Direct hydrolytic route to molecular oxo-hydroxo lanthanide clusters.
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Journal Article↗
Biomedical subjects
Z Zheng
Publications and source records attributed to Z Zheng.
A novel protein MAJN binds to Jak3 and inhibits apoptosis induced by IL-2 deprival.
To find a possible signal interacting with the Jak3 N-terminal, we screened the human peripheral blood cDNA library through both a two-hybrid system and a tyrosine-phosphorylation-modified two-hybrid system using the N-terminal of Jak3 as bait. Results showed that one new homologue of myosin heavy chain, designated MAJN (molecule associated with Jak3 N-terminal), could bind to Jak3 in a tyrosine-phosphorylation-independent manner. The interaction between Jak3 and MAJN was further confirmed by immunoprecipitation in BAF-B03 beta cells. To investigate the function of MAJN, we have constructed the BAF-B03 beta/MAJN cell line that stably expresses MAJN and found that overexpression of MAJN can partially inhibit the apoptosis induced by interleukin-2 deprival. Further studies are needed to elucidate how MAJN executes its function to antagonize BAF-B03beta cell death in the absence of IL-2.
Apoptosis↗
Copper induces apoptosis in BA/F3beta cells: Bax, reactive oxygen species, and NFkappaB are involved.
Copper, an essential trace element, can be toxic to some cells when present in excess. But thorough investigations into the cytotoxicity of copper and subsequent molecular mechanisms are rare, although the cytotoxicity of copper has been applied to cancer chemotherapy. The present study demonstrates that Cu(2+) inhibits [(3)H] thymidine incorporation in mouse pro-B cell line BA/F3beta and induces apoptosis. Apoptosis was mainly judged by morphology of cells, quantification of subdiploid DNA contents by flow cytometry, and detection of DNA fragmentation by gel electrophoresis. The apoptotic effect is dose and time dependent. Western blotting shows Bax is upregulated by Cu(2+). Bcl-2 overexpression can partially inhibit this apoptosis. Moreover, Cu(2+) increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a dose-dependent manner. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) not only significantly inhibited copper-induced apoptosis but also totally blocked generation of ROS, while Bcl-2 overexpression has no effect on the generation of ROS. Furthermore, our results show that NFkappaB is downregulated by Cu(2+). Bcl-2 overexpression or NAC can sustain the activity of NFkappaB. These data indicate that Cu(2+) might induce apoptosis in BA/F3beta cells via upregulation of Bax and ROS and subsequent inactivation of NFkappaB.
Acetylcysteine↗
Age-related differences in the time course of capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia.
The effect of age on hyperalgesia, one of the most common signs of injury, has not been previously examined in humans. A psychophysical study was conducted in 10 young (26.9+/-4.6 years) and 10 older (79. 0+/-5.7 years) healthy volunteers to investigate the effect of age on the development of hyperalgesia induced by topical application of capsaicin (0.1 ml, 5 mg/ml). The capsaicin patch (diameter 2 cm) was applied for 1 h. The intensity of capsaicin-induced spontaneous sensation, mechanical pain threshold, area of flare, heat and punctate hyperalgesia were measured hourly for 3 h after the application. Older adults took a longer period to report first pain. There was no age effect on the magnitude of spontaneous sensation, flare size and area of heat hyperalgesia. The area of heat hyperalgesia rapidly decreased over time in both age groups. In marked contrast, the area of punctate hyperalgesia and associated reduction in the mechanical pain threshold were maintained in older adults over the entire 3 h test period, but resolved rapidly in young adults. We conclude that, given the same intensity of noxious stimulation, older adults display a similar magnitude of hyperalgesia as younger persons. However, once initiated, punctate hyperalgesia appears to resolve more slowly in older people. This finding may indicate age differences in the plasticity of spinal cord neurons following an acute injury.
Administration, Topical↗
WECHE: a novel hematopoietic regulatory factor.
Previously, we described AGM-derived endothelial cell lines that either inhibited or permitted the development of erythroid or B cells. We utilized a differential gene expression method to isolate a chemokine, termed WECHE, from one of these cell lines. WECHE inhibited the formation of erythroid cells but had no effect on either myeloid or B cell formation. WECHE repressed BFU-E development from either mouse fetal liver or bone marrow progenitor cells but had no effect on colony formation induced by IL-3 or IL-7. WECHE reduced HPP-CFC production from fetal liver-derived stem cells. WECHE hindered the growth of yolk sac-derived endothelial cells. WECHE was also chemotactic for bone marrow cells. Thus, WECHE is a novel chemokine that regulates hematopoietic differentiation.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Azo dye-mediated regulation of total phenolics and peroxidase activity in thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) clonal lines.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) clonal lines, which were previously isolated from a heterogeneous seed population by plant tissue culture techniques, have been targeted as potential plants for phytoremediation of organic pollutants such as azo dyes and related aromatic compounds. Three thyme clonal lines and three rosemary clonal lines were tested for the ability to grow on hormone-free medium containing 0.01% of azo dye Poly S-119. The results showed that dye tolerance was associated with reduced phenolics and enhanced peroxidase activity in these clonal lines. There was a clear inverse correlation between total phenolics and peroxidase activity in these plants in response to Poly S-119. The tolerance of these clonal lines showed variations at different growing stages. These observations suggested that the peroxidase activity was inducible. Because peroxidases are involved in lignification, wound healing, aromatic compound degradation, pathogen defense, and stiffening, the results suggest that azo dye stimulated the defense response of thyme and rosemary clonal plants by increasing the peroxidase activity. Stereomicroscopic observations revealed that the azo dye was sequestered within the growing axis of the plant roots, which may also enhance the polymerization of azo dye onto the cell wall with the help of enhanced peroxidase activity.
Azo Compounds↗
Solid-state bioconversion of phenolics from cranberry pomace and role of Lentinus edodes beta-glucosidase.
Cranberry pomace contains large amounts of phenolic glycosides, which are important sources of free phenolics that have many food uses such as antioxidants, flavorings, and nutraceuticals. Our hypothesis was that these glycosides in cranberry pomace could be hydrolyzed by beta-glucosidase produced by Lentinus edodes during solid-state fermentation. On the basis of this hypothesis, our objective was to investigate the potential of using cranberry pomace as a substrate for the production of free phenolics and beta-glucosidase through solid-state fermentation by a food-grade fungus L. edodes. Our results suggested that L. edodes beta-glucosidase played a major role in release of phenolic aglycons from cranberry pomace during solid-state fermentation. After 50 days of cultivation, the yield of total free phenolics reached the maximum of 0.5 mg per g of pomace, while the beta-glucosidase activity was about 9 units per g of pomace. The enzyme exhibited optimal activity at 60 degrees C and at pH 3.5 and was stable at temperatures up to 50 degrees C and between pH 3 and 6.5. The major free phenolics produced from cranberry pomace were identified by HPLC as gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and p-coumaric acid. These results suggest that cranberry pomace is a potential substrate for producing food-grade phenolics and fungal beta-glucosidase. The L. edodes beta-glucosidase showed good stability and tolerance to low pH and, therefore has potential applications in wine and juice processing for aroma and flavor enrichment through enzymatic hydrolysis of glucoside precursors.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
Generation of dendritic cells from adherent cells of cord blood by culture with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interleukin-4, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.
Although dendritic cells (DC) can be cultured from cord blood (CB) CD34+ progenitor cells, the generation of DC from CB monocytes has not been reported. In this paper, we explored the generation of DC from CB monocytes to establish the simplest way to obtain a substantial number of DC from CB. We isolated monocytes from CB mononuclear cells (CB-MNC) by the plastic adherence method. These adherent cells (monocyte-rich cells) were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) or in serum-free X-VIVO 15 medium (SFM) for 7 days, both of which contained 100 ng/ml granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and 10 ng/ml interleukin-4 (IL-4) with or without 10 ng/ml tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) (added at day 5). In the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4, CB-adherent cells became nonadherent, acquired DC morphology, and showed increased expression of CD1a, CD80, CD86, and HLA-DR; they lost membrane CD14 and some cells with the expression of CD83 and CMRF-44 were generated. With the addition of TNF-alpha to these cultures and culturing for further 2 days, the proportion of CD83+ cells was elevated in both the FBS and SFM culture systems, compared with the culture without TNF-alpha. In the culture with TNF-alpha, cells expressing CD1a, CD80, CD86, HLA-DR, and HLA-DQ were markedly increased. TNF-alpha-treated cells were demonstrated to be stronger stimulators for proliferation of both allogeneic CB lymphocytes and PB lymphocytes than were cells not treated with TNF-alpha. The yield of CD83+ DC at day 7 of cultures was 4.9 +/- 1.1 x 10(5) or 3.0 +/- 0.5 x 10(5) per 1.2 x 10(7) CB-MNC plated initially when cultured in FBS or SFM, respectively. These results have shown that a substantial number of mature DC could be generated from CB-adherent cells even by serum-free culture. We then compared these CB-adherent cell-derived DC (CB-DC) with peripheral blood (PB)-adherent cell-derived DC (PB-DC) in cell-surface phenotype and function. We found day 7 CB-DC have lower expression of CD80, CD1a, CD83, and CMRF-44 than day 7 PB-DC, but CB-DC have a similar capacity to stimulate the proliferation of both allo-CB lymphocytes and PB lymphocytes, compared with PB-DC. CB-DC cultured with GM-CSF and IL-4 have almost identical capacity of phagocytosis to take up fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran and Lucifer yellow (LY), compared with PB-DC. In summary, our findings suggest CB adherent cells, when cultured with GM-CSF, IL-4, and TNF-alpha, are a potent source of functional DC. Thus, CB-DC as well as PB-DC may become valuable tools for immunotherapy.
Cell Adhesion↗
Stereoselective HPLC-assay for citalopram and its metabolites.
The racemic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram (CIT) is increasingly used for depressive disorders. As both enantiomers of CIT differ in pharmacologic activity and demethylated metabolites might contribute to the antidepressent action of CIT, a stereoselective assay for all active compounds is needed, but will require that pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships be investigated. A stereoselective high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-assay (Chirobiotic V column) with UV-detection (lambda = 240 nm) for R- and S-CIT as well as both enantiomers of desmethyl(DM)-CIT and didesmethyl(DDM)-CIT was developed. The calibration range was linear from 5 to 200 ng/mL and the lower limit of detection averaged 2 ng/mL. Based on three quality controls (10, 75, and 150 ng/mL) the intraday and interday coefficients of variation ranged from 1.3% to 9.0% for CIT and from 2.2% to 10.3% for DM-CIT and DDM-CIT. The assay was used to analyze the trough steady state plasma levels of all 6 agents in 16 elderly patients treated daily with 20 to 40 mg CIT. For the dose of 20 mg (n = 14) mean values +/- SD of R- (and S-CIT) averaged 36.2+/-15.0 (27.4+/-13.1) ng/mL, respectively (mean R/S-ratio: 1.4+/-0.4), for R- (and S-DM-CIT) 7.2+/-3.1 (7.7+/-3.8) ng/mL, respectively (R/S-ratio: 1.0+/-0.3) whereas DDM-CIT was only detectable as R-enantiomer in 8 cases (13.2+/-12.1 ng/mL; range: 2.2-36.2 ng/mL). Significant (p < 0.01) linear correlations could be found between both enantiomers of CIT and DM-CIT as well as between parent drug and primary metabolite for the R-enantiomers. Apparently R/S- and metabolic ratios increased with dose; this might indicate that stereoselective disposition of CIT and DM-CIT is concentration-dependent. The present assay allows a rapid, sensitive, and reliable stereoselective determination of CIT and its (active) metabolites which can be applied for assessing pharmacokinetic parameters and evaluating putative relationships to clinical (side) effects.
Aged↗
Collective phase slips and phase synchronizations in coupled oscillator systems
Phase synchronization dynamics in coupled limit cycles with distributed natural frequencies are explored. A synchronization tree from free oscillations to local clustering and global phase locking is found. A desynchronization-induced transition to chaos is shown. Near the onset of various phase synchronization points, a simultaneous quantized stick-slip feature of the phases of oscillators is observed on the desynchronization side and heuristically interpreted in terms of a heteroclinic path instability.
Journal Article↗
Collective topological dynamics in the frenkel-kontorova chains
Topological dynamics of an array of harmonically coupled damped dc-driven nonlinear oscillators are studied by introducing a dynamical contraction factor and a deviation factor. Different dynamical transitions are identified, and topological changes for these transitions are studied. A bifurcation from the kink state to the kink-antikink-pair state is found, which relates the topological change to the spatiotemporal dynamics of the system. The presence of antikinks leads to the extension of the localized kink, and collisions of kinks and antikinks induce strong oscillations of the topology of the array.
Journal Article↗
Enhancement of phase synchronization through asymmetric couplings
Phase synchronization in lattices of coupled chaotic oscillators is studied. It is found that phase synchronization can be greatly improved by asymmetric biased coupling. The mechanism responsible for this effect is the transition from a localized wave to synchronized flow and nonlocal phase synchronization.
Journal Article↗
Generalized synchronization versus phase synchronization
The relation between generalized synchronization and phase synchronization is investigated. It was claimed that generalized synchronization always leads to phase synchronization, and phase synchronization is a weaker form than generalized synchronization. We propose examples that generalized synchronization can be weaker than phase synchronization, depending on parameter misfits. Moreover, generalized synchronization does not always lead to phase synchronization.
Journal Article↗
Q vectors, bicistronic retroviral vectors for gene transfer.
We have developed a retroviral vector that incorporates unique features of some previously described vectors. This vector includes: 3' long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the self-inactivating class; a 5' LTR that is a hybrid of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) enhancer and the mouse sarcoma virus promoter; an internal CMV immediate early region promoter to drive expression of the transduced gene and the neomycin phosphotransferase selectable marker; an expanded multiple cloning site and an internal ribosome entry site. An SV40 ori was introduced into the vector backbone to promote high copy number replication in packaging cell lines that express the SV40 large T antigen. We demonstrate that these retroviral constructs, designated Q vectors, can be used in applications where high viral titers and high level stable or transient gene expression are desirable.
Animals↗
Gamma knife radiosurgery as a primary treatment for prolactinomas.
OBJECT: The purpose of this study was to estimate the efficacy of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) in controlling tumor growth and endocrinopathy associated with prolactinomas. METHODS: Between 1993 and 1997, 164 of 469 patients with pituitary adenomas treated by GKS harbored prolactinomas. The dose to the tumor margin ranged from 9 to 35 Gy (mean 31.2 Gy), and the visual pathways were exposed to a dose of less than 10 Gy. The mean tumor diameter was 13.4 mm. The mean follow-up time for 128 cases was 33.2 months (range 6-72 months). Tumor control was observed in all but two patients who underwent surgery 18 and 36 months, respectively, after GKS. Clinical cure was achieved in 67 cases. Clinical improvement was noted with a decrease in the hyperprolactinemia after GKS. Nonetheless, in 31 (29%) of 108 patients who were followed for more than 2 years no improvement in serum prolactin levels was demonstrated, although this could be normalized by bromocriptine administration after treatment. Nine infertile women became pregnant 2 to 13 months after GKS and all gave birth to normal children. There was no visual deterioration related to GKS. Five women experienced premature menopause. In these patients there was subtotal disappearance of the tumor and an empty sella developed. CONCLUSIONS: Gamma knife radiosurgery as a primary treatment for prolactinomas can be safe and effective both for controlling tumor growth and for normalization of prolactin hypersecretion. A higher margin dose (> or = 30 Gy) seemed to be associated with a better clinical outcome. Gamma knife radiosurgery may make prolactinomas more sensitive to the bromocriptine.
Humans↗
Social-demographic influence on first birth interval in China, 1980-1992.
This study examines the delay between first marriage and first live birth in China among a sample of women who married between 1980 and 1992. Most couples in China only use contraception after the first child is born. Most sample women had their first child within 2 years of marriage. However, there are significant rural-urban differences in the first birth interval, indicating that there was most probably deliberate fertility regulation after marriage among many urban couples. Survival analysis shows that place of residence, level of education, age at first marriage and marriage cohort affect the first birth interval.
Adolescent↗
O-Glucuronidation of the lung carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1- (3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) by human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases 2B7 and 1A9.
4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone and its major metabolite, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), are potent lung carcinogens in animals. UGT-mediated O-glucuronidation of NNAL is an important detoxification pathway for these carcinogens. To better characterize this pathway in humans, we screened a series of UGT-overexpressing cell lines and baculosome preparations for their ability to O-glucuronidate NNAL and examined multiple human liver and lung specimens for NNAL-glucuronidating activity and their levels of expression of NNAL-glucuronidating UGTs. Human liver microsomal fractions exhibited significant levels of NNAL-glucuronidating activity, with the NNAL-Gluc II diastereomer formed at a rate 3.4 times that observed for NNAL-Gluc I. As with liver microsomal fractions, NNAL-Gluc II was the major diastereomer formed by homogenates from UGT2B7-overexpressing HK293 cells or UGT2B7-overexpressing baculosomes; the major diastereomer formed by homogenates from UGT1A9-overexpressing V79 cells was NNAL-Gluc I. No significant O-glucuronidating activity of NNAL was detected in UGT1A1-, UGT1A4-, UGT1A6-, UGT2B4-, or UGT2B15-overexpressing HK293 or V79 cell homogenates, or in UGT1A1-, UGT1A3-, UGT1A7-, or UGT1A10-overexpressing baculosomes. Significant levels of UGT2B7 mRNA were detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in human liver and at low levels in human lung specimens. UGT1A9 mRNA was detected in liver but not in lung. These results suggest that although both UGT2B7 and UGT1A9 play an important role in the overall glucuronidation of NNAL in humans, UGT2B7 potentially plays an important role in the detoxification of NNAL in the lung.
Animals↗
[Different flow augmentations in coronary, carotid and renal arteries with ECP in experimental canines].
Different flow augmentations were found in canine's coronary, carotid and renal arteries with ECP because of their different anatomical locations in aorta. We used the Electromagnetic Blood Flowmeters to measure the blood flow pre-ECP and during ECP. The results showed ECP increased the diastolic flow of coronary, carotid and renal arteries by 24.48% +/- 1.29%, 27.18% +/- 0.94% and 20.68% +/- 0.80% respectively, decreased their systolic flow by 4.77% +/- 0.48%, 6.45% +/- 0.99% and 9.60% +/- 0.70%, but augmented their mean flow by 18.24% +/- 2.01%, 19.38% +/- 1.47% and 8.42% +/- 0.94% respectively in experimental dogs. These data demonstrate that ECP can greatly increase the mean flow of coronary and carotid arteries but at the same time patently decrease the systolic flow of renal artery.
Animals↗