Effect of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate on Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, larvae challenged with pathogenic Vibrio anguillarum

This study investigated the protective effect of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) on Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, zoea larvae challenged with pathogenic Vibrio anguillarum. PHB was delivered to the crab larvae through rotifer and Artemia bioencapsulation. Zoea 3 larvae were challenged with V. anguillarum at a final concentration of 10(5) CFU mL(-1). PHB-enriched rotifers and Artemia nauplii were added to the culture water 24 h prior to, upon and 24 h after challenge. The results confirmed that PHB could enhance the survival and growth of unexposed E. sinensis larvae. Moreover, PHB protected larvae from the pathogen as the larvae fed PHB-enriched live food showed the highest survival and development rate in all challenged groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, larval performance was the best when PHB was delivered to the larvae 24 h before challenge (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our results indicate that PHB can be used as part of an effective strategy to protect E. sinensis larvae from V. anguillarum resulting in higher survival and better growth, especially when applied before the challenge.

NUR77 inhibits the expression of TIMP2 and increases the migration and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells induced by CYR61

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the function and mechanism of CYR61 on the migration and invasion of the trophoblast cell line, HTR-8/SVneo cells.

STUDY DESIGN

The mRNA and protein levels of NUR77 in the placentas of normal and preeclampsia (PE) women were evaluated using real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. Paraffin-embedded tissues were processed for localization of NUR77 protein in placental villus by immunohistochemistry. HTR-8/SVneo cells were cultured in the presence of CYR61, Ad-NUR77 or a small interfering RNA for NUR77 (Ad-sinur77). The expression of NUR77 in the HTR-8/SVneo cells was detected and the effects of CYR61 on the migration and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells were assessed in wound-healing and transwell experiments, respectively. Gelatin zymography was used to measure the MMP2 release in HTR-8/SVneo cells.

RESULTS

NUR77 is significantly decreased in the placenta of women with PE compared with the levels during a normal pregnancy. CYR61 can significantly increase the expression of NUR77 in HTR-8/SVneo cells. CYR61, as well as NUR77, can promote HTR-8/SVneo cells migration and invasion, which can be blocked by Ad-sinur77. Both CYR61 and Ad-nur77 reduced the mRNA expression of TIMP2 in HTR-8/SVneo cells.

CONCLUSIONS

CYR61 may promote HTR-8/SVneo cells migration and invasion through the upregulation of NUR77, leading to the increase of MMP2 release and the downregulation of TIMP2 expression.

Strongly interacting photons in asymmetric quantum well via resonant tunneling

We propose an asymmetric quantum well structure to realize strong interaction between two slow optical pulses. The essential idea is the combination of the advantages of inverted-Y type scheme and resonant tunneling. We analytically demonstrate that giant cross-Kerr nonlinearity can be achieved with vanishing absorptions. Owing to resonant tunneling, the contributions of the probe and signal cross-Kerr nonlinearities to total nonlinear phase shift vary from destructive to constrictive, leading to nonlinear phase shift on order of π at low light level. In this structure, the scheme is inherent symmetric for the probe and signal pulses. Consequently, the condition of group velocity matching can be fulfilled with appropriate initial electron distribution.

Preparation, characterization and in vivo evaluation of pH-sensitive oral insulin-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolicacid) nanoparticles

AIM

Oral administration of insulin is a promising drug delivery system for diabetic patients as it is convenient and reduces pain, two of the major contributors to non-compliance.

METHODS

In this study, insulin was encapsulated in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) by using double-emulsion/solvent evaporation technique and analyses on its release kinetics were carried out using both in vitro and in vivo methods.

RESULTS

First, only by this simple methods, release speed of insulin from NPs can be controlled in different pH solution. The rate of release of insulin was found to be slower in acidic pH; about 90% of insulin was released in 11 days at pH 1.0. In alkaline conditions, the release was faster; about 90% release was observed to occur within 3 days at pH 7.8. The insulin-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (PINPs) were administered orally to diabetes mellitus-induced rats and the response of blood glucose and insulin levels was estimated. Blood glucose decreased and the concentration of insulin in animal blood increased. In diabetic animals which were administered intermittent insulin, every 8 h, blood glucose levels were maintained equivalently with those of healthy rats.

CONCLUSION

These experimental results indicated that oral PINPs are able to deliver insulin effectively and decrease animal blood sugar; in conclusion, this may be a promising delivery system for the treatment of diabetes.

Efficacy and safety of embolization in iatrogenic traumatic uterine vascular malformations

AIM

To retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of embolotherapy in patients with iatrogenic traumatic uterine arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective review of all patients who underwent uterine arterial embolization in Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2000 and December 2010 was performed. Forty-two patients were diagnosed with a uterine vascular malformation. All patients had obstetric manipulations before. Serial beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) levels were measured to exclude gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. All patients underwent transcatheter embolization of bilateral uterine arteries. The complications, control of haemorrhage, and outcome of subsequent pregnancies were assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 49 embolization procedures were performed in 42 patients. Seven patients required repeated embolizations for recurrence of bleeding. The technical success rate of embolization was 100%. Bleeding was controlled in 35 of 42 patients (83%) after the first embolization procedures, and bleeding was controlled in another two patients who underwent repeat embolization at a median follow-up of 29 months (range 3 months to 5 years). The overall clinical success rate was 88% (37/42). Thirteen patients subsequently became pregnant and eight of 13 patients had uneventful intrauterine pregnancies carried to term. Seven patients had post-embolization syndrome and no other complication occurred.

CONCLUSION

Percutaneous embolotherapy is a safe and effective treatment for traumatic AVMs. Future pregnancy is still possible after embolization.

New alkaloids from the seeds of Notopterygium incisum

Three new alkaloids, N-hexacosanoylanthranilic acid (1), N-octacosanoylanthranilic acid (2) and N-eicosanoyltyramine (3), along with 19 known compounds, were isolated from the seeds of Notopterygium incisum, whose rhizomes are used as a traditional Tibetan medicine. Their structures were elucidated by 1D, 2D NMR spectra and ESI-MS spectrometer evidence.

1.12 Tb/s superchannel coherent PM-QPSK InP transmitter photonic integrated circuit (PIC)

In this work, a 10-wavelength, polarization-multiplexed, monolithically integrated InP coherent QPSK transmitter PIC is demonstrated to operate at 112 Gb/sec per wavelength and total chip superchannel bandwidth of 1.12 Tb/s. This demonstration suggests that increasing data capacity to multi-Tb/s per chip is possible and likely in the future.

Image interpolation via regularized local linear regression

The linear regression model is a very attractive tool to design effective image interpolation schemes. Some regression-based image interpolation algorithms have been proposed in the literature, in which the objective functions are optimized by ordinary least squares (OLS). However, it is shown that interpolation with OLS may have some undesirable properties from a robustness point of view: even small amounts of outliers can dramatically affect the estimates. To address these issues, in this paper we propose a novel image interpolation algorithm based on regularized local linear regression (RLLR). Starting with the linear regression model where we replace the OLS error norm with the moving least squares (MLS) error norm leads to a robust estimator of local image structure. To keep the solution stable and avoid overfitting, we incorporate the l(2)-norm as the estimator complexity penalty. Moreover, motivated by recent progress on manifold-based semi-supervised learning, we explicitly consider the intrinsic manifold structure by making use of both measured and unmeasured data points. Specifically, our framework incorporates the geometric structure of the marginal probability distribution induced by unmeasured samples as an additional local smoothness preserving constraint. The optimal model parameters can be obtained with a closed-form solution by solving a convex optimization problem. Experimental results on benchmark test images demonstrate that the proposed method achieves very competitive performance with the state-of-the-art interpolation algorithms, especially in image edge structure preservation.

Growth hormone promotes hair cell regeneration in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) inner ear following acoustic trauma

Background

Previous microarray analysis showed that growth hormone (GH) was significantly upregulated following acoustic trauma in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) ear suggesting that GH may play an important role in the process of auditory hair cell regeneration. Our objective was to examine the effects of exogenous and endogenous GH on zebrafish inner ear epithelia following acoustic trauma.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We induced auditory hair cell damage by exposing zebrafish to acoustic overstimulation. Fish were then injected intraperitoneally with either carp GH or buffer, and placed in a recovery tank for either one or two days. Phalloidin-, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-, and TUNEL-labeling were used to examine hair cell densities, cell proliferation, and apoptosis, respectively. Two days post-trauma, saccular hair cell densities in GH-treated fish were similar to that of baseline controls, whereas buffer-injected fish showed significantly reduced densities of hair cell bundles. Cell proliferation was greater and apoptosis reduced in the saccules, lagenae, and utricles of GH-treated fish one day following trauma compared to controls. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to examine the localization of GH mRNA in the zebrafish ear. At one day post-trauma, GH mRNA expression appeared to be localized perinuclearly around erythrocytes in the blood vessels of the inner ear epithelia. In order to examine the effects of endogenous GH on the process of cell proliferation in the ear, a GH antagonist was injected into zebrafish immediately following acoustic trauma, resulting in significantly decreased cell proliferation one day post-trauma in all three zebrafish inner ear end organs.

Conclusions/Significance

Our results show that exogenous GH promotes post-trauma auditory hair cell regeneration in the zebrafish ear through stimulating proliferation and suppressing apoptosis, and that endogenous GH signals are present in the zebrafish ear during the process of auditory hair cell regeneration.

3 T MRI of hepatocellular carcinomas in patients with cirrhosis: does T2-weighted imaging provide added value?

AIM

To assess whether T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) provides any added value for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis, especially for lesions smaller than 2 cm.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sixty-five patients with cirrhosis underwent liver 3 T MRI. Images were qualitatively analysed independently by two observers in two separate sessions, including a dynamic enhanced session and a combination of dynamic and T2WI. The diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using the alternating free-response receiver operating characteristic. Sensitivity and positive predictive values were calculated for all HCCs and for the subgroup of HCCs that were smaller than 2 cm. Additionally, artefacts on T2WI were evaluated by two observers in consensus.

RESULTS

Ninety HCCs (>2 cm n = 36; ≤2 cm n = 54) were detected in 46 patients. For all HCCs and for lesions smaller than 2 cm, the sensitivities were significantly higher for the combined session than the dynamic session alone (p < 0.05). Conversely, for the Az and positive predictive values, there was no significant difference between the two sessions. For smaller HCC, 9% (5/54) and 7% (4/54) of the 54 HCCs were correctly interpreted by observers 1 and 2, respectively, only when T2WI was included. Three false-positive lesions (≤2 cm) were correctly diagnosed by one of the observers after combining T2WI. Conspicuity of only one large HCC was severely reduced by the artefacts from massive ascites.

CONCLUSION

At 3 T liver imaging, combining with T2WI can improve the sensitivity of detection of HCC compared with dynamic MRI alone by increasing observer confidence, especially for lesions smaller than 2 cm. Additionally, T2 image quality was not significantly affected by artefacts.

Transcriptomic analysis of the zebrafish inner ear points to growth hormone mediated regeneration following acoustic trauma

Background

Unlike mammals, teleost fishes are capable of regenerating sensory inner ear hair cells that have been lost following acoustic or ototoxic trauma. Previous work indicated that immediately following sound exposure, zebrafish saccules exhibit significant hair cell loss that recovers to pre-treatment levels within 14 days. Following acoustic trauma in the zebrafish inner ear, we used microarray analysis to identify genes involved in inner ear repair following acoustic exposure. Additionally, we investigated the effect of growth hormone (GH) on cell proliferation in control zebrafish utricles and saccules, since GH was significantly up-regulated following acoustic trauma.

Results

Microarray analysis, validated with the aid of quantitative real-time PCR, revealed several genes that were highly regulated during the process of regeneration in the zebrafish inner ear. Genes that had fold changes of ≥ 1.4 and P -values ≤ 0.05 were considered significantly regulated and were used for subsequent analysis. Categories of biological function that were significantly regulated included cancer, cellular growth and proliferation, and inflammation. Of particular significance, a greater than 64-fold increase in growth hormone (gh1) transcripts occurred, peaking at 2 days post-sound exposure (dpse) and decreasing to approximately 5.5-fold by 4 dpse. Pathway Analysis software was used to reveal networks of regulated genes and showed how GH affected these networks. Subsequent experiments showed that intraperitoneal injection of salmon growth hormone significantly increased cell proliferation in the zebrafish inner ear. Many other gene transcripts were also differentially regulated, including heavy and light chain myosin transcripts, both of which were down-regulated following sound exposure, and major histocompatability class I and II genes, several of which were significantly regulated on 2 dpse.

Conclusions

Transcripts for GH, MHC Class I and II genes, and heavy- and light-chain myosins, as well as many others genes, were differentially regulated in the zebrafish inner ear following overexposure to sound. GH injection increased cell proliferation in the inner ear of non-sound-exposed zebrafish, suggesting that GH could play an important role in sensory hair cell regeneration in the teleost ear.