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Showing papers by "Sun Yat-sen University published in 2008"


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Nov 2008-RNA
TL;DR: This study could identify the differentiated miRNAs expression profile in BC and reveal that miR-21 overexpression was correlated with specific breast cancer biopathologic features, such as advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and poor survival of the patients, indicating that miD-21 may serve as a molecular prognostic marker for BC and disease progression.
Abstract: To investigate the global expression profile of miRNAs in primary breast cancer (BC) and normal adjacent tumor tissues (NATs) and its potential relevance to clinicopathological characteristics and patient survival, the genome-wide expression profiling of miRNAs in BC was investigated using a microarray containing 435 mature human miRNA oligonucleotide probes. Nine miRNAs of hsa-miR-21, hsa-miR-365, hsa-miR-181b, hsa-let-7f, hsa-miR-155, hsa-miR-29b, hsa-miR-181d, hsa-miR-98, and hsa-miR-29c were observed to be up-regulated greater than twofold in BC compared with NAT, whereas seven miRNAs of hsa-miR-497, hsa-miR-31, hsa-miR-355, hsa-miR-320, rno-mir-140, hsa-miR-127 and hsa-miR-30a-3p were observed to be down-regulated greater than twofold. The most significantly up-regulated miRNAs, hsa-mir-21 (miR-21), was quantitatively analyzed by TaqMan real-time PCR in 113 BC tumors. Interestingly, among the 113 BC cases, high level expression of miR-21 was significantly correlated with advanced clinical stage (P = 0.006, Fisher's exact text), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.007, Fisher's exact text), and shortened survival of the patients (hazard ratio [HR]=5.476, P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed this prognostic impact (HR=4.133, P = 0.001) to be independent of disease stage (HR=2.226, P = 0.013) and histological grade (HR=3.681, P = 0.033). This study could identify the differentiated miRNAs expression profile in BC and reveal that miR-21 overexpression was correlated with specific breast cancer biopathologic features, such as advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and poor survival of the patients, indicating that miR-21 may serve as a molecular prognostic marker for BC and disease progression.

1,101 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Early intensive insulin therapy in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes has favourable outcomes on recovery and maintenance of beta-cell function and protracted glycaemic remission compared with treatment with oral hypoglycaemic agents.

681 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that the amphioxus genome is elemental to an understanding of the biology and evolution of nonchordate deuterostomes, invertebrate chordates, and vertebrates.
Abstract: Cephalochordates, urochordates, and vertebrates evolved from a common ancestor over 520 million years ago To improve our understanding of chordate evolution and the origin of vertebrates, we intensively searched for particular genes, gene families, and conserved noncoding elements in the sequenced genome of the cephalochordate Branchiostoma floridae, commonly called amphioxus or lancelets Special attention was given to homeobox genes, opsin genes, genes involved in neural crest development, nuclear receptor genes, genes encoding components of the endocrine and immune systems, and conserved cis-regulatory enhancers The amphioxus genome contains a basic set of chordate genes involved in development and cell signaling, including a fifteenth Hox gene This set includes many genes that were co-opted in vertebrates for new roles in neural crest development and adaptive immunity However, where amphioxus has a single gene, vertebrates often have two, three, or four paralogs derived from two whole-genome duplication events In addition, several transcriptional enhancers are conserved between amphioxus and vertebrates--a very wide phylogenetic distance In contrast, urochordate genomes have lost many genes, including a diversity of homeobox families and genes involved in steroid hormone function The amphioxus genome also exhibits derived features, including duplications of opsins and genes proposed to function in innate immunity and endocrine systems Our results indicate that the amphioxus genome is elemental to an understanding of the biology and evolution of nonchordate deuterostomes, invertebrate chordates, and vertebrates

487 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The underlying mechanisms leading to the Warburg phenomenon include mitochondrial changes, upregulation of rate-limiting enzymes/proteins in glycolysis and intracellular pH regulation, hypoxia-induced switch to anaerobic metabolism, and metabolic reprogramming after loss of p53 function.
Abstract: Despite diversity in genetic events in oncogenesis, cancer cells exhibit a common set of functional characteristics. Otto Warburg discovered that cancer cells have consistently higher rates of glycolysis than normal cells. The underlying mechanisms leading to the Warburg phenomenon include mitochondrial changes, upregulation of rate-limiting enzymes/proteins in glycolysis and intracellular pH regulation, hypoxia-induced switch to anaerobic metabolism, and metabolic reprogramming after loss of p53 function. The regulation of energy metabolism can be traced to a “triad” of transcription factors: c-MYC, HIF-1 and p53. Oncogenetic changes involve a nonrandom set of gene deletions, amplifications and mutations, and many oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes cluster along the signaling pathways that regulate c-MYC, HIF-1 and p53. Glycolysis in cancer cells has clinical implications in cancer diagnosis, treatment and interaction with diabetes mellitus. Many drugs targeting energy metabolism are in development. Future advances in technology may bring about transcriptome and metabolome-guided chemotherapy.

452 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: By virtue of the kinetically controlled flexibility and hydrophobic pore surface, MAF-2 can adsorb large amounts of small organic molecules but excludes H2O, and can separate benzene and cyclohexane efficiently.
Abstract: The porous metal azolate framework [Cu(etz)]∞ (MAF-2, Hetz = 3,5-diethyl-1,2,4-triazole) processes an NbO type cuprous triazolate scaffold and a CsCl type hydrophobic channel system, in which the large cavities are interconnected by small apertures with pendant ethyl groups. Since the ethyl-blocked apertures behave as thermoactivated IRIS stops for the guest molecules, the gas sorption behavior of MAF-2 can be controlled by temperature, in which N2 adsorption was observed at 195 K rather than 77 K. Single-crystal X-ray structural analysis revealed that the [Cu(etz)]∞ host framework is not altered upon N2 inclusion, confirming the occurrence of the so-called “kinetically controlled flexibility”. By virtue of the kinetically controlled flexibility and hydrophobic pore surface, MAF-2 can adsorb large amounts of small organic molecules but excludes H2O. As demonstrated by single-crystal X-ray structural analyses, MAF-2 shrinks, expands, or distorts its framework to accommodate the hydrogen-bonded hexamers of ...

444 citations


Book ChapterDOI
22 Sep 2008
TL;DR: An adaptive particle swarm optimization with adaptive parameters and elitist learning strategy (ELS) based on the evolutionary state estimation (ESE) approach is proposed, resulting in substantially improved quality of global solutions.
Abstract: This paper proposes an adaptive particle swarm optimization (APSO) with adaptive parameters and elitist learning strategy (ELS) based on the evolutionary state estimation (ESE) approach. The ESE approach develops an `evolutionary factor' by using the population distribution information and relative particle fitness information in each generation, and estimates the evolutionary state through a fuzzy classification method. According to the identified state and taking into account various effects of the algorithm-controlling parameters, adaptive control strategies are developed for the inertia weight and acceleration coefficients for faster convergence speed. Further, an adaptive `elitist learning strategy' (ELS) is designed for the best particle to jump out of possible local optima and/or to refine its accuracy, resulting in substantially improved quality of global solutions. The APSO algorithm is tested on 6 unimodal and multimodal functions, and the experimental results demonstrate that the APSO generally outperforms the compared PSOs, in terms of solution accuracy, convergence speed and algorithm reliability.

442 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A summary of published research that has set out to address the problem of selectivity of G‐quadruplexes and research methodologies that have been developed to study the binding of ligands to G‐ quadruplexes are provided.
Abstract: G-quadruplexes are special secondary structures adopted in some guanine-rich DNA sequences. As guanine-rich sequences are present in important regions of the eukaryotic genome, such as telomeres and the regulatory regions of many genes, such structures may play important roles in the regulation of biological events in the body. G-quadruplexes have become valid targets for new anticancer drugs in the past few decades. Many leading compounds that target these structures have been reported, and a few of them have entered preclinical or clinical trials. Nonetheless, the selectivity of this kind of antitumor compound has yet to be improved in order to suppress the side effects caused by nonselective binding. As drug design targets, the topology and structural characteristics of quadruplexes, their possible biological roles, and the modes and sites of small-ligand binding to these structures should be understood clearly. Herein we provide a summary of published research that has set out to address the above problem to provide useful information on the design of small ligands that target G-quadruplexes. This review also covers research methodologies that have been developed to study the binding of ligands to G-quadruplexes.

442 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Bao-Ying Wang1, Lian Feng Zhu1, Yunpeng Yang1, Ningsheng Xu1, G. W. Yang1 
TL;DR: In this article, a self-assembly SnO2 nanowire gas sensor has been fabricated on Cd−Au comb-shaped interdigitating electrodes using thermal evaporation of the mixed powders of SnO 2 and active carbon.
Abstract: SnO2 nanowire gas sensors have been fabricated on Cd−Au comb-shaped interdigitating electrodes using thermal evaporation of the mixed powders of SnO2 and active carbon. The self-assembly grown sensors have excellent performance in sensor response to hydrogen concentration in the range of 10 to 1000 ppm. This high response is attributed to the large portion of undercoordinated atoms on the surface of the SnO2 nanowires. The influence of the Debye length of the nanowires and the gap between electrodes in the gas sensor response is examined and discussed.

417 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the state-of-the-art in self-healing in polymers and polymer composites is presented, where the smart materials are classified into two categories: (i) intrinsic selfhealing ones that are able to heal cracks by the polymers themselves, and (ii) extrinsic in which healing agent has to be pre-embedded.
Abstract: Formation of microcracks is a critical problem in polymers and polymer composites during their service in struc- tural applications. Development and coalescence of microcracks would bring about catastrophic failure of the materials and then reduce their lifetimes. Therefore, early sensing, diagnosis and repair of microcracks become necessary for removing the latent perils. In this context, the materials possessing self-healing function are ideal for long-term operation. Self-repair- ing polymers and polymer composites have attracted increasing research interests. Attempts have been made to develop solutions in this field. The present article reviews state-of-art of the achievements on the topic. According to the ways of healing, the smart materials are classified into two categories: (i) intrinsic self-healing ones that are able to heal cracks by the polymers themselves, and (ii) extrinsic in which healing agent has to be pre-embedded. The advances in this field show that selection and optimization of proper repair mechanisms are prerequisites for high healing efficiency. It is a challenging job to either invent new polymers with inherent crack repair capability or integrate existing materials with novel healing system.

402 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a self-healing system based on conventional epoxy resin was successfully developed, where epoxy and its hardener mercaptan were microencapsulated as two-component healing agent, and then the microcapsules were embedded in epoxy matrix.
Abstract: A self-healing system based on conventional epoxy resin was successfully developed in this work. Epoxy and its hardener mercaptan were microencapsulated as two-component healing agent, and then the microcapsules were embedded in epoxy matrix. Attractive healing effect can be acquired at low capsule content (e.g., 43.5% healing efficiency with 1 wt % capsules and 104.5% healing efficiency with 5 wt % capsules at 20 °C for 24 h). Since only a few healant proves to be sufficient for crack repairing, a better balance between strength and toughness restoration can thus be achieved. As a result of high flowability, fast consolidation, and molecular miscibility of the released healing agent consisting of epoxy and mercaptan, self-healing was allowed to proceed rapidly offering satisfactory repair effectiveness.

401 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The indirect effect of loneliness was to increase perceived social support via nostalgia, and this restorative function of nostalgia was particularly apparent among resilient persons.
Abstract: Four studies tested whether nostalgia can counteract reductions in perceived social support caused by loneliness. Loneliness reduced perceptions of social support but increased nostalgia. Nostalgia, in turn, increased perceptions of social support. Thus, loneliness affected perceived social support in two distinct ways. Whereas the direct effect of loneliness was to reduce perceived social support, the indirect effect of loneliness was to increase perceived social support via nostalgia. This restorative function of nostalgia was particularly apparent among resilient persons. Nostalgia is a psychological resource that protects and fosters mental health.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Investigation of the ability of lapatinib to reverse tumor multidrug resistance (MDR) due to overexpression of ABC subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1) and ABCsubfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) transporters found it reverses ABCB1- and ABCG2-mediated MDR by directly inhibiting their transport function.
Abstract: Lapatinib is active at the ATP-binding site of tyrosine kinases that are associated with the human epidermal growth factor receptor (Her-1 or ErbB1) and Her-2. It is conceivable that lapatinib may inhibit the function of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters by binding to their ATP-binding sites. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of lapatinib to reverse tumor multidrug resistance (MDR) due to overexpression of ABC subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1) and ABC subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) transporters. Our results showed that lapatinib significantly enhanced the sensitivity to ABCB1 or ABCG2 substrates in cells expressing these transporters, although a small synergetic effect was observed in combining lapatinib and conventional chemotherapeutic agents in parental sensitive MCF-7 or S1 cells. Lapatinib alone, however, did not significantly alter the sensitivity of non-ABCB1 or non-ABCG2 substrates in sensitive and resistant cells. Additionally, lapatinib significantly increased the accumulation of doxorubicin or mitoxantrone in ABCB1- or ABCG2-overexpressing cells and inhibited the transport of methotrexate and E217βG by ABCG2. Furthermore, lapatinib stimulated the ATPase activity of both ABCB1 and ABCG2 and inhibited the photolabeling of ABCB1 or ABCG2 with [125I]iodoarylazidoprazosin in a concentration-dependent manner. However, lapatinib did not affect the expression of these transporters at mRNA or protein levels. Importantly, lapatinib also strongly enhanced the effect of paclitaxel on the inhibition of growth of the ABCB1-overexpressing KBv200 cell xenografts in nude mice. Overall, we conclude that lapatinib reverses ABCB1- and ABCG2-mediated MDR by directly inhibiting their transport function. These findings may be useful for cancer combinational therapy with lapatinib in the clinic. [Cancer Res 2008;68(19):7905–14]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated Pt/C, Pd/C and oxide (CeO2, NiO, Co3O4 and Mn 3O4)-promoted Pd-C electrocatalysts for electrooxidation reactions of methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol and glycerol.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The first comprehensive genomic survey of the immune gene repertoire of the Amphioxus Branchiostoma floridae suggests that the amphioxus, a species without vertebrate-type adaptive immunity, holds extraordinary innate complexity and diversity.
Abstract: It has been speculated that before vertebrates evolved somatic diversity-based adaptive immunity, the germline-encoded diversity of innate immunity may have been more developed. Amphioxus occupies the basal position of the chordate phylum and hence is an important reference to the evolution of vertebrate immunity. Here we report the first comprehensive genomic survey of the immune gene repertoire of the amphioxus Branchiostoma floridae. It has been reported that the purple sea urchin has a vastly expanded innate receptor repertoire not previously seen in other species, which includes 222 toll-like receptors (TLRs), 203 NOD/NALP-like receptors (NLRs), and 218 scavenger receptors (SRs). We discovered that the amphioxus genome contains comparable expansion with 71 TLR gene models, 118 NLR models, and 270 SR models. Amphioxus also expands other receptor-like families, including 1215 C-type lectin models, 240 LRR and IGcam-containing models, 1363 other LRR-containing models, 75 C1q-like models, 98 ficolin-like models, and hundreds of models containing complement-related domains. The expansion is not restricted to receptors but is likely to extend to intermediate signal transducers because there are 58 TIR adapter-like models, 36 TRAF models, 44 initiator caspase models, and 541 death-fold domain-containing models in the genome. Amphioxus also has a sophisticated TNF system and a complicated complement system not previously seen in other invertebrates. Besides the increase of gene number, domain combinations of immune proteins are also increased. Altogether, this survey suggests that the amphioxus, a species without vertebrate-type adaptive immunity, holds extraordinary innate complexity and diversity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a model that links dimensions of customer loyalty (cognitive, affective, intention, and behavioral) with a system of determinants is presented, including customer satisfaction, commitment, service fairness, service quality, trust, and a construct new to service loyalty models.
Abstract: Marketing academics and practitioners generally agree that customer loyalty is vital to business success. There is less agreement on the factors that determine customer loyalty, particularly in service contexts. Research on the determinants of service loyalty has taken three distinct paths: quality/value/satisfaction, relationship quality, and relational benefits. The authors coalesce these paths to derive a model that links dimensions of customer loyalty (cognitive, affective, intention, and behavioral) with a system of determinants. The model is tested with data from varied services (airlines, banks, beauty salons, hospitals, hotels, mobile telephone) and 3,500 customers in China. Results are consistent across contexts and support a multidimensional view of customer loyalty. Key loyalty determinants are customer satisfaction, commitment, service fairness, service quality, trust, and a construct new to service loyalty models—commercial friendship. The research contributes to the literature by providing a...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review summarizes the structural and functional changes of the aging kidney and highlights the advances made in the understanding of the renal aging process.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The data suggest that the G > C polymorphism in miR-146a precursor may result in important phenotypic traits that have biomedical implications, and warrant further investigations on the relation between microRNA polymorphism and human diseases.
Abstract: A G > C polymorphism (rs2910164) is located in the stem region opposite to the mature miR-146a sequence, which results in a change from G:U pair to C:U mismatch in the stem structure of miR-146a precursor. Here, we elucidated the biological significance of this polymorphism, based on cancer association study and cell model system. The cancer association study included 479 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 504 control subjects. We found that the genotype distribution of this polymorphism in HCC cases was significantly different from that in control subjects (P = 0.026). The association between the genotype and the risk of HCC was further analyzed using multivariate unconditional logistic regression, with adjustment for sex, age and hepatitis B virus status. The results revealed that male individuals with GG genotype were 2-fold more susceptible to HCC (odds ratio = 2.016, 95% confidence interval = 1.056-3.848, P = 0.034) compared with those with CC genotype. We next examined the influence of this polymorphism on the production of mature miR-146a and found that G-allelic miR-146a precursor displayed increased production of mature miR-146a compared with C-allelic one. Further investigations disclosed that miR-146a could obviously promote cell proliferation and colony formation in NIH/3T3, an immortalized but non-transformed cell line. These data suggest that the G > C polymorphism in miR-146a precursor may result in important phenotypic traits that have biomedical implications. Our findings warrant further investigations on the relation between microRNA polymorphism and human diseases.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study provided a transcriptomic signature for OTSCC that may lead to a diagnosis or screen tool and provide the foundation for further functional validation of these specific candidate genes for O TSCC.
Abstract: The head and neck/oral squamous cell carcinoma (HNOSCC) is a diverse group of cancers, which develop from many different anatomic sites and are associated with different risk factors and genetic characteristics. The oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is one of the most common types of HNOSCC. It is significantly more aggressive than other forms of HNOSCC, in terms of local invasion and spread. In this study, we aim to identify specific transcriptomic signatures that associated with OTSCC. Genome-wide transcriptomic profiles were obtained for 53 primary OTSCCs and 22 matching normal tissues. Genes that exhibit statistically significant differences in expression between OTSCCs and normal were identified. These include up-regulated genes (MMP1, MMP10, MMP3, MMP12, PTHLH, INHBA, LAMC2, IL8, KRT17, COL1A2, IFI6, ISG15, PLAU, GREM1, MMP9, IFI44, CXCL1), and down-regulated genes (KRT4, MAL, CRNN, SCEL, CRISP3, SPINK5, CLCA4, ADH1B, P11, TGM3, RHCG, PPP1R3C, CEACAM7, HPGD, CFD, ABCA8, CLU, CYP3A5). The expressional difference of IL8 and MMP9 were further validated by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The Gene Ontology analysis suggested a number of altered biological processes in OTSCCs, including enhancements in phosphate transport, collagen catabolism, I-kappaB kinase/NF-kappaB signaling cascade, extracellular matrix organization and biogenesis, chemotaxis, as well as suppressions of superoxide release, hydrogen peroxide metabolism, cellular response to hydrogen peroxide, keratinization, and keratinocyte differentiation in OTSCCs. In summary, our study provided a transcriptomic signature for OTSCC that may lead to a diagnosis or screen tool and provide the foundation for further functional validation of these specific candidate genes for OTSCC.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results suggest that AEG-1 protein is a valuable marker of breast cancer progression, and high A EG-1 expression is associated with poor overall survival in patients with breast cancer.
Abstract: Purpose: The present study was aimed at clarifying the expression of astrocyte elevated gene-1 ( AEG-1 ), one of the target genes of oncogenic Ha-ras, in breast cancer and its correlation with clinicopathologic features, including the survival of patients with breast cancer. Experimental Design: The expression of AEG-1 in normal breast epithelial cells, breast cancer cell lines, and in four cases of paired primary breast tumor and normal breast tissue was examined using reverse transcription-PCR and Western blot. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR was applied to determine the mRNA level of AEG-1 in the four paired tissues, each from the same subject. Furthermore, AEG-1 protein expression was analyzed in 225 clinicopathologically characterized breast cancer cases using immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses were applied to test for the prognostic and diagnostic associations. Results: Western blot and reverse transcription-PCR showed that the expression level of AEG-1 was markedly higher in breast cancer cell lines than that in the normal breast epithelial cells at both mRNA and protein levels. AEG-1 expression levels were significantly up-regulated by up to 35-fold in primary breast tumors in comparison to the paired normal breast tissue from the same patient. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed high expression of AEG-1 in 100 of 225 (44.4%) paraffin-embedded archival breast cancer biopsies. Statistical analysis showed a significant correlation of AEG-1 expression with the clinical staging of the patients with breast cancer ( P = 0.001), as well as with the tumor classification ( P = 0.004), node classification ( P = 0.026), and metastasis classification ( P = 0.001). Patients with higher AEG-1 expression had shorter overall survival time, whereas patients with lower AEG-1 expression had better survival. Multivariate analysis suggested that AEG-1 expression might be an independent prognostic indicator for the survival of patients with breast cancer. Conclusions: Our results suggest that AEG-1 protein is a valuable marker of breast cancer progression. High AEG-1 expression is associated with poor overall survival in patients with breast cancer.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings reveal that the levels of IL-23, IL-17, and IFN-gamma are elevated in BD patients with active uveitis, and they suggest that theIL-23/IL-17 pathway together with IFN -gamma is associated with the active intraocular inflammation in BD customers.
Abstract: PURPOSE. Behcet disease (BD) is a systemic inflammatory dis- ease presumably caused by an autoimmune response. The interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17 pathway has been demonstrated to be involved in the development and maintenance of certain in- flammatory diseases. This study was designed to investigate the role of IL-23 and IL-17 in BD. METHODS. IL-23p19 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was examined using RT-PCR. The levels of IL-23, IL-17, and IFN- in sera or PBMCs were detected by ELISA. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate the frequencies of IL-17- producing and IFN--producing T cells and the expression of CD45RO. RESULTS. Results showed that the expression of IL-23p19 mRNA, IL-23, IL-17, and IFN- was markedly elevated in BD patients with active uveitis. The frequencies of IL-17-produc- ing and IFN--producing T cells from PBMCs were significantly upregulated in BD patients with active uveitis. The increased IL-17 (3.10% 0.53%) in BD patients with active uveitis was primarily produced by CD45RO memory T cells. Recombi- nant (r) IL-23 could upregulate IL-17 production by poly- clonally stimulated PBMCs, whereas interferon (IFN)- down- regulated IL-17 production. CONCLUSIONS. These findings reveal that the levels of IL-23, IL-17, and IFN- are elevated in BD patients with active uveitis, and they suggest that the IL-23/IL-17 pathway together with IFN- is associated with the active intraocular inflammation in BD patients. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008;49:3058 -3064)

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the iron vanadate, FeVO4, was prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron spin resonance (ESR) spin-trapping technique.
Abstract: The iron vanadate, FeVO4, was prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) It was found that FeVO4 could effectively catalyze H2O2 to generate active hydroxyl radical OH, which was confirmed with electron spin resonance (ESR) spin-trapping technique Therefore, it was employed as a heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst in the present contribution, and its catalytic activity was mainly evaluated in terms of the degradation efficiency of Orange II Compared with the conventional heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts, α-Fe2O3, Fe3O4 and γ-FeOOH, FeVO4 possessed a much higher catalytic activity The high catalytic activity possibly involved in a special two-way Fenton-like mechanism, that is, the activation of H2O2 by both Fe(III) and V(V) in FeVO4 Moreover, FeVO4 possessed a wide applicable pH range and its catalytic activity was slightly affected by the solution pH values in the range of 3–8

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Water and several wild aquatic species including Chinese mysterysnail, prawn, fish, and water snake were collected from a reservoir surrounded by several e-waste recycling workshops in South China to investigate the levels and bioaccumulation extent of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls released from electronic waste (e-w waste) which was processed by crude recycling method.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this review, a summary of the proposed SPME calibration methods was summarized and the characteristics of these methods were discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Observations indicate that systemically administered BMSCs can migrate to the ischemic lesion of brain along with the olfactory-thalamus and hippocampus-cortex route and that it might be a potential approach to modulate the expression of the two molecules in order to further facilitate the therapeutic effects using BMSC.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that there is a high birth rate of new miRNA genes, accompanied by a comparably high death rate in Drosophila, and that a small fraction of surviving miRNAs may later on become moderately or highly expressed.
Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenously expressed RNAs that regulate mRNAs post-transcriptionally. The class of miRNA genes, like other gene classes, should experience birth, death and persistence of its members. We carried out deep sequencing of miRNAs from three species of Drosophila, and obtained 107,000 sequences that map to no fewer than 300 loci that were not previously known. We observe a large class of miRNA genes that are evolutionarily young, with a rate of birth of 12 new genes per million years (Myr). Most of these new miRNAs originated from non-miRNA sequences. Among the new genes, we estimate that 96% disappeared quickly in the course of evolution; only 4% of new miRNA genes were retained by natural selection. Furthermore, only 60% of these retained genes became integrated into the transcriptome in the long run (60 Myr). This small fraction (2.5%) of surviving miRNAs may later on become moderately or highly expressed. Our results suggest that there is a high birth rate of new miRNA genes, accompanied by a comparably high death rate. The estimated net gain of long-lived miRNA genes, which is not strongly affected by either the depth or the breadth (number of tissues) of sequencing, is 0.3 genes per Myr in Drosophila.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A practical and efficient catalyst system of Ru/Ts-dpen in [BMIM]PF6 (BMIM = 1-nbutyl-3-methylimidazolium) for the enantioselective hydrogenation of quinolines is reported.
Abstract: Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have recently received a great deal of attention as alternative reaction media. Numerous catalytic reactions have proven feasible in a variety of ionic liquids, with many reactions displaying enhanced reactivities and selectivities, and some of which were not possible in common organic solvents. Furthermore, RTILs have served as a promising means to immobilize a catalyst, therefore facilitating product isolation and offering an opportunity to reuse the catalyst. However, the use of RTILs in asymmetric catalytic reactions is still limited. The recycling and reuse of chiral catalysts in ionic liquids have often been problematic because of the instability and/or leaching of the catalysts. From a practical standpoint, development of highly effective and recyclable catalysts in ionic liquids for use in asymmetric hydrogenation remains a challenge: in particular for heteroaromatic substrates which are difficult to hydrogenate. Although a variety of chiral Rh, Ru, and Ir complexes have been efficient and enantioselective reagents for the hydrogenation of prochiral olefins, ketones, and imines, most of these catalysts failed to give satisfactory results in the asymmetric hydrogenation of heteroaromatic compounds. A few successful examples for the asymmetric hydrogenation of quinolines have recently been reported. However, all catalysts for such reactions have at least one phosphine ligand around the metal center and are often air sensitive. From the viewpoints of both scientific interest and practical application, it is highly desirable to develop recyclable and phosphine-free chiral catalysts for the highly enantioselective hydrogenation of quinolines. Few examples of phosphine-free homogeneous catalysts capable of activating molecular hydrogen have been reported. Recently, Noyori and co-workers reported that chiral h-arene/Ntosylethylenediamine–Ru complexes (which are known as excellent catalysts for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation, for example Ru/Ts-dpen) can be used for the asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral ketones under slightly acidic conditions. Inspired by this important breakthrough and following our continued pursuit of developing effective and environmentally benign catalyst systems for asymmetric hydrogenations, herein we report a practical and efficient catalyst system of Ru/Ts-dpen in [BMIM]PF6 (BMIM = 1-nbutyl-3-methylimidazolium) for the enantioselective hydrogenation of quinolines (Scheme 1).

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an intensive field campaign, Program of Regional Integrated Experiments of Air Quality over Pear River Delta (PRIDE-PRD2004), was carried out in the Pearl River Delta in October 2004 to provide an in-depth understanding and a comprehensive record of O3, PM2.5 and other air pollutants in this quickly developing region of China.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of this pilot study suggest that cilostazol might be a more effective and safer alternative to aspirin for Chinese patients with ischaemic stroke; however, a larger phase III trial is required to confirm this.
Abstract: Summary Background Most patients who have had a stroke are given aspirin; however, aspirin-related cerebral haemorrhage is a complication that is currently of concern, particularly in China where there is a high incidence of cerebral haemorrhage in secondary prevention programmes and within the community. Cilostazol, a phosphodiesterase 3 (PDE3) inhibitor, is an alternative to aspirin that works through a different mechanism. This trial aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of cilostazol with that of aspirin for the long-term prevention of the recurrence of ischaemic stroke. Methods 720 patients (mean age 60·2 years, SD 9·86) who had had an ischaemic stroke within the previous 1–6 months were enrolled consecutively in a prospective, multicentre, double-blind, randomised trial. 360 patients were randomly assigned to receive cilostazol and 360 patients to receive aspirin. Analysis was by intention to treat. Patients in both groups took the medication for 12–18 months. The primary endpoint was any recurrence of stroke (ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic stroke, or subarachnoid haemorrhage) during the trial period. All patients had MRI with T1 MRI, T2 MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), and T2 gradient echo imaging (T2*) at the beginning and the end of the study. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00202020. Findings The average duration of treatment was 740 person-years, and 719 patients were analysed (360 in the cilostazol group and 359 in the aspirin group). The primary endpoint was reported in 12 patients in the cilostazol group and in 20 patients in the aspirin group. The estimated hazard ratio, calculated with Kaplan–Meier curves (risk of primary endpoint in cilostazol group vs aspirin group), was 0·62 (95% CI 0·30–1·26; p=0·185). Symptomatic cerebral haemorrhage was reported in six patients: one in the cilostazol group and five in the aspirin group. Asymptomatic cerebral haematoma was found in four patients in the aspirin group and one patient in the cilostazol group. Brain bleeding events were significantly more common in the aspirin group than in the cilostazol group (7 vs 1, p=0·034). All of the six patients with symptomatic haemorrhage had previous cerebral microbleeds in the area where the haematoma was located. Interpretation The results of this pilot study showed no significant difference in the rate of recurrence of stroke between patients with ischaemic stroke who were randomly assigned to take either cilostazol or aspirin. The lower rates of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in the cilostazol group suggest that cilostazol might be a more effective and safer alternative to aspirin for Chinese patients with ischaemic stroke; however, a larger phase III trial is required to confirm this. Funding National Health Ministry of the People's Republic of China; Otsuka Pharmaceutical.

Reference EntryDOI
TL;DR: Antiplatelet therapy with aspirin 160 to 300 mg daily, given orally (or per rectum in patients who cannot swallow), and started within 48 hours of onset of presumed ischaemic stroke reduces the risk of early recurrent ischaemia stroke without a major risk ofEarly haemorrhagic complications and improves long-term outcome.
Abstract: Background In patients with acute ischaemic stroke, platelets become activated. Antiplatelet therapy might reduce the volume of brain damaged by ischaemia and reduce the risk of early recurrent ischaemic stroke. This might reduce the risk of early death and improve long-term outcome in survivors. However, antiplatelet therapy might also increase the risk of fatal or disabling intracranial haemorrhage. Objectives The aim of this review is to assess the efficacy and safety of antiplatelet therapy in acute ischaemic stroke. Search strategy We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (last searched August 2002), the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR) (Cochrane Library Issue 1 2002), MEDLINE (June 1998-October 2001), and EMBASE (June 1998-February 2002). In 1998, for previous versions of this review, we searched the register of the Antiplatelet Trialists Collaboration, MedStrategy and contacted relevant drug companies. Selection criteria Randomised trials comparing antiplatelet therapy (started within 14 days of the stroke) with control in patients with definite or presumed ischaemic stroke. Data collection and analysis Two reviewers independently applied the inclusion criteria and assessed trial quality, and for the included trials, extracted and cross-checked the data. Main results Nine trials involving 41,399 patients were included. Two trials testing aspirin 160 to 300 mg once daily started within 48 hours of onset contributed 98% of the data. The maximum follow-up was six months. With treatment, there was a significant decrease in death or dependency at the end of follow-up (OR = 0.94; 95% CI 0.91 to 0.98). In absolute terms, 13 more patients were alive and independent at the end of follow-up for every 1000 patients treated. Furthermore, treatment increased the odds of making a complete recovery from the stroke (OR = 1.06; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.11). In absolute terms, 10 more patients made a complete recovery for every 1000 patients treated. Antiplatelet therapy was associated with a small but definite excess of 2 symptomatic intracranial haemorrhages for every 1000 patients treated, but this was more than offset by a reduction of 7 recurrent ischaemic strokes and about one pulmonary embolus for every 1000 patients treated. Authors' conclusions Antiplatelet therapy with aspirin 160 to 300 mg daily, given orally (or per rectum in patients who cannot swallow), and started within 48 hours of onset of presumed ischaemic stroke reduces the risk of early recurrent ischaemic stroke without a major risk of early haemorrhagic complications and improves long-term outcome.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Program of Regional Integrated Experiments on Air Quality over Pearl River Delta of China 2004 (PRIDE-PRD2004) as mentioned in this paper was an intensive field campaign conducted from 4 October to 5 November 2004 at two super-sites: an urban site in Guangzhou city (23.13°N, 113.26°E).