AIM: To investigate the frequency of mutations in pre-core (pre-C) and basic core promoter (BCP) regions of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from Shanxi Province, and the association between mutations and disease related index...AIM: To investigate the frequency of mutations in pre-core (pre-C) and basic core promoter (BCP) regions of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from Shanxi Province, and the association between mutations and disease related indexes.METHODS: One hundred chronic hepatitis B patients treated at Shanxi Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were included in this study. PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization and mismatch amplification mutation assay (MAMA)-PCR were used to detect the mutations in the HBV pre-C and BCP regions. HBV DNA content and liver function were compared between patients with mutant HBV pre-C and BCP loci and those with wild-type loci. The consistency between PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization and MAMA-PCR for detecting mutations in the HBV pre-C and BCP regions was assessed.RESULTS: Of the 100 serum samples detected, 9.38% had single mutations in the pre-C region, 29.17% had single mutations in the BCP region, 41.67% had mutations in both BCP and pre-C regions, and 19.79% had wild-type loci. The rates of BCP and pre-C mutations were 65.7% and 34.3%, respectively, in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive patients, and 84.6% and 96.2%, respectively, in HBeAg negative patients. The rate of pre-C mutations was significantly higher in HBeAg negative patients than in HBeAg positive patients (χ<sup>2</sup> = 26.62, P = 0.00), but there was no significant difference in the distribution of mutations in the BCP region between HBeAg positive and negative patients (χ<sup>2</sup> = 2.43, P = 0.12). The presence of mutations in the pre-C (Wilcoxon W = 1802.5, P = 0.00) and BCP regions (Wilcoxon W = 2906.5, P = 0.00) was more common in patients with low HBV DNA content. Both AST and GGT were significantly higher in patients with mutant pre-C and BCP loci than in those with wild-type loci (P < 0.05). PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization and MAMA-PCR for detection of mutations in the BCP and pre-C regions had good consistency, and the Kappa values obtained were 0.91 and 0.58, respectively.CONCLUSION: HBeAg negative patients tend to have HBV pre-C mutations. However, these mutations do not cause increased DNA copies, but associate with damage of liver function.展开更多
AIM: To elucidate the relationship between apoptotic protease activating factor-1 (Apaf-1) gene and gastric cancer. METHODS: Thirty-five postoperative cancer and adjacent normal tissue samples were collected in the pr...AIM: To elucidate the relationship between apoptotic protease activating factor-1 (Apaf-1) gene and gastric cancer. METHODS: Thirty-five postoperative cancer and adjacent normal tissue samples were collected in the present study. Expression of the Apaf-1 gene in these samples was analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was used to determine whether there was loss of Apaf-1 gene in domain of 12q22-23 in the samples. Promoter methylation of Apaf-1 gene in the samples was analyzed by methylation specific (MSP) PCR. RESULTS: The expression of Apaf-1 mRNA in gastric cancer tissue samples was 51%. The LOH frequency of D12S346, D12S1706, D12S327, D12S1657 and D12S393 was 33%, 8%, 58%, 12% and 42%, respectively. Fifty percent LOH was found at two sites and 17% LOH at three sites. Apaf-1 mRNA expression decreased significantly in 13 cases (rs = 0.487, P = 0.003). The rate of Apaf-1 promoter methylation was 49% in gastric cancer tissue samples and 23% in para-cancerous tissue samples. Promoter methylation occurred significantly in 16 of 18 gastric cancer tissue samples with decreased expression of Apaf-1 mRNA rs = 0.886, P = 10-6). CONCLUSION: The expression of Apaf-1 gene is low in gastric cancer tissues. Methylation of Apaf-1 gene promoter and LOH in domain of 12q22-23 are the main reasons for the expression and altered expression of Apaf-1 gene.展开更多
AIM： To study the effects of magnolol and honokiol on isolated smooth muscle of gastrointestinal tract and their relationship with Ca^2＋, and on the gastric emptying and the intestinal propulsive activity in mice.ME...AIM： To study the effects of magnolol and honokiol on isolated smooth muscle of gastrointestinal tract and their relationship with Ca^2＋, and on the gastric emptying and the intestinal propulsive activity in mice.METHODS： Routine experimental methods using isolated gastric fundus strips of rats and isolated ileum segments of guinea pigs were adopted to measure the smooth muscle tension, The effects of magnolol 10^-3, 10^-4, 10^-5 mol/L, and honokiol 10^-4, 10^-5, 10^-6 mol/L on the contractility of gastric fundus strips of rats and ileum of guinea pigs induced by acetylcholine （Ach） and 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） was assessed respectively, The method using nuclein and pigment methylene blue was adopted to measure the gastric retention rate of nuclein and the intestinal propulsive ratio of a nutritional semi-solid meal for assessing the effect of magnolol and honokiol （0.5, 2, 20 mg/kg） on gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion.RESULTS： Magnolol and honokiol significantly inhibited the contractility of isolated gastric fundus strips of rats treated with Ach or 5-HT and isolated ileum guinea pigs treated with Ach or CaCl2, and both of them behaved as non-competitive muscarinic antagonists. Magnolol and honokiol inhibited the contraction induced by Ach in Ca^2＋-free medium and extracellular Ca^2＋-dependent contraction induced by Ach, Each group of magnolol and honokiol experiments significantly decreased the residual rate of nudein in the stomach and increased the intestinal propulsive ratio in mice.CONCLUSION： The inhibitory effect of magnolol and honokiol on contractility of the smooth muscles of isolated gastric fundus strips of rats and isolated ileum of guinea pigs is associated with a calcium-antagonistic effect. Magnolol and honokiol can improve the gastric emptying of a semi-solid meal and intestinal propulsive activity in mice.展开更多
Open-shell oligomers and polymers have exhibited intriguing electronic and magnetic properties, making them highly desirable for a wide range of applications, including ambipolar organic field-effect transistors (OFET...Open-shell oligomers and polymers have exhibited intriguing electronic and magnetic properties, making them highly desirable for a wide range of applications, including ambipolar organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), photodetectors, organic thermoelectrics, and spintronics. Although open-shell ground states have been observed in certain small molecules and doped organic semiconductors, the exploration of open-shell ground-state conjugated polymers is still limited, and the strategies for designing these polymers remain obscure. This review aims to briefly introduce the theory and characterization methods of open-shell conjugated polymers, along with an overview of recent progress and applications. The objective is to stimulate further advancements and investigations in this promising area by shedding light on the potential of open-shell conjugated polymers and the challenges that lie ahead.展开更多
The Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, can survive at extremely low temperatures, and some overwintering individuals exhibit supercooling at tempera- tures below -30℃. To investigate the deep supercooling...The Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, can survive at extremely low temperatures, and some overwintering individuals exhibit supercooling at tempera- tures below -30℃. To investigate the deep supercooling ability ofE. pela, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were performed to delineate the major gene and protein families responsible for the deep supercooling ability of overwintering females. Gene Ontology （GO） classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） analysis indicated that genes involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinase, calcium, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways and pathways associated with the biosynthesis of soluble sugars, sugar alcohols and free amino acids were dominant. Proteins responsible for low-temperature stress, such as cold acclimation proteins, glycerol biosynthesis-related enzymes and heat shock proteins （HSPs） were identified. However, no antifreeze proteins （AFPs） were identified through sequence similarity search methods. A random forest approach identified 388 putative AFPs in the proteome. The AFP gene ep-afp was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the expressed protein exhibited a thermal hysteresis activity of 0.97℃, suggesting its potential role in the deep supercooling ability ofE. pela.展开更多
The adsorption effects of 3d transitional metal （TM） adatoms on electronic and magnetic properties of monolayer and bilayer MoS2 sheets have been investigated by using first-principle calculations based on the densi...The adsorption effects of 3d transitional metal （TM） adatoms on electronic and magnetic properties of monolayer and bilayer MoS2 sheets have been investigated by using first-principle calculations based on the density functional theory. The calculated results suggest that both monolayer and bilayer MoS2 sheets have power abilities of absorbing 3d TM atoms. The interlayer adsorption of bilayer MoSa is relatively more stable than the surface adsorption of monolayer MoS2. The 3d TM adatoms and the neighboring S atoms behave a clear covalent-binding character. It was found that TM adatoms induce certain impurity states within the band gap of the pristine MoS2 sheet which result in the systems magnetically semiconducting or half metallic. The adsorbed systems for Cr and Co on the surface of monolayer MoS2 sheet, as well as Sc, Cr and Fe in the interlayer of bilayer MoSa sheet exhibit half-metallic behavior. And the other 3d TM- adsorbed systems are magnetic semiconductor except for Ni species.展开更多
Sorafenib is a novel antitumor drug, which is poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract due to its low solubility in water. To improve the bioavailability of sorafenib, a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system...Sorafenib is a novel antitumor drug, which is poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract due to its low solubility in water. To improve the bioavailability of sorafenib, a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system （SMEDDS） formulation of sorafenib was prepared and its relative bioavailability in rats was evaluated. The blank SMEDDS was prepared from a mixture of ethyl oleate （oil phase, 20%, w/w）, Cremophol EL （surfactant, 48%, w/w）, PEG-400 （co-surfactant, 16%, w/w） and ethanol （co-surfactant, 16%, w/w）. Sorafenib was subsequently dissolved in the blank SMEDDS to obtain a somfenib SMEDDS formulation with a final sorafenib concentration at 20 mg/mL. The particle size of the emulsified sorafenib SMEDDS was about 20-25 nm. Compared with sorafenib suspension, the prepared SMEDDS formulation exhibited no effect on the Tmax, but significantly increased the AUC, Cmax and MRT and decreased the drug clearance. Most importantly, the oral bioavailability based on AUC0-72h increased about 25 times after formulating sorafenib in SMEDDS. We concluded that SMEDDS could be a promising vesicle for the oral delivery of the poorly soluble antitumor drug sorafenib.展开更多
基金Supported by Youth Foundation of Health and Family Planning Commission of Shanxi ProvinceNo.201301024
文摘AIM: To investigate the frequency of mutations in pre-core (pre-C) and basic core promoter (BCP) regions of hepatitis B virus (HBV) from Shanxi Province, and the association between mutations and disease related indexes.METHODS: One hundred chronic hepatitis B patients treated at Shanxi Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were included in this study. PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization and mismatch amplification mutation assay (MAMA)-PCR were used to detect the mutations in the HBV pre-C and BCP regions. HBV DNA content and liver function were compared between patients with mutant HBV pre-C and BCP loci and those with wild-type loci. The consistency between PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization and MAMA-PCR for detecting mutations in the HBV pre-C and BCP regions was assessed.RESULTS: Of the 100 serum samples detected, 9.38% had single mutations in the pre-C region, 29.17% had single mutations in the BCP region, 41.67% had mutations in both BCP and pre-C regions, and 19.79% had wild-type loci. The rates of BCP and pre-C mutations were 65.7% and 34.3%, respectively, in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive patients, and 84.6% and 96.2%, respectively, in HBeAg negative patients. The rate of pre-C mutations was significantly higher in HBeAg negative patients than in HBeAg positive patients (χ<sup>2</sup> = 26.62, P = 0.00), but there was no significant difference in the distribution of mutations in the BCP region between HBeAg positive and negative patients (χ<sup>2</sup> = 2.43, P = 0.12). The presence of mutations in the pre-C (Wilcoxon W = 1802.5, P = 0.00) and BCP regions (Wilcoxon W = 2906.5, P = 0.00) was more common in patients with low HBV DNA content. Both AST and GGT were significantly higher in patients with mutant pre-C and BCP loci than in those with wild-type loci (P < 0.05). PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization and MAMA-PCR for detection of mutations in the BCP and pre-C regions had good consistency, and the Kappa values obtained were 0.91 and 0.58, respectively.CONCLUSION: HBeAg negative patients tend to have HBV pre-C mutations. However, these mutations do not cause increased DNA copies, but associate with damage of liver function.
文摘AIM: To elucidate the relationship between apoptotic protease activating factor-1 (Apaf-1) gene and gastric cancer. METHODS: Thirty-five postoperative cancer and adjacent normal tissue samples were collected in the present study. Expression of the Apaf-1 gene in these samples was analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was used to determine whether there was loss of Apaf-1 gene in domain of 12q22-23 in the samples. Promoter methylation of Apaf-1 gene in the samples was analyzed by methylation specific (MSP) PCR. RESULTS: The expression of Apaf-1 mRNA in gastric cancer tissue samples was 51%. The LOH frequency of D12S346, D12S1706, D12S327, D12S1657 and D12S393 was 33%, 8%, 58%, 12% and 42%, respectively. Fifty percent LOH was found at two sites and 17% LOH at three sites. Apaf-1 mRNA expression decreased significantly in 13 cases (rs = 0.487, P = 0.003). The rate of Apaf-1 promoter methylation was 49% in gastric cancer tissue samples and 23% in para-cancerous tissue samples. Promoter methylation occurred significantly in 16 of 18 gastric cancer tissue samples with decreased expression of Apaf-1 mRNA rs = 0.886, P = 10-6). CONCLUSION: The expression of Apaf-1 gene is low in gastric cancer tissues. Methylation of Apaf-1 gene promoter and LOH in domain of 12q22-23 are the main reasons for the expression and altered expression of Apaf-1 gene.
基金Supported Dy the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province,No. 20032074
文摘AIM： To study the effects of magnolol and honokiol on isolated smooth muscle of gastrointestinal tract and their relationship with Ca^2＋, and on the gastric emptying and the intestinal propulsive activity in mice.METHODS： Routine experimental methods using isolated gastric fundus strips of rats and isolated ileum segments of guinea pigs were adopted to measure the smooth muscle tension, The effects of magnolol 10^-3, 10^-4, 10^-5 mol/L, and honokiol 10^-4, 10^-5, 10^-6 mol/L on the contractility of gastric fundus strips of rats and ileum of guinea pigs induced by acetylcholine （Ach） and 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） was assessed respectively, The method using nuclein and pigment methylene blue was adopted to measure the gastric retention rate of nuclein and the intestinal propulsive ratio of a nutritional semi-solid meal for assessing the effect of magnolol and honokiol （0.5, 2, 20 mg/kg） on gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion.RESULTS： Magnolol and honokiol significantly inhibited the contractility of isolated gastric fundus strips of rats treated with Ach or 5-HT and isolated ileum guinea pigs treated with Ach or CaCl2, and both of them behaved as non-competitive muscarinic antagonists. Magnolol and honokiol inhibited the contraction induced by Ach in Ca^2＋-free medium and extracellular Ca^2＋-dependent contraction induced by Ach, Each group of magnolol and honokiol experiments significantly decreased the residual rate of nudein in the stomach and increased the intestinal propulsive ratio in mice.CONCLUSION： The inhibitory effect of magnolol and honokiol on contractility of the smooth muscles of isolated gastric fundus strips of rats and isolated ileum of guinea pigs is associated with a calcium-antagonistic effect. Magnolol and honokiol can improve the gastric emptying of a semi-solid meal and intestinal propulsive activity in mice.
基金supported by Beijing Natural Science Foundation(No.JQ22006)King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Research Funding(KRF)under Award(No.ORA-2021-CRG10-4668.4).
文摘Open-shell oligomers and polymers have exhibited intriguing electronic and magnetic properties, making them highly desirable for a wide range of applications, including ambipolar organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), photodetectors, organic thermoelectrics, and spintronics. Although open-shell ground states have been observed in certain small molecules and doped organic semiconductors, the exploration of open-shell ground-state conjugated polymers is still limited, and the strategies for designing these polymers remain obscure. This review aims to briefly introduce the theory and characterization methods of open-shell conjugated polymers, along with an overview of recent progress and applications. The objective is to stimulate further advancements and investigations in this promising area by shedding light on the potential of open-shell conjugated polymers and the challenges that lie ahead.
基金Acknowledgments This work was financially supported through a grant from the Special Fund for Forestry Research in the Public Interest （201304808, 201504302, 201204602）, Applied Basic Research Foundation of Yunnan Province （Grant No. 2013FA052, 2010ZC235）, National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 31572337, 31000983）, National High Technology Research and Development Program （＂863＂ Program） of China （2014AA021801）, National Nonprofit Institute Research Grant of RIRI-CAF （Grant No. riricaf200904M-3, riricaf2011006M）.
文摘The Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, can survive at extremely low temperatures, and some overwintering individuals exhibit supercooling at tempera- tures below -30℃. To investigate the deep supercooling ability ofE. pela, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were performed to delineate the major gene and protein families responsible for the deep supercooling ability of overwintering females. Gene Ontology （GO） classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） analysis indicated that genes involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinase, calcium, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways and pathways associated with the biosynthesis of soluble sugars, sugar alcohols and free amino acids were dominant. Proteins responsible for low-temperature stress, such as cold acclimation proteins, glycerol biosynthesis-related enzymes and heat shock proteins （HSPs） were identified. However, no antifreeze proteins （AFPs） were identified through sequence similarity search methods. A random forest approach identified 388 putative AFPs in the proteome. The AFP gene ep-afp was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the expressed protein exhibited a thermal hysteresis activity of 0.97℃, suggesting its potential role in the deep supercooling ability ofE. pela.
基金financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2012CB921300)
文摘The adsorption effects of 3d transitional metal （TM） adatoms on electronic and magnetic properties of monolayer and bilayer MoS2 sheets have been investigated by using first-principle calculations based on the density functional theory. The calculated results suggest that both monolayer and bilayer MoS2 sheets have power abilities of absorbing 3d TM atoms. The interlayer adsorption of bilayer MoSa is relatively more stable than the surface adsorption of monolayer MoS2. The 3d TM adatoms and the neighboring S atoms behave a clear covalent-binding character. It was found that TM adatoms induce certain impurity states within the band gap of the pristine MoS2 sheet which result in the systems magnetically semiconducting or half metallic. The adsorbed systems for Cr and Co on the surface of monolayer MoS2 sheet, as well as Sc, Cr and Fe in the interlayer of bilayer MoSa sheet exhibit half-metallic behavior. And the other 3d TM- adsorbed systems are magnetic semiconductor except for Ni species.
基金Foundation items： The 973 Project （Grant No. 2009CB930300）, Scientific and Technological Major Special Project - ＂Significant Creation of New Drugs＂ （Grant No. 2009ZX09310-001）.
文摘Sorafenib is a novel antitumor drug, which is poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract due to its low solubility in water. To improve the bioavailability of sorafenib, a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system （SMEDDS） formulation of sorafenib was prepared and its relative bioavailability in rats was evaluated. The blank SMEDDS was prepared from a mixture of ethyl oleate （oil phase, 20%, w/w）, Cremophol EL （surfactant, 48%, w/w）, PEG-400 （co-surfactant, 16%, w/w） and ethanol （co-surfactant, 16%, w/w）. Sorafenib was subsequently dissolved in the blank SMEDDS to obtain a somfenib SMEDDS formulation with a final sorafenib concentration at 20 mg/mL. The particle size of the emulsified sorafenib SMEDDS was about 20-25 nm. Compared with sorafenib suspension, the prepared SMEDDS formulation exhibited no effect on the Tmax, but significantly increased the AUC, Cmax and MRT and decreased the drug clearance. Most importantly, the oral bioavailability based on AUC0-72h increased about 25 times after formulating sorafenib in SMEDDS. We concluded that SMEDDS could be a promising vesicle for the oral delivery of the poorly soluble antitumor drug sorafenib.
