Phloem loading and its development related to plant evolution from trees to herbs

Summary Minor vein structure in various taxonomic groups was described in a previous paper (Gamalei 1989). Here, these results are used to correlate minor vein structure with plant evolutionary, ecological and growth form schemes. The following pattern emerges: reductive evolution from evergreen trees to annual herbs is accompanied by gradually increasing symplastic isolation of the mesophyll and the phloem. This evolutionary tendency is confirmed by the ecological spreading and life-form distribution of modern plants with different types of minor vein structure. The meaning of this phenomenon is discussed. Chilling sensitivity of plasmodesmal translocation is considered to be the main reason. It is suggested that phloem loading for assimilate transport is double-routed. The symplastic route is more ancient and more economical for loading. The apoplastic pathway becomes the main or the only route under unfavorable conditions. The existence of a symplast/apoplast regulatory loading mechanism is suggested. The two loading routes differ in their selectivity for products of photosynthesis which changes their symplast/apoplast ratio which, in turn, determines the composition of the sieve tube exudate. The latter will influence growth and morphogenesis. Correlated changes of structure and function related to photosynthesis, loading, translocation and growth, are analysed with respect to life-form evolution. The influence of the pathway of loading on other processes is discussed.     

Modeling nutrients,oxygen and critical phosphorus loading in a shallow reservoir in China with a coupled water quality – Macrophytes model

Many macrophyte-dominated clear lakes switch to a phytoplankton-dominated turbid state when the lake becomes eutrophic. An existing Yuqiao Reservoir Water Quality Model (YRWQM) and the macrophyte submodel were coupled to simulate the effect of submerged macrophytes on nutrients and dissolve oxygen cycles in a shallow reservoir in China. The level of phosphorus loading in a transition from a clear to turbid state was addressed using the integrated model. The model runs from seedling establishment until dying out, from March 1 to July 18 in 2009. The simulations were performed for a contingent range of P loadings, starting from three different initial conditions. The results indicated that the integrated model improves accuracy of predictions compared to YRWQM. The concentrations of nutrients declined slightly during the macrophyte growth period in the reservoir and dissolved oxygen increased slightly. Although nutrient concentrations increased by submerged macrophyte release during the extinction period, the effect on the nutrients was less than that of transfer with nutrient-rich water. More released nutrients may enhance increases in substantial abundance. The critical phosphorus loading level during a switch from the clear to turbid state was estimated by these scenarios. The threshold for the switch is ∼6.1 mgP m⁻² d⁻¹ with an initial total phosphorus concentration of 160 μg l⁻¹. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the switch was also dependent on the initial total phosphorus concentration. These results suggest that the reservoir in a clear water state is at risk of a switch as nutrient levels are close to the critical levels.     

双重响应二硫化钼纳米载药体系的制备及其性能研究

摘要 目的：制备肿瘤微环境响应释放的靶向二硫化钼纳米载药体系,并评价其载药量和释药性能。方法：以水热法合成的MoS₂纳米片为基底,利用MoS₂纳米片上的S空缺位点连接硫辛酸聚乙二醇羧酸,然后通过酰胺反应连接精氨酸-甘氨酸-天冬氨酸（RGD）靶向分子,再连接上交联剂3-(2-吡啶二硫代)丙酸N-琥珀酰亚胺酯（SPDP）,得到药物载体MoS2-PEG-RGD-SPDP（MPRS）,MPRS进一步与巯基化的阿霉素（DOX）反应,形成MPRS-DOX纳米载药体系。通过透射电子显微镜（TEM）,X-射线光电子能谱仪（XPS）以及纳米粒度电位仪对合成的材料进行表征;利用紫外可见分光光度计测试MPRS的载药性能,采用荧光分光光度计考察MPRS-DOX的释药性能。结果：成功合成MPRS-DOX纳米载药体系,其粒径大小在200 nm左右,Zeta电位为+28.2 mV;其载药效率为86.8%,载药量为53.5%。体外释药实验表明,在10 mM 谷胱甘肽（GSH）和pH=5.5的条件下DOX释放量最多。结论：成功制备了粒径合适的MPRS-DOX纳米载药体系,MPRS-DOX具有GSH和pH双重响应性,可实现预期的模拟肿瘤微环境内控制释放药物。这种GSH和pH双重响应的纳米载药体系为新一代刺激响应型纳米载药系统的构建提供了新的思路。     

Transient pain developers show increased abdominal muscle activity during prolonged sitting

BackgroundSitting is a commonly adopted posture during work and prolonged exposures may have detrimental effects. Little attention has been paid to the thoracic spine and/or multiple axes of motion during prolonged sitting. Accordingly, this study examined three-dimensional motion and muscle activity of the trunk during two hours of uninterrupted sitting.MethodsTen asymptomatic males sat during a simulated office task. Kinematics were analyzed from six segments (Neck, Upper-, Mid-, and Lower-thoracic, Lumbar, and Pelvis) and electromyography was recorded from eight muscles bilaterally.ResultsFour participants developed transient pain. These participants showed higher average muscle activations in the abdominal muscles. Additionally, the non-pain group showed less lateral bend positional change in the mid-thoracic region compared to the upper- and lower-thoracic regions. Weak-to-moderate positive correlations were also found between rated pain and low back muscle activation.DiscussionThe results provided further evidence of reduced movement in non-pain developers and altered muscle activation patterns in pain developers. Low-level, prolonged static contractions could lead to an increased risk of injury; and though the increased abdominal activity in the pain developers was not directly associated with increased rated pain scores, this could indicate a pre-disposition to, or enhancer of, transient pain development.     

3D strain map of axially loaded mouse tibia: a numerical analysis validated by experimental measurements

A combined experimental/numerical study was performed to calculate the 3D octahedral shear strain map in a mouse tibia loaded axially. This study is motivated by the fact that the bone remodelling analysis, in this in vivo mouse model should be performed at the zone of highest mechanical stimulus to maximise the measured effects. Accordingly, it is proposed that quantification of bone remodelling should be performed at the tibial crest and at the distal diaphysis. The numerical model could also be used to furnish a more subtle analysis as a precise correlation between local strain and local biological response can be obtained with the experimentally validated numerical model.     

Influence of the method of TM joint total replacement implantation on the loading of the joint on the opposite side

The temporomandibular (TM) joint is one of the most used joints in the human body, and any defect in this joint has a significant influence on quality of life. The objective of this study was to create a parametric numerical finite element (FE) analysis to compare the effect of surgical techniques used for total TM joint replacement implantation on loading the TM joint on the other side. Our hypothesis is that for the optimal function of all total TM joint replacements used in clinical practice it is crucial to devise a minimally invasive surgical technique, whereby there is minimum resection of masticatory muscles. This factor is more important than the design of the usually used total TM joint replacements. The extent of muscle resection influences the mechanical loading of the whole system. In the parametric FE analyses, the magnitude of the TM joint loading was compared for four different ranges of muscle resections during bite, using an anatomical model. The results obtained from all FE analyses support our hypothesis that an increasing extent of the muscle resection increased the magnitude of the TM joint overloading on the opposite side. The magnitude of the TM joint overloading increased depending on the muscle resection to 235% for bite on an incisor and up to 491% for bite on molars. Our study leads to a recommendation that muscle resection be minimised during replacement implantation and to a proposal that the attachment of the condylar part of the TM joint replacement be modified.     

The influence of implant number and abutment design on the biomechanical behaviour of bone for an implant-supported fixed prosthesis: a finite element study in the upper anterior region

It is always recommended to use more implants for supporting a prosthesis in the immediate loading condition than in the classical two-stage treatment procedure. By means of the finite element (FE) method, the influence of the number of implants used in immediately loaded fixed partial prosthesis (FPP) on the load distribution was investigated, considering the abutment geometry. Two 3D FE models were studied employing four implants to support a FPP in the premaxilla. One model was designed with straight abutments and the other with 20°-angled abutments. The results concerning implant displacements, stresses and strains were compared with those of two implant-supported FPPs, obtained in a previous study. A noticeable reduction in the determined biomechanical bone loading was observed with the use of more implants in supporting an immediately loaded prosthesis. This study confirms that the use of additional numbers of implants in an immediately loaded prosthesis is highly recommended.     

Magnetic nano-Fe3O4 particles targeted gathering and bio-effects on nude mice loading human hepatoma Bel-7402 cell lines model under external magnetic field exposure in vivo

Abstract

Magnetic nano-Fe₃O₄ particles (MNPs), static magnetic field (SMF) and extremely low-frequency altering electric magnetic field (ELFF) were utilized to treat nude mice loading hepatoma Bel-7402 cell lines to investigate the therapeutic values of MNPs combined with ELFF in vivo. Magnetic resonance image (MRI) figures showed that about 98.9% MNPs injected into mice body through tail vein were gathered in tumor focal by SMF directing exposure. Single ELFF and MNPs treatments did not influence mice physiological function obviously. However, gathered MNPs combined with ELFF treatment prolonged mice survival time and inhibited loading tumor cells proliferation significantly compared to other mice groups (p?<?0.05); furthermore, the tumor cells early apoptosis ratio of mice group was significantly higher than other groups (p?<?0.05), and ELFF combined with gathered MNPs treatment improved tumor cells early apoptosis associated with Bcl group protein expression: Bax protein expression was higher than Bcl-2 and the combined treatment improved cells Heat shock protein-27 (Hsp-27) expression which could protect cells avoiding early apoptosis. The possible mechanism that this kind of combination inducing more cells into early apoptosis could be due to ELFF exposure influencing cells ion metabolism, MNPs strengthening the effects, and the ELFF vibrating MNPs to generate extra heat and activate cellular heat shock signal channel.     

Direct Imaging of ER Calcium with Targeted-Esterase Induced Dye Loading (TED)

Visualization of calcium dynamics is important to understand the role of calcium in cell physiology. To examine calcium dynamics, synthetic fluorescent Ca²⁺ indictors have become popular. Here we demonstrate TED (= targeted-esterase induced dye loading), a method to improve the release of Ca²⁺ indicator dyes in the ER lumen of different cell types. To date, TED was used in cell lines, glial cells, and neurons in vitro. TED bases on efficient, recombinant targeting of a high carboxylesterase activity to the ER lumen using vector-constructs that express Carboxylesterases (CES). The latest TED vectors contain a core element of CES2 fused to a red fluorescent protein, thus enabling simultaneous two-color imaging. The dynamics of free calcium in the ER are imaged in one color, while the corresponding ER structure appears in red. At the beginning of the procedure, cells are transduced with a lentivirus. Subsequently, the infected cells are seeded on coverslips to finally enable live cell imaging. Then, living cells are incubated with the acetoxymethyl ester (AM-ester) form of low-affinity Ca²⁺ indicators, for instance Fluo5N-AM, Mag-Fluo4-AM, or Mag-Fura2-AM. The esterase activity in the ER cleaves off hydrophobic side chains from the AM form of the Ca²⁺ indicator and a hydrophilic fluorescent dye/Ca²⁺ complex is formed and trapped in the ER lumen. After dye loading, the cells are analyzed at an inverted confocal laser scanning microscope. Cells are continuously perfused with Ringer-like solutions and the ER calcium dynamics are directly visualized by time-lapse imaging. Calcium release from the ER is identified by a decrease in fluorescence intensity in regions of interest, whereas the refilling of the ER calcium store produces an increase in fluorescence intensity. Finally, the change in fluorescent intensity over time is determined by calculation of ΔF/F₀.     

吲哚美辛水凝胶贴剂小鼠体外透皮性能研究

目的：通过研究不同促透剂对吲哚关辛水凝胶贴剂透皮性能的影响,遴选在特定栽药剂量时具有最佳促透效果的促透剂,并与市售贴剂进行比较,对吲哚美辛水凝胶贴剂的体外透皮性能进行评价。方法：采用改良Franz透皮扩散池,以离体小鼠背部皮肤为透皮屏障,在最佳载药量选用不同浓度的氮酮、油酸、丙二醇以及三者组成的二元或三元组合为促透剂,在规定时间点测定吲哚美辛的累积透过百分率以及单位面积累积透过量。结果：与空白对照组相比,当氮酮与油酸单独应用时,二者均没有明显的促透作用;当选用二元促透剂联合应用时,油酸与丙二醇联用能够明显促进吲哚美辛的经皮渗透（P〈0．05）;当选用三元促透剂时促透效果更好,单位面积累积透过量最高可达234．4μg·cm^-2,24h内药物累积透过百分率明显高于市售贴剂。结论：氮酮、油酸、丙二醇三者联合应用可作为吲哚关辛贴剂的理想促透剂。吲哚关辛水凝胶贴剂是具有应用价值的新型经皮控释制剂。