Efficacy evaluation of fungus Syncephalastrum racemosum and nematicide avermectin against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita on cucumber

The root-knot nematode (RKN) is one of the most damaging agricultural pests.Effective biological control is need for controlling this destructive pathogen in organic farming system. During October 2010 to 2011, the nematicidal effects of the Syncephalastrum racemosum fungus and the nematicide, avermectin, alone or combined were tested against the RKN (Meloidogyne incognita) on cucumber under pot and field condition in China. Under pot conditions, the application of S. racemosum alone or combined with avermectin significantly increased the plant vigor index by 31.4% and 10.9%, respectively compared to the M. incognita-inoculated control. However, treatment with avermectin alone did not significantly affect the plant vigor index. All treatments reduced the number of root galls and juvenile nematodes compared to the untreated control. Under greenhouse conditions, all treatments reduced the disease severity and enhanced fruit yield compared to the untreated control. Fewer nematodes infecting plant roots were observed after treatment with avermectin alone, S. racemosum alone or their combination compared to the M. incognita-inoculated control. Among all the treatments, application of avermectin or S. racemosum combined with avermectin was more effective than the S. racemosum treatment. Our results showed that application of S. racemosum combined with avermectin not only reduced the nematode number and plant disease severity but also enhanced plant vigor and yield. The results indicated that the combination of S. racemosum with avermectin could be an effective biological component in integrated management of RKN on cucumber.

[Effects and efficacy observation of acupuncture on serum 5-HT in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture for treatment of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome and discuss its action mechanism.

METHODS

Fifty-seven cases were randomly divided into two groups. The acupuncture group (29 cases) was treated with acupuncture at Taichong (LR 3), Zusanli (ST 36) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) etc., once a day and 5 times per week. The medication group (28 cases) was treated with oral administration of pinaverium (50 mg each time, 3 times a day) and live combined bifidobacterium and lactobacillus tablet (4 tablets each time, 3 times a day). Four weeks were taken as a treatment course in both groups. Before and after treatment ELISA method was applied to measure the level of serum 5-HT of the patients in two groups. The scores of clinical symptoms were observed before treatment, after one and four weeks of treatment and 3 months after treatment, respectively.

RESULTS

The level of serum 5-HT was significantly reduced in the acupuncture group and medication group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), which had no statistical difference between two groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the medication group, the scores of clinical symptoms were obviously improved in the acupuncture group after one and four weeks of treatment and 3 months after treatment (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The total effective rate was 89.66% (26/29) in the acupuncture group, which was superior to 67.85% (19/28) in the medication group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The efficacy of acupuncture is superior to that of medicine in the treatment of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. The acupuncture treatment could reduce the visceral sensitivity, improve the intestinal motility and regulate the imbalance of brain-intestine interactive function.

Operative treatment of perianal abscess

Perianal abscess is a common disease. Due to the special anatomical position, management of perianal abscess is still controversial. Especially, the treatment of deep perianal abscess is very difficult, because it is difficult to confirm the relationship among internal opening, extent of deep anorectal abscess and anorectal sphincters. Correct treatment of the internal opening and extent of deep anorectal abscess is the key to success. Treating the fistula and the abscess at the same time by incision and drainage may reduce the likelihood of recurrent abscess and the need for repeat surgery. However, this could affect sphincter function in some patients who may not later develop a fistula-in-ano. The results of current treatments for perianal abscess are not very satisfactory. More studies are needed in future.

[Clinical observation on acupuncture for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome patients in syndrome of liver-stagnation and spleen-deficiency and its impact on Th1/Th2]

OBJECTIVE

To observe clinical therapeutic effects of acupuncture for pattern of liver-stagnation and spleen-deficiency in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS) and its impact on cell factors.

METHODS

Forty cases were selected and divided into an acupuncture group (21 cases) in which acupuncture was applied and a medicine group (19 cases) in which oral administration of dicetel and bifidobacterium lactobacillus triple viable capsules were applied. The symptom scores, level of Th1-type cytokine (IFN-gamma, IL-2) and Th2-type cytokine (IL-4, IL-10) and ratio of IFN-gamma to IL-4 were compared in two groups before and after treatment to analyze acupuncture effect.

RESULTS

The clinical symptoms were improved after one-week treatment in the acupuncture group (P<0.05), which had faster onset than the medicine group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 90.48% (19/21) in the acupuncture group, which was superior to 78.95% (15/19) in the medicine group (P<0.05). Compared with medicine treatment, imbalanced condition of Th1/Th2 was turning towards the direction of Th2 after acupuncture, indicating a tendency to recover the balance.

CONCLUSION

The clinical efficacy of acupuncture for D-IBS has close relationship with effectively improving balance of Th1/Th2 in patients with liver-stagnation and spleen-deficiency.

An electrochemical surface plasmon resonance imaging system targeting cell analysis

This paper presents an electrochemical-surface plasmon resonance imaging (EC-SPRI) system, enabling the characterization of optical and electrical properties of cells, simultaneously. The developed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging system was capable of imaging micro cavities with a dimension of 10 μm × 10 μm and differentiated glycerol solutions with a group of refractive indices (RIs). Furthermore, the EC-SPRI system was used to image A549 cells, suggesting corresponding RI and morphology changes during the cell death process. In the end, electrochemical and SPR methods were used in combination, recording oxidation peaks of A549 cells in the cyclic voltage curves and SPR response unit increase, simultaneously.

Apparatus for measuring the Seebeck coefficients of highly resistive organic semiconducting materials

A Seebeck coefficient measurement apparatus for high resistance organic semiconductor materials has been designed and built. It can measure materials with resistance over 7 × 10(12) Ω. This is the highest material resistance value ever reported for Seebeck coefficient measurement. A cyclic temperature gradient generation technique and a corresponding algorithm are proposed to eliminate the negative effects of the long term drift of Seebeck voltage. Sources of errors in these measurements are discussed.

A poly(dimethylsiloxane) based prism for surface plasmon resonance imaging system and its application for gas detection

This paper presents a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging system based on a low-cost, convenient poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) prism featured with a close contact with the gold film. Compared to conventional glass prism, both numerical simulations and experimental studies indicated a deeper but wider absorption peak with a higher coupling angle for the PDMS based prism. System repeatability was quantified by the cycled detection of helium and air, with the effect of the flow rate investigated. Furthermore, five types of gases (nitrogen, air, oxygen, hydrogen, and helium) were detected and differentiated by the SPR system, with a calculated sensitivity of 5 × 10(-6) RIU.

A micro gas chromatography column with a micro thermal conductivity detector for volatile organic compound analysis

In this paper, a micro gas chromatography (μGC) system contained a μGC column and a micro thermal conductivity detector (μTCD) was proposed. In order to reduce the volume of the system, some micro heaters were integrated on the surface and backside of the GC column, which could provide a robust temperature programming capability and rapidly increase the temperature of the μGC column. In addition, a silicon-glass μTCD with four-thermistor thermal conductivity cells that can offer significant advantages over previously reported designs including low dead volume, good thermal isolation, and elimination of the thermal noise was proposed in this paper. Experimental results have indicated that the μGC system with a detection limit of several ppm concentration levels separated and detected the benzene, toluene, and styrene in less than 3 min, and the μGC system also exhibited a good linear response in the test range.

Cognitive dysfunction after off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

A meta-analysis to compare the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) following off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) versus after conventional coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

METHODS

A systematic search of the Medline(®), EMBASE(®) and Cochrane Library databases was performed to identify randomized controlled trials published until the end of November 2011. Data were analysed using RevMan version 5.0 software.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 13 randomized controlled trials which included a total of 2326 cases. Meta-analysis found that the incidence of POCD was significantly higher following CABG than after OPCAB during the perioperative period (1-2 weeks) and at 3 months postsurgery. There were no significant between-group differences at 6 or 12 months postsurgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with CABG, OPCAB was found to be associated with a reduced incidence of early-stage POCD. Caution must be taken when interpreting these findings because of limitations in the available data.

[Molecular mechanism of RhDel phenotype in blood donation population of Chinese Harbin area]

This study was aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of RhDel phenotype expression in blood donors of Chinese Harbin area. Three hundred and seventy-four RhD negative donors confirmed by indirect antiglobulin test were detected by using serological and molecular methods for red blood cell RhD blood group genotyping and RH gene variant detection. And the other special samples of undetermined RhD genotype were sequenced. The results showed that 62 cases of Del type were detected in 374 negative blood donors' samples, accounting for 16.6%, among them there were 61 cases of RHD1227A, and 1 case of rare RHD Del (cde) 1 allele was found. Sequencing analysis indicated that RHD711DelC allele existed in 11 cases. In addition, the new mutant alleles were found in 3 samples. It is concluded that RHD1227A allele is generally carried allele in Del phenotype population of Chinese Harbin area and is an important genetic marker in Del phenotype individual.

[Meta analysis of acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment of irritable bowel syndrome]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment of irritable bowel syndrome systematically.

METHODS

Clinical randomized controlled trials on treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with acupuncture-moxibustion were collected. Through retrieval of CNKI (1979 - December of 2011) and VIP (1979- December of 2011), randomized and quasi-randomized controlled clinical trials on treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with control study between acupuncture and sham acupuncture or western medication were included. The test bias risk and quality assessment of each experiment were carried out by two researchers in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0 standard. And RevMan 5.1.6 software was adopted for the Meta analysis.

RESULTS

Eleven researches were included with totally 969 patients. Meta analysis shows that the effective rate of the combined methods of acupuncture and moxibustion [RR = 1. 27, 95% CI ( 1.09, 1.49)] is superior to conventional western medication treatment.

CONCLUSION

Acupuncture-moxibustion for irritable bowel syndrome is better than the conventional western medication treatment.

Impact of fish oil enriched total parenteral nutrition on elderly patients after colorectal cancer surgery

BACKGROUND

Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids may beneficially influence healing processes and patient outcomes. The aim of this research was to study the clinical efficacy of fish oil enriched total parenteral nutrition in elderly patients after colorectal cancer surgery.

METHODS

Fifty-seven elderly patients with colorectal cancer were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial. All patients received isocaloric and isonitrogenous total parenteral nutrition by continuous infusion (20 - 24 hours per day) for seven days after surgery. The control group (n = 28) received 1.2 g/kg soybean oil per day, whereas the treatment group (n = 29) received 0.2 g/kg fish oil and 1.0 g/kg soybean oil per day. Blood samples were taken pre-operatively, and at days one and eight after the operation. The plasma levels of CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were measured. Clinical outcomes were then analysed.

RESULTS

Patient characteristics were comparable between the two groups. At day eight post-surgery, IL-6, TNF-α and CD8 titres were lower in the treatment group when compared to the control group; these results reached statistical significance. In the treatment group, there were fewer infectious complications and incidences of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and shorter lengths of hospital stay were observed. The total cost of medical care was comparable for the two groups. No serious adverse events occurred in either group.

CONCLUSIONS

Fish oil 0.2 g/kg per day administrated to elderly patients after colorectal surgery was safe and may shorten the length of hospital stay and improve clinical outcomes.

[Effect of electroacupuncture at "Tianshu"(ST 25) on colonic smooth muscle structure and interstitial cells of cajal in slow transit constipation rats]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of "Tianshu" (ST 25) on colonic smooth muscle structure and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in slow transit constipation (STC) rats, so as to investigate its mechanism underlying improving STC.

METHODS

Wistar rats (n = 56) were randomly allocated to control (n = 20), model and EA groups (n = 18/ group). STC model was established by feeding the rats with forage containing compound Diphenoxylate. EA (0.8 - 1.3 mA, 2 Hz/15 Hz) was applied to bilateral "Tianshu" (ST 25) for 15 min, once daily for 14 days. The treatment was given beginning from the next day on after the rat's first black stool excretion was found. The colonic smooth muscle structure was observed under microscope after sectioning and HE staining. The immunoactivity (average optical density, OD) of intestinal immuno-reaction (IR) po-sitive ICC product was detected by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

(1) Microscopic observation displayed that after modeling, the rat's intestinal mucosa gland showed atrophy with reduction in the acinar number, being sparse in distribution; and the smooth muscle thickness was obviously thinner compared with the normal control group (P < 0.05). Whereas this situation of the colonic smooth muscle in the EA group was close to that of the normal control group. Compared with the model group, the thickness of the intestinal smooth muscle in the EA group was significantly bigger (P < 0.05). (2) Immunohistochemical results showed that the average OD values and number of IR-positive colonic ICC in the model group were obviously decreased in comparison with the normal control group (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, the average OD values and the number of IR-positive coIonic ICC in the EA group were upregulated considerably (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

EA of bilateral "Tianshu"(ST 25) is able to improve STC-induced structural changes of the colonic smooth muscle, and upregulate expression of colonic ICC in STC rats, which may be responsible for its efficacy in improving STC.

Irritable bowel syndrome: current state of experimental research in China

AIM: To conduct a systematic review examining the current state of experimental research of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in China.

METHODS: IBS is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Although numerous studies have investigated the pathophysiologic processes underlying IBS, the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of IBS remain poorly understood. In the present study, the Wanfang Med Online and China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database were searched to retrieve relevant literature to find reported animal models of IBS and identify factors affecting the pathogenesis of IBS.

RESULTS: Approximately 62.86% of IBS-related studies investigated the role of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in IBS. Animal models of IBS were developed frequently by a single method or combined use of two methods, and rarely by combined use of multiple methods. There have been few studies conducting objective evaluation of the impact of animal gender and age on research findings obtained from animal models of IBS.

CONCLUSION: Researchers have not yet reached a uniform consensus about IBS-related experimental contents and the methods for development of animal models of IBS. More researchers tend to develop animal models of IBS by combined use of multiple methods with efforts to more truly mimic human IBS.

Reduced tibial speed of sound in Chinese infants at birth compared with Caucasian peers: the effects of race, gender, and vitamin D on fetal bone development

SUMMARY

This study compared bone status between Chinese and Caucasian infants at birth, showing that Chinese neonates have lower tibial speed of sound, which is influenced by gender, gestational age, season of birth, and maternal vitamin D status. The effects of these factors on fetal bone development were discussed.

INTRODUCTION

We compared the differences of speed of sound (SOS) accessed by quantitative ultrasound between Chinese and Caucasian infants at birth and explored the relationship between the concentrations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and bone SOS in maternal-infant pairs.

METHODS

SOS for the tibial bone was measured at birth in 267 Chinese infants. We used the Z-scores for the direct comparisons which were available from the instrument based data of gender and age-matched Caucasian peers. The concentrations of serum 25(OH)D and bone SOS in 32 maternal-infant pairs were measured at birth in winters.

RESULTS

the Chinese infants had lower SOS demonstrated by the Z-scores. Significant differences of SOS and Z-scores were found between genders, gestational ages, birth weight, and seasons of birth. The differences of Z-scores negatively decreased with gestational age, suggesting that the bone status of Chinese infants lags behind that of the Caucasian infants during the last trimester of pregnancy in utero. The tibial SOS of infants born in winters was 2.0% higher than those born in summers after adjustment. The infant SOS correlated with maternal serum 25(OH)D (r = 0.399, P = 0.024) and infant serum 25(OH)D (r = 0.394, P = 0.026).

CONCLUSIONS

Chinese neonates have lower SOS which is influenced by gender, gestational age, season of birth, and maternal vitamin D status. It is inferred that, in pace with gestational age, race and gender effects on fetal bone development are modified by materno-fetal vitamin D status.

[Effects on function rehabilitation of vocal cord after vocal cord polyps surgery treated with acupuncture at Sheng's four points of throat]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effects on function rehabilitation of vocal cord after vocal cord polyps surgery treated with acupuncture at Sheng's Four Points of Throat.

METHODS

Sixty cases were randomly divided into a combined therapy group of Four Points of Throat and medication (group 1, 30 cases) and a medication group (group 2, 30 cases). In group 1 Four Points of Throat were punctured and routine medication was applied; in group 2, only routine medication was applied. The scores of symptom-sign and status of voice were observed and analyzed before and after treatment in two groups.

RESULTS

At 4th day after the surgery, the improvement of the symptom-sign scores in group 1 was more significant than that in group 2 (P < 0.05); and the voice analysis status in group 1 was superior to that in group 2 (all P < 0.05). The total effective rate was 83.3% (25/30) in group 1, which was superior to that of 60.0% (18/30) in group 2 (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The effect on function rehabilitation of vocal cord after vocal cord polyps surgery treated with the combined therapy group of Four Points of Throat and routine medication is favorable, superior to that with routine medication therapy.

[A study of phonon vibration like modes for aggregation structure in silicate melts by high temperature Raman spectrum]

Silicate melts are special fractal dimension system that is metastable state of near-way order and far-way disorder. In this paper, the size of nanometer aggregation structure and the frequences of phonon vibration like mode in the low dimension silicate series (CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 and Na2-Al2O3-SiO2 series) synthesized via high temperature melting and sol gel methods were measured by means of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), low wavenumber Raman spectrum (LWRS) and high temperature Raman spectrum (HTRS in situ measuring). The nanometer self-similarity aggregation structure(it's size is about a few nm to a few tens nm) and phonic phonon vibration like modes of low temperature silicate gel, high temperature silicate melts and it's quenching glasses phases were obtained. So a quantitative method by HTRS for measuring the aggregation size in the high temperature melts was established. The results showed that the aggregation size of the silicate melts is smaller at high temperature than at room temperature and the number of bridge oxygen in one Si-O tetrahedron in network structure units is decreasing at high temperature. This study work provides important theory and information for deliberating geochemistry characteristic, crystallization & evolution of natural magma and enhancing performance of low dimension silicate matelials.

[Lysogenic infection of a Shiga toxin 2-converting bacteriophage changes host gene expression, enhances host acid resistance and motility]

Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2)-converting bacteriophages can infect and lysogenize other bacteria in vivo and in vitro, and, thus, contribute to a genotypic heterogeneity of infected host. However, the global transcription patterns accompanying the lysogenic infection of E. coli host have not been clearly resolved. In this study, gene expression profiles of Stx2 phage phi Min27(delta stx::cat) converted and native E. coli MG1655 hosts were compared using microarray assay. The phi Min27(delta stx::cat) conversion had a direct effect on the global expression of bacterial host genes as 166 genes were found to be differentially expressed (104 up-regulated and 62 downregulated). These genes were predominantly responsible for bacterial central metabolism, transport and transcription. It was shown that in addition to the down-regulation of genes involved in synthesis of thiamine and protein transporters, expression of genes associated with bacterial energy production (e.g., fadABDEHIJL, aceK, and acnA) was also suppressed. Conversely, most up-regulated genes were transport genes, flagellar synthesis genes (fliDESTZ), and acid resistance genes (e.g., gadEW, hdeABD, and adiY). Futhermore, conversion of phi Min27(delta stx::cat) was shown to change physiological properties of the host cell. In comparison with the uninfected cells the converted bacteria host had increased acid tolerance and promoted swimming motility on a semisolid agar surface.

Electro-optic measurement of terahertz pulse energy distribution

An accurate and direct measurement of the energy distribution of a low repetition rate terahertz electromagnetic pulse is challenging because of the lack of sensitive detectors in this spectral range. In this paper, we show how the total energy and energy density distribution of a terahertz electromagnetic pulse can be determined by directly measuring the absolute electric field amplitude and beam energy density distribution using electro-optic detection. This method has potential use as a routine method of measuring the energy density of terahertz pulses that could be applied to evaluating future high power terahertz sources, terahertz imaging, and spatially and temporarily resolved pump-probe experiments.

[Hypersensitive C-reactive protein test in the diagnosis of early-onset infection in premature infants]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical value of serum hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) test in early diagnosis of early-onset infection in premature infants.

METHODS

Thirty-five premature infants with early-onset infection, 50 premature infants with non-infectious diseases and 40 healthy premature infants 3 hrs after birth were enrolled. Serum hsCRP levels were measured by particle enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay. Diagnostic test of hsCRP was performed.

RESULTS

Serum hsCRP levels shown as medium and inter-quartile ranges (M, Q75-25) were 2.19 and 4.96 mg/L respectively in the infection group, 0.41 and 0.61 mg/L respectively in the non-infectious disease group, and 0.24 and 0.28 mg/L respectively in the healthy group. Serum hsCRP levels in the infection group were significantly higher than those in the non-infectious disease and the healthy groups. When serum hsCRP test was used for the diagnosis of early-onset infection, the area under the ROC curve was 0.84, 95% confidence interval was 0.76-0.93, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 74% and 86% respectively, and the positive and negative predictive values were 37% and 97% respectively. ConclusionsSerum hsCRP test is valuable in early diagnosis of early-onset infection in premature infants, but it can not serve as an independent diagnostic marker.

Yb:fiber-laser-pumped high-energy picosecond optical parametric oscillator

We report a high-energy extended-cavity MgO:PPLN optical parametric oscillator, synchronously-pumped by a femtosecond Yb:fiber laser. The oscillator operated at a signal wavelength of 1530 nm with a repetition-frequency of 15.3 MHz (9.8 m length) achieved using intracavity relay-imaging optics. The signal pulses had an average power above 1.0 W, durations of 1.5 ps and energies greater than 70 nJ, making it a potential source for rapid femtosecond waveguide inscription in infrared materials.