Parthenolide inhibits proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells through induction of G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest

Objective: This study is to determine the effect of the natural product parthenolide, a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from extracts of the herb Tanacetum parthenium, on the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Methods: Rat aortic VSMCs were isolated and cultured in vitro, and treated with different concentrations of parthenolide (10, 20 and 30 μmol/L). [³H]thymidine incorporation was used as an index of cell proliferation. Cell cycle progression and distribution were determined by flow cytometric analysis. Furthermore, the expression of several regulatory proteins relevant to VSMC proliferation including IκBα, cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), p21, and p27 was examined to investigate the potential molecular mechanism. Results: Treatment with parthenolide significantly decreased the [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA by 30%~56% relative to control values in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). Addition of parthenolide also increased cell population at G₀/G₁ phase by 19.2%~65.7% (P<0.05) and decreased cell population at S phase by 50.7%~84.8% (P<0.05), which is consistent with its stimulatory effects on p21 and p27. In addition, parthenolide also increased IκBα expression and reduced Cox-2 expression in a time-dependent manner. Conclusion: Our results show that parthenolide significantly inhibits the VSMC proliferation by inducing G₀/G₁ cell cycle arrest. IκBα and Cox-2 are likely involved in such inhibitory effect of parthenolide on VSMC proliferation. These findings warrant further investigation on potential therapeutic implications of parthenolide on VSMC proliferation in vivo.     

Quantitative estimation of dust fall and smoke particles in Quetta Valley

Tightening of air quality standards for populated urban areas has led to increasing attention to assessment of air quality management areas, where violation of air quality standards occurs, and development of control strategies to eliminate such violation of air quality standards. The Quetta urban area is very densely built and has heavy motorized traffic. The increase of emissions mainly from traffic and industry are responsible for the increase in atmospheric pollution levels during the last years. The dust examined in the current study was collected by both deposit gauge and Petri dish methods at various sites of Quetta Valley. Smoke particles were obtained by bladder method from the exhausts of various types of motor vehicles. The concentration of lead found in the smoke ranged from 1.5×10⁻⁶ to 4.5×10⁻⁶.     

Standard molar enthalpy of formation of morin studied by rotating-bomb combustion calorimetry

Flavonols are plant pigments that are ubiquitous in nature. Morin and other related plant flavonols have come into recent prominence because of their usefulness as anticancer, anti-tumor, anti-AIDS, and other important therapeutic activities of significant potency and low systemic toxicity. The heat of combustion of morin (molecular formula, C₁₅H₁₀O₇·H₂O) in oxygen was measured by a rotating-bomb type combustion calorimeter, the standard molar enthalpy of combustion of morin at T = 298.15 K was determined to be Δ_c H _m^⦵ (C₁₅H₁₀O₇·H₂O, s) = −(5 937.99 ± 2.99) kJ · mol⁻¹. The derived standard molar enthalpy of the formation of morin in solid powder state at T = 298.15 K, Δ_f H _m^⦵ (C₁₅H₁₀O₇·H₂O, s), was −(1 682.12 ± 3.58) kJ · mol⁻¹, which provide an accurate data of the stability of morin to the pharmacy and pharmacology. Biography: HOU Hanna(1956–), female, Visiting researcher, Associate professor of Hubei University of Education, research direction: thermochemistry.     

A simple and effective method for total RNA isolation of appressoria in Magnaporthe oryzae

Appressorium formation is an important event in establishing a successful interaction between the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, and its host plant, rice. An understanding of molecular events occurring in appressorium differentiation will give new strategies to control rice blast. A quick and reliable method to extract total RNA from appressorium is essential for studying gene expression during appressorium formation and its mechanism. We found that duplicate film is an efficient substratum for appressorium formation, even when inoculated with high density conidia. When inoculated with conidia at 1 × 106 ml^-1, the percentages of conidium germination and appressorium formation were （97.98±0.67）% and （97.88±0.45）%, respectively. We applied Trizol before appressorium collection for total RNA isolation, and as much as 113.6 lag total RNA was isolated from the mature appressoria at 24 h after inoculation. Functional analysis of two genes, MNH6 and MgATG1, isolated from the cDNA subtractive library, revealed that the quantity of RNA was good enough to construct a cDNA （complementary DNA） library or a cDNA subtractive library. This method may be also applicable for the appressorium RNA isolation of other pathogenic fungi in which conidia differentiate into appressoria in the early stages of host infection.     

Thermodynamic functions and growth constants of web-like ZnO nanostructures

Web-like ZnO nanostructures have been successfully synthesized using the potassium nitrate route at various temperatures to simplify conventional preparation methods. The structures and morphologies of the as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The results showed that the reaction temperature was an important parameter, and that there was a feedback effect between nano-structure and growth parameters, combined with in situ micro-calorimetry, the reaction rate constants of the three systems were found to have been: 2.43×10-6, 2.70×10-8 and 3.12×10-7s-1 respectively. Furthermore, based on the relationship governing the potential differences between nanoand bulk ZnO, thermodynamic functions of nano-ZnO such as standard molar entropy (Sm,ZnO(nano)), standard molar Gibbs free energy of formation (△rGm,ZnO(nano)), and standard molar enthalpy of formation (△rHm,ZnO(nano)) have been calculated by the electrochemical method.     

A facile way to prepare visible light driven tin oxide based photoanode and its photoelectrochemical water splitting properties

Visible light driven tin oxide based photoelectrodes were obtained using SnCl2·2H2O EtOH solution on FTO by dipping and with further heat treatment in air.Photoelectrochemical measurement with three electrodes configuration under visible light irradiation(λ>420 nm) revealed that this as-prepared photoelectrode showed typical n-type photocurrent effect and the onset potential is negative than that of H+/H2.XRD,UV-Vis spectrum and control experimental results revealed that the visible light driven mechanism for the tin oxide based photoanode maybe ascribed to Sn4+/Sn2+ transformation and the surface oxygen deficiency.     

Investigation of the cross-reaction mechanism of C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>F-HNO<Subscript>2</Subscript> aqueous solution irradiated at 355 nm by transient absorbance spectrum technique

The transient absorption spectrum technique was employed to investigate the cross-reaction mechanism of C6H5F-HNO2 aqueous solution irradiated at 355 nm. The characteristic and the kinetic parameters of transient species were also detected. Hydroxyl radical derived from the photolysis of HNO2 was added to monofluorobenzene with a second-order rate constant of （5.83±0.17）×10^9 L·mol^-1·s^-1 to form an adduct, C6H5F…OH, which was able to react with HNO2 as the main reaction pathway with a rate constant of （8.3±0.1）×10^7 L·mol^-1·s^-1. The C6F6…OH adduct can also be decayed by elimination of H2O to yield monofluorophenyl radical C6H4F-. By GC-MS technique, the final products were identified to be monofluorophenol, nitro-monofluorobenzene, nitro-monofluorophenol and para-fluorobiphenyl.     

The evolution of molecular wave packet in superstrong laser fields

Summary In this note wc numerically simulate the wave packet evolution of H₂ ⁺ in superstrong laser fields with the multiple electronic-states model. The result is that the evolution process of H₂ ⁺ wave packet is mainly determined by the laser frequency. For the high-frequency fields H₂ ⁺ wave packet extends out of the interaction region step by step. However, the H₂ ⁺ wave packet is quickly dissociated in low-frequency fields. In addition, the molecular stabilization effect can be characterized at the intensity of 8 × 10¹⁵ W/cm² for the low-frequency field ω₁.     

Myoglobin as Mimetic Enzyme and Its Analytical Application in Determination of H2O2

0 IntroductionSltougdiiceasl csoynstceermnsin gharveeac btieveen o txhyeg ei nm psopretcaienst ( oRbjOecSt) iinn bbiioo--medicine and analytical chemistry in recent years[1-4]. Manyi mportant life phenomena and diseases are relatedtotheinter-mediates of ROS[5-7].ROS have beeni mplicated as ani mpor-tant causative factor in cell damage,including apoptosis andnecrosis . Their proposed actions comprise lipid peroxidation,DNAdamage,the mitochondrial respiratory chain destructionand protein mo…     

Synthesis, structure and ethylene polymerization behavior of titanium complexes [C3H6（N = CH-Ar-O）2]TiCl2

Early transition metal catalysts containing twophenoxy-imine ligands, called FI catalysts which havevery high potential to become a new generation of olefinpolymerization catalysts, are new-type catalysts whichhave attracted much attention in recent years[1—3]. Many ofthem display activities comparable to those of the metal-locene catalysts and, in some cases, behave as living po-lymerization catalysts of α-olefins. Brookhart and Gibsonet al.[4,5] recently reported separately series of Schi…     

Hydrogen absorption-desorption characteristic of (Ti0.85Zr0.15)1.1Cr1-xMoxMn based alloys with C14 Laves phase

The microstructure and hydrogen absorption-desorption characteristic of (Ti_0.85Zr_0.15)_1.1Cr_1-xMo_xMn (x ?= ?0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 ?at.%) alloys were investigated. The results showed that the corresponding alloys were determined as a single phase of C14-type Laves structure. With the increase of Mo content, the maximum and reversible hydrogen absorption capacity decreased, the slope factor H_f increased. Among the studied alloys, (Ti_0.85Zr_0.15)_1.1Cr_0.95Mo_0.05Mn had the best overall properties for practical application of hydrogen storage materials. The maximum and reversible hydrogen storage capacity were 1.76 ?wt% and 1.09 ?wt%, the slope factor H_f was 0.51, and its dissociation enthalpy (ΔH_d) and entropy change (ΔS_d) were 23.1 ?kJ ?mol^?1H₂, 93.8J ?K^?1mol^?1H₂ at 303K, respectively. By studying the dissociation pressures of the synthesized metal hydrides, it was found that Mo had a special effect on the dissociation pressure of Ti–Zr–Cr–Mo–Mn alloys. Among the four alloys, (Ti_0.85Zr_0.15)_1.1Cr_0.95Mo_0.05Mn alloy had the largest hydrogen absorption capacity and the fastest hydrogen desorption rate, which can meet the commercialization demand of hydrogen fuel cell hydrogen supply system.     

铂微粒修饰固体石蜡碳糊电极对过氧化氢的电催化特征及分析应用

研究铂微粒修饰的固体石蜡碳糊电极(Pt-SCPE)对H2O2的电催化行为。在pH值4.6的柠檬酸盐-0.03 mol/L硝酸钾溶液中,用该电极H2O2在+0.18V(vs．SCE)可产生灵敏的还原电流,线性范围为1.0×10-1 mol/L～3.0×10-7 mol/L,检出限为7.5×10-8 mol/L。Pt-SCPE与液体石蜡碳糊电极比较,在峰电位、线性响应范围、检出限方面有更好的结果。用该电极测定样品中的过氧化氢,获得满意结果。     

Effect of Dy3+on osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of mouse primary bone marrow stromal cells and adipocytic trans-differentiation of mouse primary osteoblasts

A series of experimental methods including 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity measurement, mineralized function, Oil Red O stain and measurement were employed to assess the effect of Dy³⁺ on the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of mouse primary bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and the adipogenic trans-differentiation of mouse primary osteoblasts (OBs). The results showed that Dy³⁺ had no effect on BMSC proliferation at concentrations of 1×10⁻⁸ and 1×10⁻⁵ mol/L, but inhibited BMSC proliferation at other concentrations. Dy³⁺ had no effect on OB proliferation at concentrations of 1×10⁻¹⁰ and 1×10⁻⁹ mol/L, but inhibited OB proliferation at other concentrations. Dy³⁺ had no effect on the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs at concentrations of 1×10⁻⁹ and 1×10⁻⁷ mol/L, and promoted osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs at other concentrations at the 7th day. The osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs was inhibited by Dy³⁺ at concentration of 1×10⁻⁵ mol/L at the 14th day, but promoted osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs at concentrations of 1×10⁻⁹, 1×10⁻⁸, 1×10⁻⁷ and 1×10⁻⁶ mol/L with the maximal effect at concentration of 10⁻⁶ mol/L. Dy³⁺ promoted mineralized function of BMSCs at any concentration. Dy³⁺ had no effect on adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs at concentration of 1×10⁻⁷ mol/L, but inhibited adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs at other concentrations. Dy³⁺ inhibited adipocytic trans-differentiation of OBs at any concentration, suggesting that Dy³⁺ had protective effect on bone and the protective effect on bone may be mediated by modulating differentiation of BMSCs away from the adipocyte and inhibiting adipocytic trans-differentiation of OBs which may promote differentiation and mineralization of OBs. These results may be valuable for better understanding the mechanism of the effect of Dy³⁺ on pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Supported by the Foundation for Key Program of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 208018)     

Assessment of volumetric bone mineral density of the femoral neck in postmenopausal women with and without vertebral fractures using quantitative multi-slice CT

Objective: To demonstrate the validity and reliability of volumetric quantitative computed tomography (vQCT) with multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for hip bone mineral density (BMD) measurements, and to compare the differences between the two techniques in discriminating postmenopausal women with osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures from those without. Methods: Ninety subjects were enrolled and divided into three groups based on the BMD values of the lumbar spine and/or the femoral neck by DXA. Groups 1 and 2 consisted of postmenopausal women with BMD changes <−2SD, with and without radiographically confirmed vertebral fracture (n=11 and 33, respectively). Group 3 comprised normal controls with BMD changes ≥−1SD (n=46). Post-MSCT (GE, LightSpeed16) scan reconstructed images of the abdominal-pelvic region, 1.25 mm thick per slice, were processed by OsteoCAD software to calculate the following parameters: volumetric BMD values of trabecular bone (TRAB), cortical bone (CORT), and integral bone (INTGL) of the left femoral neck, femoral neck axis length (NAL), and minimum cross-section area (mCSA). DXA BMD measurements of the lumbar spine (AP-SPINE) and the left femoral neck (NECK) also were performed for each subject. Results: The values of all seven parameters were significantly lower in subjects of Groups 1 and 2 than in normal postmenopausal women (P<0.05, respectively). Comparing Groups 1 and 2, 3D-TRAB and 3D-INTGL were significantly lower in postmenopausal women with vertebral fracture(s) [(109.8±9.61) and (243.3±33.0) mg/cm³, respectively] than in those without [(148.9±7.47) and (285.4±17.8) mg/cm³, respectively] (P<0.05, respectively), but no significant differences were evident in AP-SPINE or NECK BMD. Conclusion: the femoral neck-derived volumetric BMD parameters using vQCT appeared better than the DXA-derived ones in discriminating osteoporotic postmenopausal women with vertebral fractures from those without. vQCT might be useful to evaluate the effect of osteoporotic vertebral fracture status on changes in bone mass in the femoral neck.     

Expression of TGF-β2 in LECs of Age-Related Nuclear, Cortex Cataract and the Relationship among TGF-β2, Proliferation,Apoptosis and Transdifferentiation

0 IntroductionAsgue-br-eclaaptseudl acrat acraatcatr ianctc l,ud aems ocnogrte xwh,incuhcl,e acro ratnexdcataract and nuclear cataract are more i mportant .Cortex cataract is different from nuclear cataract inoccurring,developing and clinic display,evenin his-tology. The pathogenesis of age-related cataract hasnot been perfectly described.But it has been verifiedthat thereis alayer oflens epithelial cells (LECs) un-der vertebrates’lens anterior capsule, which is i m-portant in maintaining t…     

NO对新生大鼠心肌细胞PKC活性的影响

利用培养新生大鼠心肌细胞，检测NO前体L-精氨酸(L-arginine,L-Arg)和NO供体硝普钠(sodium nitroprusside,SNP)对PKC活性的影响，并探讨内、外源性NO在PKC激动剂佛波指(phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate,PMA)激活PKC中的作用.实验结果表明：培养基中加入L-Arg，PKC活性呈剂量依赖性降低；用L-Arg进行预处理，30 min后加入PMA，PKC活性明显降低，与单纯PMA组相比有显著差异；NOS抑制剂L-NAME本身对基础状态PKC活性无明显影响，但可阻断L-Arg对上述2个效应的影响；培养液中加入NO供体SNP，PKC活性呈剂量依赖性降低；用SNP预处理心肌细胞，5 min后加入PMA，PKC活性与单纯PMA组相比有显著性差异.以上结果表明，内、外源性NO均具有剂量依赖性抑制PKC活性的作用，PKC可能是NO对心肌细胞作用的胞内信号传导通路的关键部位或重要信号分子之一；L-Arg通过NOS先生成NO，NO再对PKC起抑制作用.     

Cytoskeleton reorganization and FAK phosphorylation are involved in lanthanum （Ⅲ）-promoted proliferation and differentiation in rat osteoblasts

The effect of lanthanum ion (La³⁺) on osteoblast function and cytoskeleton is assessed in vitro. Osteoblasts were isolated from Sprague-Dawley fetal neonatal rats. Cell proliferation and gene expression levels of cbfa-1, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OC), bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteopontin (OPN) were examined by cell counting and RT-PCR. Cytoskeleton F-actin was stained with rhodamine-conjugated phalloidin and was visualized by a confocal microscope. As the results, 10⁻⁸-10⁻⁴ M La³⁺-induced osteoblast proliferation on day 2. Data from the RT-PCR assay revealed that 10⁻⁶ M La³⁺ up-regulated the expression levels of ALP, BSP, and cbfa-1 on day 4, while it enhanced the expressions of OC and OPN on day 21. The F-actin cytoskeleton was strengthened and reorganized under the exposure of La³⁺. In addition, the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) was significantly promoted in 24 h evaluated by Western blot analysis. These findings indicate that La³⁺ promotes osteoblast activity through the phosphorylation of FAK and reorganization of the cytoskeleton.     

Structure and effect of diamagnetism on manganese lithium phosphate glass to cathode materials application

1-x(Li₂O–2P₂O₅)-xMnO₂ glasses where x ?= ?0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 ?mol%, respectively, were synthesized by melted-quenching method. The Mn and P oxidation states and local structures around Mn and P-ions including Mn–O and P–O bonding distances and coordination numbers have been studied via X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), respectively. XANES results exhibit a coexistence of oxidation state of Mn²⁺ and Mn³⁺ with a mean value of 2.82. Moreover, Mn and P K-edge EXAFS show the Mn–O and P–O bonding distances of approximately 2.083–2.094 ?Å and 1.766–1.774 ?Å, respectively. A paramagnetism was found for all Mn–P glasses. Additionally, the coercive field (H_c) and remnant magnetization (M_r) increased with increasing Mn contents. However, the low specific capacitances are seriously obtained (<40 ?F ?g^?1) suggesting the effect of natural diamagnetism of lithium phosphate based-glass unlike the borate based-glasses which originally exhibit paramagnetism.     

Investigation of adsorption of surfactant at the air-water interface with quantum chemistry method

Density functional theory （DFT） of quantum chemistry was used to optimize the configuration of the anionic surfactant complexes CH3（CH2）7OSO3^- （H2O）n （n=0-6） and calculate their molecular frequencies at the B3LYP/6-311＋G^＊ level. The interaction of CH3（CH2）7OSO3^- with 1 to 6 water molecules was investigated at the air-water interface with DFT. The results revealed that the hydration shell was formed in the form of H-bond between the hydrophilic group of CH3（CH2）7OSO3^- and 6 waters. The strength of H-bonds belongs to medium. Binding free energy revealed that the hydration shell was stable. The increase of the number of water molecules will cause increases of the total charge of hydrophilic group and S10-O9-C8 bond angle, but decreases of the alkyl chain length and the bond lengths of S10-O11, S10-O12 as well as S10-O13, respectively.     

I-doping of anodized TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanotubes using an electrochemical method

In order to obtain TiO2 with high photocatalytic activity, a cathode reduction was used to dope I⁷⁺ and I⁵⁺ into TiO₂ nanotubes of anodized Ti in C₂H₂O₄•2H₂O + NH₄F electrolyte. SEM images show that the anodization method integrated the preparation with the doping process, which for nonmetals-doping is advantageous to maintain the morphological integrity of TiO₂ nanotubes. I⁷⁺-I⁵⁺-doping enhances the UV response of TiO₂ and result in a red-shift. Under UV/visible irradiation, a I⁷⁺-I⁵⁺-doped sample (400°C) showed the highest I_ph and photocatalytic efficiency. A part of I^– in the I⁷⁺-I⁵⁺-doped sample is involved in the UV response, the red-shift and the higher I_ph.