[Taxonomic studies on Echinochasmus fujienensis and its related species by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis and experimental infection]

AIM

To explore the identification and differentiation of Echinochasmus fujianensis, Echinochasmus japonicus(Jiangxi strain and Fujian strain), Echinochasmus liliputanus Anhui and Echinochasmus per foliatus Hubei.

METHODS

Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD) and experimental animal infection were performed.

RESULTS

469 polymorphic DNA fragments were obtained by 28 primers from 4 Echinochasmus species and strains in Fujian, Anhui and Jiangxi. 20.8% and 97.6% of the fragments in Echinochasmus fujianensis were the same as those in Echinochasmus japonicus Fujian strain and in Echinochasmus liliputanus Anhui, respectively, 99.7% of the fragments were the same between Echinochasmus japonicus Jiangxi strain and Fujian strain.

CONCLUSION

Echinochasmus fujianensis and Echinochasmus liliputanus Anhui are the same species. Echinochasmus fujienensis is an independent species different from Echinochasmus japonicus. Polyinfection of Echinochasmus fujianensis, Echinochasmus japonicus and Echinochasmus perfoliatus exist in all the 3 provinces, Hubei, Anbui and Fujian, of which Echinochasmus fujienensis is a dominant species.

Over-expression of beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase V increases the growth of astrocytoma cell line

Our previous study showed that the gene expression of beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase V (beta-1,4-GalT V), preferentially galactosylating GlcNAc1-->6Man of oligosaccharides, increased in the process of astrocytoma progress, with the highest level in grade IV astrocytoma. To investigate the function of this beta-1,4-GalT in cell proliferation, the sense and antisense cDNA of beta-1,4-GalT V was constructed as pcDNA3-HA-GalT V and pcDNA3-anti-GalT V respectively and transfected into SHG cell, a kind of human astrocytoma cell line. The transfection was confirmed with Northern and Western blot assay. It was found that the growth of SHG/HA-GalT V in serum-containing medium was faster than that of mock-transfectant with the vector pcDNA3, whereas the growth of SHG/GalTV-AS was slower than that of mock-transfectant. GalTV-HA/SHG showed a stronger capability for colony formation than that of GalTV-AS/SHG as evaluated by anchorage-independent growth in soft agar assay. This result was consistent with that of the growth curve. By RCA-1 lectin assay, the galactosylation on the surface of GalTV-HA/SHG and SHG/GalTV-AS was stained stronger (P<0.001) and weaker (P<0.05) respectively compared with the mock transfectant. This indicates that beta-1,4-GalT V was involved in the malignant phenotype of astrocytoma cells, possibly causing the high galactosylation on the cell surface.

[Synthesis and biological activities of 1-alkyl-1-benzyl-4-(3-chloro-2-hydroxy)propyl piperazinium halides]

Seven 1-alkyl-1-benzyl-4-(3-chloro-2-hydroxy) propyl piperazinium halide hydrochloride were synthesized. Preliminary biological activity test showed that the presence of electro-attracting group in the benzyl distinctly increased the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the compounds. For example, the analgesic activity of Ie and the anti-inflammatory activities of Id and Ie were all higher than those of Ia and Ib. The different anion of quaternary ammonium have some effect on the biological activity. However, this effect is not regular.

[Expression of HLA-I antigens in primary hepatocellular carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To find out whether hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells express HLA-I antigens.

METHODS

LSAB assay of immunohistochemistry was used to detect six frozen HCC specimens.

RESULTS

All the HCC cells have strong expression of HLA-I antigens.

CONCLUSION

In view of these data on the expression of HLA-I antigens, the authors deem it practical to develop HCC CTL vaccine.

Regulation of yeast actin cytoskeleton-regulatory complex Pan1p/Sla1p/End3p by serine/threonine kinase Prk1p

The serine/threonine kinase Prk1p is known to be involved in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton organization in budding yeast. One possible function of Prk1p is the negative regulation of Pan1p, an actin patch regulatory protein that forms a complex in vivo with at least two other proteins, Sla1p and End3p. In this report, we identified Sla1p as another substrate for Prk1p. The phosphorylation of Sla1p by Prk1p was established in vitro with the use of immunoprecipitated Prk1p and in vivo with the use of PRK1 overexpression, and was further supported by the finding that immunoprecipitated Sla1p contained PRK1- and ARK1-dependent kinase activities. Stable complex formation between Prk1p and Sla1p/Pan1p in vivo could be observed once the phosphorylation reaction was blocked by mutation in the catalytic site of Prk1p. Elevation of Prk1p activities in wild-type cells resulted in a number of deficiencies, including those in colocalization of Pan1p and Sla1p, endocytosis, and cell wall morphogenesis, likely attributable to a disintegration of the Pan1p/Sla1p/End3p complex. These results lend a strong support to the model that the phosphorylation of the Pan1p/Sla1p/End3p complex by Prk1p is one of the important mechanisms by which the organization and functions of the actin cytoskeleton are regulated.

[The effect of rIFN alpha-2b on mice NK cell activity]

OBJECTIVE

This animal experiment was made to study the effect of the recombined interferon alpha-2b(rIFN alpha-2b) on natural killer cells activity of mice spleen in vivo, and by way of this, to test the activity of rIFN alpha-2b.

METHODS

BALB/c mice were given rIFN alpha-2b subcutaneously. The inhibiting 3H-TdR intaking method was used to test the NK activity of spleen cells of BALB/c mice.

RESULTS

The NK cell activity levels of the high-dose group, the mid-dose group and the low-dose group were 65.19 +/- 17.56, 44.19 +/- 14.30 and 35.46 +/- 17.49, respectively.

CONCLUSION

rIFN a-2b can enhance NK cells activity observably and its effect is dose dependent.

Highly efficient hybrid fiber taper coupled microsphere laser

A novel hybrid fiber taper is proposed and demonstrated as the coupler in a microsphere laser system. The pump wave and the laser emission, respectively, are more efficiently coupled to and from the sphere modes with this taper structure. A 980-nm pumped erbium-ytterbium codoped phosphate microsphere laser is demonstrated in the 1550-nm band. As much as 112microW of single-frequency laser output power was measured, with a differential quantum efficiency of 12%.

[Transporting into the kidney of medications injected into the renal adipose capsules of rats]

OBJECTIVE

To study the possibility of transporting into the renal tissue of medications by intrarenal adipose capsule injection (IC).

METHODS

1. Methylene blue (MB) was injected into the renal adipose capsule of 18 male healthy SD rats, and normal saline was injected into the renal adipose capsule at the side as control. Both kidneys taken out 1 - 24 hours after the injection, frozen slices were made to observe the transport of MB. 2. Salvia miltiorrhizae (SM) was injected into both renal adipose capsule of 18 male healthy SD rats. 48 healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into two groups, Tetramethylpyrazine (20 mg) was injected into per renal adipose capsule of the rats in one group and 40 mg Tetramethylpyrazine (TP) was injected into the veins of the rats in another group. 64 SD rats were randomly divided into two groups, methylprednisolone sodium succinate (25 mg/kg) was injected into per renal adipose capsule of the rats in one group and 50 mg/kg methylprednisolone (MP) sodium succinate was injected into the veins of the rats in another group. At different time, both kidneys and blood samples of all the rats were taken out. The contents of the three medications inside renal tissue and its blood samples were individually detected by HPLC.

RESULTS

The peak values in the renal tissue of MB, SM, TP, MP were successively 6 h, 24 h (36 mg/g +/- 18 mg/g), 12 h (2 288 microgram/g +/- 236 microgram/g) and 1 h (120 microgram/g +/- 16 microgram/g) after IC. The medicine diffusing into the kidney can maintain longer time in IC group.

CONCLUSION

The renal adipose capsule can be acted as the place of medicine storing and releasing into the kidney. The medicine diffusing into the kidney can attain higher concentration and maintain longer time. IC is a feasible method of local renal ad ministration with much less side effects.

[Improved APAAP immunocytochemical staining-trace cytotoxicity test plate method for detection of cell surface antigens]

OBJECTIVE

To improve the conventional slide method of alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) immunocytochemical staining for detection of cell surface antigens.

METHODS

Trace cytotoxicity test plates were utilized in the detection of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD11a, CD11b, CD18 and CD54 on lymphocytes by APAAP immunocytochemical staining. The percentages of positive cells were counted. Meanwhile, slides were used in the same objects and procedure.

RESULTS

The results of trace test plate method were similar to those of slide method (P > 0.05, respectively). The reproducibility was very excellent. The plate method decreased the volume of blood from 10 ml to 2 ml to detect 7 norms, and each reagent from 50 microliters to 5 microliters.

CONCLUSION

Trace test plate method may not only attain the result similar to that of the slide method, but also save blood and reagents; it is easy to do, so it is more suitable for clinical examination and scientific research in hospitals or institutions at the basic level.

[A case of surgically treated left atrial myxoma following acute multiple embolism including cerebral embolism]

The patient was a 59-year-old female who was admitted to the hospital due to acute pain of bilateral legs, a numbness of right hand and anarthria. Angiography of extremities revealed total occlusion of right ulnar artery, left radial artery and bilateral popliteal arteries. Brain MRI revealed multiple small infarctions. Echocardiography revealed a mass in the left atrium. She was diagnosed as multiple embolism including cerebral embolism caused by left atrial myxoma. Open heart surgery immediately after the attack is generally considered contraindicated due to problems of hemorrhagic infarction or brain edema. But, relapse of embolism may deteriorate the condition and miss the timing of surgery. Thus we performed removal of left atrial myxoma 4 days after the attack. The postoperative course was uneventful. This is a few report about open heart surgery immediately after the attack. We report about the indication and the optimal timing of open heart surgery following cerebral embolism.

Vibrational spectroscopy of dimethylchlorooctadecylsilane covalently bonded to ultrathin silica films immobilized on Ag surfaces

FTIR and Raman spectroscopies have been used to characterize the structure and conformational order of dimethylchlorooctadecylsilane (DOS) covalently bonded to ultrathin silica films supported on Ag substrates. Ultrathin silica films of ca. 30 A thickness prepared from sol-gel methods are immobilized on Ag surfaces modified with a self-assembled monolayer of (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (3MPT). This layered structure provides a unique opportunity for acquiring complementary spectral data from both FTIR and Raman spectroscopies, which are useful in elucidating alkylsilane conformation pertaining to stationary phases for reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC). Characterization of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) layers on thin silica films of ca. 800 A thickness on 3MPT-modified Ag surfaces has been reported previously. Differences between the ultrathin silica films used in this study and the thin silica films used in this previous study are considered. The results from both FTIR and Raman spectroscopy presented here suggest that bonded DOS alkyl chains are in a disordered, liquid-like state with close to monolayer surface coverage.

Three-dimensional ultrasonography in obstetrics: the clinical value

To investigate the clinical value of three-dimensional ultrasonography (3DUS) in obstetrics, various 3DUS rendering methods including surface mode, transparent mode and multiplanar mode were employed to scan 30 fetuses in second and third trimester by using the transabdominal volume transducer. The results showed that surface mode could vividly demonstrate the surface morphologic features of the fetuses, as well as the stereo-shape and the spatial relationship among the surface structures. The face, limbs, umbilical cord and outer genitalia of the fetus could be well displayed by surface mode. Transparent mode could reveal the bony structures under the surface, such as ribs, vertebrae, crania, etc. The result was not affected by the sophisticated curvature of these bony structures and the success rate was up to 100%. When rendered by multiplanar mode, the region of interest (ROI) could be viewed from different directions. It should be concluded that 3DUS could serve as a supplement to two-dimensional ultrasonography (2DUS). 3DUS might play an important role in prenatal diagnosis and enhance the diagnostic confidence level of the physicians.

NMR structure and mutagenesis of the third Bir domain of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein XIAP

The inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) regulate the caspase family of cysteine proteases, which play an important role in the execution of programmed cell death. Human X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is a potent inhibitor of caspases-3, -7, and -9. Here we show that the Bir3 domain is the minimal region of XIAP that is needed for potent caspase-9 inhibition. The three-dimensional structure of the Bir3 domain of XIAP, determined by NMR spectroscopy, resembles a classical zinc finger and consists of five alpha-helices, a three-stranded beta-sheet, and a zinc atom chelated to three cysteines and one histidine. The structure of the Bir3 domain is similar to that of the Bir2 domain of XIAP but differs from the previously determined structure of the Bir3 domain of MIHB. Based on site-directed mutagenesis, we have identified the regions of the Bir3 domain of XIAP that are important for inhibiting caspase-9. Despite the structural similarities of the Bir2 and Bir3 domain of XIAP, a different set of residues were found to be critical for inhibiting the individual caspases. These results suggest that XIAP inhibits caspase-3 and caspase-9 in a different manner.

Fiber-coupled microsphere laser

We demonstrate a 1.5-microm - wavelength fiber laser formed by placement of glass microsphere resonators along a fiber taper. The fiber taper serves the dual purpose of transporting optical pump power into the spheres and extracting the resulting laser emission. A highly doped erbium:ytterbium phosphate glass was used to form microsphere resonant cavities with large gain at 1.5microm . Laser threshold pump powers of 60muW and fiber-coupled output powers as high as 3 muW with single-mode operation were obtained. A bisphere laser system consisting of two microspheres attached to a single fiber taper is also demonstrated.

[Separation and determination of glibenclamide in xiaotangling tablets by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography]

A high performance capillary electrophoresis method has been developed for separation and quantitative analysis of glibenclamide in Xiaotangling tablets. Electrophoretic conditions were as follows: micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) mode, trimethoprimum as internal standard, uncoated fused silica capillary (34.8 cm/39.5 cm(effective/total length), 50 microns i.d.), 25 mmol/L borax-30 mmol/L SDS(pH 9.0), applied voltage 17 kV, (+)-->(-), temperature 28 degrees C, detection wavelength 228 nm, pressure injection 68.95 kPa.s. Glibenclamide was separated successfully from other components within 14 minutes under the optimum conditions, and the relative peak area of glibenclamide increased linearly with the increase of its concentration within the range of 25 mg/L-275 mg/L. The recovery was (100.6 +/- 1.4)%. The method is simple, rapid and well reproducible, and can be used as a reliable tool for the quality control of Chinese traditional medicine containing glibenclamide.

Observation of critical coupling in a fiber taper to a silica-microsphere whispering-gallery mode system

We present the observation of critical coupling in a high- Q fused-silica microsphere whispering-gallery mode resonator coupled to a fiber taper. Extremely efficient and controlled power transfer to high- Q ( approximately 10(7)) resonators has been demonstrated. Off-resonance scattering loss was measured to be less than 0.3%. On-resonance extinction in transmitted optical power through the fiber coupler was measured as high as 26 dB at the critical coupling point. This result opens up a range of new applications in fields as diverse as near-field sensing and quantum optics.

Guest and subunit exchange in self-assembled ionophores

[reaction: see text] Self-assembled ionophores, formed by hydrogen bonding of isoG 1 around a cation, are dynamic structures. Multinuclear NMR spectroscopy in CD(3)CN-CDCl(3) showed that cation exchange is >10(4) faster than exchange of isoG 1 ligand in (isoG 1)(10)-Cs(+) Ph(4)B(-). The cationic guest also affected the kinetic stability of the complex. 2D-EXSY NMR experiments in CDCl(3) showed that ligand exchange was 2 orders of magnitude faster for the Li(+)-decamer than for the Cs(+)-decamer.

Highly efficient optical power transfer to whispering-gallery modes by use of a symmetrical dual-coupling configuration

We report that greater than 99.8% optical power transfer to whispering-gallery modes was achieved in fused-silica microspheres by use of a dual-tapered-fiber coupling method. The intrinsic cavity loss and the taper-to-sphere coupling coefficient are inferred from the experimental data. It is shown that the low intrinsic cavity loss and the symmetrical dual-coupling structure are crucial for obtaining the high coupling efficiency.

Pan1p, End3p, and S1a1p, three yeast proteins required for normal cortical actin cytoskeleton organization, associate with each other and play essential roles in cell wall morphogenesis

The EH domain proteins Pan1p and End3p of budding yeast have been known to form a complex in vivo and play important roles in organization of the actin cytoskeleton and endocytosis. In this report, we describe new findings concerning the function of the Pan1p-End3p complex. First, we found that the Pan1p-End3p complex associates with Sla1p, another protein known to be required for the assembly of cortical actin structures. Sla1p interacts with the first long repeat region of Pan1p and the N-terminal EH domain of End3p, thus leaving the Pan1p-End3p interaction, which requires the second long repeat of Pan1p and the C-terminal repeat region of End3p, undisturbed. Second, Pan1p, End3p, and Sla1p are also required for normal cell wall morphogenesis. Each of the Pan1-4, sla1Delta, and end3Delta mutants displays the abnormal cell wall morphology previously reported for the act1-1 mutant. These cell wall defects are also exhibited by wild-type cells overproducing the C-terminal region of Sla1p that is responsible for interactions with Pan1p and End3p. These results indicate that the functions of Pan1p, End3p, and Sla1p in cell wall morphogenesis may depend on the formation of a heterotrimeric complex. Interestingly, the cell wall abnormalities exhibited by these cells are independent of the actin cytoskeleton organization on the cell cortex, as they manifest despite the presence of apparently normal cortical actin cytoskeleton. Examination of several act1 mutants also supports this conclusion. These observations suggest that the Pan1p-End3p-Sla1p complex is required not only for normal actin cytoskeleton organization but also for normal cell wall morphogenesis in yeast.

Characterization of 2,6-dichloro-p-hydroquinone 1,2-dioxygenase (PcpA) of Sphingomonas chlorophenolica ATCC 39723

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a general biocide and a major environmental pollutant. The initial steps of PCP degradation by Sphingomonas chlorophenolica ATCC 39723 have been studied and characterized. Two enzymes are responsible for converting PCP to 2, 6-dichloro-p-hydroquinone (2,6-DiCH) which is a common metabolic intermediate of the biodegradation of polychlorinated phenols. 2, 6-DiCH is degraded by PcpA from strain ATCC 39723, but the reaction end product has been misidentified as 6-chlorohydroxyquinol and has been elusive to detection. We report here the overproduction of PcpA in Escherichia coli and the demonstration of quantitative conversion of 2,6-DiCH to 2-chloromaleylacetate with the coconsumption of one equivalent O(2) and release of one equivalent Cl(-) by purified PcpA. On the basis of the reaction stoichiometry, the enzyme is proposed to be 2,6-DiCH 1,2-dioxygenase.