Aims: Endophytes are known to impart tolerance to crop plants; hence the study was initiated to evaluate some plant growth promoting endophytic bacteria isolated from rice and maize for salt tolerance in rice. Methodology and results: A total of 31 endophytic bacteria were screened for growth promoting characteristics on the basis of phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, Indole acetic acid biosynthesis, production of ammonium, protease and cellulase. Only 2 Bacillus species and Pantoea agglomerans were positive for all growth characteristics and subsequently inoculated with rice seeds under controlled as well as in saline condition (NaCl) in order to evaluate the plant growth promoting (PGP) ability on the basis of germination rate and seedling vigor. The seedling grown under control condition, significantly alter the growth parameters such as germination rate, root and shoot length, fresh and dry weight along with seedling vigor index. Under saline condition, the genus Bacillus and Pantoea invariably counteracted the effect of stress; however, P. agglomerans showed significant differences for shoot length, fresh and dry weight. Analysis of correlation coefficient exhibited positive and strong association of seedling vigor index with dry weight and rate of germination, thereby revealing the interdependency of the traits under stress. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: The study confirmed a mutualistic interaction of P. agglomerans with the host plant rice and leads to enhanced growth of the host under salt stress condition.
Endophytes ; Bacillus

Objective To investigate the effect of sevoflurane pretreatment on the expression of tight junction protein Occludin and ZO-1 in the lung following ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Methods Ninty-six adult male Wistar rats weighing 250-350 g were randomly divided into 4 groups ( n = 24 each): group Ⅰ sham operation (group S);group Ⅱ I/R; group Ⅲ sevoflurane (group Sevo) and group Ⅳ Sevo + I/R. The animals were anesthetized, tracheostomized and mechanically ventilated. Right femoral vein and left carotid artery were cannulated for BP monitoring, blood sampling and drug and fluid administration. Lung I/R was induced by clamping left pulmonary hilum for 45 min followed by 120 min reperfusion in group Ⅱ and Ⅳ. In group Ⅲ the animals inhaled 2.2 % sevoflurane for 30 min. In group Ⅳ the animals inhaled 2.2 % sevoflurane for 30 min before lung ischemia. Six animals were killed at the end of 45 min ischemia (T1), and 60 and 120 min of reperfusion (T2, T3 ). The lungs were immediately removed for determination of W/D lung weight ratio and the expression of Occludin and ZO-1 protein (by Western blot). Tissues of lung were obtained for observation of histopathology with light microscope. Lung permeability index (LPI) was calculated. Another 6 animals were killed at 120 min of reperfusion for lung lavage. Results I/R significantly increased W/D ratio and LPI and significantly reduced Occludin and ZO-1 protein expression in the lung tissue as compared with group C and Sev. Sevoflurane pretreatment significantly attenuated the I/R-induced changes. The pathological damage to the lung tissue was significantly less in group SP than in I/R. Conclusion Sevoflurane pretreatment may protect the lungs from I/R injury by up-regulating the expression of Occludin and ZO-1.

The successful suppression of clutter arising from stationary or slowly moving tissue is one of the key issues in medical ultrasound color blood imaging. Remaining clutter may cause bias in the mean blood frequency estimation and results in a potentially misleading description of blood-flow. In this paper, based on the principle of general wall-filter, the design process of three classes of filters, infinitely impulse response with projection initialization (Prj-IIR), polynomials regression (Pol-Reg), and eigen-based filters are previewed and analyzed. The performance of the filters was assessed by calculating the bias and variance of a mean blood velocity using a standard autocorrelation estimator. Simulation results show that the performance of Pol-Reg filter is similar to Prj-IIR filters. Both of them can offer accurate estimation of mean blood flow speed under steady clutter conditions, and the clutter rejection ability can be enhanced by increasing the ensemble size of Doppler vector. Eigen-based filters can effectively remove the non-stationary clutter component, and further improve the estimation accuracy for low speed blood flow signals. There is also no significant increase in computation complexity for eigen-based filters when the ensemble size is less than 10.
Blood Flow Velocity ; Color ; Humans ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Ultrasonography

Objective:To establish a method to determine the entrapment efficiency of loratadine binary ethosomes. Methods:The gel microcolumn centrifugation method was employed to separate the free drug from loratadine binary ethosomes. The content of lorata-dine was determined by HPLC to calculate the entrapment efficiency. Results: A calibration linear curve of loratadine concentration was within the range of 10. 2-102. 0 μg·ml-1(r=0. 999 5). The average entrapment efficiencies of three batches of loratadine binary ethosomes were 86. 75%, 87. 26% and 86. 00%, respectively. Conclusion:The method is simple and rapid, and can be used to de-termine the entrapment efficiency of loratadine binary ethosomes accurately.

Objective To analyze the clinical features of acute leukemia(AL) with positive mixed lineage leukemia(MLL)fusion gene in children,and explore their treatment protocols,prognosis factors,and so on.Methods Clinical features,treatment protocols,and prognosis factors were studied retrospectively among 51 AL patients with MLL fusion gene.MLL fusion gene was detected by morphology immunology,cytogenetics,molecul arbiology and reverse transcrption polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).Results Fifty-one AL patients with MLL fusion gene positive,included 37 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) and 14 cases of acute myelocytic leukemia(AML).Forty-two patients exhibited abnormal clonal chromosome 11.MLL fusion gene rearrangements and MLL fusion gene partial tandem duplication were found among 36 cases and 15 cases,respectively.Thirty-two cases who received regular chemotherapy were followed up.Twenty-four cases including 19 cases of ALL and 5 cases of AML had achieved complete remission(CR).Six cases including 5 cases of ALL and 1 cases of AML had achieved more than 2 years CR.Sixteen cases were alive update including 12 cases of ALL and 4 cases of AML.Ten cases of positive MLL fusion gene were turning negative.Up to now,6 cases relapsed and 6 cases were dead.Conclusions The incidence of AL children with positive MLL fusion gene is low.It has some features,such as,high replapse rate and poor prognosis.A few patients sensitive to chemotherapies can achieve CR.They live with constant negative MLL fusion gene.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Leukemia, Myeloid ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male

Objective To investigate the effects of inhalation of isoflurane at different time points on hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in neonatal rats.Methods One hundred and eighty 7-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats,weighing 12-16 g,were randomly divided into 6 groups (n =30 each):sham operation group (group Ⅰ),cerebral hypoxia/ischemia (H/I) group (group Ⅱ),and inhalation of isoflurane at different time point groups (groups Ⅲ-Ⅵ).Brain ischemia was induced by double ligation of left common carotid artery followed by inhalation of 8 ％ O2 + 92 ％ N2 for 2 h at 37 ℃.In groups Ⅲ,Ⅳ,Ⅴ and Ⅵ 1.5 ％ isoflurane was inhaled for 30 min starting from 0,3,6,12 h after H/I respectively,while the rats were exposed to 30％ O2 and 70％ N2 only in groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ.The survival rate at 7 days after H/I was recorded.The animals were sacrificed at 7 days after H/I.The brains were removed and the right and left cerebral hemispheres (CH) were weighed separately.The ratio between left/right CH was calculated.The density of normal neurons in ventral posterior inferior thalamic nucleus and posterior cingulate cortex in left and right CH were measured and the ratio of the density of normal neurons in the left to right CH was calculated.Results Compared with group Ⅰ,the weight of left cerebral hemisphere,ratio between left/right CH,and ratio of the density of normal neurons in the left to right CH were significantly decreased in other five groups (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group Ⅱ,the weight of left cerebral hemisphere,ratio between left/right CH,and ratio of the density of normal neurons in the left to right CH were significantly increased in groups Ⅲ,Ⅳand Ⅴ (P ＜ 0.05).There were no significant differences in the indices nentioned above among groups Ⅲ,Ⅳand Ⅴ (P ＞ 0.05).There was no significant difference in the survival rate among groups Ⅱ-Ⅵ (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Inhalation of 1.5％ isoflurane for 30 min within 6 h after cerebral H/I can reduce the cerebral injury in neonatal rats.

Objective To evaluate the effects of penehyclidine hydrochloride pretreatment on the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cell apoptosis in lung tissues in rats with endotoxin-induced acute lung injury (ALI).Methods Forty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats,weighing 220-270 g,were randomly divided into 5 groups (n =8 each) using a random number table:control group (group C),endotoxin-induced ALI group (ALI group),and penehyclidine hydrochloride 0.03,0.10,0.30 mg/kg groups (Pi-3 groups).ALI was induced with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 5 mg/kg which was injected via the caudal vein.In P1-3 groups,penehyclidine hydmchloride 0.03,0.10 and 0.30 mg/kg were injected intraperitoneally,respectively,at 1 h before LPS injection,while the equal volume of normal saline was administered in C and ALI groups.The animals were sacrificed at 4 h after ALI models were successfully established and pulmonary specimens were obtained for determination of the cell apoptosis (by TUNEL),expression of NOS mRNA (using PT-PCR),and Bcl-2 and Bax protein (by Western blot),NOS activity (using chemical colorimetry) and NO content (by using nitrate reductase method) and for examination of pathological changes (by light and electron microscopes).Apoptotic index (AI) and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was calculated.Results Compared with group C,NOS mRNA and Bax protein expression was significantly up-regulated,NOS activity,NO content and AI were increased,Bcl-2 protein expression was down-regulated,the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was decreased (P ＜ 0.01),and the degree of pathological changes of the lung was aggravated in ALI and P1-3 groups.Compared with ALI and P1 groups,NOS mRNA and Bax protein expression was significantly down-regulated,NOS activity,content of NO and AI were decreased,Bcl-2 protein expression was up-regulated,the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was increased (P ＜ 0.01),and the degree of pathological changes of the lung was alleviated in P2-3 groups.There was no significant difference in the indexes mentioned above and results of pathological changes of the lung between group ALI and group P1,and between group P2 and group P3 (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Penehyclidine hydrochloride pretreatment ameliorates endotoxin-induced ALI by inhibiting NOS expression and cell apoptosis in rat lung tissues.

Objective To investigate the changes in iNOS expression in brain injury induced by hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (IR) in rats.Methods Thirty-two male Wistar rats weighing 240-280 g were randomly divided into 2 groups: sham operation group (group S,n = 8) and group IB( n = 24).The hepatic IR was induced by clamping the hepatic artery and portal vein according te the method described by LONG et al.In group IR the rats were killed at 3,6 and 24 h of reperfusion after 40 min hepatic ischemia (8 rats at each time point).The rats in group S were also killed.The brains were removed for determination of NO content (by nitrate reductase assay),SOD activity (by xanthine oxidase method),MDA content(by colorimetric method),nitrotyrosine (NT) expression (by Western blot),and iNOS mRNA expression (by RT-PCR).Results Compared with group S,cerebral NO and MDA content were significantly increased at 6 and 24 h of reperfusion,expression of cerebral NT and iNOS mRNA up-regulated and SOD activity decreased at 6 h of reperfusion in group IR (P < 0.05 or 0.01).Cerebral NO and MDA content were significantly higher and SOD activity lower at 6 and 24 h of reperfusion than at 3 h of reperfusion in group IR (P < 0.05).Conclusion The expression of iNOS in brain tissues is up-regulated after hepatic IR and it produces a great amount of NO inducing brain injury through peroxynitrite (ONOO-).

Objective To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on the cerebral injury in patients undergoing cardiac valve replacement under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).Methods Forty ASA Ⅱ or Ⅲ patients of both sexes,aged 43-64 yr,scheduled for elective cardiac valve replacement,were randomly divided into 2 groups (n =20 each):control group (group C) and dexmedetomidine group (group D).Dexmedetomidine 0.6 μg/kg was injected intravenously over 15 min before induction of anesthesia,followed by infusion at 0.2μg· kg-1 · h-1 until the end of operation in group D.While the equal volume of normal saline was given in group C.Blood samples were obtained from the radial artery and jugular bulb for blood gas analysis before CPB,immediatelv after declamping of the ascending aorta,at the end of CPB and at 6 h after operation (T1-4).The arteriovenous blood O2 difference (Da-jvO2) and cerebral O2 extraction rate (CERO2) were calculated.The plasma concentrations of S-100β and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in the blood samples obtained from the jugular bulb were measured at T1-4 and 24 h after operation.Results Compared with group C,the jugular venous oxygen saturation was significantly increased and Da-jvO2 and CERO were decreased at T2,3,and the plasma concentrations of S100β and NSE were decreased at T2-4 in group D (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Dexmedetomidine can decrease the cerebral O2 metabolic rate and reduce the cerebral injury in patients undergoing cardiac valve replacement under CPB.