chain. To explore its biological function, the cinnamomin A-chain was expressed in Escherichia coli with a yield of 100 mg per L of culture, and purified through two-step column chromatography. After renaturation, the recovery of the enzyme activity of the expressed A-chain was 80% of that of native A-chain. Based on the modeling of the three-dimensional structure of the A-chain, the functional roles of five amino acids and the only cysteine residues were investigated by site-directed mutagenesis or chemical modification. The conserved single mutation of the five amino-acid residues led to 8-50-fold losses of enzymatic activity, suggesting that these residues were crucial for maintaining the RNA N-glycosidase activity of the A-chain. Most interestingly, the strong electric charge introduced at the position of the single cysteine in A-chain seemed to play a role in enzyme/substrate binding.

[Two new glycosides from Erigeron breviscapus (Vant.) Hand.-Mazz]

OBJECTIVE

To study the chemical constituents from the upground part of Erigeron breviscapus.

METHOD

The compounds were separated and purified by column chromatography with silica gel, and identified by IR, MS, NMR and 2D-NMR.

RESULT

Two new compounds were isolated and identified as 5,4'-dihydroxy flavonod-7-O-beta-D-pyranglycuronate buthyl ester(VI) and 3,5-dimethoxy benzene carbonic acid-4-O-beta-D-pyranglucose(VII).

CONCLUSION

Compounds VI and VII were new compounds.

[Studies on chemical constituents of Bletilla striata (Thunb) Reichb. f]

OBJECTIVE

To study the chemical constituents of Bletilla striata.

METHOD

The constituents were separated and purified by column chromatography with silica gel, and identified by NMR, MS and physical data.

RESULT

Three compounds were isolated and identified as hexacosanoic alcohol 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzol)-trans-acryliceylenate(1), physcion(2) and cyclobalanol(3).

CONCLUSION

Compound 1 was a new compound and compound 3 was isolated from this plant for the first time.

Addressing cultural orientations in fear appeals: promoting AIDS-protective behaviors among Mexican immigrant and African American adolescents and American and Taiwanese college students

Fear appeals threatening the individual have been shown to be powerful persuasive devices in the cultures where they have been studied. However, most fear appeal research has been conducted with members of individualist cultures. Individualist cultures place self-needs above group concerns, while collectivist cultures place group needs above self-concerns. Little is known about the effectiveness of fear appeals (or other persuasive strategies) in collectivist cultures. Two studies assessed the effectiveness of AIDS-prevention fear appeals threatening the self versus fear appeals threatening the group (i.e., family) on members of individualist and collectivist cultures. The first study focuses on African American and Mexican immigrant junior high school youth. The second study focuses on U.S. and Taiwanese college undergraduates. The results indicated that fear appeals should address cultural orientation (i.e., individualist versus collectivist orientation) to achieve maximum effectiveness. The results also indicate that one cannot assume cultural orientation based on ethnicity.

The structure dependent electrochemical-response of novel 1-(4-mercaptobutyl)-4-(2-ferrocenylvinyl)pyridinium bromide SAMs on an au electrode

The 1-(4-mercaptobutyl)-4-(2-ferrocenylvinyl)pyridinium bromide (1-HS(CH2)(4)-4-[(E)-FcCH=CH]C5H4N)+Br- and its hydrogenated product [1-HS(CH2)(4)-4-(-FcCH2CH2)C5H4N]+Br- were synthesized and assembled on an Au electrode to form self-assembled monolayers which showed a structure-dependent electrochemical-response in phosphate buffer aqueous solutions (pH = 7).