Cell cycle regulation by galectin-12, a new member of the galectin superfamily

Galectins are a family of beta-galactoside-binding animal lectins with conserved carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs). Here we report the identification and characterization of a new galectin, galectin-12, which contains two domains that are homologous to the galectin CRD. The N-terminal domain contains all of the sequence elements predicted to form the two beta-sheets found in other galectins, as well as conserved carbohydrate-interacting residues. The C-terminal domain shows considerable divergence from the consensus sequence, and many of these conserved residues are not present. Nevertheless, the protein has lactose binding activity, most likely due to the contribution of the N-terminal domain. The mRNA for galectin-12 contains features coding for proteins with growth-regulatory functions. These include start codons in a context that are suboptimal for translation initiation and AU-rich motifs in the 3'-untranslated region, which are known to confer instability to mRNA. Galectin-12 mRNA is sparingly expressed or undetectable in many tissues and cell lines tested, but it is up-regulated in cells synchronized at the G(1) phase or the G(1)/S boundary of the cell cycle. Ectopic expression of galectin-12 in cancer cells causes cell cycle arrest at the G(1) phase and cell growth suppression. We conclude that galectin-12 is a novel regulator of cellular homeostasis.

Association of viral genome with graft loss in children after cardiac transplantation

BACKGROUND

The survival of recipients of cardiac allografts is limited by rejection, lymphoproliferative disease, and coronary vasculopathy. The purpose of this study in children who had received heart transplants was to evaluate the cardiac allografts for myocardial viral infections and to determine whether the presence of viral genome in the myocardium correlates with rejection, coronary vasculopathy, or graft loss.

METHODS

We enrolled heart-transplant recipients 1 day to 18 years old who were undergoing evaluation for possible rejection and coronary vasculopathy. Endomyocardial-biopsy specimens were evaluated for evidence of rejection with the use of standard criteria and were analyzed for the presence of virus by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RESULTS

PCR analyses were performed on 553 consecutive biopsy samples from 149 transplant recipients. Viral genome was amplified from 48 samples (8.7 percent) from 34 patients (23 percent); adenovirus was found in 30 samples, enterovirus in 9 samples, parvovirus in 5 samples, cytomegalovirus in 2 samples, herpes simplex virus in 1 sample, and Epstein-Barr virus in 1 sample. In 29 of the 34 patients with positive results on PCR (85 percent), an adverse cardiac event occurred within three months after the positive biopsy, and 9 of the 34 patients had graft loss due to coronary vasculopathy, chronic graft failure, or acute rejection. In 39 of the 115 patients with negative results on PCR (34 percent), an adverse cardiac event occurred within three months of the negative PCR finding; graft loss did not occur in any of the patients in this group. The odds of graft loss were 6.5 times as great among those with positive results on PCR (P=0.006). The detection of adenovirus was associated with considerably reduced graft survival (P=0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Identification of viral genome, particularly adenovirus, in the myocardium of pediatric transplant recipients is predictive of adverse clinical events, including coronary vasculopathy and graft loss.

The pharmacology of bimatoprost (Lumigan)

Bimatoprost (Lumigan) is a pharmacologically unique and highly efficacious ocular hypotensive agent. It appears to mimic the activity of a newly discovered family of fatty acid amides, termed prostamides. One biosynthetic route to the prostamides involves anandamide as the precursor. Bimatoprost pharmacology has been extensively characterized by binding and functional studies at more than 100 drug targets, which comprise a diverse variety of receptors, ion channels, and transporters. Bimatoprost exhibited no meaningful activity at receptors known to include antiglaucoma drug targets as follows: adenosine (A(1-3)), adrenergic (alpha(1), alpha(2), beta(1), beta(2)), cannabinoid (CB(1), CB(2)), dopamine (D(1-5)), muscarinic (M(1-5)), prostanoid (DP, EP(1-4), FP, IP, TP), and serotonin (5HT(1-7)). Bimatoprost does, however, exhibit potent inherent pharmacological activity in the feline iris sphincter preparation, which is prostamide-sensitive. Bimatoprost also resembles the prostamides in that it is a potent and highly efficacious ocular hypotensive agent. A single dose of bimatoprost markedly reduces intraocular pressure in dogs and laser-induced ocular hypertensive monkeys. Decreases in intraocular pressure are well maintained for at least 24 hr post-dose. Human studies have demonstrated that systemic exposure to bimatoprost is low and that accumulation does not occur. The sclera is the preferred route of accession to the eye. The high scleral permeability coefficient Papp is a likely contributing factor to the rapid onset and long-acting ocular hypotensive profile of bimatoprost.

RELT, a new member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, is selectively expressed in hematopoietic tissues and activates transcription factor NF-kappaB

The members of tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily have been designated as the "guardians of the immune system" due to their roles in immune cell proliferation, differentiation, activation, and death (apoptosis). This study reports the cloning of a new member of the TNFR superfamily, RELT (Receptor Expressed in Lymphoid Tissues). RELT is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein with a cysteine-rich extracellular domain, possessing significant homology to other members of the TNFR superfamily, especially TNFRSF19, DR3, OX40, and LTbeta receptor. The messenger RNA of RELT is especially abundant in hematologic tissues such as spleen, lymph node, and peripheral blood leukocytes as well as in leukemias and lymphomas. RELT is able to activate the NF-kappaB pathway and selectively binds tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 1. Although the soluble form of RELT fusion protein does not inhibit the one-way mixed lymphocyte reaction, immobilized RELT is capable of costimulating T-cell proliferation in the presence of CD3 signaling. These results define a new member of the TNFR superfamily that may be a potential regulator of immune responses.

A Selenium-Containing Catalytic Antibody with Type I Deiodinase Activity

Acting as a mimic of type I deiodinase (DI), a selenium-containing catalytic antibody (Se-4C5) prepared by converting the serine residues of monoclonal antibody 4C5 raised against thyroxine (T4) into selenocysteines, can catalyze the deiodination of T(4) to 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T(3)) with dithiothreitol (DTT) as cosubstrate. Investigations into the deiodinative reaction by Se-4C5 revealed the relationship between the initial velocity and substrate concentration was subjected to Michaelis-Menten equation and the reaction mechanism was ping-pong one. The kinetic properties of the catalytic antibody were a little similar to those of DI, with Km values for T(4) and DTT of approximately 0.8 microM and 1.8 mM, respectively, and V(m) value of 270 pmol per mg protein per min. The activity could be sensitively inhibited by PTU with a Ki value of approximately 120 microM at 2.0 microM of T(4) concentration, revealing that PTU was a competitive inhibitor for DTT.

[Effect of pH on copper sorption by the loess and its species]

To study the effect of pH on copper sorption and species, loess was taken as sorbent in this research, and control experiments were conducted with quartz. All the curves of sorption amount-pH showed three regions, namely, sorption amount increased slowly at low pH, then increased quickly with the rise of pH, and reached the maximum amount at high pH. Copper of sorbed, exchangeable and bound to carbonate decreased with the increase in sediment concentration at constant Cu concentration, and increased with the increase in Cu concentration at constant sediment concentration. The MINTEQA2 model results showed that the proportions of precipitates and their compositions were different for loess and quartz, and the proportions of precipitates decreased with the concentrations of loess.

Identification, characterization and leucocyte expression of Siglec-10, a novel human sialic acid-binding receptor

Here we characterize Siglec-10 as a new member of the Siglec family of sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectins. A full-length cDNA was isolated from a human spleen library and the corresponding gene identified. Siglec-10 is predicted to contain five extracellular Ig-like domains and a cytoplasmic tail containing three putative tyrosine-based signalling motifs. Siglec-10 exhibited a high degree of sequence similarity to CD33-related Siglecs and mapped to the same region, on chromosome 19q13.3. The expressed protein was able to mediate sialic acid-dependent binding to human erythrocytes and soluble sialoglycoconjugates. Using specific antibodies, Siglec-10 was detected on subsets of human leucocytes including eosinophils, monocytes and a minor population of natural killer-like cells. The molecular properties and expression pattern suggest that Siglec-10 may function as an inhibitory receptor within the innate immune system.

Inhibition of steroidogenesis and induction of apoptosis in rat luteal cells by cell-permeable ceramide in vitro

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of ceramide on progesterone production and apoptosis in rat luteal cells in vitro. Luteal cells were prepared from the ovaries of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) primed female Wistar rats and incubated with cell permeable C2-ceramide. The effects of ceramide on progesterone production and apoptosis in luteal cells were assessed by radio immunoassay (RIA) and flow cytometry analysis. In addition, changes in nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and nitric oxide (NO) production by luteal cells treated with C2-ceramide were also evaluated. Ceramide was found to reduce hCG-stimulated progesterone production in a dose-dependent manner, whereas it had little effect on basal progesterone content. Spontaneous apoptosis in luteal cells was observed after a 12-hour incubation in vitro and 5 mumol/L of ceramide significantly increased the apoptotic rate (P < 0.05). Enhanced apoptotic peak was seen in the histogram by flow cytometry. Moreover, 50 mumol/L of C2-ceramide significantly increased NOS activity (P < 0.01) and NO production (P < 0.001). It is suggested that ceramide may serve as an important signaling molecule mediating certain ovarian processes, such as luteal regression.

Extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1) has angiogenic properties and is expressed by breast tumor cells

Tumor growth and metastasis are critically dependent on the formation of new blood vessels. The present study found that extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1), a newly described secretory glycoprotein, promotes angiogenesis. This was initially suggested by in situ hybridization studies of mouse embryos indicating that the ECM1 message was associated with blood vessels and its expression pattern was similar to that of flk-1, a recognized marker for endothelium. More direct evidence for the role of ECM1 in angiogenesis was provided by the fact that highly purified recombinant ECM1 stimulated the proliferation of cultured endothelial cells and promoted blood vessel formation in the chorioallantoic membrane of chicken embryos. Immunohistochemical staining with specific antibodies indicated that ECM1 was expressed by the human breast cancer cell lines MDA-435 and LCC15, both of which are highly tumorigenic. In addition, staining of tissue sections from patients with breast cancer revealed that ECM1 was present in a significant proportion of primary and secondary tumors. Collectively, the results of this study suggest that ECM1 possesses angiogenic properties that may promote tumor progression.

All human genes of the uteroglobin family are localized on chromosome 11q12.2 and form a dense cluster

Rabbit uteroglobin is the founder member of a family of mammalian proteins that has expanded to more than 20 members within the last few years. All members are small, secretory, rarely glycosylated dimeric proteins with unclear physiological functions and are mainly expressed in mucosal tissues. A phylogenetic analysis shows that the family can be grouped into five subfamilies, A to E. Subfamily A contains rabbit uteroglobin and its orthologues from various species; most of these have been described to form antiparallel homodimers via two intermolecular disulfide bonds. All other subfamily members contain a third conserved cysteine and, from existing biochemical data, it can be predicted that a member of subfamily B or C will likely form heterodimers with a partner from subfamily E or D, respectively. Besides the mentioned cysteines, only one central lysine is conserved in all family members. In the known uteroglobin structures, this lysine forms an exposed salt bridge with an aspartate side chain, which is conserved in almost all sequences. Using radiation hybrid mapping and P1 clone analysis and utilizing data from the human genome project, we show that all known five human family members (Clara cell 10-kDa protein, lipophilins A and B, lacryglobin, mammaglobin) and a new member, we call lymphoglobin, are localized on chromosome 11q12.2 in a dense cluster spanning not more than approximately 400 kbp.

Analysis of bioactive components in traditional Chinese medicines by molecular biochromatography with alpha1-acid glycoprotein stationary phase

Molecular biochromatography with alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) stationary phase was proposed to screen and analyse the biologically active components in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) with extracts from Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae as a tested sample. More than ten peaks were resolved based on their affinity to AGP. The effects of concentrations of acetonitrile, pH, concentration of inorganic salt and temperature on the retention behaviors of several major active components were also investigated, and it was found that the hydrophobic effect is the major contributor to retention. Tanshinone IIA was identified as one of the principal bioactive components, which is the marker for the quality control of Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae and a complicated remedy named YiXiTongMai. The amount of tanshinone IIA in Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae and YiXiTongMai determined by this method was 2.9 mg/g (net weight, RSD 4.9%, n=5) and 0.078 mg/g (net weight, RSD 2.5%, n=3), respectively. The possibility for fast differentiation of the TCM sources was also studied by the comparison of the fingerprint of chromatograms for eight typical TCMs on the AGP column. It was observed that different TCMs showed different fingerprint characteristics. Even for the same plant, Rhizoma cimicifugae from three different geographical sources, although there were common characteristics, distinct differences in types and concentrations of biologically active components were clearly observed. It was shown that molecular biochromatography was an effective and fast way for the analysis and screening of biologically active compounds in traditional Chinese medicines.

[Microsurgical technique in the treatment of lumbar disc prolapse]

From 1983 to 1996, 354 cases of the lumbar intervertebral disc prolapse were treated by the microsurgical technique in our hospital. Among them, 330 cases were the simple prolapse of the lumbar intervertebral disc, the other 24 cases were complicated with the lateral recess stenosis. The application of the microsurgical technique has the advantage of its precision, shorter operative time, little surgical trauma, less bleeding, and quicker recovery. So the patients can usually get up and move around at an earlier time. Ninety-five percent of the patients acquired good results. It is suggested that the microsurgical technique is a relatively good operative method in the treatment of the lumbar intervertebral disc prolapse and the lateral recess stenosis.

Probing RNA in vivo with methylation guide small nucleolar RNAs

Most box C/D small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) direct the formation of 2'-O-methylated nucleotides in ribosomal RNA and, apparently, other RNAs present in the nucleolar complex. Sites to be modified are selected by a long (>10-nt) antisense guide sequence in the snoRNA and a distance measurement from a box D or D' element that follows the snoRNA guide sequence. Modification of the substrate occurs in the region of complementarity, at a position five nucleotides upstream from box D/D'. Methylation can be targeted to novel sites by expressing a snoRNA with a new guide sequence. In some cases methylation impairs the growth rate of the cell, indicating that a functionally important nucleotide has been altered. With a view to harnessing snoRNA-directed methylation for functional mapping, we have developed a method for constructing libraries of snoRNA genes that, in principle, can introduce methylation point mutations into any rRNA segment of interest. The strategy and procedures are described here, and preliminary results are presented that show the feasibility of using this technology to probe a region of the yeast large subunit rRNA that includes the core of the peptidyltransferase center.

B7-H3: a costimulatory molecule for T cell activation and IFN-gamma production

We describe here a newly identified member of the human B7 family, designated B7 homolog 3 (B7-H3), that shares 20-27% amino acid identity with other B7 family members. B7-H3 mRNA is not detectable in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, although it is found in various normal tissues and in several tumor cell lines. Expression of B7-H3 protein, however, can be induced on dendritic cells (DCs) and monocytes by inflammatory cytokines and a combination of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) + ionomycin. Soluble B7-H3 protein binds a putative counter-receptor on activated T cells that is distinct from CD28, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), inducible costimulator (ICOS) and PD-1. B7-H3 costimulates proliferation of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, enhances the induction of cytotoxic T cells and selectively stimulates interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) production in the presence of T cell receptor signaling. In contrast, inclusion of antisense B7-H3 oligonucleotides decreases the expression of B7-H3 on DCs and inhibits IFN-gamma production by DC-stimulated allogeneic T cells.Thus, we describe a newly identified costimulatory pathway that may participate in the regulation of cell-mediated immune responses.

Separation of basic, acidic and neutral compounds by capillary electrochromatography using uncharged monolithic capillary columns modified with anionic and cationic surfactants

A mode of capillary electrochromatography (CEC), based on the dynamical adsorption of surfactants on the uncharged monolithic stationary phases has been developed. The monolithic stationary phase, obtained by the in situ polymerization of butyl methacrylate with ethylene dimethacrylate, was dynamically modified with an ionic surfactant such as the long-chain quaternary ammonium salt of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and long-chain sodium sulfate of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The ionic surfactant was adsorbed on the surface of polymeric monolith by hydrophobic interaction, and the ionic groups used to generate the electroosmotic flow (EOF). The electroosmotic mobility through these capillary columns increased with increasing the content of ionic surfactants in the mobile phase. In this way, the synthesis of the monolithic stationary phase with binary monomers can be controlled more easily than that with ternary monomers, one of which should be an ionic monomer to generate EOF. Furthermore, it is more convenient to change the direction and magnitude of EOF by changing the concentration of cationic or anionic surfactants in this system. An efficiency of monolithic capillary columns with more than 140000 plates per meter for neutral compounds has been obtained, and the relative standard deviations observed for to and retention factors of neutral solutes were about 0.22% and less than 0.56% for ten consecutive runs, respectively. Effects of mobile phase composition on the EOF of the column and the retention values of the neutral solutes were investigated. Simultaneous separation of basic, neutral and acidic compounds has been achieved.

Enantiomer separation by strong anion-exchange capillary electrochromatography with dynamically modified sulfated beta-cyclodextrin

A novel mode of capillary electrochromatography (CEC) based on a dynamically modified stationary phase was presented for chiral separation. The capillary column was packed with strong anion-exchange (SAX) stationary phase packing; the sulfated beta-cyclodextrin (S-CD), which was added to the mobile phase, was dynamically adsorbed to the packing surface. Separation of enantiomers was achieved by their different abilities to form an inclusion complex with the adsorbed S-CD. The enantiomers of tryptophan, praziquantel, atropine, metoprolol, and verapamil were successfully separated in this system with a column efficiency of 36000-412000 plates/m. The resolution value obtained for atropine was as high as 11.23. The superiority of CEC with a dynamically modified stationary phase over that with a physically adsorbed stationary phase was demonstrated. The influence of ionic strength, S-CD concentration, and methanol content on separation was also studied.

[Analysis on associations of cytochrome P450 1A1-Hinc II and glutathion S-transferase-theta with primary dysmenorrhea]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the genetic susceptibility to primary dysmenorrhea.

METHODS

Data of 499 female workers in a textile mill were collected. The associations of cytochrome P450 1A1-Hinc II(CYP 1A1-Hinc II) and glutathion S-transferase-theta(GSTT1) polymorphisms with heavy primary dysmenorrhea were evaluated by Logistic regression, with adjustment for potential confounders.

RESULTS

The result showed variant of CYP1A1- Hinc II genotypes slightly reduced the risk of primary dysmenorrhea, but its OR value was not statistically significant (CYP1A1-Hinc II:OR=0.64, 95% CI 0.35-1.17). The GSTT1 genotype variant increased the risk of primary dysmenorrhea (GSTT1:OR=1.83, 95% CI 1.04-3.21). After potential confounders were adjusted, the data showed that CYP1A1-Hinc II variant had the trend of decreasing the risk of dysmenorrhea (CYP1A1-Hinc II:OR=0.58, 95% CI 0.31-1.08), but its decreasing scope was still not statistically significant. The GSTT1 variant genotypes showed a significantly increased risk of dysmenorrhea (GSTT1:OR=2.01, 95% CI 1.12-3.62).

CONCLUSION

The results suggested that GSTT1 polymorphism be associated with heavy primary dysmenorrhea.

[The relative factors of protrusive balanced occlusion and the relationship among them]

OBJECTIVE

The experiment was designed to study the condition for achieving protrusive balanced occlusion and the factors involved in occlusal equilibration.

METHODS

For achieving protrusive balanced occlusion, the posterior teeth of mandible always contacted with the posterior teeth of maxilla in the process of protrusive occlusive movement. The angle between the line of movement track of mandible cusp in the process of protrusive occlusive movement and occlusion plane is called cusp movement inclination. A formula of calculation was obtained by using mathematics track and the conversion of coordinate axis.

RESULTS

The focus of protrusive balanced occlusion is relationship between the track of mandibular cusp movement and working incline of maxillary cusp. The first condition achieving protrusive balanced occlusion is that cusp movement inclination is equal to cusp working inclination of maxilla. The factors affecting cusp movement inclination are condyle path inclination; incisal path inclination and teeth coordinate. The factors affecting working inclination of cusp are cusp inclination and long axis obliquity.

CONCLUSION

Cusp movement inclination is the basic and the most important concept in protrusive balanced occlusion.

Cloning and high expression of catalase gene from bacillus sp. TE124

An efficient expression system for producing catalase in Bacillus was developed. A catalase was purified from Bacillus sp. TE124 and the catalase gene was cloned by plaque hybridization with a probe constructed from the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme. The gene, containing an open reading frame of 1452 bp, was subcloned into pHY300PLK for self-cloning into the organism. As a result, the production of catalase increased 20-fold over that of the parent strain.

Recombinant human extracellular matrix protein 1 inhibits alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization of mouse embryonic metatarsals in vitro

Two mRNAs are transcribed from the extracellular matrix protein 1 gene (Ecm1): Ecm1a and an alternatively spliced Ecm1b. We studied Ecm1 mRNA expression and localization during endochondral bone formation and investigated the effect of recombinant human (rh) Ecm1a protein on organ cultures of embryonic mouse metatarsals. Of the two transcripts, Ecm1a mRNA was predominantly expressed in fetal metacarpals from day 16 to 19 after gestation. Ecm1 expression was not found in 16- and 17-day-old metatarsals of which the perichondrium was removed. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry demonstrated Ecm1 expression in the connective tissues surrounding the developing bones, but not in the cartilage. Biological effects of rhEcm1a protein on fetal metatarsal cultures were biphasic: at low concentrations, Ecm1a stimulated alkaline phosphatase activity and had no effect on mineralization, whereas at higher concentrations, Ecm1a dose dependently inhibited alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization. These results suggest that Ecm1a acts as a novel negative regulator of endochondral bone formation.

Localization of cellubrevin-related peptide, endobrevin, in the early endosome in pancreatic beta cells and its physiological function in exo-endocytosis of secretory granules

Cellubrevins are integral membrane proteins expressed in a wide variety of tissues and usually localized in recycling vesicles. Here, we investigated the cellular localization of a cellubrevin-related peptide, endobrevin, in pancreatic (beta) cells and its implication in the exo-endocytosis of insulin and (gamma)-amino butyric acid (GABA). Immunocytochemistry showed that endobrevin is associated with tubulo-vesicular structures, which are colocalized with early endosomes labeled by early endosome antigen (EEA)-1 in insulinoma MIN6 cells. To determine the cellular localization of endobrevin, we appended the green fluorescent protein (GFP) to endobrevin and the fusion protein was introduced into MIN6 cells. The subcellular localization of GFP-endobrevin was visualized by confocal laser microscopy. Colocalization study based on the expressed GFP-endobrevin and endocytosed Texas-Red(Tx-R) labeled transferrin receptor and immunocytochemistry with anti-EEA1 antibody revealed that endobrevin was preferentially localized in the early endosome. Then, we examined the functional role of endobrevin in the exocytosis of insulin and GABA from pancreatic (beta) cells. Endobrevin overexpression increased the amount of GABA released from MIN6 cells; in contrast, it decreased the glucose-stimulated insulin release from rat islets, MIN6 and INS1-D cells to approximately 50% of the control levels. Both in vitro and in vivo binding studies showed that endobrevin binds to syntaxin 1. Finally, using the fluorescent probe FM4-64, it was revealed that endobrevin overexpression accelerates vesicle recycling. We conclude that (1) endobrevin is localized in the early endosome in pancreatic (beta) cells and (2) endobrevin plays a physiological role in the exo-endocytosis of insulin and GABA from pancreatic (beta) cells, probably via an interaction between endocytic vesicles and the endosome.

Electrochemically actuated mercury pump for fluid flow and delivery

This paper describes the development of a prototype pumping system with the potential for incorporation into miniaturized, fluid-based analytical instruments. The approach exploits the well-established electrocapillarity phenomena at a mercury/electrolyte interface as the mechanism for pump actuation. That is, electrochemically induced changes in the surface tension of mercury result in the pistonlike movement of a mercury column confined within a capillary. We present herein theoretical and experimental assessments of pump performance. The design and construction of the pump are detailed, and the potential attributes of this design, including the generated pumping pressure, flow rate, and power consumption, are discussed. The possible miniaturization of the pump for use as a field-deployable, fluid-delivery device is also briefly examined.

Sequence verification of oligonucleotides by electrospray quadrupole time-of flight mass spectrometry

The combination of electrospray ionization (ESI) and quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-Tof) mass spectrometry presents a powerful tool to verify/determine the sequence of oligonucleotides. An ESI-Q-Tof instrument provides better sensitivity and much higher resolution compared with either ESI-triple quadrupole or ESI-ion trap devices. With high-resolution capability, the quadrupole time-of-flight instrument can provide an isotope pattern to support the charge state assignment. This will improve the reliability of the assignments of sequence-related w or a-Base series ions and lead to accurate determination of the oligonucleotide sequence.

[Sediment-copper interaction and vertical distribution in hyper-concentrated turbulent system]

This paper presents a special problem on vertical distribution for sediment and copper in hyper-concentrated turbulent solid-liquid system that is essentially different from the ordinary low concentrated turbulent system. A resonance type turbulent simulation equipment is used for the experimental study in which a vertically uniform turbulent field of the mixture of loess and water is produced in a testing cylinder with a grille stirrer that moves up and down harmoniously with varying vibration frequencies. In order to compare the variations of the vertical profiles of sediment and copper in low- and hyper-concentrated solid-liquid system, different scenarios for input sediment content ranging from 5 to 800 kg/m3 was considered in the experimental studies. It was found that solids copper content increases with input sediment content, S, and reaches its peak as S goes to 10 kg/m3 and then decreases rapidly with increasing input sediment content. Such a behavior is possibly resulted from the joint effect of the specific adsorption of copper on loess, precipitation of carbonate and hydroxide of copper due to high carbonate content in the loess and the so-called "particulate concentration effect" due to the present of the sediment variation in water. The vertical sediment concentration distribution resulted from the uniform turbulence is generally uniform, but slight non-uniformity does occur as sediment concentration exceeds certain value. However, the vertical concentration distributions of soluble copper seem not affected much by the variation of sediment concentrations.

Study on open tubular capillary affinity liquid chromatography

A novel mode of affinity chromatography (AC) based on an open tubular capillary column (OTAC) is demonstrated. The OTAC column is prepared by immobilizing Cibacron blue F3GA onto the inner surface of a 50-microm-i.d. capillary column. The AC experiment is performed on a capillary electrophoresis instrument by using its pressure system as the driving force. Bovine serum albumin and lysozyme (Lys) are successfully separated with stepwise gradient elution. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for the elution time of the retained Lys is 0.08%, and good repeatability of its peak area and peak height with an RSD value lower than 2.12% for 10 consecutive runs is observed. The loading capacity and detection limit for the retained Lys are approximately 36 ng and 8.6 ng, respectively. It is also found that the amount of protein adsorbed is unaffected by the flow rate of the loading buffer, and OTAC can be used for the fast determination of biopolymers. Some of the advantages of OTAC over conventional modes of open tubular capillary liquid chromatography are that the detection sensitivity and loading capacity of a sample can be greatly improved, because the relatively large inner diameter of the capillary can be adopted and the whole capillary column can be used to adsorb the solute in OTAC.