BACKGROUND: There are few studies conceming morphological charactedstics, space-time distribution and differentiation of hepatic stem cells during embryo liver development.OBJECTIVE: To understand the action of alpha fetoprotein, cytokeratin-19 (CK19) and c-Met in the liver through observing the expression of them.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The in vitro cytological observational study was performed at the Central Laboratory of Weifang Medical College from June 2005 to December 2006.MATERIALS: A total of 40 embryo samples were obtained from 3-rnonth aborted fetus, which were supplied by Hospital Affiliated to Weifang Medical College.METHODS: Aborted embryo was collected and made into sections within 30 minutes. Fetal age was defined according to embryonic layer formation, somite number and organ development under a microscope. Sample sections with fetal age of 3-12weeks were selected. One was collected from every eleven sections and underwent immunohistochemical staining.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Expression of alpha fetoprotein, CK19 and c-Met was measured in embryo hepatic stem cells aged 3-12 weeks.RESULTS: At 3-5 weeks, samples were positive for alpha fetoprotein and c-Met, which were indicated as hepatic stem ceils. At 10-12 weeks, alpha fetoprotein- and c-Met-positive cells were mainly distributed surrounding the header, which suggested that hepatic stem cells were mainly located at hepatic cord of the header. This had similar distribution as adult hepatic oval cells (adult hepatic stem cells). CK19-positive reaction was found at week 7, and mainly at hepatic cord cells, bile duct sheet cells and bile duct epithelial cells at 10-11 weeks. CKlg-positive reaction was only seen at the bile duct sheet and bile duct epithelial cells at week 12. At this time, all bile duct sheet cells and bile duct epithelial cells were positive for alpha fetoprotein, c-Met and CK19.CONCLUSION: CK19-positive reaction was not found in hepatic stem cells, but only detected in bile duct epithelial cells and progenitor calls. CK19 may be not fit for a marker of hepatic stem cells. All bile duct sheet and bile duct epithelial cells are positive for alpha fetoprotein, c-Met and CK19. It is assumed that alpha fetoprotein+/c-Met+/CK19+ may be bile duct progenitor calls.

Byproducts in lignocellulose hydrolysates, namely sodium formate (1 to 5 g/L), sodium acetic (2.5 to 8.0 g/L), furfural (0.2-2 g/L), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF, 1 to 1.0 g/L) or vanillin (0.5 to 2 g/L) were used to evaluate their effects on ethanol fermentation by Issatchenkia orientalis HN-1 using single factor test and the response surface central composite experiment. Results showed that most of the byproducts had no obvious inhibition on the production of ethanol, except for the addition of 2 g/L vanillin or 1 g/L of 5-HMF, which reduced the ethanol production by 20.38% and 11.2%, respectively. However, high concentration of some byproducts in lignocellulose hydrolysates, such as sodium formate (1 to 5 g/L), sodium acetic (2.5 to 8.0 g/L), furfural (0.2 to 2 g/L) and vanillin (0.5 to 2 g/L) inhibited the growth of I. orientalis HN-1 significantly. Compared with the control, the dry cell weight of I. orientalis HN-1 decreased by 25.04% to 37.02%, 28.83% to 43.82%, 20.06% to 37.60% and 26.39% to 52.64%, respectively, when the above components were added into the fermentation broth and the fermentation lasted for 36 h. No significant interaction effect of the various inhibitors (sodium formate, sodium acetic, furfural and vanillin) except for vanillin single factor on the ethanol production was observed based on the central composite experiments. The concentrations of byproducts in most lignocellulose hydrolysates were below the initial inhibition concentration on ethanol production by Issatchenkia orientalis HN-1, which indicated that Issatchenkia orientalis HN-1 can be used for ethanol production from lignocellulose hydrolysates.
Ethanol ; metabolism ; Fermentation ; Furaldehyde ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; Lignin ; chemistry ; Saccharomycetales ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the effect of growth hormone replacement therapy on life quality of patients with growth hormone deficiency after sellar tumor surgery.Methods The data of 13 patients undergoing sellar tumor resection and suffering postoperative hypopituitarism from Jun.2009 to Dec.2010.were collected.Each of them was given daily 0.5 units growth hormone (about 0.17 mg) as replacement therapy.The life quality of patients at different time points was evaluated with QoL-GDHA scale.SPSS 17.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results 1,3,and 6 months after treatment,QoL-GDHA score of the patients was 3.91± 2.29,3.38 + 2.43,and 3.23 + 2.28 repectively,significantly lower than before ( 8.69 ± 2.66).The difference had statistical significance (P ＜0.05 ).Conclusion Growth hormone replacement therapy can significantly improve the life quality of patients with hypopituitarism after sellar tumor surgery.

Objective To investigate the infection state and genotype of Babesia from tick at Alataw port,the China-Kazakhstan border.Methods Drag-flag method and animal body surface method were used to collect ticks at Ebinur Lake wetland,Alataw port.18s rRNA gene of Babesia was tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR),the sequence analysis was conducted with Blast and phylogenetic analysis was conducted with Mega 6.0.Results The positive rate of Babesia gene in ticks was 12.65％ (32/253) at Alataw port.By sequencing,32 sequences were divided in ALSK174,ALSK191,ALSK019 three groups.Analysis of Blast showed that ALSK174 had the highest homology with Babesia caballi (EU888904,South Africa),it was 99.72％ (356/357);ALSK191 had the highest homology with Babesia occultans (KP745626,Turkey),it was 99.72％ (350/351);ALSK019 had 95.76％ (339/354) homology with Babesia odocoilei (KC460321,Canada).Conclusion In this study,we have first reported that the Babesia is infected from ticks at Alataw port,the China-Kazakhstan border.

Animals ; Borrelia burgdorferi ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; China ; Genotype ; Ixodidae ; microbiology

In order to learn the enzymatic hydrolysis characteristics of steam-explosion pretreated corn straw by cellulase, the effects of substrate concentration, cellulase concentration and temperature were determined. The kinetics of the hydrolysis reaction could be described with the Michealis-Menten equation, and the hydrolysis reaction obeyed the classical first-order reaction rate in the first three hours. In the condition of 45 degrees C and pH 5.0 and the stirring rate 120 r/min, the Michealis constant (Km) and maximum rate (Vm) for 1.2 FPU/mL of cellulase were 11.71 g/L and 1.5 g/(L x h). The kinetic model, including the parameters such as substrate concentration, enzymatic concentration and temperature, was suit for the hydrolysis reaction under the temperature range from 30 degrees C-50 degrees C.
Catalysis ; Cellulase ; chemistry ; Hydrolysis ; Kinetics ; Plant Stems ; Steam ; Zea mays

High-concentration sugars production from stover is an important perspective technology for the cellulosic ethanol industrialization. Fed-batch process is an effective way to achieve this goal in the fermentation industry. In this study, based on fed-batch process, high-concentration sugars were produced from pretreated corn stover by enzymatic hydrolysis. After being pretreated by the dilute sulphuric acid, the impacts of the ratio of solid raw material to liquid culture, the content of supplementary materials and the refilling time on the saccharification rate were investigated. Results showed that the initial ratio of solid raw material to liquid culture was 20% (W/V) and the initial concentrations of enzymes for xylanase, cellulose and pectinase were 220 U, 6 FPU, and 50 U per gram of substrates, respectively. After 24 hours and 48 hours, 8% pretreated corn stovers were added respectively together with the additions of xylanase (20 U) and cellulose (2 FPU) per gram of substrates. After 72 hours, the final concentration of reducing sugar was increased to 138.5 g/L from 48.5 g/L of the non fed-batch process. The rate of enzyme hydrolysis of the raw material was 62.5% of the thoretical value in the fed-batch process. This study demonstrated that the fed-batch process could significantly improve the concentration of reducing sugar.
Batch Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Carbohydrates ; analysis ; Cellulase ; metabolism ; Cellulose ; metabolism ; Endo-1,4-beta Xylanases ; metabolism ; Ethanol ; metabolism ; Fermentation ; Hydrolysis ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Zea mays ; chemistry

Objective:To investigate the effect of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) on in-hospital survival and prognosis of adult patients with fulminant myocarditis.Methods:The registration materials of 21 patients with fulminant myocarditis supported by veno-arterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) from March 2019 to January 2022 in the Heart Center of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University were selected from the Chinese Society for Extracorporeal Life Support (CSECLS) Registry Database. The clinical baseline data, laboratory and echocardiographic data, VA-ECMO related parameters, complications and in-hospital outcome were recorded. The main end events of follow-up were death and readmission due to heart failure.Results:① The median age of 21 patients was (42.7±16.4) years, there were 12 males (57.1%) and 9 females (42.9%), and 16 patients (76.2%) survived in hospital and 5 patients (23.8%) died in hospital. ② Compared with the survival group, patients in the death group had a higher proportion of invasive ventilator support and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) [3/16 (18.8%) vs. 4/5 (80.0%), 3/16 (18.8%) vs. 4/5 (80.0%)], and a lower survival after VA-ECMO score (SAVE) [score: -5.0 (-5.0, -3.0) vs. 1.0 (-6.0, 5.0)], the serum creatinine (SCr) level was higher during VA-ECMO support [μmol/L: 248.0 (144.0, 447.0) vs. 83.0 (71.7, 110.9)], the platelet count (PLT) level was lower [×10 9/L: 60.0 (31.5, 96.5) vs. 100.0 (71.0, 139.3)], and the ECMO initial support flow rate was higher (L/min: 3.2±0.7 vs. 2.6±0.4). All the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). ③ The echocardiography indexes of the survival group were significantly improved at discharge compared with those at admission [left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, %): 54.0±6.7 vs. 30.0±7.2], left ventricular end-diastolic volume [(LVESV, mL): 55.7±27.5 vs. 85.9±28.7], cardiac index [(CI, L·min -1·m -2): 2.6±0.4 vs. 1.9±0.6], cardiac output [(CO, L/min): 4.5±0.7 vs. 3.2±0.9]. All the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). ④ The median follow-up time of the 16 survivial patients was 9 (2, 14) months. During the follow-up period, 5 patients (31.3%) were readmitted to the hospital due to heart failure (1 case of cardiogenic death). The average ECMO support duration of the 5 patients who readmitted to the hospital due to heart failure was significantly shorter than that of the 11 patients without heart failure [hours: 82.0 (47.0, 99.0) vs. 116.0 (98.0, 156.0), Z = -2.381, P = 0.017]. Conclusions:On the basis of immunomodulatory and other treatments, early application of VA-ECMO in adult patients with fulminant myocarditis can significantly improve in-hospital survival rate and cardiac function. Heart failure after discharge may be related to short VA-ECMO support time during hospitalization.

Objective: To summarize the incidence, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of basal cell nevus syndrome and to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods : Retrospective analysis of 4 cases of basal cell nevus syndrome admitted to the General Hospital of PLA during January 2017 to January 2018 and recent cases reported in the literature. Results: In this study, 1 males and 3 females were included. The patients included a mother and her child. All 4 cases were surgically resected. Pathological reports included all keratocysts of the jaws. There has been no recurrence since follow-up. Through literature summarization and analysis, the clinical manifestations of this syndrome were found to be diverse. Typical clinical manifestations include multiple keratocysts of the jaws, multiple blepharospasms or cancers, deformities of the spine or ribs, increased brachial distance, eye diseases or special face intracranial calcification. Conclusion Basal cell nevus syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder. The clinical manifestations are diverse and the diagnosis is often overlooked. The incidence of cysts in the jaws is one of the important clinical manifestations of this syndrome. Early diagnosis and proper treatment improve patient survival and quality of life.

Butanol production from corn stover hydrolysates (CSH) with in-situ liquid-liquid extraction was studied to enhance the production and reduce the fermentation cost. Oleyl alcohol was selected as the suitable solvent and added at the initial fermentation time with the ratio of 1:1 (oleyl alcohol: fermentation broth, V/V). Under this condition, butanol and ABE from CSH with 32.1 g/L total sugars were 3.28 and 4.72 g/L, which were 958.1% and 742.9% higher than those of the controls, respectively. Butanol and ABE production from CSH of 49.7 g/L total sugars after detoxification by ion exchange resin D301 coupled with extraction fermentation were 10.34 g/L and 14.72 g/L with an ABE yield of 0.31 g/g (g ABE/g utilized sugar), which were equal to those of glucose and xylose mixture fermentation. The detoxification and extraction fermentation technology of cellulosic butanol production would provide a crucial technical support to the industrialized production of cellulosic butanol.
Butanols ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Fatty Alcohols ; chemistry ; Fermentation ; Liquid-Liquid Extraction ; methods ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Zea mays ; chemistry