Objective To formed ranoscale ultrasound contrast agents loading PFOB by selfassembly of amphiphilic block copolymer for ultrasonic imaging in vivo and in vitro.Methods The biodegradable copolymer-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly (D, L-lactic acid) (PEG-PDLLA) self-assembled to form PFOB-loaded nanomicelle and nanovesicle with different PFOB concentration by solvent volatilization.The configuration and particle-sizing of resulting nanoparticles was determined,and their ultrasonic imaging in vitro and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography on subcutaneous tissue by focal injection in vivo were observed.Results In transmission electron microscope images, these micelles and vesicles appeared uniformly spherical with smooth surface.All the size distributions were narrow and mean diameters were from 404.3 to 475.8 nm using laser particle-sizing analyzer.In vitro and in vivo experiment showed that,the higher PFOB concentration, the more remarkable effect of ultrasound imaging.Especially, nanovesilces'ultrasonography effect was much better than nanomicelles' under same conditions.Conclusions PFOB-loaded nano-micelles and nano-vesicles prepared by solvent volatilization and self-assembly of PEG-PDLLA can obviously enhance ultrasound contrast and nanovesicle behaves better than nano-micelle.

A method was proposed for the separation and determination of paraffin waxes in food by HPLC-evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). A normal-phase column was used to separate nonparaffinic and paraffinic materials without resolving the latter into individual components. The t-test method was adopted for the evaluation of mean difference between response factors of n-alkanes in paraffin waxes on ELSD detector. No mean difference was obtained between response factors, which can be used for quantitative determination of paraffin waxes in food. The determination results obtained by HPLC-ELSD were compared with those by GC-MS. The linear range for the determination of paraffin waxes was in the range from 10 to 500 mg/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.9988, and the limit of detection was 1.0 mg/L. With the spiking level of 10, 50 and 100 mg/kg, the recovery ranged from 84.6% to 105.4% and the relative standard deviation ranging from 5.4% to 7.2%. The proposed method is simple, fast and sensitive.

Objective To investigate the value of corneal laser confocal microscope in the diagnosis of corneal subepithelial plexus,corneal cell density and morphological changes of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR).Methods Together 94 cases of confirmed DR (114 eyes),including 41 cases of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR group,52 eyes) and 53 cases of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR group,62 eyes) were selected from January 2016 to April 2017,and meanwhile,40 diabetic patients (40 eyes) with no fundus abnormality were grouped as control group.Corneal laser confocal microscopy was used to compare the corneal subepithelial plexus,corneal cell density and morphological changes in the three groups,Results The cell densities of the basal layer,the superficial stromal layer,the medium stromal layer and the deep stromal layer of the cornea in NPDR and PDR were significantly lower than those of the control group (all P ＜ 0.05),and the PDR group was significantly lower than the NPDR group (all P ＜ 0.05).The corneal endothelial cell density,hexagonal cell ratio,nerve fiber density,and nerve fiber length in the NPDR and PDR group were significantly lower than those in the control group (all P ＜ 0.05);and the variability of endothelial cell and nerve branch density in NPDR and PDR patients were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P ＜ 0.05).The corneal endothelial cell density,hexagonal cell ratio,nerve fiber density,and nerve fiber length in the PDR group was (1962.0-± 117.3) · mm-2,46.1％ ± 5.5％,(15.4 ± 3.3) · mm-2,(6.2 ± 2.7) mm · mm-2,respectively,which were significantly lower than those in the NPDR group [(2381.4 ± 144.0) · mm-2,58.2％ ±7.0％,(20.6 ±3.8) ·mm-2,(8.6 ± 2.4)mm · mm-2,respectively] (all P ＜ 0.05),but the variability of endothelial cell and nerve branch density in PDR group were significantly higher than those in the NPDR group (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Corneal confocal microscopy can effectively observe the density and morphological changes in corneal subepithelial plexus and corneal cell in DR patients so as to provide guidance for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

A strain Actinobacillus succinogenes CGMCC 1593 was selected as the parent strain.After UV-EMS and UV-DES treatments respectively,seven mutated strains with subtle improvements in acid tol-erance were obtained,and were subjected for recursive protoplast fusion.Through three rounds of genome shuffling,four shuffled strains with both higher yield and acid tolerance were obtained.The shuffled strain namely F3-21 could even survive at pH 5.2.The comparison of the shuffled strains and the parent strain for succinic acid production was also studied here.After 48 h of shake-flask fermentation,the succinic acid concentration of F3-21 was 48% higher than that of the parent strain.When F3-21 was carried out in a 5 liter stirred bioreactor with pH controlled 5.6~6.0,the accumulation of succinic acid in 48 h fermentation attained 38.1 g/L,which was increased by 45% compared with that of the parent strain(26.2 g/L).While pH was controlled at 6.5~7.0,the production of succinic acid in 32 h fermentation attained 40.7 g/L.When F3-21 was carried out in fed-batch fermentation,succinic acid concentration of 67.4 g/L was reached in 72 h fer-mentation.These results indicated that the genome shuffling could improve the acid tolerance and the suc-cinic acid production of A.succinogenes CGMCC 1593.

Objective To retrospectively determine the features of stones and calcifications in hepatobiliary system on virtual nonenhanced (VNE) dual-energy computed tomography (CT), and to evaluate the possibility of VNE images in diagnosis for those lesions.Methods A total of 128 gall stones and calcifications of the liver found in 110 patients were examined with triple phase abdominal CT scan from July 2007 to December 2011, in which true nonenhanced (TNE) phase and arterial phase were performed with single-energy CT (120 kVp) and portal venous phase was performed with dual-energy CT (100 kVp and 140 kVp). VNE images were generated from the portal venous phase dual-energy CT data sets by using commercially VNC software. The mean CT values for the stone, liver, bile and paraspinal muscle, mean lesion density and size in area dimension, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of lesion to the liver or bile, and image noise were assessed and compared between VNE and TNE images. The effective dose and size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) were also calculated.Results The mean CT values of the lesions measured on VNE images declined significantly compared with those measured on TNE images (164.51±102.13 vs. 290.72±197.80 HU, P<0.001), so did the lesion-to-liver CNR (10.80±11.82 vs.18.81±17.06, P<0.001) and the lesion-to-bile CNR (17.24±14.41 vs. 21.32±17.31, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in size of lesions area between VNE and TNE images (0.69±0.88 vs. 0.72±0.85 cm, P=0.062). Compared to the 128 lesions found in TNE images, VNE images showed the same density in 30 (23.4%) lesions, lighter density in 88 (68.8%) lesions, while failed to show 10 (7.8%) lesions, and showed the same size in 61 (47.7%) lesions and smaller size in 57 (44.5%) lesions. The CT cutoff values of lesion and size were 229.21 HU and 0.15 cm, respectively. The total effective dose for triple phase scan protocol with TNE images was 19.51±7.03 mSv, and the SSDE was 39.84±11.10 mGy. The effective dose for dual phase scan protocol with VNE images instead of TNE images was 13.29±4.89 mSv, and the SSDE was 27.83±9.99 mGy. Compared with TNE images, the effective dose and SSDE of VNE images were down by 32.05%±3.69 % and 30.63%±2.34 %, respectively.Conclusions Although the CT values and CNR of the lesions decreased in VNE images, the lesions of which attenuation greater than 229.21 HU and size larger than 0.15 cmcould be detected with good reliability and obvious dose reduction. There was good consistency in the size of stones and calcifications in hepatobiliary system between VNE images and TNE images, which ensured the possibility of the clinical application of VNE images.

Objective: To study the effect of and possible mechanism of knockinng down PI3Kp85α using siRNA in MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. Methods: Oligofectamine was used to transfect PI3Kp85α siRNA to knock down the PI3Kp85α expression level in MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line in vitro. Real-time PCR was conducted to detect the expression of PI3Kp85α. The effect of PI3Kp85αsiRNA on the growth of MCF-7 cells was measured by MTT. The cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis were detected by cell flow cytometry. Protein expression was evaluated by immunofluorescence staining and Western blot. Results: The expression of PI3Kp85 α was knocked down with PI3Kp85α siRNA in MCF-7 cells. Cell growth was delayed in PI3Kp85αsiRNA-treated group. Conclusion: The suppressive effect of PI3Kp85αsiRNA on the growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line is significant and PI3Kp85α could be a candidate for gene therapy for breast cancer.

OBJECTIVETo establish a highly efficient culture method for detecting Yersinia enterocolitica in stool samples from diarrheic patients.

METHODSStool samples collected from 200 diarrheic patients were detected with a modified and 3 conventional methods, and the positivity rates of the bacterium were compared statistically.

RESULTSWith the modified method, 18 positive samples for Yersinia enterocolitica were detected from 200 stool samples, while with the 3 conventional methods, only 3, 5, and 8 positive samples were identified, respectively. Statistical analysis with McNemer test suggested significant difference in the positive detection rate between the modified and the 3 conventional methods.

CONCLUSIONThe modified method for Yersinia enterocolitica detection has much higher sensitivity than the 3 conventional methods, and can be applied in clinical detection.

Bacteriological Techniques ; Culture Techniques ; methods ; Diarrhea ; microbiology ; Feces ; microbiology ; Humans ; Temperature ; Yersinia enterocolitica ; growth & development ; isolation & purification

ObjectiveUsing dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) to evaluate the hemodynamic perfusion characteristics of bone marrow infiltration in patients with acute leukemia (AL). MethodsForty-seven patients with AL received coronal pelvic T1WI DCE-MRI with fast low angle shot (FLASH) sequence. Among them, 25 were initial onset untreated (IOU) patients, 22 were treated AL patients, including 14 with complete remission (CR) and 8 with non-remission ( NR). The hemodynamic perfusion parameters including maximum percentage of enhancement ( Emax ) and slope were determined based on enhancement-time curves ( ETCs ) of iliac and lumbar vertebra. The proportion of marrow myeloblasts was recorded.For all patients, quantitative perfusion parameters of bone marrow infiltration in ilium were compared with those in lumbar. The values of Emax and ES were compared among IOU,CR and NR patients.Correlations between perfusion parameters and histopathological results were assessed. ResultsIn all the 47 patients, the Emax values of bilateral iliac bone marrow ( 15.70 ± 7.06)were slightly higher than that of lumbar bone marrow ( 11. 28 ± 5.52 ), and the difference was statistically significant (P ＜0. 01 ).There was no significant difference in the slop value between bilateral iliac bone marrow (0. 82 ± 0. 12 ) and lumbar bone marrow (0. 80 ± 0. 09 ) ( P ＞ 0. 05 ). In the 25 untreated patients,the Emax and slop values were 17. 15 ± 5.75 and 0. 98 ± 0. 13, respectively; in the 14 CR patients, they were 8. 76 ±3.93 and 0. 26 ± 0. 04, respectively, and in the 8 NR patients, they were 21.62 ± 6. 50 and 1. 38 ± 0. 02, respectively. There was significant difference in the Emax and slop values among the three groups (P＜0. 05).Compared with IOU and NR patients, both the Emax and slop values decreased significantly in iliac bone marrow of AL patients with CR (P ＜ 0. 05 ). There was no significant difference between IOU and NR patients ( P ＞ 0. 05 ). A significant positive correlation was found between Emax value of iliac bone marrow and the proportion of marrow myeloblasts ( r ＝0. 501 ,P ＜0. 05 ). There was a negative correlation between slop value of iliac bone marrow and the proportion of marrow myeloblasts ( r ＝0. 235 ,P ＞0.05).ConclusionsDCE-MRI can beused for evaluating the hemedynamic characteristics of microcirculation of bone marrow infiltration in patients with AL, which can provide useful information in evaluating prognosis and monitoring therapeutic effect.

OBJECTIVEThis pictorial review aimed to summarize the most possible differential diagnosis of pancreatic islet cell tumor (PICT).

DATA SOURCESData used in this review were mainly from Medline and Pubmed in English. And all clinical images in this review were from Department of Radiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.

STUDY SELECTIONCases of pancreatic cystadenoma, solid pseudo-papillary tumor of the pancreas, pancreatic metastasis, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, para-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, Castleman disease, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, splenic artery aneurysm and accessory spleen were selected in this pictorial review for differential diagnosis of PICT.

RESULTSCareful analysis of imaging features and correlation with the clinical manifestations may allow a more specific diagnosis. It is also important that the radiologist is familiar with the anatomic variants and disease entities which mimic pancreatic islet cell tumor in order to avoid an improper treatment protocol.

CONCLUSIONSMany congenital anatomic variants or other pancreatic and peri-pancreatic diseases may mimic MDCT appearance of pancreatic islet cell tumor. Radiological, clinical and pathological characteristics should be considered for the final diagnosis.

Humans ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Radiography

Forest plays very important roles in global system with about 35% land area producing about 70% of total land net production. It is important to consider both elevated CO(2) concentrations and different soil moisture when the possible effects of elevated CO(2) concentration on trees are assessed. In this study, we grew Cinnamomum camphora seedlings under two CO(2) concentrations (350 micromol/mol and 500 micromol/mol) and three soil moisture levels [80%, 60% and 40% FWC (field water capacity)] to focus on the effects of exposure of trees to elevated CO(2) on underground and aboveground plant growth, and its dependence on soil moisture. The results indicated that high CO(2) concentration has no significant effects on shoot height but significantly impacts shoot weight and ratio of shoot weight to height under three soil moisture levels. The response of root growth to CO(2) enrichment is just reversed, there are obvious effects on root length growth, but no effects on root weight growth and ratio of root weight to length. The CO(2) enrichment decreased 20.42%, 32.78%, 20.59% of weight ratio of root to shoot under 40%, 60% and 80% FWC soil water conditions, respectively. And elevated CO(2) concentration significantly increased the water content in aboveground and underground parts. Then we concluded that high CO(2) concentration favours more tree aboveground biomass growth than underground biomass growth under favorable soil water conditions. And CO(2) enrichment enhanced lateral growth of shoot and vertical growth of root. The responses of plants to elevated CO(2) depend on soil water availability, and plants may benefit more from CO(2) enrichment with sufficient water supply.
Biomass ; Carbon Dioxide ; metabolism ; Cinnamomum camphora ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plant Shoots ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Soil ; Trees ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Water ; metabolism