This study investigated whether four cumulus-specific genes: follicular stimulating hormone receptor (FSHr), hyaluronan synthase 2 (Has2), prostaglandin synthase 2 (Ptgs2) and steroidogenic acute regulator protein (Star), were correctly reprogrammed to be transcriptionally silent following somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in a murine model. Cumulus cells of C57xCBA F1 female mouse were injected into enucleated oocytes, followed by activation in 10 micromol/L strontium chloride for 5 h and subsequent in vitro culture up to the blastocyst stage. Expression of cumulus-specific genes in SCNT-derived embryos at 2-cell, 4-cell and day 4.5 blastocyst stages was compared with corresponding in vivo fertilized embryos by real-time PCR. It was demonstrated that immediately after the first cell cycle, SCNT-derived 2-cell stage embryos did not express all four cumulus-specific genes, which continually remained silent at the 4-cell and blastocyst stages. It is therefore concluded that all four cumulus-specific genes were correctly reprogrammed to be silent following nuclear transfer with cumulus donor cells in the mouse model. This would imply that the poor preimplantation developmental competence of SCNT embryos derived from cumulus cells is due to incomplete reprogramming of other embryonic genes, rather than cumulus-specific genes.
Animals ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; genetics ; Embryo, Mammalian ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Silencing ; Glucuronosyltransferase ; genetics ; Hyaluronan Synthases ; Male ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Nuclear Transfer Techniques ; Phosphoproteins ; genetics ; Receptors, FSH ; genetics ; Transcription, Genetic ; genetics

Two case reports of emergent anesthesia of critical tracheal stenosis are presented. The use of extracorporeal circulation may be a lifesaving method for these patients. Two patients both with severe lower tracheal stenosis were admitted with severe inspiratory dyspnea. The first patient had a tracheal tube inserted above the stenosis in the operating room, but ventilation was unsatisfactory, high airway pressure and severe hypercarbia developed, therefore extracorporeal circulation was immediately initiated. For the second patient, we established femoral-femoral cardiopulmonary bypass prior to induction of anaesthesia, and intubated above the tracheal tumor orally under general anesthesia, then adjusted the endotracheal tube to appropriate depth after the tumor had been resected. The patient was gradually weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass. The two patients all recovered very well after surgery. Surgery is lifesaving for patients with critical tracheal stenosis, but how to ensure effective gas exchange is crucial to the anesthetic management. Extracorporeal circulation by the femoral artery and femoral vein cannulation can gain good gas exchange even if the trachea is totally obstructed. Therefore, before the induction of anesthesia, we should assess the site and degree of obstruction carefully and set up cardiopulmonary bypass to avoid exposing the patient to unexpected risks and the anesthesiologist to unexpected challenges.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; methods ; Emergencies ; Extracorporeal Circulation ; Humans ; Male ; Pulmonary Gas Exchange ; Tracheal Stenosis ; surgery

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To evaluate the effect of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) conducted for women who had Down syndrome pregnancy previously.

<b>METHODSb>Trisomy 21 was diagnosed by using fluorescence in site hybridization (FISH) before embryo transfer in two women who had Down syndrome pregnancies. Each received one or two PGD cycles respectively.

<b>RESULTSb>Case 1: one PGD cycle was conducted, two oocytes were fertilized and biopsied. One embryo is of trisomy 21 and the other of monosomy 21. No embryo was transferred. Case 2: two PGD cycles were conducted, in total, sixteen oocytes were fertilized and biopsied. Four embryos were tested to be normal, six of trisomy 21, and one of monosomy 21. Five had no signal. Four normal embryos were transferred but no pregnancy resulted.

<b>CONCLUSIONb>For couples who had pregnancies with Down syndrome previously, PGD can be considered, and has been shown to be an effective strategy.

Adult ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21 ; genetics ; Down Syndrome ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Male ; Monosomy ; Pregnancy ; Preimplantation Diagnosis

Simple, reliable and sensitive analytical methods to determine anticariogenic agents, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners contained in commercial gargles are necessary for evaluating their effectiveness, safety, and quality. An ion chromatography (IC) method has been described to analyze simultaneously eight anions including fluoride, chloride, sulfate, phosphate, monofluorophosphate, glycerophosphate (anticariogenic agents), sorbate (a preservative), and saccharin (an artificial sweetener) in gargles. In this IC system, we applied a mobile phased gradient elution with KOH, separation by IonPac AS18 columns, and suppressed conductivity detection. Optimized analytical conditions were further evaluated for accuracy. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the inter-day's retention time and peak area of all species were less than 0.938% and 8.731%, respectively, while RSDs of 5-day retention time and peak area were less than 1.265% and 8.934%, respectively. The correlation coefficients for targeted analytes ranged from 0.999 7 to 1.000 0. The spiked recoveries for the anions were 90% approximately 102.5%. We concluded that the method can be applied for comprehensive evaluation of commercial gargles.
Cariostatic Agents ; analysis ; Chlorides ; analysis ; Chromatography, Ion Exchange ; methods ; Dental Caries ; prevention & control ; Fluorides ; analysis ; Glycerophosphates ; analysis ; Humans ; Mouthwashes ; analysis ; Phosphates ; analysis ; Preservatives, Pharmaceutical ; analysis ; Saccharin ; analysis ; Sorbic Acid ; analysis ; Sulfates ; analysis ; Sweetening Agents ; analysis

Actin can be found in all kinds of eukaryotic cells, maintaining their shapes and motilities, while its dynamics in sperm cells is understood less than their nonmuscle somatic cell counterparts. Spermatogenesis is a complicated process, resulting in the production of mature sperm from primordial germ cell. Significant structural and biochemical changes take place in the seminiferous epithelium of the adult testis during spermatogenesis. It was proved that all mammalian sperm contain actin, and that F-actin may play an important role during spermatogenesis, especially in nuclear shaping. Recently a new model for sperm head elongation based on the acrosome-acroplaxome-manchette complex has been proposed. In Drosophila, F-actin assembly is supposed to be very crucial during individualization. In this mini-review, we provide an overview of the structure, function, and regulation characteristics of actin cytoskeleton, and a summary of the current status of research of actin-based structure and movement is also provided, with emphasis on the role of actins in sperm head shaping during spermiogenesis and the cell junction dynamics in the testis. Research of the Sertoli ectoplasmic specialization is in the spotlight, which is a testis-specific actin-based junction very important for the movement of germ cells across the epithelium. Study of the molecular architecture and the regulating mechanism of the Sertoli ectoplasmic specialization has become an intriguing field. All this may lead to a new strategy for male infertility and, at the same time, a novel idea may result in devising much safer contraception with high efficiency. It is hoped that the advances listed in this review would give developmental and morphological researchers a favorable investigating outline and could help to enlarge the view of new strategies and models for actin dynamics during spermatogenesis.
Acrosome ; physiology ; Actins ; chemistry ; physiology ; Animals ; In Vitro Techniques ; Intercellular Junctions ; physiology ; Male ; Sertoli Cells ; physiology ; ultrastructure ; Sperm Motility ; physiology ; Spermatogenesis ; physiology ; Testis ; cytology ; physiology

The objective of the investigation was to study the application of ultrasound reactor technology (USRT) as a disinfectant for reduction of fungi from sewage effluent. Fungi are carbon heterotrophs that require preformed organic compounds as carbon sources. USRT is an attractive means to improve water quality because of the system simplicity and no production of toxic by-products. An ultrasound reactor produces strong cavitation in aqueous solution causing shock waves and reactive free radicals by the violent collapse of the cavitation bubble. These effects should contribute to the physical disruption of microbial structures and inactivation of organisms. There was significant reduction in fungal growth, with decreased fungal growth with increasing USRT. In this study, ultrasound irradiation at a frequency of 42 kHz was used to expose suspensions of fungi to evaluate the disinfection efficacy of the ultrasound reactor. Also, this study showed that in this system more than 99% reduction of sewage fungi was achieved after 60 min.
Colony Count, Microbial ; Disinfection ; methods ; Fungi ; growth & development ; isolation & purification ; Sewage ; microbiology ; Ultrasonics

Potential growth of two widely-grown hybrid rice varieties in the Jinhua district of Zhejiang Province, Shanyou63 for mid-rice and Xieyou46 for late rice, was simulated using a crop growth model of WOFOST. Parameters of the rice growth in WOFOST were calibrated through field experiments from 1999 to 2002 in Jinhua. The potential yield simulated with WOFOST was about 12 t/ha for Shanyou63 and 10 t/ha for Xieyou46, which are in good agreement with the highest recorded yield obtained in this area. Under farmers practice, current yield is about 7.5 t/ha for Shanyou63 and 6.5 t/ha for Xieyou46. There is a gap between the actual rice yield and the potential yield for these two hybrid rice varieties grown in this area. The attainable target yields were set to 70% to 75% of their potential yields for the two varieties. A recently developed software "Nutrient Decision Support System (NuDSS)" for irrigated rice was used to optimize nutrient management for these two rice varieties. According to NuDSS, the optimal fertilizer N requirement for the target yields was about 150 kg/ha for Shanyou63 and about 120 kg/ha for Xieyou46, which were only about 70% of the fertilizer N application under current farmers' practice. Comparing with farmers' practice, there is great potential to increase actual rice yields and to reduce fertilizer N use rates by improving rice crop management practice in Jinhua.
Agriculture ; China ; Fertilizers ; Oryza ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Soil ; analysis

Interaction of salinity (NaCl) and cadmium (Cd) on growth, mineral nutrients, Na and Cd accumulation in four barley genotypes differing in salt tolerance was studied in a hydroponic experiment. Cd, NaCl and their combined stresses reduced Ca and Mg concentrations in roots and shoots, K concentration in shoots, increased K and Cu concentrations in roots relative to control, but had non-significant effect on micronutrients Cu, Fe and Mn concentrations in shoot. The three stresses reduced accumulation of most tested nutrients in both roots and shoots, except NaCl and NaCl+Cd stresses for root K and shoot Cu accumulation in salt tolerant genotypes. The salt tolerant genotypes did not have higher nutrient concentration and accumulation than the sensitive ones when exposed to Cd and NaCl stresses. In conclusion, the affecting mechanism of Cd stress on nutrients was to some extent different from salinity stress, and the NaCl+Cd stress was not equal to additional Cd and NaCl stresses, probably due to the different valence and competitive site of Na(+) and Cd(2+). NaCl addition in the Cd-containing medium caused remarkable reductions in both Cd concentration and accumulation, with the extent of reduction being also dependent on genotypes. The salt-tolerant genotypes had lower Na concentration than sensitive ones.
Cadmium ; metabolism ; toxicity ; Chlorophyll ; metabolism ; Genotype ; Hordeum ; drug effects ; genetics ; metabolism ; Minerals ; metabolism ; Sodium ; metabolism ; Sodium Chloride

Turmeric has long been used as a spice and food colouring agent in Asia. In the present investigation, the antimutagenic potential of curcumin was evaluated in Allium cepa root meristem cells. So far there is no report on the biological properties of curcumin in plant test systems. The root tip cells were treated with sodium azide at 200 and 300 microg/ml for 3 h and curcumin was given at 5, 10 and 20 microg/ml for 16 h, prior to sodium azide treatment. The tips were squashed after colchicine treatment and the cells were analyzed for chromosome aberration and mitotic index. Curcumin induces chromosomal aberration in Allium cepa root tip cells in an insignificant manner, when compared with untreated control. Sodium azide alone induces chromosomal aberrations significantly with increasing concentrations. The total number of aberrations was significantly reduced in root tip cells pretreated with curcumin. The study reveals that curcumin has antimutagenic potential against sodium azide induced chromosomal aberrations in Allium cepa root meristem cells. In addition, it showed mild cytotoxicity by reducing the percentage of mitotic index in all curcumin treated groups, but the mechanism of action remains unknown. The antimutagenic potential of curcumin is effective at 5 microg/ml in Allium cepa root meristem cells.
Antimutagenic Agents ; pharmacology ; Chromosome Aberrations ; drug effects ; Curcumin ; pharmacology ; Meristem ; drug effects ; genetics ; Mutagens ; toxicity ; Onions ; drug effects ; genetics ; Sodium Azide ; toxicity

Leaf senescence is often caused by water deficit and the chimeric gene P(SAG12)-IPT is an auto-regulated gene delaying leaf senescence. Using in vitro leaf discs culture system, the changes of contents of chlorophylls, carotenoids, soluble protein and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and antioxidant enzymes activities were investigated during leaf senescence of P(SAGl2)-IPT modified gerbera induced by osmotic stress compared with the control plant (wild type). Leaf discs were incubated in 20%, 40% (w/v) polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 nutrient solution for 20 h under continuous light [130 micromol/(m(2) x s)]. The results showed that the contents of chlorophylls, carotenoids and soluble protein were decreased by osmotic stress with the decrease being more pronounced at 40% PEG, but that, at the same PEG concentration the decrease in the transgenic plants was significantly lower than that in the control plant. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalases (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) were stimulated by PEG treatment. However, the increases were higher in P(SAG12)-IPT transgenic plants than in the control plants, particularly at 40% PEG treatment. Lipid peroxidation (TBARS content) was increased by PEG treatment with the increase being much lower in transgenic plant than in the control plant. It could be concluded that the increases in the activities of antioxidant enzymes including SOD, CAT, APX, GPX and DHAR were responsible for the delay of leaf senescence induced by osmotic stress.
Alkyl and Aryl Transferases ; genetics ; Antioxidants ; metabolism ; Arabidopsis Proteins ; genetics ; Ascorbate Peroxidases ; Asteraceae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Carotenoids ; metabolism ; Catalase ; metabolism ; Chlorophyll ; metabolism ; Cysteine Endopeptidases ; genetics ; Genes, Bacterial ; Genes, Plant ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Osmotic Pressure ; Oxidoreductases ; metabolism ; Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Peroxidases ; metabolism ; Plant Leaves ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; metabolism ; Plants, Genetically Modified ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Solubility ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism