Blood Flow Velocity ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels

Atomic force microscopy is a powerful new tool to investigate the structure and measure the relationship between structure of surfaces and functions in microorganisms. Comparing with conventional electron microscope, atomic force microscope has higher resolution and can image real-time structures from atomic to molecular scale in three-dimensional mode under physiological condition. Therefore, atomic force microscope is being used in almost every aspect of microbiology and has gotten many exciting findings.

CAS (Chrome azurol S) assay was a universal method for detecting the bacterial siderophores, and Sugar-Asn liquid medium has been applied to the studies on siderophores from Pieudomonas. In this paper, Asp has been substituted for Asn, and MSA-CAS agar plate was developed by integrating the MSA (sugar-Asp) medium and CAS bright blue dye, which has been used in the universal CAS assay. On the aspect of siderophores detection , 8 strains of 7 species from Pseudomonas had been screened on MSA-CAS agar plates and universal CAS assay respectively. The results showed that MSA-CAS agar was higher-sensitive and lower basic fluorescent than universal CAS assay.

A novel stable blue agar plate which is convenient to preparing and more effective than the universal chrome azurol sulfonate (CAS) assay established by Schwyn and Neilands was designed by replacing MM9 growth medium and pipes with certain concentrate of phosphorus buffer solution which pH could be stabled at 6.8. It is more suitable for screening over- siderophores production bacteria. Since OD_ 630 of the sample is usually out of the range of spectrophotometer with CAS assay solution when quantifying the siderophores and the outcome is not steady,the measuring wavelength had been changed to 680 nm corresponding to the middle of max absorbance and the correlation between siderophores concentrations and OD was unchanged. But the detecting sensitivity is elevated by enlarged the absorbance differences among samples with different productivity of siderophores at 680 nm .

Animals ; Chlorine ; toxicity ; Interleukin-8 ; metabolism ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Pulmonary Emphysema ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Time Factors ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

A bacterium strain BFHM2002 is isolated from Lake Donghu, Wuhan. BFHM2002 has advantages that it can produce melanin with a high rate and high yield in the absence of tyrosine. Induced by tyrosine, melanin yield can be dramatically increased. BFHM2002 may be identified as a new strain in Bacillus firmus, for melanin-production.

The chemical structures of P1 A was identified by complete acid hydrolysis, partial acid hydrolysis, periodate oxidation-Smith degradation, methylation analysis, IR and NMR. The results showed that P1 A had a backbone consisting rhamnose, mannose, glucose and galactose. The side chain possessed arabinose and xylose. 1-->, 1-->6 and non-reducing terminal linkages existed in polysaccharide P1A, but there are doubling amount of 1-->2 and 1-->4 linkages. Oxidable linkage of P1 A accounted for 45%, and inoxidable linkage of P1A accounted for 55%. Mannose, glucose and galactose were mainly linked by 1-->2 linkage. Rhamnose, arabinose and xylose were mainly linked by 1-->2 and 1-->4 linkages. PlA contained beta-Glc(1,6)-,beta-Gal(1,3)-,beta-Man(1,4)-beta-Rha,-Glc(1,4)-, Glc(1)-,-Gal(1,4)- and Man(1)-.
Acanthaceae ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Molecular Structure ; Molecular Weight ; Polysaccharides ; chemistry

Objective To measure the concentration of intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in neuron-like cells resulted from rat bone mesenchymal stem cell (BMSCs) differentiation induced by salvia miltiorrhiza injection and provide some theoretical basis for the BMSCs transplantation. Methods The rat BMSCs were separated from rat bone marrow and cultured in vitro. After induced by basic fibroblast growth factor and 10mL/L salvia miltiorrhiza injection, the cells were identified with immunofluorescence staining against NeuN. The same procedure was performed on primarily cultured hippocampal neurons. Then, the [Ca2+]i of the differentiated neuron-like cells was determined and compared with primarily cultured hippocampal neurons. Results The BMSCs after induced by basic fibroblast growth factor and salvia miltiorrhiza injection expressed neuronal phenotypes similar to the cell appearance of neurons with NeuN. The average fluorescence intensity of the neuron-like cells derived from BMSCs was 984.75±79.51, while the average fluorescence intensity of the primarily cultured hippocampal neurons was 769.42±60.93. No significant difference was found between them (P>0.05). Conclusion The neuron-like cells from rat BMSCs differentiation induced by salvia miltiorrhiza injection possess certain neuronal properties.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the relationship between myocardial energy expenditure (MEE) level and cardiac function in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients.

METHODSA total of 99 CHF patients were divided into 3 groups according to the LVEF (HFNEF > or = 50%, n = 37; HFREF1 35.1% - 49.9%, n = 30; HFREF2 < or = 35%, n = 32) or the New York Heart Association (NYHA II, n = 26; III, n = 42; IV, n = 31) criteria. Thirty patients with cardiovascular disease and without CHF served as controls. Routine examinations including serum CRP (ELISA) and plasma NT-proBNP (chemiluminescence sandwich ELISA) were made on the next morning after admission; echocardiography was performed on the third day after admission. LVMW, LVMWI, RWT, LVIDd, LA, LV, LVEF, LVFS, E/A, EDT, IVRT, Tei index and MEE were measured or calculated.

RESULTSMEE was significantly higher in HFREF patients than in controls (P < 0.01) and similar between HFNEF patients and controls (P > 0.05). MEE increased in proportion to decrease of LVEF and increase of NYHA grades in CHF patients (all P < 0.05). Bivariate analysis confirmed that MEE was significant correlated with LVMW, LVMWI, RWT, LVIDd, LA, LV, LVEF (r = -0.540, P < 0.01), LVFS (r = -0.454, P < 0.01), E/A, EDT, IVRT, Tei index, NYHA grades, CRP and NT-proBNP.

CONCLUSIONMEE derived from standard echocardiographic measurements is an effective indicator for myocardial bioenergetics and significantly correlated with cardiac function in CHF patients, especially in CHF patients with reduced LVEF.

Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Chronic Disease ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Energy Metabolism ; Female ; Heart Failure ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Ventricular Function, Left

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical characteristics and GCH I gene mutations in patients with dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD).

METHODSThe clinical features of 3 families with 6 affected members and 8 sporadic cases were analyzed to determine the clinical characteristics, and 2 families with 4 affected members and 2 sporadic cases were screened for mutations of the GCH I gene.

RESULTSAge at onset was (10 +/- 3) years. Onset occurred earlier in female (9 +/- 4) years than in male (12 +/- 1) years. The initial symptom was a gait disorder, dystonia or tremor in most patients and nine patients (64%) presented with diurnal fluctuation. Thirteen patients (93%) were cured and one was improved after administration of low doses of levodopa for 3 months and no long-term side effects of levodopa had occurred. Two independent mutations were found in three patients. Gln161Pro, a new missense mutation, was found in a sporadic case, leading to a relatively severe phenotype. The two patients with mild phenotype in one family were found to have Lys224Arg mutation, as previously described.

CONCLUSIONSDRD patients have diverse phenotypes and diurnal fluctuation is an important feature. They have dramatic and sustained response to levodopa. There may be a correlation between genotype and phenotype. The detection of GCH I mutations is helpful in early diagnosis of non-typical cases.

Age of Onset ; Child ; China ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Dopamine Agents ; therapeutic use ; Dystonia ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; GTP Cyclohydrolase ; genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; Levodopa ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; Mutation, Missense ; Pedigree ; Phenotype ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sex Factors ; Treatment Outcome