OBJECTIVEAn accurate and reliable analytical method for-simultaneous determination of six active components (scopolin, chlorogenic acid, scopoletin, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid B and isochlorogenic acid C) in plants of Erycibe was developed.

METHODScopolin, chlorogenic acid, scopoletin, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid B and isochlorogenic acid C in the samples were well separated in analytical HPLC by gradual elution with methanol-0.1% formic acid solution. The chromatographic condictions: Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column, flowing rate being 1 mL x min(-1), detecting wavelength at 345 nm.

RESULTGood linearities of scopolin, chlorogenic acid, scopoletin, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid B and isochlorogenic acid C were in the range of 0.026 8-2.68, 0.027 0-2.70, 0.008 1-0.81, 0.018 8-1.88, 0.017 6-1.76, 0.019 6-1.96 μg, respectively (r > 0.999 6). The average recoveries of the six components were 98.1%, 98.7%, 100.8%, 100.4%, 99.7%, 101.1%; the relative standard deviations were 2.67%, 2.86%, 2.62%, 1.98%, 2.76%, 2.19%.

CONCLUSIONThe method is simple, feasible and reproducible and can be used for the quality control of plants of Erycibe.

China ; Chlorogenic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; analysis ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Convolvulaceae ; chemistry ; Coumarins ; analysis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Glucosides ; analysis ; Scopoletin ; analysis

Objective To analyze the epidemiologic characteristics and risk factors for mortality in non-(human immunodeficiency virus,HIV) infected children with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia(PCP). Methods The data of non-HIV infected children with PCP diagnosed in Beijing Children′s Hospital from January 1,2006 to December 31,2012 were collected. They were divided into survival and non-survival group according to the prognosis. The epidemiologic characteristics and risk factors for mortality were analyzed. Results Sixteen patients were enrolled in this study. Ten of them survived and 6 of them were non-survived. The basic diseases included malignant tumor in 5 patients and non-malignancy diseases in 11 of them. Com-pared with the survival group,the non-survival group had a higher average age [(12. 00 ± 2. 00) years vs. (6. 65 ± 4. 32)years,P=0. 01],higher ratio to need mechanical ventilation (6/6 vs. 4/10,P=0. 04),lower PaO2/FiO2[(73. 88 ±26. 95) mmHg vs. (167. 50 ± 97. 17) mmHg,1 mmHg=0. 133 kPa,P=0. 01] and lower pediatric critical illness score(75. 67 ± 5. 72 vs. 86. 40 ± 8. 88,P=0. 02). There were no differences on sex ratio,kinds of basic diseases,whether with co-infections,the time of immunosuppressant administration, the time from onset to diagnosis,the time from onset to beginning trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole therapy, PaCO2 ,white blood cell counts,lymphocyte counts,CD4+ cell counts,C-reactive protein,and hemoglobin con-centrations between the survival and non-survival group. Conclusion A higher age, need for mechanical ventilation,lower PaO2/FiO2 and lower pediatric critical illness score were risk factors for mortality in non-HIV infected children with PCP.

italic>Artemisia argyi (A. argyi) is a Chinese herbal medicine in China. The main active components are volatile oils, flavonoids, and other compounds, which have various pharmacological activities. Methoxylated flavonoids are the main active ingredients in A. argyi. Flavonoid O-methyltransferase (FOMT) is a key enzyme in the O-methylation of flavonoids. In order to further understand the function and characteristics of FOMT proteins, this paper carried out the whole genome mining and identification of FOMT genes in A. argyi and performed phylogenetic, chromosomal localization, gene sequence characterization, subcellular localization prediction, protein structure, gene structure analysis, and expression pattern analysis. The results showed that a total of 83 FOMT genes were identified in the genome of A. argyi. The phylogenetic tree shows that FOMT genes are divided into two subgroups, CCoAOMT (caffeoyl CoA O-methyltransferase) subfamily (32 genes) and COMT (caffeic acid O-methyltransferase) subfamily (51 genes). Gene sequence analysis showed that the number of amino acids encoded by FOMT was 70-734 aa, the molecular weight was 25 296.55-34 241.3 Da, and the isoelectric point was 4.51-9.99. Compared with 32 members of the CCoAOMT subfamily, nearly 1/3 of the 51 members of the COMT subfamily were hydrophobic proteins and 2/3 were hydrophilic proteins. Subcellular localization prediction showed that more than 80% of CCoAOMT subfamily members were located in the cytoplasm, and 96% of COMT subfamily members were located in the chloroplast. COMT subfamily members have more motifs than CCoAOMT subfamily members. The N-terminal motifs of COMT subfamily proteins are relatively variable, while the C-terminal motifs are relatively conserved. Expression pattern analysis showed that CCoAOMT subfamily members were mainly expressed in roots, while COMT members were mainly expressed in leaves. Some FOMTs showed the tissue expression specificity by real-time quantitative PCR analysis, especially in leaves. In this study, we identified and analyzed the FOMT gene family in A. argyi, and provided a theoretical basis for further research on the function of FOMTs and the biosynthesis of methylated flavonoids in A. argyi.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the culture method of skin-derived precursors (SKPs) and to explore a new cell source for cell transplantation of central nervous system.

METHODSCells from skins of juvenile and adult mice were isolated and cultured in serum-free medium. A mechanical method was chosen to passage these cells and they were identified by the immunocytochemistry assay.

RESULTSSKPs could be isolated from adult and neonatal skins. They could be maintained in vitro for long periods with stable proliferation, and expanded as undifferentiated cells in culture for more than 12 passages. About 50% of SKPs expressed nestin and majority of these cells expressed fibronectin when they were plated on polyornithine and laminin coated plates. About 5% cells showed neuronal differentiation and expressed neurofilament-M (NF-M) and NSE when SKPs were plated in serum-containing medium, and these cells could also differentiate into adipocytes and fibroblast-like cells.

CONCLUSIONSThe data support the hypothesis that adult skin contains stem cells capable of differentiating into neurons, adipocytes, and fibroblast-like cells. They may represent an alternative autologous stem cell source for CNS cell transplantation.

Adipocytes ; Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; physiology ; Cells, Cultured ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Neurons ; Skin ; cytology ; Stem Cell Transplantation

OBJECTIVETo explore the culture conditions of human neural stem cells and to investigate the ultrastructure of neurospheres.

METHODSThe cells from the embryonic human cortices were mechanically dissociated. N2 medium was adapted to culture and expand the cells. The cells were identified by immunocytochemistry and EM was applied to examine the ultrastructure of neurospheres.

RESULTSThe neural stem cells from human embryonic brains were successfully cultured and formed typical neurospheres in suspension, and most of the cells expressed vimentin, which was a marker for neural progenitor cells, and the cells could differentiate into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. In vitro myelin formation in neurospheres were observed at an early stage of culture.

CONCLUSIONSHuman neural stem cells can be cultured from embryonic brains, can form the typical neurospheres in suspension in vitro and have the ability of myelinating, and may be potential source for transplantation in treating myelin disorders.

Brain ; cytology ; Cells, Cultured ; Culture Media ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron ; Myelin Sheath ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Neurons ; cytology ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells ; physiology ; ultrastructure

OBJECTIVETo investigate the differentiative capability of adult human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into Schwann-like cells.

METHODSBone marrows were aspirated from healthy donors and mononuclear cells were separated by Percoll lymphocytes separation liquid (1.073 g/ml) with centrifugation, cells were cultured in DMEM/F12 (1:1) medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 20 ng/ml epidermal growth factor (EGF) and 20 ng/ml basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Cells of passage 1 were identified with immunocytochemistry.

RESULTSMononuclear cells separated by Percoll's were passaged 10 times by trypsin/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) digestion in 40 days, and BMSCs increased about 6x10(7) times in this short period. Immunohistochemistry identified that BMSCs were CD34- and CD31-, but they expressed neuron specific enolase; 0.01%-0.02% of total cells expressed nestin, the marker for neural progenitor cells; 40%-50% cells stained heavily by neurofilament 200; and no glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) positive cells were identified; S100 expression was detected among 0.1%-0.2% cells.

CONCLUSIONSBone marrow contains the stem cells with the ability of differentiating into Schwann-like cells, which may represent an alternative stem cell sources for neural transplantation.

Adult ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; physiology ; Cell Proliferation ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intermediate Filament Proteins ; metabolism ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; metabolism ; Nestin ; Neurofilament Proteins ; metabolism ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; metabolism ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Schwann Cells ; cytology

OBJECTIVETo construct a phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase beta (PI4K-beta) mutant with the 325th to 373rd amino acid codons deleted, and try to develop a simple method for constructing middle fragment deletion mutant.

METHODSIn line with the mechanism of gene splicing by overlap extension(SOE), an additional PCR was used to get the PI4K-beta mutant in which the 325th to 373rd amino acid codons were deleted. Then the mutated gene was cloned into pCMV-Tag4A mammalian expression vector.

RESULTSA mutant with the 325th to 373rd amino acid codons deleted was constructed successfully.

CONCLUSIONThe improved SOE is a very effective and reliable method to construct middle fragment deletion mutant. It is worthy to be popularized.

1-Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase ; genetics ; Base Sequence ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Mutation ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Protein Engineering ; methods ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; Sequence Deletion

Copy number aberrations (CNAs) in chromosome arm 8q have been associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes of several cancers and progressive tumor characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).This study was to identify correlation of CNAs in 8q with clinical outcomes of HCC patients,and further screen for differentially expressed genes in outcome-related CNAs.Array comparative genomic hybridization and expression arrays were performed to detect CNAs and expression levels,respectively.The correlations between CNAs in 8q and outcomes were analyzed in 66 patients,with a median follow-up time of 45.0 months (range,2.6-108.6 months).One hundred and nine cases were further evaluated to identify differentially expressed genes in the potential outcome-related CNAs.Copy number gain in 8q was observed in 22 (33.3 ％) of the 66 HCC cases.The most recurrent gains (with frequencies ＞20％) were 8q13.3-21.3,8q21.3-23.3,8q23.3-24.13,8q24.13-24.3,and 8q24.3.Survival analysis showed that 8q24.13-24.3 gain was significantly associated with reduced overall survival (P=0.010).Multivariate Cox analysis identified 8q24.13-24.3 gain as an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival (HR=2.47;95％CI=1.16-5.26;P=0.019).A panel of 17 genes within the 8q24.13-24.3 region,including ATAD2,SQLE,PVT1,ASAP1,and NDRG1 were significantly upregulated in HCCs with 8q24.13-24.3 gain compared to those without.These results suggest that copy number gain at 8q24.13-24.3 is an unfavorable prognostic marker for HCC patients,and the potential oncogenes ATAD2,SQLE,PVT1,ASAP1,and NDRG1 within the regional gain,may contribute coordinately to the 8q24.13-24.3 gain-related poor prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: To set up a prostate cancer cell line in which beta-catenin expression is stably suppressed and to investigate the role of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway in prostate tumorgenesis. METHODS: We select 3 sites in the complete coden sequence region of beta-catenin gene as the RNAi targets, ligated the annealed double pre-DNA strands into the retroviral vectors pSUPER-retro and transfected them into the packaging cells PA317, and then collected supernatant with retrovirus to infect DU145. After selection by puromycin and culture expansion, the stable cell clones were attained. Expression of the 2 target genes of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway cyclinD1 and c-myc, was detected in the beta-catenin RNAi cells by Western blot. The effect of suppressing beta-catenin by RNAi on cell proliferation was quantified by methylthiazoletetrazolium (MTT) assay. RESULTS: Western blotting and RT-PCR showed that the expression level of beta-catenin in the 2 stable cell clones apparently decreased. CyclinD1 and c-myc expression decreased in the beta-catenin RNAi cells. MTT showed that the cell number of beta-catenin expression suppression cell clones decreased significantly (P < 0. 05), suggesting the cell proliferation was prevented. CONCLUSION The beta-catenin gene stable suppression cell line was successfully established.
Cell Line, Tumor ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Retroviridae ; genetics ; Signal Transduction ; Wnt Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; beta Catenin ; biosynthesis ; genetics

Objective To explore whether preoperative treatment of hydrocephalus could change the occurrence of postoperative hydrocephalus after tumor resection in children with posterior fossa tumor, and analyze the risk factors of postoperative hydrocephalus. Methods Sixty-three children with posterior fossa tumors accompanied with hydrocephalus, admitted to our hospital from January 2003 to December 2009, were chosen; conservative treatment of preoperative hydrocephalus was performed in 43 patients and surgery was performed in the other 20 patients. The clinical data of these patients were retrospectively analyzed and the occurrence of postoperative hydrocephalus in patients performed conservative treatment and tumor resection was compared. Gender, age, Evans index, location of the tumor, extent of the tumor resection, pathology of the tumor were analyzed as risk factors using logistic regression. Results Occurrence of hydrocephalus after tumor resection showed no statistical differences between patients accepted conservative treatment (14/43, 32.6%) and patients received surgical treatment ([8/20, 40.0%], P=0.564). Evans index, location of the tumor and extent of resection were related to hydrocephalus relapse after tumor resection(P=0.029, P=0.036, P=0.038). Conclusion Preoperative treatment of hydrocephalus could not change the occurrence of hydrocephalus after tumor resection. Evans index, location of the tumor and extent of tumor resection are all risk factors of postoperative hydrocephalus.