MR imaging for the longevity of mesenchymal stem cells labeled with poly-L-lysine-Resovist complexes

Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles are emerging as ideal probes for noninvasive cell tracking. In this study, poly-L-lysine (PLL) was mixed with Resovist to form the PLL-Resovist complexes and the control of the complexes formed by PLL and Resovist and their subsequent properties was easily achievable. MSCs could be safely and efficiently labeled for MR imaging using PLL-Resovist complexes (w/w 0.01:1) and the labeled MSCs could be detected to have definite decreased signal intensity on T(2)-weight imaging until 20 days with standard 1.5 T MR equipment. This study describes a simple protocol to label MSCs using PLL-Resovist complexes and the results presented in our study can provide a basis for the application of PLL-Resovist complexes cell labeling.

Population genetic structure and larval dispersal potential of spottedtail goby Synechogobius ommaturus in the north-west Pacific

Larval dispersal may have an important effect on genetic structure of benthic fishes. To examine the population genetic structure of spottedtail goby Synechogobius ommaturus, a 478 base pair (bp) fragment of the hypervariable portion of the mtDNA control region was sequenced and used to interpret life-history characteristics and larval dispersal strategy. Individuals (n = 186) from 10 locations on the coasts of China and Korea were analysed and 44 haplotypes were obtained. The levels of haplotype and nucleotide diversity were higher in East China Sea populations than in other populations. Both the phylogenetic tree and the minimum spanning tree showed that no significant genealogical structures corresponding to sampling locations existed. AMOVA and pair-wise F(ST) revealed significant genetic differentiation between populations from Korea and China. A significant isolation by distance pattern was observed in this species (r = 0.53, P < 0.001). Both mismatch distribution analysis and neutrality tests showed S. ommaturus to have experienced a recent population expansion. These results suggest that the Pleistocene ice ages had a major effect on the phylogeographic pattern of S. ommaturus, that larvae might avoid offshore dispersal and that dispersal of larvae may maintain a migration-drift equilibrium.

Relativistic single-cycled short-wavelength laser pulse compressed from a chirped pulse induced by laser-foil interaction

By particle-in-cell simulation and analysis, we propose a plasma approach to generate a relativistic chirped pulse based on a laser-foil interaction. When two counterpropagating circularly polarized pulses interact with an overdense foil, the driving pulse (with a larger laser field amplitude) will accelerate the whole foil to form a double-layer structure, and the scattered pulse (with a smaller laser field amplitude) is reflected by this flying layer. Because of the Doppler effect and the varying velocity of the layer, the reflected pulse is up-shifted for frequency and chirped; thus, it could be compressed to a nearly single-cycled relativistic laser pulse with a short wavelength. Simulations show that a nearly single-cycled subfemtosecond relativistic pulse can be generated with a wavelength of 0.2 μm after dispersion compensation.

S-novel SNP of alpha-lactalbumin gene in chinese dairy goats

The alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-LA) plays a key role in lactose synthesis in mammary glands of domestic animals. Mutations in the alpha-LA gene are associated with the milk traits in dairy cattle. In our study, a novel SNP: NO_X06366:g.875 C > T was detected in 708 dairy goat individuals--268 of the Xinong Saanen breed and 440 of Guanzhong breed, which revealed a synonymous mutation in the exon 1 of alpha-LA gene. The Polymerase Chain Reaction-Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing techniques showed that there were three genotypes: CC, CT and TT. Moreover, the chi2-test showed that the genotype frequencies of the two breeds were in good agreement with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P > 0.05). The relationship of the polymorphism of dairy goat alpha-LA gene with the milk trait and the body size trait was revealed. Individuals with the CC genotype were significantly smaller at chest circumference than those with CT (P < 0.05) in both breeds. But the milk trait and other body size traits of the two dairy goat breeds had no significant association with genotypes studied.

Microfluidic droplet grating for reconfigurable optical diffraction

This Letter presents a reconfigurable optical diffraction grating using multiphase droplets on a microfluidic chip. The uniform and evenly spaced circular droplets are generated by continuously dispersing two immiscible liquids into a T junction to produce plugs, which are then transformed into a circular shape at a sudden expansion of the microchannel. In experiments, the droplet grating shows a detection limit of ~6.3x10(-5) when used as an opto fl uidic refractometer and produces different colors as a color filter. Such a grating has the advantages of high stability and wide tunability in droplet size, grating period, and refractive index, making it promising for biochemical and biomaterial applications.

Miniature surface-mountable Fabry-Perot pressure sensor constructed with a 45 degrees angled fiber

We present a surface-mountable miniature Fabry-Perot (FP) pressure sensor that utilizes the total internal reflection at a 45 degrees angled fiber end face to steer the optical axis by 90 degrees . By using the fiber as a waveguide, as well as a natural mask in photolithography, an FP cavity is constructed on the sidewall of the fiber. A polymer-metal composite diaphragm is employed as the pressure transducer. The sensor exhibits a good linearity over the pressure range of 1.9-14.2 psi, with a sensitivity of 0.009 microm/psi and a hysteresis of 2.7%. This sensor is expected to impact many fronts that require reliable static pressure measurements of fluids.

Stable expression of rice dwarf virus Pns10 suppresses the post-transcriptional gene silencing in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants

RNA silencing is a conserved mechanism that defends against viral infection and retrotransposon activity for protection of the genome. Segment 10 (S10) of Rice dwarf virus (RDV) encodes Pns10 protein, a viral suppressor of RNAi that suppresses the host RNA silencing machinery. In this study, we obtained stable transgenic RDV-S10 Nicotiana benthamiana plants expressing Pns10. Suppression of post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) by Pns10 supported the conclusion that this protein exhibited the RNA silencing suppressor activity. In particular, the transgenic plants stably expressing a viral suppressor of RNAi (VSR) provide a model system for investigating the mechanism of RNA silencing.

KEYWORDS

RNA silencing; VSR; Rice dwarf virus; Pns10; transgenic plant.

Phase modulation with micromachined resonant mirrors for low-coherence fiber-tip pressure sensors

This letter presents a simple phase modulation scheme for interrogation of low-coherence interferometry based fiber-tip pressure sensors to enable real-time monitoring and miniaturization of the entire sensor system. The key idea is to introduce a sinusoidal modulation signal and retrieve the sensing cavity length change using a simple algorithm, without resorting to any time information. In experiments, phase modulation has been achieved by using a silicon-micromachined tunable Fabry-Pérot interferometer, which is integrated with a light source and a photodiode onto a single chip. Compared with the conventional interrogation methods, this scheme possesses the merits of being less susceptible to disturbance, easy control and easy miniaturization, making it particularly suitable for sensing in constrained spaces and harsh environments.

Generating quasi-single-cycle relativistic laser pulses by laser-foil interaction

A scheme for producing nearly single-cycle relativistic laser pulses is proposed. When a laser pulse interacts with an overdense thin foil, because of self-consistent nonlinear modulation, the latter will be more transparent to the more intense part of the laser, so that a transmitted pulse can be much shorter than the incident pulse. Using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation and analytical modeling, it is found that a transmitted pulse of duration 4 fs and peak intensity 3 x 10{20} W/cm{2} can be generated from a circularly polarized laser pulse. The intensity of the resulting pulse is only limited by that of the incident pulse, since this scheme involves only laser-plasma interaction.

Gallbladder abnormalities in carcinoma of pancreatic head: findings on MR imaging

BACKGROUND

Our objective is to study the gallbladder abnormalities on MR images associated with carcinoma of the pancreatic head.

METHODS

Thirty-six patients who had surgical resection of pancreatic head carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed regarding the appearance of the tumor and gallbladder on MR imaging performed within one month before surgery. The changes of the gallbladder wall, and the dimension of the gallbladder, cystic duct, pericholecystic region, and common bile duct (CBD) on MR imaging were noted.

RESULTS

About 92% (33/36) of patients had at least one gallbladder abnormality on MR imaging, including thickened gallbladder wall (58%), gallbladder wall striation (19%), gallbladder wall severe enhancement (44%), enlarged gallbladder (33%), gallbladder stone (19%), dilatation of cystic duct (67%), focally increased liver parenchymal enhancement adjacent to the gallbladder (19%), and pericholecystic fluid (11%). 64% of patients had dilated CBD. The diameter of the cystic duct was correlated with those of the CBD (r = 0.45, P < 0.01) and gallbladder (r = 0.56, P < 0.0001). Enlarged gallbladder, dilatation of the cystic duct, and CBD were correlated with chronic cholecystitis.

CONCLUSION

Most patients with pancreatic head carcinoma show gallbladder abnormalities on MR imaging. Cystic duct dilatation follows CBD dilatation and is the primary cause for dilated gallbladder and chronic cholecystitis in carcinoma of pancreatic head.

Effects of dietary taurine supplementation on growth performance and immune status in growing Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

The effect of dietary taurine was investigated on performance and immune responses in growing (1 to 42 d) Japanese quail. One-day-old quails of both sexes (300) were randomly allotted to 12 groups with 25 quails in each group (3 dietary treatments, 4 replicates). They were fed with maize-soybean meal-based diets containing 0, 0.01, or 0.05% taurine for 42 d. Dietary 0.01% taurine decreased food intake (P < 0.05) in the starter phase but did not affect BW gain and feed efficiency from d 1 to 42 of age. In the starter phase, dietary 0.05% taurine did not affect food intake but increased weight gain and improved feed efficiency (P < 0.05). In the grower phase, dietary 0.05% taurine did not affect weight gain but improved feed efficiency and decreased food intake (P < 0.05). In the overall period, dietary 0.05% taurine improved feed efficiency and decreased food intake (P < 0.05). The relative weights of thymus were greater in the quails given 0.01% taurine in diet (P < 0.05). The relative weights of the bursa of Fabricius and thymus were greater in dietary 0.05% taurine compared with the control (P < 0.05).The quail serum anti-Newcastle disease virus hemagglutination antibody titer in the taurine-supplemented diet had no significant effects compared with the control (P > 0.05). The response to phytohemagglutinin measured as the foot web index was significantly increased by 0.05% taurine supplementation (P < 0.05). It is concluded that the taurine-supplemented diet has a beneficial effect on immune responses and performance in growing Japanese quail.

DCE-MRI in experimental chronic pancreatitis

To assess pancreatic perfusion in experimental chronic pancreatitis (CP) by dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). DCE MRI on a 1.5 T MR scanner was performed on 21 piglets with the ligation of pancreatic duct. They were divided into four groups based on pathology, including seven normal pigs and seven, three and four piglets with grade I, II and III CP, respectively. The signal intensity measured in the pancreatic body on DCE MRI was plotted against time to create a signal intensity-time (SI-T) curve for each piglet. The steepest slope (SS), time-to-peak (TTP) and peak enhancement ratio (PER) of the SI-T curve were noted. In the four groups, on the SI-T curve derived from DCE MRI, the SS was, respectively, 10.88 +/- 1.20, 10.59 +/- 1.02, 6.67 +/- 1.31 and 5.48 +/- 1.97%/s (F = 20.509, p = 0.000) from normal piglets to piglets with grade III CP. The TTP was 13.82 +/- 3.09, 12.31 +/- 5.52, 20.55 +/- 3.79 and 37.26 +/- 14.56 s (F = 10.681, p = 0.000) and the PER was 62.95 +/- 20.20, 60.44 +/- 20.00, 46.33 +/- 22.70 and 67.65 +/- 32.66% (F = 0.529, p = 0.668), respectively. The SS (r = -0.719, p = 0.000) and TTP (r = 0.538, p = 0.012) of the SI-T curve was correlated to the severity of CP, respectively. DCE MRI has a potential to diagnose moderate to advanced CP. The SS and TTP of the SI-T curve were correlated to the severity of CP.

Hepatic caudate vein in Budd-Chiari syndrome: depiction by using magnetic resonance imaging

OBJECTIVE

To study the visibility of the caudate vein and its diameter on MR imaging in healthy people and in patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study there were 14 patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome and 54 healthy subjects without hepatic lesion or liver disease, all of whom had upper abdominal enhanced MRI. The visibility of the caudate vein and its diameter on MR images was compared between Budd-Chiari patients and healthy subjects, and among Budd-Chiari patients, the correlation between the visibility of caudate vein and extrahepatic collaterals were compared.

RESULTS

Caudate vein was noted in 64% of patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome and in 7% of healthy subjects (P=0.000). The diameter of the caudate vein visualized on MR imaging in Budd-Chiari syndrome was significantly larger than that in healthy group (7.3±3.9 mm vs 2.6±0.6 mm, P=0.037). Among Budd-Chiari patients, both caudate vein and extrahepatic collateral veins were noted in 9 patients, only extrahepatic collateral veins were noted in 4 patients and neither caudate vein nor extrahepatic collateral veins were noted in 1 patient. No correlation was found between the visibility of caudate vein and that of extrahepatic collateral vein in patients with Budd-Chiari (P=0.375).

CONCLUSION

Gadolinium enhanced dynamic MR imaging can visualize hepatic caudate vein frequently. The visibility and dilation of hepatic caudate veins on MR imaging in Budd-Chiari syndrome were more frequent than in control subjects. MR depiction of a caudate vein may help differentiate Budd-Chiari from cirrhosis.

Changes in hepatic venous morphology with cirrhosis on MRI

PURPOSE

To identify changes in vascular morphology on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with cirrhosis and to compare these findings to liver donors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients undergoing liver transplantation with biopsy-proven cirrhosis (n = 74) and liver donor candidates (n = 85) underwent dynamic gadolinium-enhanced 3D MR at 1.5T. Vessel diameters were measured independently by three radiologists and features of cirrhosis were identified and correlated with cirrhosis.

RESULTS

Hepatic veins were smaller in patients with cirrhosis (4.9, 4.5, and 5.0 mm for right, middle, and left vs. 9.9, 7.6, and 8.9 mm in donors, P << 0.001) and were negatively correlated with cirrhosis (P < 0.001). Right hepatic vein (RHV) <5 mm diagnosed cirrhosis with 59% sensitivity and 99% specificity; the sensitivity and specificity were 88% and 85% for RHV <7 mm. Main portal vein was minimally larger in cirrhosis, 14 versus 12 mm (P < 0.001) in donors. Right portal veins were smaller in cirrhotic patients, 6.5 and 6.2 mm compared to 8.4 and 7.6 mm (P << 0.001), respectively, in donors.

CONCLUSION

Vascular features of cirrhosis include small hepatic veins, minimally enlarged main portal vein, and small intrahepatic portal veins; these features may facilitate identification of cirrhosis.

Gene expression profiling of mice liver tissue after intragastric administration of Chinese nutgall extract

Kunming mice (male, weight 20 +/- 2g) were daily intragastric administration of Chinese nutgall extract (0.2 mL/10 g body weight, equal to 8 g Chinese nutgall material/1 kg body weight) for 30 days. Liver tissue mRNA were extracted from normal control group and Chinese nutgall treated group respectively, then were reversely transcribed to cDNA with dUTP labeled by different fluorescence (Cy3, Cy5) as hybridization probes. Both of the cDNA probes were mixed equally in 20 microL of hybridization solution and hybridized with mice complete genome oligonucleotide microarray. The fluorescent signals were acquired by laser scanner and analyzed by GenePix Pro 4.0 software. The biological function analysis and the pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes were performed according to Gene Ontology database. As a result, there were 461 genes differentially expressed in Chinese nutgall treated group, in which 373 genes were function-known and the others were function-unknown. Among the 461 genes, 267 genes were up-regulated and the others were down-regulated. The differentially expressed genes were involved in metabolism, DNA binding and transcription, protein synthesis and modification, cell cytoskeleton and cell adhesion, cell cycle and differentiation, ion channels and transporters, signal transduction, immune response and apoptosis of liver cell. The presented work might be quite important for understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of liver injury induced by Chinese nutgall.

The myocardial protective effects of puerarin on STZ-induced diabetic rats

To investigate the myocardial protective effects of puerarin on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and the possible mechanism were involved. 45 Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided into 3 groups as diabetic group (intraperitoneally injected STZ 65 mg/kg), puerarin treatment group (intraperitoneally injected STZ 65 mg/kg, and intraperitoneally injected puerarin 100 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks), and control group (intraperitoneally injected saline 6 ml/kg). Four weeks after the model induction, the myocardial changes were observed by H-E stain and Transmission electron microscopy, the alteration of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) protein and mRNA expression in the myocardium were also assessed by immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. The heart function of three groups' rats was tested by Langendorff isolated in vivo heart perfusion. The differences in the data of weight and blood sugar of diabetic between puerarin treatment and normal groups were significant after 4 weeks (P<0.01). Our results demonstrated that diabetic myocardial ultrastructural changes included myofibrillar disarrangements and mitochondria disruption. These damages were significantly less severe in the puerarin treatment group compared with the diabetic group. A significant decrease of TSP-1 expression was observed in the puerarin treated rats' myocardium compared to the diabetic rats (P<0.01). Left ventricular systolic end pressure (LVSEP) and left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) of puerarin treatment group were also significantly increased compared to diabetic group (P<0.01). Altogether puerarin could improve the left ventricular function of diabetic rats and showed protective effects of myocardium by decreasing the TSP-1 expression in myocardium of diabetic rats.

MR imaging for predicting the recurrence of pancreatic carcinoma after surgical resection

OBJECTIVE

To study the relationship of characteristics of pancreatic carcinoma on MR imaging to tumor recurrence time after surgical resection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-seven patients with pancreatic carcinoma were followed up at least 2 years after surgical resection of the tumor. All patients had MR imaging within 1 month before surgery. The tumor's size, signal intensity, local and vascular invasion, abdominal lymphadenopathy on MR imaging and the positive surgical margin were noted. The results from MR imaging were compared with the duration after surgery until tumor recurrence and with the positive surgical margin.

RESULTS

59% of patients had various degree of extrapancreatic invasion. The tumor recurrence times were, respectively, 24+/-21 months and 26+/-29 months in patients with and without vascular invasion (P=0.79). The combination of vascular with local invasion showed a correlation to the time of tumor recurrence (r=-0.34; P<0.05). Patients with positive surgical margins had a higher local invasion score on MR imaging and a shorter recurrence time than those with negative surgical margins. The number and size of lymph nodes were not related with tumor recurrence time.

CONCLUSION

MR imaging was useful for predicting the recurrence of pancreatic carcinoma after surgical resection. Local invasion associated with and without vascular invasion on MR imaging was the indicator for the tumor recurrence.

[Intravenous leiomyomatosis with intracardiac extension: a case report]

Intravenous leiomyomatosis is characterized by a proliferation of benign smooth muscular tissue growing into uterine with malignant appearance. On extremely rare occasions, the tumor may grow out of the pelvis and extend into the inferior vena cava and the right atrium. We report a case of intravenous leiomyomatosis extending into the right atrium. A 41-year-old woman complained of 20 days of intermittent abdominal pain and lower limbs swell. Medical history of the patient revealed a previous hysterectomy operation 3 years ago due to uterine leiomyoma. Echocardiography showed a homogenous mass extending from the inferior vena cava to the right atrium, without evidence of adherence to the right atrial wall, the left ventricular ejection fraction was only 60%. Computer tomography showed that a large mass arising from the left internal iliac vein and extending into the right chambers. Pelvic vascular ultrasound revealed the thrombotic material in the inferior vena cava and the left common iliac vein, and confirmed the presence of a complex mass in the left annex region. Based on the findings, the initial diagnosis was intracardiac and intravenous tumor. An operation was performed through a sternotomy and laparotomy to remove the whole tumor from the left common iliac vein to the right atrium, ligate left internal iliac vein mean-wile. No hormonal therapy was administrated after the operation. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that the tumor cells were fusiform shape, there was no karyokinesis and necrosis, and the tumor cells were positive for smooth muscle antigen and desmin, as well as estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor. Six months postoperation follow-up revealed no signs of recurrence. The differential diagnosis of the disease compared with primary cardiovascular sarcomas and thrombus was difficult. The final diagnosis relied on immunohistochemical analysis, however, the short-term result of operation was acceptable.

A micromachined tunable coupled-cavity laser for wide tuning range and high spectral purity

This paper presents the design and experimental study of a coupled-cavity laser based on the micromachining technology for wide tuning range and improved spectral purity. The core part of this design utilizes a deep-etched movable parabolic mirror to couple two identical Fabry-Pérot chips and thus allows the active adjustment of the cavity gap so as to optimize the mode selection and to increase the tuning range as well. In experiment, the laser achieves the single longitudinal mode output over 51.3 nm and an average side-mode-suppression ratio of 22 dB when the tuning current varies from 5.7-10.8 mA. The measured wavelength tuning speed is 1.2 micros and the single mode output is stable at any wavelength when the tuning current is varied within +/- 0.06 mA. Compared with the conventional fixed cavity gap coupled-cavity lasers, such design overcomes the phase mismatching and mode instability problems while maintaining the merit of high-speed wavelength tuning using electrical current.

Overexpression of TNF-alpha and TNFRII in invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast: clinicopathological correlations

AIMS

Angiogenesis is essential for tumour growth and metastasis and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a potent angiogenic factor. Invasive micropapillary carcinoma of the breast (IMPC), a rare subtype of breast cancer, possesses a lymphotropic nature with a high incidence of lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis. The aim was to evaluate the role of TNF-alpha and its receptor TNFRII in the vascular development and metastasis of IMPC.

METHODS AND RESULTS

One hundred cases of IMPC and 97 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma, not otherwise specified (IDC) were studied in parallel by immunohistochemistry for TNF-alpha and TNFRII, and microvessel density (MVD) of the tumours was measured. The results showed that the expression of TNF-alpha and TNFRII and the MVD were higher in IMPC than in IDC (P < 0.05). In IMPC, MVD was significantly increased in those with lymph node metastasis compared with those without nodal metastasis (P = 0.001). TNF-alpha expression showed a significant positive correlation with the rate of proliferation, histological grade, lymph node metastasis and MVD (P < 0.05), whereas expression of TNFRII was correlated with TNF-alpha expression and the proliferation of tumour cells in IMPC (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Expression of TNF-alpha and TNFRII might play an important role in the angiogenesis, tumour cell proliferation and metastasis of IMPC. These markers could represent new targets for therapeutic intervention, i.e. blocking of TNF-alpha and its signal transduction could be a promising tool for treatment.

The effect of cilostazol on expression of thrombospondin-1 in diabetic retinopathy

To explore the effect of cilostazol in the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy and its mechanism, we intraperitoneal injection streptozotocin (STZ) to induce rats diabetic model to study the alteration of the thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) in the retina of diabetic rats, cilostazol treatment diabetic rats and normal rats by immunohistochemistry, real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The weight, blood sugar and urine sugar were also measured before and after model induction of these three groups. The data of weight, blood sugar and urine sugar indicated no significant difference in these three groups before diabetes induction. Four weeks after the injection of STZ, the weight, blood sugar and urine sugar had significant difference among these three groups (P < 0.01). When compared with the normal retina, TSP-1 expression was increased in the diabetic rat's retina, as shown by increased optical density and immunohistochemistry positive cell number but this was not serious in cilostazol treatment rats (P < 0.01). Our study confirmed that up-regulation of TSP-1 expression in retina of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats under hyperglycemia condition and cilostazol treatment could prevent TSP-1 overexpression. This indicates a protective way in the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy.

Effect of processing parameters on the formation of spherical multinuclear microcapsules encapsulating peppermint oil by coacervation

The gelatin/gum arabic multinuclear microcapsules encapsulating peppermint oil were prepared by coacervation. The effect of various processing parameters, including the core/wall ratio, wall material concentration, pH value, as well as stirring speed on the morphology, particle size distribution, yield and loading was investigated. When the wall material concentration or the core/wall ratio increased, the morphology of multinuclear microcapsules changed from spherical to irregular and the average particle size increased, the optimal wall material concentration and the core/wall ratio were 1% and 2:1, respectively. The multinuclear spherical microcapsules with desired mean particle size can be manufactured by modulating the pH value and stirring speed. The ideal preparation conditions were pH 3.7 at 400 rpm of stirring speed. The yield of multinuclear microcapsules encapsulating peppermint oil by coacervation was approximately 90% and the processing parameters had very slight influence on the yield. When transglutaminase was used as the cross-linker instead of formaldehyde, morphology, mean particle size, yield and loading remained the same as that hardening with formaldehyde, but the particle size distribution became narrower.