AIM: To explore whether strontium ranelate ( Sr ) promotes osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) through the Hedgehog/Gli1 signaling pathway.METHODS:BMSCs were isolated from 4-week-old rats by adherent culture and induced to differentiate into osteoblasts .According to the experimental purposes , the cells were exposed to different concentrations of Sr , cyclopamine ( Cy, an inhibitor of Hedgehog receptor ) or Gli1-siR-NA.The expression of Gli1 and Runx2 in the cells was detected by Western blotting .The activity of alkaline phosphatase ( ALP) was measured by the method of colorimetry , and the mineralized nodules were observed under microscope with aliz-arin red staining .RESULTS:Exposure to Sr at concentrations of 0.1 to 5 mmol/L for 7 d markedly increased the expres-sion of Gli1 in the BMSCs , and the increase in Gli1 expression was the most obvious following Sr exposure at concentration of 3 mmol/L.Cy at concentration of 10 μmol/L inhibited Sr-induced up-regulation of Gli1 expression.Transfection of the BMSCs with Gli1-siRNA not only obviously inhibited Sr-induced up-regulation of Gli1 and Runx2 ( a downstream protein of Gli1) expression, but also antagonized Sr-induced enhancement of ALP activity and the formation of mineralized nodules . CONCLUSION:The Hedgehog/Gli1 pathway is involved in Sr-induced osteogenic differentiation of rat BMSCs .

Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Keratin-18 ; metabolism ; Mucin-1 ; metabolism ; Omentum ; metabolism ; pathology ; Peritoneal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Pregnancy ; Trophoblastic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Trophoblastic Tumor, Placental Site ; pathology ; Vimentin ; metabolism

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Behavior Assessment for Children (BAC) in a community of school-aged children in Taiwan. METHOD: A school-based sample comprising third grade and fourth grade students was recruited from Taichung City in Taiwan. The parents (n = 248) and teachers (n = 15) of these students completed structured questionnaires, including the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the proposed BAC. Content validity, concurrent validity, construct validity, internal consistency, and inter-rater reliability of the BAC were assessed. RESULTS: The BAC comprised three subscales (attention, emotion, and self-control) that included 17 items. The content validity index (CVI) score was 0.98. The result of the confirmatory factor analysis (goodness of fit = .90, root mean square of residual = .03, root mean square error of approximation = .06, and comparative fit index = .94) supported the construct validity of the three BAC subscales. The concurrent validity of the BAC subscales significantly correlated with the compatible CBCL subscales (r = .59-.78, p < .001). Cronbach α of the subscales of the BAC ranged from .78 to .92. The intraclass correlation coefficient between the parents and teachers ranged from .31 to .44, and the joint probability of agreement ranged from 31.4% to 92.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The BAC is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating behavioral problems in schoolaged children.
*Attention ; Child ; Child Behavior Disorders/*diagnosis ; *Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures ; *Emotions ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results ; *Self-Control ; Taiwan

Objective To investigate the effects of different standard cross sections and angles on the measurement accuracy of induced postnatal fetal long bones. Methods Fetal long bones (femori and humeri) in 30 cases with induced abortion were measured utilizing ultrasound from different angles and /or at different directions. The values measured from different sections and angles with vernier calipers were compared prenatally and postnatally. Results There was no apparent difference between the pre-induced abortion and those of the post-induced abortion. The results in the 30 cases showed that: (1) the values measured from anterior 90 degree, the long bone length would best match with the bare long bone length up to 96.7%, the match rate of other angles and/or directions was up to 80%; (2) no apparent statistical difference was between the length of left and right bone and no difference was found using 4 different directions and 3 different angles; (3)there was no difference between the left and right femuri and humeri.Conclusions Though the measured value from anterior 90 degree direction was the most accurate one, the statistical analtical results showed no difference among 12 values measured from 3 different angles and/or 4 different directions.

Objectives To discuss the clinical characteristic, cause and measures to prevention and control of nosocomial infection in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods Retrospectively analyzed an nosocomial infection outbreak of Klebsiella pneumoniae in NICU. Results From Sept. 3, 2010 to Oct. 3, 2010, there were 7 cases of hospital infection in 12 cases of sputum cultured Klebsiella Pneumoniae. The gestational age (GA) of 7 hospital infection cases was 28.5±2.6 week. The birth weight of infection cases was 941.4±309.8 g. The onset of infection was at 31.7±12.8 d of hospitalization. The nosocomial incidence was 2.41%in the hospital, which was 5.79%in preterm infants, 50.00%in GA<28w infants, and 42.86%in extremely low birth weight infant (ELBW). All sputum culture results were displayed as multi-drug resistant of Klebsiella pneumoniae, penicillin and third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic resistance rate of 75%to 100%. The resistance rates to penicillin and cephem antibiotics were 75% -100%, carbapenems was 58.3%, piperacillin/tazobactam was 25.0%. All nosocomial patients were cured. Conclusions GA<28w and ELBW infants are at increased risk of nosocomial infection in NICU. The emergence of carbapenems resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae has been increasing with the widespread use of carbapenems. Hospital infection can be controlled by standardized medical behavior, which can decline the nosocomial infection incidence and mortality of preterm infants in NICU.

In this study, we investigated the pharmacokinetics parameters of SPIO-shRNA dual functional molecular probe and observed the main organ distribution by MRI in vivo. Eighteen New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups and injected intravenously with different doses of SPIO-shRNA molecular probe, respectively. The blood samples were collected to analyze the pharmacokinetic parameters by measuring the iron content at 30 minutes before and after the injection. Twenty-four Kun Ming (KM) mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: the control group was injected intravenously with physiological saline 200 µL per mouse via the tail vein, the other 3 groups were injected intravenously with different doses of SPIO-shRNA molecular probe. MRI observation was performed in 24 hours, and the liver, spleen, kidney, brain and muscle were collected for iron quantification with Prussian blue staining to determine distribution of the SPIO-shRNA molecular probe in the main organ in vivo. Our results suggest that the molecular probe blood half-life is more than 3 hours. The data of MRI suggest the probe was distributed in liver and spleen, and the MRI signal was reduced with the increase in probe's doses (P < 0.05). The results of Prussian blue staining confirmed the results of MRI. Most of the probe could escape the phagocytosis of mononuclear phagocyte system. Our data provide the pharmacokinetic and distribution of SPIO-shRNA molecular probe in organs. Meanwhile, it suggests the choice of the time and dose of probe for MR imaging of tumor in vivo.
Animals ; Half-Life ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetite Nanoparticles ; Mice ; Molecular Probes ; pharmacokinetics ; RNA, Small Interfering ; chemistry ; Rabbits

Death domain-associated protein (DAXX) as a multifunctional nuclear protein widely resides in nucleolus, nucleoplasm, chromatin, promyelocytic leukaemia nuclear bodies (PML-NBs) and cytoplasm. It plays significant roles in transcriptional regulation, apoptosis, cell cycle and other biological activities. Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) is required for SUMOylation which is a highly conserved post-translational modification in a wide variety of cellular processes. Numerous studies demonstrated that SUMOylation has a great effect on the subcellular localization and functional regulation of DAXX. This review will provide a summary for SUMOylation of DAXX.
Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; physiology ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; Nuclear Proteins ; physiology ; Sumoylation

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the impact of nicotine- and tar-free cigarette smoke extract (fCSE) on the serum testosterone (T) level and erectile function of male rats.

METHODSWe randomized 30 male SD rats to three groups of equal number to receive subcutaneous injection of PBS (1.0 ml / 300 g body weight per day), fCSE (1.0 ml/300 g body weight per day), and reduced glutathione hormone (GSH, 200 mg per kg body weight per day) in addition to fCSE (fCSE + GSH), respectively, all for 8 weeks. Then we evaluated the erectile function of the rats by measuring the maximal intracavernous pressure (MICP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), ICP/MAP ratio, time of stimulation to MICP (Tmax), and cavernosal filling fate (CFR). We determined the serum T level, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) , malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the cavernosal tissue, and also observed the morphological changes of the corpus cavernosum.

RESULTSCompared with the controls, the rats of the fCSE group showed obvious decreases in the levels of serum T ([5.37 ± 1.43] vs [3.22 ± 1.11] μg/L), NOS ([2.90 ± 0.27] vs [1.67 ± 0.18] U/mg) , and SOD ([18.41 ± 1.09] vs [13.36 ± 1.18] U/mg prot) and erectile function-related indexes MICP ([85.92 ± 6.36] vs [58.99 ± 10.76] mmHg), MICP/MAP (0.86 ± 0.09 vs [0.56 ± 0.08]), and CFR (2.14 ± 0.44 vs 0.89 ± 0.44), but markedly increased Tmax ([29.90 ± 5.78] vs [42.90 ± 8.56]s), with a positive correlation between the serum T level and CFR (r = 0. 364, P < 0.05). Masson staining revealed a lower ratio of the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle tissue to collagen fiber in the fCSE group (0.27 ± 0.04) than in the control (0.98 ± 0.12). Compared with the fCSE group, the fCSE + GSH group exhibited significantly improved MICP ([58.99 ± 10.76 ] vs [77.95 ± 7.71] mmHg), MICP/MAP (0.56 ± 0.08 vs 0.77 ± 0.09), and CFR (0.89 ± 0.44] vs 1.76 ± 0.42) and shortened Tmax ([42.90 ± 8.56 ] vs [32.10 ± 5.84 ] s). The ratio of the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle tissue to collagen fiber was higher in the fCSE + GSH than in the fCSE group (0.77 ± 0.09 vs 0.27 ± 0.04) but still lower than in the control (0.98 ± 0.12).

CONCLUSIONNicotine- and tar-free cigarette smoke extract reduces the serum T level and erectile function of rats, which is related to oxidative stress. Antioxidant therapy can improve erectile function but has a limited value for morphological protection of the penile tissue.

Animals ; Erectile Dysfunction ; chemically induced ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Muscle, Smooth ; pathology ; Nicotine ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Penile Erection ; drug effects ; Penis ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Smoke ; adverse effects ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Tars ; Tobacco ; adverse effects

OBJECTIVETo explore the mechanism of transcription regulation of the liver-selective genes responsible for cell communication.

METHODSTissue-selective Affymetrix probe sets (3919 probes in total) were clustered by functional categories. Liver-selective cell communication (LSCC) genes were selected for further analysis. The 500-bp upstream sequences of all the LSCC genes were extracted for predicting the transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) of known transcription factors (TFs) using 3 programs; literature mining was then performed for these LSCC genes and TFs, and the transcription regulatory network were constructed.

RESULTSThe binding sites of 50 and 72 transcription factors were predicted from the upstream sequences of 23 LSCC genes by two programs respectively. Among them, 18 transcription factors were found in common. The top 10 TFBS sequences were basically consistent to the predicted TFs. Literature mining indicated that LSCC genes and TFs were closely related to such terms as albumin, diabetes, glucose, lipid, metabolism, and JNK, in addition to those associated with hepatic tissue and TFs. These observations suggested that LSCC genes and TFs were involved in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, binding and transport, coagulation signal cascades, inflammatory response, etc. PPP2R1B, which was out of the network, showed a partial functional similarity to DUSP10 in the network.

CONCLUSIONSLSCC genes and the predicted TFs may be involved in the regulation of many important functions of the liver, which are integrated into a sophisticated transcription regulatory network. JUN may be the key target for regulation, and PPP2R1B is presumed to participate in the regulation of JUN.

Binding Sites ; genetics ; Cell Communication ; genetics ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; genetics ; Humans ; Liver ; cytology ; metabolism ; Models, Biological ; Transcription Factors ; genetics ; Transcription, Genetic

OBJECTIVETo analyze alterations in the gene expression profiles of Velcade-treated K562 cells using bioinformatics methods.

METHODSThe total RNAs of Velcade-treated and control K562 cells were amplified and labeled with fluorescent dyes. The labeled RNAs were hybridized to Agilent Human 1A Microarray, and the raw expression data were processed with Agilent Feature Extraction Software. GeneSifter and GATHER were used for data analysis of the differentially expressed genes to perform gene ontology classification, KEGG pathway analysis, functional protein association network construction and literature mining.

RESULTSTotally 228 differentially expressed genes were identified in the Velcade-treated K562 cells. including 84 up-regulated and 144 down-regulated genes. Chymase 1 gene had the greatest down-regulation by 10.80 folds (log ratio), and interferon alpha-21 gene was also down-regulated by 2.31 folds. Gene ontology classification suggested enhanced aging and leukocyte activity. KEGG pathway analysis showed significant impact of Velcade on JAK-STAT signaling pathway, cytotoxicity mediated by natural killer cells, and antigen processing and presentation pathways. Protein-protein interaction analysis revealed that ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolism, antigen presentation and immune response, as well as JAK-STAT signaling pathway were the major elements of the protein network. Literature mining showed that the differentially expressed genes were strongly associated with terms such as leukemia, apoptosis, cell cycle, proteasome, inhibitor, aging and IkappaB, etc.

CONCLUSIONSVelcade may inhibit the cell survival pathways such as NF-kappaB and JAK-STAT signaling pathways to enhance the cytotoxicity and inducing tumor cell apoptosis. Velcade might also be involved in antigen processing and presentation, immune response and inflammation. Chymase 1 gene is probably the key target of Velcade.

Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Boronic Acids ; pharmacology ; Bortezomib ; Chymases ; genetics ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Humans ; K562 Cells ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods ; Pyrazines ; pharmacology