Toxic effects of L7 lyophilized powder of extracellular active components (L7-LPEAC), extracted from the Algae-lysing bacteria L7, on Chlorella pyrenoidosa were studied according to the changes of effective photosynthesis rate (EPR), the protein content, the chlorophyll a content and the MDA content of algae. The results showed that the growth of alga was promoted at low concentrations of L7-LPEAC (0.80 g/L, 1.25 g/L). The 96 h-EC50 and 120 h-EC50 upon Chlorella pyrenoidosa are 5.75 g/L and 2.55 g/L, respec tively. The chlorophyll a content increased firstly and then decreased at high concentrations of L7-LPEAC (≥2 g/L), so did the protein content. Compared with the control group, there is a significant statistics diff erence (P

Air ; analysis ; Chlorpyrifos ; analysis ; Chromatography, Gas ; methods ; Workplace

In this paper, Gaussian pixelate Chinese character processing software is designed, and HMD is used to realize the recognition experiment for pixelate Chinese characters based on simulated prosthetic vision. The structure of recognition system, software design and the experiment for determining Gaussian width (sigma) are presented. It is shown that when sigma is 0.235, the recognition program is the best.
Equipment Design ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Language ; Prostheses and Implants ; Software Design ; Visual Perception

In the fast pace of modern life and under the heavy work pressure, the prevalence of depression has increased year by year. Meanwhile, the demands for antidepressant drugs have also grown, especially the high-efficiency and low-toxicity natural antidepressant drugs, mainly including polyphenols, flavonoids, organic acids, alkaloids and terpenoids. Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) is a type of enzymes involving oxidative metabolism of drugs in vivo, and can change the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of drugs. Therefore, it is of important significant to define the effect of natural antidepressant drugs on CYP450 in human bodies, in order to improve the rational clinical medication, avoid drug interactions and reduce adverse reactions.
Animals ; Antidepressive Agents ; pharmacology ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; metabolism ; Depression ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans

Objective To investigate the optimal therapy for patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure induced by hepatitis B.Methods A total of 302 patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure induced by hepatitis B in the Affiliated Infectious Diseases Hospital of Fujian Medical University were enrolled during January 2008 to January 2010.Patients were divided into group A ( medical treatment,n =57 ),group B (medical + antiviral treatment,n =80),group C ( medical + antiviral + artificial liver support system (ALSS),n =124) and group D (medical + antiviral + ALSS + traditional Chinese medicine treatment,n =41 ).Liver and renal function,prothrombin activity (PTA) and HBV DNA load were observed at the baseline,week 1,4,8,12 and the end of the treatment.All groups were followed up for 48 weeks to observe the survival rates.Kruskal-Willis H test was used to compare the efficacies in four groups,and Cox proportional hazards regression model was used for survival analysis. Results There was no difference among four groups in curative effects at week 4 ( H =3.213,P =0.360 ),but there was significant difference at week 12 (H =8.722,P =0.033).The one-year mortality rates for groups A,B,C,D were 36.84％ (21/57),32.50％ (26/80),26.61％ (33/124) and 24.39％ ( 10/41 ),respectively.The death risks of group C and D were 0.566 and 0.396 times of that in group B ( P =0.036 and 0.016).Conclusion Nucleoside analogue and ALSS plus medical treatment can effectively increase the survival rates of the patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure induced by hepatitis B.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship of time-concentration of bisphenol A (BPA) in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats after single oral BPA administration.

METHODSA total of 66 specific pathogen free (SPF) SD male rats were divided into 10 experimental groups and control group (n = 6). The experimental group rats were treated with BPA of 300 mg/kg by oral gavage and blood samples were taken from one group at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, 36, 60, 84 h time point after oral administration, respectively. The serum BPA concentration was determined by fluorescence-high performance liquid chromatography (FL-HPLC) analysis.

RESULTSAfter oral administration of 300 mg/kg, the total serum BPA concentration of 17.13 microg/ml was the highest in rats at 1 h, then decreased, but it increased to 15.18 microg/ml again at 24 h, then gradually decreased to 0.51 microg/ml at 84 h. The level of serum free BPA was lower than that of total serum BPA after oral administration, the serum free BPA was 0.57 microg/ml at 0.5 h after oral administration. The serum free BPA level decreased to 0.06 microg/ml at 1 h, 0.03 microg/ml at 4 h, 0.01 microg/ml at 36 h after oral administration. The free BPA was only 4.15% (0.57/13.73) in total BPA in serum at 0.5 h after oral administration of 300 mg/kg BPA.

CONCLUSIONThese results suggested that conjugated BPA was the main metabolite of BPA in rat serum after single oral administration. Enterohepatic circulation of BPA glucuronide in rats may results in two peak levels of total BPA in serum.

Animals ; Benzhydryl Compounds ; Male ; Phenols ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Serum ; metabolism ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on invasiveness of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro.

METHODSHepG2.2.15 cells were exposed to different concentrations of AFB1 and DHA plus AFB1. The cell migration and invasion were assessed using wound-healing and Transwell assay, and flow cytometry was used to analyze the cell cycle changes. The ultrastructural changes of the cells were observed by transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the cells exposed to2 µmol/L AFB1 showed obviously enhanced migration and invasion with decreased cell ratio in G1/G1 phase and increased cell ratio in G2/M phase but no changes in S phase cells; transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of multiple nucleoli and significantly increased mitochondria and Golgi apparatus in the exposed cells. Compared with AFB1-exposed cells, the cells treated with DHA and AFB1 showed decreased migration and invasion abilities, and the G1/G1 phase cells increased and G2/M phase cells decreased significantly; ultrastructurally, the cells contained single nucleoli with decreased mitochondria and vacuolization occurred in the cytoplasm.

CONCLUSIONDHA can significantly inhibit AFB1-induced enhancement of cell migration and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro.

Aflatoxin B1 ; pharmacology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Movement ; drug effects ; Docosahexaenoic Acids ; pharmacology ; Golgi Apparatus ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Mitochondria ; Neoplasm Invasiveness

Extracts of Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. (TWHF) have been found to have potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive functions and widely used in China for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Also they have been considered to be the potential drugs in the treatment of tumor and acute graft rejections. With the progress of neuroimmunological research on neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS), the neuroprotective strategies to rescue neurons from immunological injury are currently being explored. Recently, studies have indicated that extracts of TWHF such as triptolide, tripchlorolide and (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide are able to attenuate progression of these neuroimmunologic disorders in vitro and in vivo. Accumulating evidence has shown that they can promote neuronal survival and neurite growth and facilitate functional recovery of brain injury by invoking distinct mechanisms that are related to their neuroprotective roles as inhibitor of neuroinflammatory toxicity of activated-microglia, antioxidants, calcium channel blockers, neurotrophic actions, modulating T cell functions, inhibitor of transcriptional activation of NF-kappaB on genes and signaling. Significant pharmaceutical strategies against neuroimmunologic disorders will hopefully be discovered by understanding the valuable components of TWHF.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Diterpenes ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Epoxy Compounds ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; drug therapy ; prevention & control ; Phenanthrenes ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Structure-Activity Relationship ; Tripterygium ; chemistry

This study was aimed to construct eukaryotic expression vectors carrying the small hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting TRPC6 gene and investigate the effect of TRPC6 knockdown on puromucin aminonucleoside (PAN)-induced podocyte injury. Two DNA sequences containing the small hairpin structure targeting TRPC6 were designed, synthesized and then inserted into the green fluorescence protein (GFP)-contained plasmids (pGC) to establish the plasmids pGCsi-TRPC6A and pGCsi-TRPC6B. Plasmids expressing scrambled shRNA were used as negative control and named pGCsi-NC. These plasmids were transfected into a conditionally immortalized murine podocyte cell line by using liposome. Flow cytometry was used to examine the transfection efficiency. TRPC6 mRNA and protein expression levels were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Cultured podocytes were divided into four groups: control group, PAN treatment group, PAN+TRPC6 shRNA transfected group and PAN+scrambled shRNA transfected group. The paracelluar permeability to BSA was evaluated by Millicell-PCF Inserts and cell viability was measured by the trypan blue assay. Immunofluorescent assay was used to observe the distribution of α-actinin-4 and α-tubulin. The results showed that the transfection efficiency of the shRNA expression vector was about 45%. Expression levels of TRPC6 mRNA and protein were downregulated after transfection with pGCsi-TRPC6A and pGCsi-TRPC6B. Knocking down TRPC6 gene could effectively reverse the PAN-induced increase in the paracelluar permeability to BSA. The distribution of α-actinin-4 and α-tubulin was disrupted after treatment with PAN, which was reversed by knocking down TRPC6 gene. It was concluded that knocking down TRPC6 gene could effectively prevent podocytes from the permeability increase induced by PAN, which may be related to the regulation of podocyte cytoskeleton.

Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)gene susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)by familial studies.Methods PCR-based re- striction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP)was applied to genotype single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) G261T of the ACE gene.A total of 119 patients with SLE from 119 families were recruited.In addition,316 family members of these patients were also genotyped.A family-based association study was carried out to ex- plore the association between gene polymorphism and SLE.We studied the SNP encoding non-synonymous substitution in the ACE gene with respect to genetic susceptibility to SLE.Results Among 119 SLE patients. the frequency of ACEG261TG,T alleles was 44.8%.55.2% respectively,the frequency of ACEG261T GG,GT and TT genotypes was 13.9%,62.0%,24.1% respectively,Univariate(single-marker)family-based association test(FBAT)demonstrated that variant alleles at the SNP,rs4303,exon 5 of ACE gene were significantly asso- ciated with genetic susceptibility to SLE in Additive Model(Z=2.877,P=0.004),Dominant Model(Z=2.557, P=0.011).Recessive Model(Z=2.202,P=0.028).Transmission-disequilibrium test(TDT)and sib transmission -disequilibrium test(STDT)showed an excess of the allele of T from heterozygous parents to affected offspring or higher frequency of the allele of T in the patients than their normal siblings(X~2=11.66,P=0.001).Conclu- sion Our findings suggest that the ACE gene may he the susceptible gene to SLE in Chinese population,and the individuals carrying ACE-261T allele is significantly associated with susceptibility to SLE.