We have performed a detailed density functional theory study on the structural and electronic properties of Na(n)C(60)(-)(n = 1-12) clusters. The calculated vertical detachment energies show good agreement with the experimental data, which confirms the 3p (n = 3p) oscillation rule. The oscillation can be attributed to the combination of the charge depletion distribution induced by removing electrons and the number of the sodium atoms in direct contact with the fullerene. Based on the structural and electronic properties, the Na atoms can be categorized into two groups, one is for the metal atoms directly bonded to the fullerene surface, and the other one is for those without bonding to the fullerene. The Na atoms in group one would donate electrons to both the fullerene and the Na atoms in group two. As the total number of the sodium atoms increases, the number of Na atoms in group one would continue increasing till the size n = 3p - 1 to meet a shoulder from n = 3p - 1 to n = 3p, which accounts for the maximum vertical detachment energy at the size of n = 3p as drawn from the detailed electronic property studies.

Purpose:  To determine the role of Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) in tear meniscus imaging and evaluate its diagnostic significance in Sjögren syndrome (SS), non-Sjögren's aqueous tear deficiency (ATD) and lipid tear deficiency (LTD) patients. Methods:  Two hundred and thirty-six dry eye patients and 174 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. All subjects were grouped as follows: group A (ATD), group B (LTD), group C (SS) and group D (normal controls). All subjects underwent dry eye questionnaire, FD-OCT scanning, tear film break-up time (BUT), corneal fluorescence staining and Schirmer I test (SIT). Tear meniscus height (TMH), tear meniscus depth (TMD) and tear meniscus cross-sectional area (TMA) were measured using FD-OCT (RTVue-100). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and the cut-off point were determined using a logistic regression model. Results:  Mean TMH, TMD, TMA, BUT and SIT of dry eye patients were significantly lower than those of the controls (p < 0.05). Tear meniscus values were significantly decreased in patients with SS compared with ATD and LTD patients. Tear meniscus values were significantly correlated with clinical examination results in all groups. Accuracy of dry eye diagnosis by FD-OCT is highest in patients with SS and lowest in LTD patients. The clinical diagnostic critical points were quite different between groups. Conclusions:  Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography could provide precise measurement of the tear meniscus with favourable repeatability. Diagnostic significance is more conspicuous in patients with SS. Tear meniscus measurement by FD-OCT is expected to become a valuable technique in ATD dry eye screening and diagnosis.

Hematogenous metastasis always leads to the poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Activated platelets are involved in hematogenous metastasis and may be a potential therapeutic target. P-selectin is an important adhesion molecule and expressed on the surface of activated platelets. P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) as a transmembrane protein is expressed on the surface of various cell types. P-selectin can bind to PSGL-1, and thereby initiate the platelet-mediated cell adhesion. The aim of the study was to investigate the degree of platelet activation in NSCLC and the roles of PSGL-1 in the activation of platelets. Purified platelets were obtained from NSCLC patients (40 lung adenocarcinomas and 26 lung squamous cell carcinomas), and P-selectin expression was detected by fluorescence-activated cell sorter. The population of peripheral blood platelets with P-selectin expression in lung adenocarcinoma was 63.16 ± 25.44 %, and significantly higher than that in lung squamous cell carcinoma (35.97 ± 17.19 %) and the healthy population (9.12 ± 7.66 %, n = 30). A specific small hairpin RNA (shRNA) for PSGL-1 was transfected into A549 human alveolar cell carcinoma cells. The expressions of PSGL-1 mRNA and protein were significantly reduced with the PSGL-1 shRNA (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the knockdown of PSGL-1 also resulted in the significantly reduced aggregate formation of activated platelets and A549 cells. Thus, activated platelets may interact with lung cancer cells through PSGL-1. Inhibiting platelet activation and/or down-regulating PSGL-1 expression may be useful for suppression of tumor metastasis.

The need for efficient text-mining tools that support curation of the biomedical literature is ever increasing. In this article, we describe an experiment aimed at verifying whether a text-mining tool capable of extracting meaningful relationships among domain entities can be successfully integrated into the curation workflow of a major biological database. We evaluate in particular (i) the usability of the system's interface, as perceived by users, and (ii) the correlation of the ranking of interactions, as provided by the text-mining system, with the choices of the curators.

ABSTRACT: Malignant triton tumor (MTT) is defined as malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor with rhabdomyoblastic differentiation. Intracranial MTT is extremely rare, and only four cases have been reported in the literature. Here, we report a case of MTT occurring in the cerebellopontine angle, and describe its histopathological characteristics, immunohistochemical features, and prognosis. Virtual slides The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1336227313684480.

We investigated the role of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) on renal tubular epithelial cell in the renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups. The control group (n = 5) underwent left nephrectomy. The ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)+ normal saline (NS)(n = 5) and I/R + NGAL groups (n = 5) were subjected to 45 min right renal ischemia followed by 48 h of reperfusion after left nephrectomy. The pathological changes of kidney tissues were investigated using hematoxylin-eosin staining; renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis was detected using terminal dUTP nick-labeling method; expression of apoptosis-regulating protein Fas and Bcl-2 was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemical staining. Compared with I/R + NS group, kidney tissues from I/R + NGAL group revealed reduced histological damage and a decreased number of renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis (9.2 ± 2.53 nuclei or 4.0 ± 0.7 per high-power field vs. 20.3 ± 3.7 nuclei or 8.1 ± 0.3 per high-power field); rats with NGAL showed downregulated fas mRNA (2.34 ± 0.51 vs. 6.84 ± 2.34), fas protein (0.65 ± 0.05 vs. 0.95 ± 0.08), and upregulated bcl-2 protein (0.33 ± 0.05 vs. 0.24 ± 0.03). The results had statistical significance (p < 0.05). We think NGAL could protect against renal IRI and might be related to decreasing tubular epithelial cell apoptosis via adjusting the expression of apoptosis-regulating proteins.

Genetically encoded fluorescent cross-linking agents represent powerful tools useful both for visualising and modulating protein interactions in living cells. The far-red fluorescent protein HcRed, which is fluorescent only in a dimer form, can be used to promote the homo-dimerisation of target proteins, and thereby yield useful information about biological processes. We have in yeast cells expressed HcRed fused to a subunit of mitochondrial ATP synthase (mtATPase). This resulted in cross-linking of the large multi-subunit mtATPase complex within the inner-membrane of the mitochondrion. Fluorescence microscopy revealed aberrant mitochondrial morphology, and mtATPase complexes isolated from mitochondria were recovered as fluorescent dimers under conditions where complexes from control mitochondria were recovered as monomers. When viewed by electron microscopy normal cristae were absent from mitochondria in cells in which mATPase complexes were cross-linked. mtATPase dimers are believed to be the building blocks that are assembled into supramolecular mtATPase ribbons that promote the formation of mitochondrial cristae. We propose that HcRed cross-links mATPase complexes in the mitochondrial membrane hindering the normal assembly/disassembly of the supramolecular forms of mtATPase.