胃缺血-再灌注对大鼠胃黏膜细胞凋亡和增殖的影响

本研究采用大鼠胃缺血-再灌注（gastricischemia-reperfusion,GI-R）模型（夹闭腹腔动脉30 min后再灌注）,通过组织学、免疫组化等方法,研究GI-R不同时间（0、0.5、1、3、6、24、48、72 h）对胃黏膜细胞凋亡和增殖的影响.结果发现,单纯缺血30 min胃黏膜损伤较轻,再灌注后损伤逐渐加重,胃黏膜的凋亡细胞迅速增加,而增殖细胞迅速减少;至再灌注后1 h达高峰;之后胃黏膜开始修复,凋亡细胞逐渐减少,增殖细胞逐渐增加;至再灌注后24 h胃黏膜细胞增殖达高峰;再灌注后72 h胃黏膜基本恢复正常.上述结果提示,在GI-R中,胃黏膜损伤主要由再灌注引起,凋亡细胞增加;然后胃黏膜启动自我修复机制,增殖细胞逐渐取代损伤细胞,3 d左右就可基本修复,表明胃黏膜细胞具有很强的自我修复能力.     

Fabrication and Use of MicroEnvironment microArrays (MEArrays)

The interactions between cells and their surrounding microenvironment have functional consequences for cellular behaviour. On the single cell level, distinct microenvironments can impose differentiation, migration, and proliferation phenotypes, and on the tissue level the microenvironment processes as complex as morphogenesis and tumorigenesis¹. Not only do the cell and molecular contents of microenvironments impact the cells within, but so do the elasticity² and geometry³ of the tissue. Defined as the sum total of cell-cell, -ECM, and -soluble factor interactions, in addition to physical characteristics, the microenvironment is complex. The phenotypes of cells within a tissue are partially due to their genomic content and partially due to the combinatorial interactions with the microenviroment. A major challenge is to link specific combinations of microenvironmental components with distinctive behaviours.Here, we present the microenvironment microarray (MEArray) platform for cell-based functional screening of interactions with combinatorial microenvironments⁴. The method allows for simultaneous control of the molecular composition and the elastic modulus, and combines the use of widely available microarray and micropatterning technologies. MEArray screens require as few as 10,000 cells per array, which facilitates functional studies of rare cell types such as adult progenitor cells. A limitation of the technology is that entire tissue microenvironments cannot be completely recapitulated on MEArrays. However, comparison of responses in the same cell type to numerous related microenvironments, for instance pairwise combinations of ECM proteins that characterize a given tissue, will provide insights into how microenvironmental components elicit tissue-specific functional phenotypes.MEArrays can be printed using a wide variety of recombinant growth factors, cytokines, and purified ECM proteins, and combinations thereof. The platform is limited only by the availability of specific reagents. MEArrays are amenable to time-lapsed analysis, but most often are used for end point analyses of cellular functions that are measureable with fluorescent probes. For instance, DNA synthesis, apoptosis, acquisition of differentiated states, or production of specific gene products are commonly measured. Briefly, the basic flow of an MEArray experiment is to prepare slides coated with printing substrata and to prepare the master plate of proteins that are to be printed. Then the arrays are printed with a microarray robot, cells are allowed to attach, grow in culture, and then are chemically fixed upon reaching the experimental endpoint. Fluorescent or colorimetric assays, imaged with traditional microscopes or microarray scanners, are used to reveal relevant molecular and cellular phenotypes (Figure 1).     

Utilization of ground eggshell waste as an adsorbent for the removal of dyes from aqueous solution

The adsorption of cationic basic blue 9 and anionic acid orange 51 from aqueous solution onto the calcified eggshell (ES) and its ground eggshell powder (ESP) was carried out by varying the process parameters such as agitation speed, initial dye concentration, adsorbent mass and temperature. The adsorption potential for basic blue 9 onto ESP is far lower than that for acid orange 51, mainly due to the ionic interaction between the acid dye with the sulfonate groups and the positively charged sites on the surface of ESP. The adsorption capacity of acid orange 51 onto ES is significantly smaller than that onto ESP, which is in line with their pore properties (i.e., 1 vs. 21 m(2)/g). The experimental results showed that the adsorption process can be well described with a simple model, the pseudo-second-order model. According to the equilibrium adsorption capacity from the fitting of pseudo-second order reaction model, it was further found that the Freundlich model yields a somewhat better fit than the Langmuir model in the adsorption of acid orange 51 onto ESP. In addition, an increase in adsorption temperature from 15 to 45 degrees C significantly enhances the adsorption capacity of acid orange 51 onto ESP, revealing that the adsorption should be an endothermic or chemisorption process. From the results, it is feasible to utilize the ground eggshell waste as an effective adsorbent for removal of anionic dye from aqueous solution.     

Endothelial S1pr1 regulates pressure overload‐induced cardiac remodelling through AKT‐eNOS pathway

Cardiac vascular microenvironment is crucial for cardiac remodelling during the process of heart failure. Sphingosine 1‐phosphate (S1P) tightly regulates vascular homeostasis via its receptor, S1pr1. We therefore hypothesize that endothelial S1pr1 might be involved in pathological cardiac remodelling. In this study, heart failure was induced by transverse aortic constriction (TAC) operation. S1pr1 expression is significantly increased in microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) of post‐TAC hearts. Endothelial‐specific deletion of S1pr1 significantly aggravated cardiac dysfunction and deteriorated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in myocardium. In vitro experiments demonstrated that S1P/S1pr1 praxis activated AKT/eNOS signalling pathway, leading to more production of nitric oxide (NO), which is an essential cardiac protective factor. Inhibition of AKT/eNOS pathway reversed the inhibitory effect of EC‐S1pr1‐overexpression on angiotensin II (AngII)‐induced cardiomyocyte (CM) hypertrophy, as well as on TGF‐β‐mediated cardiac fibroblast proliferation and transformation towards myofibroblasts. Finally, pharmacological activation of S1pr1 ameliorated TAC‐induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, leading to an improvement in cardiac function. Together, our results suggest that EC‐S1pr1 might prevent the development of pressure overload‐induced heart failure via AKT/eNOS pathway, and thus pharmacological activation of S1pr1 or EC‐targeting S1pr1‐AKT‐eNOS pathway could provide a future novel therapy to improve cardiac function during heart failure development.     

Structure-activity relationships and docking studies of synthetic 2-arylindole derivatives determined with aromatase and quinone reductase 1

In our ongoing effort of discovering anticancer and chemopreventive agents, a series of 2-arylindole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated toward aromatase and quinone reductase 1 (QR1). Biological evaluation revealed that several compounds (e.g., 2d, IC₅₀?=?1.61?μM; 21, IC₅₀?=?3.05?μM; and 27, IC₅₀?=?3.34?μM) showed aromatase inhibitory activity with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values in the low micromolar concentrations. With regard to the QR1 induction activity, 11 exhibited the highest QR1 induction ratio (IR) with a low concentration to double activity (CD) value (IR?=?8.34, CD?=?2.75?μM), while 7 showed the most potent CD value of 1.12?μM. A dual acting compound 24 showed aromatase inhibition (IC₅₀?=?9.00?μM) as well as QR1 induction (CD?=?5.76?μM) activities. Computational docking studies using CDOCKER (Discovery Studio 3.5) provided insight in regard to the potential binding modes of 2-arylindoles within the aromatase active site. Predominantly, the 2-arylindoles preferred binding with the 2-aryl group toward a small hydrophobic pocket within the active site. The C-5 electron withdrawing group on indole was predicted to have an important role and formed a hydrogen bond with Ser478 (OH). Alternatively, meta-pyridyl analogs may orient with the pyridyl 3′-nitrogen coordinating with the heme group.     

Hx, a novel fluorescent, minor groove and sequence specific recognition element: design, synthesis, and DNA binding properties of p-anisylbenzimidazole-imidazole/pyrrole-containing polyamides

With the aim of incorporating a recognition element that acts as a fluorescent probe upon binding to DNA, three novel pyrrole (P) and imidazole (I)-containing polyamides were synthesized. The compounds contain a p-anisylbenzimidazolecarboxamido (Hx) moiety attached to a PP, IP, or PI unit, giving compounds HxPP (2), HxIP (3), and HxPI (4), respectively. These fluorescent hybrids were tested against their complementary nonfluorescent, non-formamido tetraamide counterparts, namely, PPPP (5), PPIP (6), and PPPI (7) (cognate sequences 5'-AAATTT-3', 5'-ATCGAT-3', and 5'-ACATGT-3', respectively). The binding affinities for both series of polyamides for their cognate and noncognate sequences were ascertained by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies, which revealed that the Hx-containing polyamides gave binding constants in the 10(6) M(-1) range while little binding was observed for the noncognates. The binding data were further compared to the corresponding and previously reported formamido-triamides f-PPP (8), f-PIP (9), and f-PPI (10). DNase I footprinting studies provided additional evidence that the Hx moiety behaved similarly to two consecutive pyrroles (PP found in 5-7), which also behaved like a formamido-pyrrole (f-P) unit found in distamycin and many formamido-triamides, including 8-10. The biophysical characterization of polyamides 2-7 on their binding to the abovementioned DNA sequences was determined using thermal melts (ΔT(M)), circular dichroism (CD), and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) studies. Density functional calculations (B3LYP) provided a theoretical framework that explains the similarity between PP and Hx on the basis of molecular electrostatic surfaces and dipole moments. Furthermore, emission studies on polyamides 2 and 3 showed that upon excitation at 322 nm binding to their respective cognate sequences resulted in an increase in fluorescence at 370 nm. These low molecular weight polyamides show promise for use as probes for monitoring DNA recognition processes in cells.     

Low Hemoglobin Level Is Associated with the Development of Delirium after Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide and liver resection is the only potential curative treatment option for those patients. Postoperative complications specific to elderly surgical patients such as delirium will be increasingly relevant in the coming decades. Herein, we aimed to investigate the risk factors for postoperative delirium in patients who have received hepatectomy for HCC.

Methods

This is a single medical center observational study and the study subjects comprised 401 individuals who underwent liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma during January 2009 to October 2013. Multivariate analysis was used to examine whether preoperative, intra-operative, or postoperative variables were associated with the development of delirium.

Results

Of the 401 patients who underwent hepatectomy, 34 developed postoperative delirium (8.4%). In the majority of those patients, symptoms and signs of the syndrome occurred on postoperative day 2 and the mean duration of symptoms was 3.61 ± 3.71 days. Multivariate analysis revealed that advanced age (>71 years) [odds ratio (OR) = 1.133, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.071–1.200, p<0.001], prolonged operative time (>190 minutes) (OR = 1.009, 95% CI: 1.000–1.017, p = 0.038), a decreased postoperative hemoglobin level (< 10.16 g/dL) (OR = 0.777, 95% CI: 0.613–0.983, p = 0.036), and history of hypnotic drug use (OR = 3.074, 95% CI: 1.045–9.039, p = 0.041) were independent risk factors for the development of postoperative delirium after hepatectomy.

Conclusions

Although the mechanism of postoperative delirium is not well understood, numbers of studies have shown that patients with postoperative delirium tend to have prolonged hospital stay, worse postoperative outcome and an increased risk of short- and long-term mortality. In this study, we found that advanced age, prolonged operative time, postoperative low hemoglobin level and history of hypnotic drug use are independent risk factors for postoperative delirium.     

Molecular epidemiology of adenovirus type 8 (Ad 8) in Taiwan: four subtypes recovered during the period of 1980-1981 from patients with epidemic keratoconjunctivitis

Adenovirus type 8 (Ad 8) has been the major and important causative agent of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC). By enzymatic cleavage analysis with five endonucleases, PstI, HindIII, BamHI, SalI and SstI, 27 out of 149 Ad 8 isolates recovered from patients with EKC during the period from July, 1980 to July, 1981 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, were studied. By cleavage patterns, 27 Ad 8 isolates in Kaohsiung were classified into four subtypes which were found to be different from the subtypes (Ad 8A, Ad 8B) prevalent in Sapporo (1).