Triptolide(CAS 38748-32-2), a major active component of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TWHF), is known to have multiple pharmacological activities. However, studies have also shown that triptolide is highly disrupt to the reproductive system by disrupting normal steroid hormone signaling. In the present study, we investigated the effect of triptolide (5, 10, or 20 nM for 24 h) on progesterone production by rat granulosa cells. Triptolide inhibited both basal and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)- and 8-bromo-cAMP-stimulated progesterone production as revealed by RIA assay. Furthermore, the HCG-evoked increase in cellular cAMP content was also inhibited by triptolide, indicating that disruption of the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway may mediate the deleterious effects of triptolide on progesterone regulation. In addition, triptolide inhibited 25-OH-cholesterol-stimulated progesterone production, suggesting that activity of the P450 side chain cleavage (P450scc) enzyme was also be inhibited by triptolide. Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assays further revealed that triptolide decreased mRNA and protein expression of P450scc and the steroidogenic regulatory (StAR) protein in granulosa cells. In contrast, cell viability tests using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) indicated that triptolide did not cause measurable cell death at doses that suppressed steroidogenesis. The reproductive toxicity of triptolide may be caused by disruption of cAMP/PKA-mediated expression of a number of progesterone synthesis enzymes or regulatory proteins, leading to reduced progesterone synthesis and reproductive dysfunction.

A novel method for determination of andrographolide using flow-injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) analysis is described in this paper. The chemiluminescence intensity of the solution was enhanced proportionally while the concentration of andrographolide increased. Under the selected experimental conditions, the calibration curve of andrographolide was linear within the range of 0.2 to 35.0 µg mL(-1) with a linear equation of ΔI = 23.391x (µg mL(-1)) + 34.191, R(2)  = 0.9965. The detection limit (3σ) was 7.42 × 10(-2) µg mL(-1). At the case of continuous determination of andrographolide, the relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 11) was less than 1.82%. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of andrographis tablets with satisfactory results. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The effect of high temperatures (above 25°C) on starch concentration and the morphology of starch granules in the grains of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were studied. Wheat plants of cultivars Yangmai 9 (weak-gluten) and Yangmai 12 (medium-gluten) were treated with high temperatures for 3 days at different times after anthesis. The results showed that the starch concentration of grains given a heat-shock treatment above 30°C were lower than those developing at normal temperature in both cultivars. High temperature lowered starch concentration due to the decrease of amylopectin. Under the same temperature, the effect of heat shock from 6 to 8 days after anthesis (DAA) was the greatest, whereas from 36 to 38 DAA the effect was the least. The effects of high temperatures after anthesis on starch-pasting properties were similar to those on starch concentration, especially after 35-40°C treatments. The size, shape and structure of starch granules in wheat grains (determined by electron microscopy) after heat shock were visibly different from the control. When given heat shock during development, the starch granules in mature wheat grains were ellipsoid in shape and bound loosely with a protein sheath in Yangmai 9, while they were damaged and compressed with fissures in Yangmai 12, indicating the differences in resistance to high temperature between cultivars. Ratios of large (type-A) and small (type-B) starch granules significantly decreased under heat shock, which limited the potential sink size for dry matter deposition in the grain.

A new series of pH responsive Gemini surfactants with 2-pyrrolidone head groups, N, N'-dialkyl-N, N'-di(ethyl-2-pyrrolidone) ethylenediamine (Di-CnP, where n = 6, 8 10, 12), were synthesized and characterized by 1HNMR, 13CNMR, ESI-MS and Elemental analysis. The surface activity and micellization behavior at pH acidic, neutral and basic conditions were characterized by equilibrium surface tension and fluorescence techniques. It was found that the surface activity of Di-CnP depends on the pH of aqueous solutions due to the protonation state of surfactant molecules when pH was varied. The new compounds have lower cmc and γcmc in comparison with that of m-2-m type conventional cationic Gemini surfactants and gluconamide-type nonionic Gemini surfactants. Fluorescence data confirms that micelles are formed when the concentration is above the cmc. Since micellization is of fundamental importance in surfactant applications such as solubilization, microemulsion and related technologies, the significant difference in cmc at different pH of this new Gemini surfactant is employed to solubilize cyclohexane. The preliminary result indeed shows that the solubilization capacity of Di-CnP can be tuned by pH.

Platycladus orientalis is a tree species that is highly resistant, widely adaptable, and long-lived, with lifespans of even thousands of years. To explore the mechanisms underlying these characteristics, gene expressions have been investigated at the transcriptome level by RNA-seq combined with a digital gene expression (DGE) technique. So, it is crucial to have a reliable set of reference genes to normalize the expressions of genes in P. orientalis under various conditions using the most accurate and sensitive method of quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). In this study, we selected 10 reference gene candidates from transcriptome data of P. orientalis, and examined their expression profiles by qRT-PCR using 29 different samples of P. orientalis, which were collected from plants of different ages, different tissues, and plants subjected to different treatments including cold, heat, salinity, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and abscisic acid (ABA). Three analytical software packages (geNorm, Bestkeeper, and NormFinder) were used to assess the stability of gene expression. The results showed that ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 (UBC) and alpha-tubulin (aTUB) were the optimum pair of reference genes at all developmental stages and under all stress conditions. ACT7 was the most stable gene across different tissues and cold-treated samples, while UBQ was the most stably expressed reference gene for NaCl- and ABA-treated samples. In parallel, aTUB and UBC were used singly or in combination as reference genes to examine the expression levels of NAC (a homolog of AtNAC2) in plants subjected to various treatments with qRT-PCR. The results further proved the reliability of the two selected reference genes. Our study will benefit future research on the expression of genes in response to stress/senescence in P. orientalis and other members of the Cupressaceae.

Background. The single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) technique has been used in many surgical procedures, but there are few reports regarding liver surgeries. The purpose of this study was to perform single-incision laparoscopic hepatectomy (SILH) using standard laparoscopic instrumentation in 8 Chinese patients. The advantages and prospective future applications of SILH are also described. Methods. Selected patients were hospitalized between December 2009 and November 2011. The procedure was accomplished through a 2.5-cm transabdominal wall incision using a laparoscope and 2 other instruments without the assistance of any articulating instruments or single multiport trocar. Results. All procedures were successfully performed without the need for supplemental trocars. Postoperative pathological examinations were supportive of the preoperative diagnoses. No complications such as perioperative hemorrhage or infections occurred. Conclusion. SILH appears to be a safe approach and the results are cosmetically favorable. The accumulation of SILH experience and the development of instrumentation are needed for extensive use of this technique in hepatectomies.

We demonstrated a versatile approach to obtain layered nanoparticle sheets with in-plane hexagonal order and 3-D ordered arrays of single nanoparticle chains in thin films upon blending nanoparticles with block copolymer (BCP)-based supramolecules. Basic understanding on the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the assembly process paved a path to manipulate these assemblies to meet demands in nanoparticle-based device fabrication and understand structure-property correlations.

In 1976 Marcuse developed an equivalent index model to predict the effects of bending in waveguides, and predicted deformation of the spatial modes in bent optical fibers. Perturbative approaches have been previously applied and tested to predict the behavior of single- and few-moded-fibers. However, much more significant mode deformation has been predicted for large-mode-area fibers than for single- or few-moded-fibers. In this paper, the spatial profiles of modes deformed by bending in large-mode-area fibers are measured for the first time. A finite difference method employing the equivalent index model is used to calculate the modes of the helical fiber, which show an offset that is twice as large as that predicted for single-mode fiber, and mode compression that is five times greater. These calculated results are compared to the experimental data, yielding significantly better agreement than previous perturbative approaches.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The effect of cell injury and apoptosis induced by ultrasound with contrast agent has been verified. Contrast agent enhanced apoptosis and expression of genes that related to apoptosis and are responsive to ultrasound. This effect was associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production induced by the sonochemical reaction, as reported in previous studies. NF-kappa B may be one of the factors involved in oxidizing reactions or modulation during the process of ultrasound inducing apoptosis. RESULTS: Ultrasound irradiated gastric cancer cells (SGC7901 cell line) and hepatocellular carcinoma cells (SMMC-771 cell line) cultured in medium containing contrast agent. Significant cellular damage and apoptosis were observed in the bath cells incubated for 24 hours following 120 seconds ultrasonic irradiation. I kappa B alfa expression synchronously increased in the treatment groups of both the cell lines, and the down-regulated expression of NF-kappa B influenced its-regulated expression of genes that related to apoptosis. Production of intracellular ROS and elevation of NF-kappa B level occurred after incubation of the cells for 1 hour following ultrasonic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our result suggested that contrast agent enhanced the biological effect of ultrasound. Their reaction might stimulate the transitory expression of NF-kappaB, and subsequent elevation in IkappaBalfa expression could lead to the apoptosis of SGC7901 cells and SMMC-771 cells.

The antioxidant and macrophage-stimulating activities of polyguluronic acid (PG) and polymannuronic acid (PM) prepared from alginate were examined. A chemiluminescence (CL) method using a luminol analog, L-012, showed that both PM and PG scavenge superoxide produced by hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase system in a concentration-dependent manner. At 100μg/ml, PG showed slightly stronger superoxide scavenging activity than PM. In an electron spin resonance (ESR)-spin trapping method in which the Fenton reaction was used as hydroxyl radical generation system, we found that both PM and PG showed potent hydroxyl radical scavenging activity to a similar extent. Because PM and PG showed no chelating activity on Fe(2+), it was confirmed that PM and PG can directly scavenge hydroxyl radical. No significant scavenging activity of PM and PG toward hydrogen peroxide was observed. Interestingly, the macrophage-stimulation activity of PG as measured by nitric oxide (NO)-production from mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 cells was evidently stronger than that of PM. Our results suggest that RAW264.7 cells might be able to distinguish the conformational differences between PM and PG, and respond differently to them, whereas the effects of such structural differences between PM and PG on the radical scavenging activities may not be so significant.