In order to improve the noise ratio and stability of the amplified small-signal in microwave-induced thermoacoustic tomography,an amplifying circuit with wide band and high voltage gain is designed in this paper.The results show that the voltage gain is up to 80dB and the bandwidth is about 7MHz.

Objective:To investigate the effect of licochalcone A on osteoarthritis in rats and its relationship with p38-MAPK inflammatory signaling pathway.Methods:A total of 160 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into blank non-intervention, blank intervention, arthritis non- intervention and arthritis intervention groups with 40 rats in each group. Rats in the arthritis groups were subjected to unilateral anterior cruciate ligament transection, while rats in the blank groups were only subjected to skin incision and suture. Rats in the intervention groups were treated by intra-articular injection of 1 mL 10 μmol/L licochalcone A for 8 successive weeks. Eight weeks later, the cartilage of rats in each group was stained with safranin, and osteoarthritis soft tissue was scored according to Osteoarthritis Research Society International guideline under the optical microscope. The cartilage was cultured in low glucose cell culture medium supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum for 48 hours. The contents of nitric oxide, prostaglandin E 2, sulfated glycosaminoglycan and collagen II in the medium were determined by the chemiluminescence reaction method. The expression levels of p38, phosphorylated p38 (p-p38) and matrix metalloproteinase in cartilage tissue were detected by western blot assay. Results:The progress of osteoarthritis in rats treated with licochalcone A was slow. The Osteoarthritis Research Society International score in the arthritis intervention group was significantly lower than that in the arthritis non-intervention group [(3.8 ± 1.7) points vs. (9.7 ± 1.2) points, P = 0.0064]. The contents of nitric oxide, prostaglandin E 2, sulfated glycosaminoglycan, and collagen II in the arthritis intervention group were (77.84 ± 17.65) μmol/mg and (6.78 ± 1.76) ng/mg, (89.78 ± 9.76) μg/mg, and (1.78 ± 0.76) μg/mg, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the arthritis non-intervention group [(107.56 ± 18.74) μmol/mg, (10.756 ± 1.87) ng/mg, (125.75 ± 8.87) μg/mg, (3.76 ± 0.88) μg/mg, (NO: P = 0.002; PGE 2: P < 0.001; sGAG: P < 0.001; Collagen II: P < 0.001). Western blot assay results revealed that the relative expression of p38, p-p38, p-p38 to total p38 ratio, matrix metalloproteinase in the arthritis intervention group were (3 454 ± 421), (2 072 ± 175), (0.65 ± 0.14 )and (1 776 ± 765), respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the arthritis non-intervention group (5 322 ± 323), (4 257 ± 184), (0.89 ± 0.11), (3 865 ± 874)( p38: P < 0.001; p-p38: P < 0.001; p-p38/p38: P = 0.002; MMP: P = 0.001). Conclusion:Licochalcone A can delay the progression of osteoarthritis in rats with osteoarthritis through inhibiting inflammatory reaction and cartilage matrix degradation, and p38-MAPK signaling pathway may be involved in the regulation process.

OBJECTlVE To study the anti-HBV activity of prepared recombinant human serum aIbu-min-interferon α-2b fusion protein(HSA-IFNα-2b) in vitro. METHODS HepG2 ceIIs were infected with recombinant adenovirus with green fIuorescence protein and 1.6-foId HBV DNA(AdGFP-HBV). The ex-pression of HBV antigens,HBsAg and HBeAg in cuIture medium was detected by ELISA assay. The tox-icity of HSA-IFNα-2b on HepG2 ceIIs was evaIuated by mTT assay.The reIative expression of HBV RNA in ceIIs and the absoIute quantity of HBV DNA in cuIture supernatant were determined by quantitative PCR assay. The activity of HBV enhancer Ⅰ was detected by DuaI-Reporter gene assay. RESULTS HBV couId repIicate and express in HepG2 ceIIs after infection with AdGFP-HBV. The expression of HBsAg and HBeAg in cuIture serum of HepG2 ceIIs infected with AdGFP-HBV decreased by 51.32%(P﹤0.01)and 50.26%(P﹤0.01),respectiveIy,when HSA-IFNα-2b 500 kU·L-1 was added. The same concentration of HSA-IFNα-2b didn't inhibit the proIiferation of HepG2 ceIIs,but inhibited HBsAg in a concentration-dependent manner. The regression formuIa between HBsAg inhibitory rate(Y)and con-centration of HSA-IFNα-2b(X)was Y=21.11 IgX+11.91(r 2 = 0.954),IC50 = 63.76 kU·L-1 . HBV RNA in ceIIs and HBV DNA in the cuIture serum decreased by 52.83%(P﹤0.01)and 53.07%(P﹤0.01), respectiveIy,when HSA-IFNα-2b 500 kU·L-1 was added. The activity of enhancer Ⅰ decreased by 40.04%(P﹤0.01)when HSA-IFNα-2b 500 kU·L-1 was added. CONCLUSlON The ceII modeI of HBV repIication for evaIuating anti-HBV agents is successfuIIy estabIished. HSA-IFNα-2b exhibits noticeabIe anti-HBV effect invitro.

According to the results of analyzing the microwave-induced thermoacoustic signals, the amplitude and frequency were estimated and the designing parameters of preprocessor were decided. Based on the parameters, the signals preprocessor was designed with the band pass frequency ranging from 50 KHz to 3MHz, the gain ranging from 55 dB to 105 dB and the output noise being 1.32 V when the input was zero and the gain was 105 dB. The de-noising method of thermoacoustic signals was also discussed. The signals can be picked up by the preprocessor combined with the digital multipoint average method. The amplitude of signals is only 5 microV or even less. The results indicated that the preprocessor can meet the needs of thermoacoustic signals acquisition in bandwidth, gain and noise control.
Acoustics ; instrumentation ; Algorithms ; Biophysical Phenomena ; Computer-Aided Design ; Equipment Design ; Microwaves ; Thermography ; instrumentation ; methods ; Tomography ; instrumentation ; methods

A total of 38 cases of senile brucella spondylitis disease at our hospital during January 2002 and March 2012 were analyzed .After admission , all of them were definitely diagnosed on the basis of epidemiological history , clinical manifestations , laboratory tests , imaging and pathological examinations . Over a follow-up period of 12 months, 17 cases were cured after standardized drug treatment .Among 21 surgical cases, there were curing (n=17) and improving (n=2).Senile brucellosis spondylitis has distinct serological and pathological characteristics .And formulating the diagnostic criteria may improve its diagnostic rate and reduce its misdiagnostic rate .And standardized drug therapy achieves a better curing rate and a proper timing of surgical intervention improves its clinical outcomes .

OBJECTIVETo construct a dual-reporter gene system that will be applicable for use as a tool to screen and evaluate therapeutic drug compounds that inhibit transcription of the gene encoding collagen I, chain at1 (COL1A1).

METHODSThe full-length eDNA of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) was cloned by RT-PCR and inserted into two vectors, pcDNA3.1 and pJW4303, for construction of two eukaryotic expression vectors, pcDNA3.1-TGFbeta1 and pJW4303-TGFbeta1.Next, the promoter region of COL1A1, cloned by PCR using human genome DNA as template, was inserted into the vector pGL4.29 to construct the reporter gene vector, pGL4.29-COL1A1 promoter.All three recombinant vectors were verified by restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing.Either the pcDNA3.1-TGFbeta1 or pJW4303-TGFbeta1 vector along with the pGL4.29-COL1A1 promoter vector or a pRL-null, control reporter, vector were co-transfected into the LX-2 human hepatic stellate cells to establish the transcription-activated dualreporter gene system.This system was used as a cell model for screening anti-liver fibrosis compounds that inhibit the transcription of COL1A1.Dexamethasone, a model drug that is known to inhibit the expression of COL1A1, was used as a control to validate the dual-reporter gene system.

RESULTSThe two TGFbeta1-expressing vectors and the reporter gene vector containing the promoter region of COL1A1 were successfully constructed.The results of a dual-reporter gene assay showed that TGFbeta1 co-expression increased the activity of the COL1A1 promoter by above 200-fold (t =21.78, P =0.0001), whereas in the absence of TGF31 co-expression the activity was below 2-fold (t =3.396, P =0.0274).The transcriptionactivated dual-reporter gene system was successfully established.The model drug, dexamethasone, effectively inhibited the activity of the COL 1A1 promoter in dose-dependent manner; the activity decreased 29.6% with 10 mumol/L dexamethasone (t =4.140, P =0.0144) and 53.9% with 100 mumol/L (t =6.193, P =0.0035).

CONCLUSIONThe dual-luciferase reporter system of TGFbeta1 and COL1A1 co-expression developed here can be used as a cell model to screen and evaluate anti-liver fibrosis compounds that inhibit activity of the COL1A1.

Base Sequence ; Collagen Type I ; genetics ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Genes, Reporter ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; drug therapy ; Luciferases ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Transcriptional Activation ; drug effects ; Transfection ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

Indolylarylsulfones (IASs) are classical HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) with a unique scaffold and possess potent antiviral activity. To address the high cytotoxicity and improve safety profiles of IASs, we introduced various sulfonamide groups linked by alkyl diamine chain to explore the entrance channel of non-nucleoside inhibitors binding pocket. 48 compounds were designed and synthesized to evaluate their anti-HIV-1 activities and reverse transcriptase inhibition activities. Especially, compound R₁₀L₄ was endowed with significant inhibitory activity towards wild-type HIV-1 (EC_50(WT) = 0.007 μmol/L, SI = 30,930) as well as a panel of single-mutant strains exemplified by L100I (EC₅₀ = 0.017 μmol/L, SI = 13,055), E138K (EC₅₀ = 0.017 μmol/L, SI = 13,123) and Y181C (EC₅₀ = 0.045 μmol/L, SI = 4753) which were superior to Nevirapine and Etravirine. Notably, R₁₀L₄ was characterized with significantly reduced cytotoxicity (CC₅₀ = 216.51 μmol/L) and showed no remarkable in vivo toxic effects (acute and subacute toxicity). Moreover, the computer-based docking study was also employed to characterize the binding mode between R₁₀L₄ and HIV-1 RT. Additionally, R₁₀L₄ presented an acceptable pharmacokinetic profile. Collectively, these results deliver precious insights for next optimization and indicate that the sulfonamide IAS derivatives are promising NNRTIs for further development.