The culture conditions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae sp.strain by 1.1 b were optimized for the production of D-(-)-mandelate dehydrogenase which is useful for the asymmetric bioreduction of benzoylformate to form D-(-)-mandelate.The optimum medium(per liter)consistes of 60 g peptone,30 g maltose, 0.5 g MgSO_4,0.01 g ZnSO_4,1.0 g KCl.After optimization of the culture medium,the enzyme production in shake flasks is enhanced from 2.56 to 20.21 U/L.The optimum fermentation conditions were determined as follows:medium volume 100 mL(i.e.,40%for a 250-mL shake flask),pH 6.5,inoculum size 10%,temperature 30℃,and cultivation time 25 h.

AIM: To investigate the early changes of retinal function in diabetic patients detected by multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG).METHODS: The first-order kernel responses of mfERG were recorded from eyes of 33 normal control subjects,63 diabetic patients without retinopathy and 43 diabetic patients with background retinopathy. The response densities and implicit times of N1 and P1 were compared among the control, diabetic patients without retinopathy and diabetic patients with retinopathy.RESULTS: The response densities of N1 and P1 in central 3 rings were reduced significantly in diabetic eyes with and without retinopathy. And the implicit times of N1 and P1 were delayed significantly only in diabetic eyes with retinopathy.CONCLUSION: mfERG can detect the early changes of retinal function quantitatively in diabetic patients. Analysis of response densities and implicit times of N1 and P1 can reflect the progress of local retinal dysfunction in diabetes.

Animals ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; Kidney ; microbiology ; pathology ; Leptospira interrogans ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; Leptospirosis ; microbiology ; pathology ; Liver ; microbiology ; pathology ; Lung ; microbiology ; pathology ; Male ; Time Factors

To produce specific monoclonal antibody (McAb) against human thrombomodulin (hTM), the full-length hTM cDNA-expressing plasmid pThr402 was transfected into CHO cells by Lipofectamine 2000 reagent. The hTM-expressing CHO cells, which was confirmed by flow cytometry and Western blot, were obtained by G418 selection. Then the McAb against hTM was prepared with classic hybridoma technique. A cell line of CHO-TM5 with high level of hTM was used to immunize female Balb/c mice 3 times at an interval of 4 weeks. On the third day after the third immunization, mice were sacrificed and spleen cells were harvested to prepare hybridoma cells with SP2/0 cells at the ratio of 10 to 1. Hybridoma cells were then cultured at 96-well plates for screening. Cellular enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (CELISA) was applied twice. The first CELISA was done with polythene ELISA plate with a monolayer of CHO-TM5 cells. The positive clones from the first screen were then selected by reacting with similar screening ELISA plate but with CHO cell monolayer instead. Only clones that were positive for the first screening and negative for the second screening were kept, and called as CHO-TM5(+)CHO(-) hybridoma cells. Balb/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with the selected hybridoma cells. Ascites were collected and monoclonal antibodies were purified using FPLC, and its Ig class, subclass, and titer were then determined respectively. The specificity of the yielded McAb was identified with CELISA, flow cytometry, ABC immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. One line of hybridoma cells with high expression of specific McAb against hTM, NH-1, was obtained. The Ig subclass of the McAb was IgG1 and the titer of ascitic McAb was 1x10(-6). Flow cytometry, CELISA and Western blot assays demonstrated that McAb NH-1 could specifically recognize hTM expressed in CHO-TM5 cells and human umbilical vascular endothelial cells. Meanwhile, the tissue specificity of antigen recognized by McAb NH-1 was identified by immunohistochemical ABC staining. NH-1 can specifically recognize the natural hTM expressed mainly in vascular endothelial cells, which will potentially be useful for investigation of the functions and clinic values of hTM.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; biosynthesis ; immunology ; Antibody Specificity ; CHO Cells ; Cricetulus ; Female ; Humans ; Hybridomas ; secretion ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Thrombomodulin ; immunology ; Transfection

Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Atherosclerosis ; prevention & control ; Ceramides ; analysis ; Dietary Fats ; administration & dosage ; Emodin ; pharmacology ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Rabbits ; Signal Transduction ; Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase ; metabolism ; Sphingomyelins ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and its clinicopathological significance in Castleman's disease (CD).

METHODSClinical data and paraffin blocks of 92 CD patients and 20 cases of lymph node reactive hyperplasia (LRH) as a control group were collected from department of pathology of Peking University Health Science Center. The expression of IL-6 was detected by using immunohistochemical method.

RESULTSThe 92 patients were composed of 42 multicentric variant (MCDs) and 50 unicentric variant (UCDs) clinically, and 30 hyaline-vascular variant (HV-CDs) and 62 plasma cell variant (PC-CDs) morphologically. None of them was positive for HIV tests. There were 56 males and 36 females, and their ages ranged from 4 years to 90 years with the median 41 years. IL-6 was expressed in 77 (83.7%) of 92 CD cases and 1 (5.0%) of 20 LRH cases. The expression rate of IL-6 was 90.5% in MCDs, 78.0% in UCDs, 93.6% in PC-CDs and 63.4% in HV-CDs, respectively. PC-CD cases showed a significantly higher expression rate of IL-6 than HV-CD cases (P = 0.001). All cases with positive IL-6 expression in plasmacytes were PC-CDs, showing obviously higher expression in MCDs than that in UCDs (P = 0.003). Compared with HV-CD cases, much more PC-CD cases showed IL-6 positivity in endothelial cells (P = 0.008). However, IL-6 was rarely expressed by both FDCs and macrophages, with only 3.3% and 10.9% positive cases, respectively. There are 53.2% (41/77) of the IL-6 positive cases and 20.0% (3/15) of IL-6 negative cases suffered from systemic symptoms, showing a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.018). Cases with IL-6 expression in plasmacytes and macrophages were more likely to suffer from systemic symptoms, especially B type symptoms (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThere is a high expression rate of IL-6 in CD, which is different from LRH. The expression of IL-6 has close relationship with CD subtypes and the presence of systemic symptoms. In all, the evaluation of interleukin-6 is of great value to guide the diagnosis and therapy of CD.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Castleman Disease ; metabolism ; pathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo determine whether 3'phosphorothioate-modified-2 terminal mismatched primers can turn off DNA polymerization mediated by Exo(+) polymerase.

METHODSTwo-directional primer extension was performed using polymerase with and without 3' exonuclease activity. The effects of unmodified primers and 3' phosphorothioate-modified primers on primer extension were evaluated.

RESULTSExo(-) polymerase yielded products from matched and mismatched primers regardless of their modification. However, 3' phosphorothioate-modified primers with a single base mismatch at -2 position worked similarly to the terminal (-1) mismatched primers in triggering the novelly reported "off-switch" of Exo(+) polymerase.

CONCLUSIONThese data suggested that the "off-switch" can be of enormous application in the diagnosis of single gene diseases and in the association studies by single nucleotide polymorphism screening.

DNA Primers ; chemistry ; genetics ; Exonucleases ; metabolism ; Humans ; Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotides ; chemistry ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

BACKGROUNDBerberine is one of the main constituents of Coptidis rhizoma (CR) and Cortex phellodendri. In this study, we investigated the beneficial effects of berberine on renal function and its possible mechanisms in rats with diabetic nephropathy (DN).

METHODSMale Wistar rats were divided into three groups: normal, diabetic model, and berberine treatment groups. Rats in the diabetic model and berberine treatment groups were induced to diabetes by intraperitonal injection with streptozotocin (STZ). Glomerular area, glomerular volume, fasting blood glucose (FBG), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Cr) and urine protein for 24 hours (UP24h) were measured using commercially available kits. Meanwhile, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum, activity of aldose reductase (AR) and the expression of AR mRNA and protein in kidney were detected by different methods.

RESULTSThe results showed that oral administration of berberine (200 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) significantly ameliorated the ratio of kidney weight to body weight. Glomerular area, glomerular volume, FBG, BUN, Cr and UP24h were significantly decreased in the berberine treatment group compared with the diabetic model group (P < 0.05). Berberine treatment significantly increased serum SOD activity and decreased the content of MDA compared with diabetic model group (P < 0.05). AR activity as well as the expression of AR mRNA and protein in the kidney was markedly decreased in the berberine treatment group compared with diabetic model group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThese results suggested that berberine could ameliorate renal dysfunction in DN rats through controlling blood glucose, reduction of oxidative stress and inhibition of the activation of the polyol pathway.

Aldehyde Reductase ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Animals ; Berberine ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; complications ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; drug therapy ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Streptozocin

This study was aimed to establish a genotyping method to detect ABO group gene of fetus from peripheral blood of pregnant women for prenatal diagnosis of hemolytic disease of newborn (HDN) resulting from ABO blood group incompatibility. 4 pairs of primers were designed according to ABO blood group gene DNA and mRNA sequences. 20 plasma DNA samples from healthy donors were extracted and amplified to explore the best conditions for plasma DNA extraction and PCR amplification. The O group plasma DNA was mixed with A group or B group plasmas by the ratios of 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, 10:1, 20:1, 40:1, 100:1 to simulate the status of mixed ABO gene from pregnant maternal blood and to establish the mixed blood group ABO genotyping technology. The pregnant maternal blood samples with more than 30 weeks of gestation were selected for detecting the fetal ABO blood group genotype. The blood samples should be taken as possible as after birth for identification of ABO blood group and evaluation of sensitivity and accuracy of fetal ABO blood group genotyping technology through peripheral blood of pregnant women. The results indicated that the minimal amount of template DNA from single blood plasma for accuracy identification was at least about 0.625 ng, the DNA amount extracted from 500 microl of plasma could meet the requirement for PCR amplification. When the proportion of O group plasma DNA in mixed plasma DNA was ABO Blood-Group System ; genetics ; immunology ; Blood Group Antigens ; blood ; genetics ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; methods ; Female ; Fetus ; immunology ; Genotype ; Humans ; Pregnancy

This study was aimed to explore changes of platelet function in vitro during storage by thrombelastography (TEG). 12 units plateletpheresis were randomly selected and stored at 20 to 24 degrees C with agitation. Thrombelastography variable parameters R, K values and maximal amplitude (MA) were measured on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 days of platelet storage. Platelet concentration, mean platelet volume (MPV), hypotonic shock response (HSR), CD62p expression and CD62p reexpression on platelet surface were detected at the same time. Changes of platelet function in virto were systematically evaluated by above-mentioned indexes. The results showed that MPV augmented slightly with prolongation of preserved time (p > 0.05), and CD62p expression on platelet surface increased remarkably (p < 0.01), while CD62p reexpression decreased gradually (p < 0.01). There were no significant differences in HSR level of platelets during storage (p > 0.05). R value increased with prolongation of preserved time (p < 0.01). There were no obvious changes on K value and alpha Angle during storage (p > 0.05). There were no obvious changes in MA from 1 to 4 days, and MA decreased slightly on day 5 (p < 0.05). It is concluded that there was no significant change in MA and HSR which reflects comprehensive coagulation of platelets during storage. Platelets on the end of storage have excellent function of hemostasis; Thrombelastography parameter MA value can be used as a valuable indicator for evaluation of platelet function in vitro during storage.
Blood Platelets ; physiology ; Blood Preservation ; Humans ; Platelet Function Tests ; methods ; Thrombelastography