Synthesis of a novel cost-effective double-ligand Zr-based MOF via an inverted modulator strategy towards enhanced adsorption and photodegradation of tetracycline.

Developing visible-light response photocatalysts with high activity and adsorption alongside sustainability is vitally important to environmental restoration. Here, we fabricated a novel metal organic framework (MOF) with cost-effective double-ligands (fumaric acid and 2-aminoterephthalic acid as ligand precursors, denoted as MA-MOF) via a facile solvothermal method. Specifically, crystalline [Zr6O4(OH)4(fumarate)6] (MOF-801) can be only formed with monocarboxylic acids as modulators. Therefore, in the construction of crystalline double-ligand MA-MOF, the absence of monocarboxylic acid modulators successfully prevents the formation of crystalline MOF-801. Instead, the crystalline double-ligand MA-MOF is formed. Properties of MA-MOFs including the surface area, porosity, charge transfer resistance, and energy level position can be adjusted via altering the ratio of ligands. The optimal sample, MA-MOF2 (prepared with a molar ratio of fumaric acid and 2-aminoterephthalic acid being 2:1), shows a total 94.6% removal of tetracycline via adsorption and photodegradation, far exceeding the corresponding single-ligand counterparts. This work proposes an innovative inverted modulator strategy for constructing double-ligand MOFs.

Tuning the Fe/Co ratio towards a bimetallic Prussian blue analogue for the ultrasensitive electrochemical sensing of 5-hydroxytryptamine.

Lack of highly efficient, inexpensive, and easily available catalysts severely limits the practical applicability of electrochemically sensing assay towards 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Herein, four kinds of Fe-Co bimetallic Prussian blue analogues (FeCo-PBAs) with different molar ratios of Fe to Co were prepared using a simple coprecipitation method. Interestingly, Fe(III) in K3 [Fe(CN)6] can be reduced to Fe(II) by adding trisodium citrate dehydrate, which could offer a new clue to synthesize PBAs with Fe(II) core ions. With the optimizational FeCo-PBA synthesized at a 0.5/1 M ratio of Fe to Co as an electrocatalyst, the constructed sensor shows excellent comprehensive performance for the 5-HT assay with a high sensitivity of 0.856 µA µM-1 and an ultralow detection limit of 8.4 nM. Under the optimum conditions, linearity was obtained in the ranges of 0.1-10.0 µM and 10.0-200.0 µM and preferable recoveries ranged from 97.8% to 103.0% with relative standard deviation (RSD) < 4.0%. The integrated properties of FeCo-PBA can be comparable to previously reported electrocatalysts for the 5-HT assay including noble metal-based and expensive carbon (graphene and carbon nanotubes)-based electrocatalysts. The proposed sensor also exhibits outstanding selectivity, reproducibility, and practicality for real sample analyses. This work is the first report on the PBA-based sensor for the 5-HT assay, verifying the practicability of this high-performance sensor for the 5-HT assay.

Preparation and photocatalytic performance of UIO-66/La-MOF composite.

To improve the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of photocatalytic materials UIO-66 and La-MOFs under visible-light irradiation, a series of photocatalytic materials with La and Zr as metal centers and terephthalic acid (H2BDC) and 2-amino terephthalic acid (H2ATA) as organic ligands were prepared by solvothermal method. The photocatalytic materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and Mott-Schottky test. The photocatalytic degradation performance to Rhodamine B of the catalysts was fully investigated. Results show that the H2ATA series had stronger visible-light absorption capacity and better photocatalytic performance. The 0.35 La/Zr-H2ATA composite showed the best photocatalytic degradation. The quenching experiments confirmed that the active species in the photocatalytic degradation were the holes and superoxide radicals. The possible mechanisms of the carrier migration paths in the energy level matching for La/Zr-H2BDC and La/Zr-H2ATA were also discussed in detail.

Novel preparation of stable and highly photocatalytic Z-scheme Cs3PW12O40/Ag3PO4 photocatalysts for the photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants in water.

The Cs3PW12O40/Ag3PO4 (CsPW/Ag3PO4) heterojunction photocatalyst in this study was prepared using a simple chemical precipitation method. Spherical CsPW particles were successfully deposited on Ag3PO4 nanocrystals, all the as-prepared samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The catalyst activity in relation to rhodamine B (RhB) degradation was evaluated under visible light (λ > 420 nm). The CsPW/Ag3PO4 heterojunction photocatalyst can effectively degrade RhB. The Z-scheme 3% CsPW/Ag3PO4 heterojunction photocatalyst has a higher photocatalytic ability compared with the single-component photocatalyst CsPW or Ag3PO4. The comparatively high photocatalytic performance can be attributed to the high matching of the energy band position and close interface contact, suggesting an enhanced separation efficiency of the photoinduced carriers of the CsPW/Ag3PO4 heterojunction photocatalyst. The reactive species trapping experiments demonstrated photogenerated holes (h+) and superoxide radicals (•O2-) to be the main active components of photocatalytic degradation. A possible photocatalytic mechanism is subsequently proposed.

Efficient Electrochemical Water Oxidation Mediated by Pyridylpyrrole-Carboxylate Ruthenium Complexes.

Spurred by the rapid growth of Ru-based complexes as molecular water oxidation catalysts (WOCs), we propose novel ruthenium(II) complexes bearing pyridylpyrrole-carboxylate (H2ppc) ligands as members of the WOC family. The structure of these complexes has 4-picoline (pic)/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in [Ru(ppc)(pic)2(dmso)] and pic/pic in [Ru(ppc)(pic)3] as axial ligands. Another ppc2- ligand and one pic ligand are located at the equatorial positions. [Ru(ppc)(pic)2(dmso)] behaves as a WOC as determined by electrochemical measurement and has an ultrahigh electrocatalytic current density of 8.17 mA cm-2 at 1.55 V (vs NHE) with a low onset potential of 0.352 V (vs NHE), a turnover number of 241, a turnover frequency of 203.39 s-1, and kcat of 16.34 s-1 under neutral conditions. The H2O/pic exchange of the complexes accompanied by oxidation of a ruthenium center is the initial step in the catalytic cycle. The cyclic voltametric measurements of [Ru(ppc)(pic)2(dmso)] at various scan rates, Pourbaix diagrams (plots of E vs pH), and kinetic studies suggested a water nucleophilic attack mechanism. HPO42- in a phosphate buffer solution is invoked in water oxidation as the proton acceptor.

Neutral Cyclometalated Ir(III) Complexes with Pyridylpyrrole Ligand for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation from Water.

To explore structure-activity relationships with respect to light-harvesting behavior, a family of neutral iridium complexes [Ir(ppy)2(LR)] 1-4 (where ppy = 2-phenylpyridine, and N̂N = 2-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)pyridine and its functionalized derivatives) were designed and synthesized. The structural modifications in metal complexes are accomplished through the attributions of electron-donating CH3 in 2, OCH3 in 3, and electron-withdrawing CF3 in 4. The structural analysis displays that the pyridylpyrrole acts as one-negative charged bidentated ligand to chelate the iridium center. The electrochemical and photophysical properties of these complexes were systematically studied. The neutral 1-4 as well as the ionic structurally analogous [Ir(ppy)2(bpy)](PF6) (5) were utilized as PSs in photocatalytic hydrogen generation from water with [Co(bpy)3](PF6)2 as catalyst and triethanolamine (TEOA) as electron sacrificial agent in the presence of salt LiCl. Complex 1 maintains activity for more than 144 h under irradiation, and the total turnover number is up to 1768. The electrochemical properties and the quenching reaction indicate the H2 generation by neutral complexes 1-4 is involved exclusively in the oxidative quenching process.

A Ru diphosphonato complex with a metal-metal bond for water oxidation.

Unlike [Ru2(µ-O2CCH3)4], the structurally analogous water-soluble RuII,III2 diphosphonato complex K3[Ru2(hedp)2(H2O)2] (K3·1) is only involved in stoichiometric water oxidation with a maximum 67% O2 yield under CAN/HNO3 solution (pH 1.0) for 2.5 h. The water oxidation mechanism and intermediate products were ascertained by UV-vis, ESI-MS and DFT calculation.

Convenient synthesis of three-dimensional hierarchical CuS@Pd core-shell cauliflowers decorated on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide for non-enzymatic electrochemical sensing of xanthine.

A novel hybrid with three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical CuS@Pd core-shell cauliflowers decorated on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (CuS@Pd/N-RGO) has been prepared by a facile wet-chemical route without utilizing any template molecules and surfactants. The characterization results reveal that the 3D flower-like structure of CuS "core" is composed of interconnecting nanoplates, which is conductive to the loading of Pd nanoparticles' "shell" and results in the robust interaction between the core and shell for the formation of CuS@Pd cauliflowers. Anchoring such appealing CuS@Pd cauliflowers on the two-dimensional N-RGO can efficaciously inhibit the aggregation of CuS@Pd cauliflowers and accelerate the kinetics of xanthine oxidation. Benefiting from the multi-functional properties and unique morphology, the sensor constructed by CuS@Pd/N-RGO exhibits excellent performance for non-enzymatic detection of xanthine including a wide detection range of 0.7-200.0 µM (0.94 V vs. SCE), a low detection limit of 28 nM (S/N = 3), high reproducibility (relative standard deviation (RSD) = 4.1%), and commendable stability (retained 90% of the initial electrochemical responses after storage for 30 days), which is amongst the best of various electrochemical sensors reported for xanthine assays till date. Reliable and satisfying recoveries (95-105%, RSD ≤ 4.1%) are achieved for xanthine detection in real samples. The inspiring results make the uniquely structural CuS@Pd/N-RGO greatly promising in non-enzymatic electrochemical sensing applications. Graphical abstract A high-performance non-enzymatic xanthine sensor has been constructed by the three-dimensional hierarchical CuS@Pd core-shell cauliflowers decorated on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide.

Zinc complexes supported by pyridine-N-oxide ligands: synthesis, structures and catalytic Michael addition reactions.

New dipyridylpyrrole N-oxide ligands HL1 and HL2 are designed and synthesized via oxidation of 2-(5-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)pyridine (Hdpp) by using 3-chloroperbenzoic acid (m-CPBA) in CH2Cl2. The treatment of ZnEt2 with two equiv. of HL1 and HL2 affords [Zn(L1)2] and [Zn(L2)2] in medium yield, respectively. These ligands and zinc complexes are fully characterized by NMR, IR, UV-vis and ESI-MS spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The structure of HL1 and HL2 shows a planar geometry. The intramolecular hydrogen-bond interactions between the imino hydrogen and N-oxide oxygen atom are observed. In [Zn(L1)2] and [Zn(L2)2], two ligands chelate to the zinc metal with a cross perpendicular geometry. The zinc complexes were employed as a highly efficient catalyst for the thiol-Michael addition of thiols to α,ß-unsaturated ketones in EtOH at room temperature. The loading of the catalyst is lowered to 0.01 mol%. The catalytic mechanism was proposed based on NMR and ESI-MS experiments.

Self-Supported Hierarchical IrO2@NiO Nanoflake Arrays as an Efficient and Durable Catalyst for Electrochemical Oxygen Evolution.

Although traditional IrO2 nanoparticles loaded on a carbon support (IrO2@C) have been taken as a benchmark catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), their catalytic efficiency, operation stability, and IrO2 utilization are far from satisfactory due to the inferior powdery structure and inevitable corrosion of both IrO2 and C under the oxidizing potentials. Here, a rational design of a self-supported hierarchical nanocomposite, composed of IrO2@NiO nanoparticle-built porous nanoflake arrays vertically growing on nickel foam, is proposed, which is demonstrated as a versatile strategy to achieve improved OER activity, remarkable long-term stability, and significantly reduced loading of IrO2 (0.62 atom %). Impressively, the resultant catalyst drives a steady OER current density of 10 mA cm-2, requiring 278 mV overpotential in 1.0 M KOH electrolyte for 25 h and outmaneuvring commercial IrO2@C with much higher mass loading. Further electrochemical investigation and mechanism analysis disclose that the greatly improved electrocatalytic activity stems from the advantageous hierarchical structure and the synergistic effect between IrO2 and underlying potential-induced NiOOH, whereas the outstanding durability is attributed to the unique role of NiO in preventing IrO2 dissolution.

Understanding the energy level matching relationships between semiconductor photocatalysts and organic pollutants for effective photocatalytic degradations.

In this work, representative semiconductors CdS, V2O5, WO3 and P25 (Degussa TiO2 consisting of 80 wt% anatase and 20 wt% rutile) were chosen as the photocatalysts, and the common phenol along with its derivatives (p-nitrophenol, p-chlorophenol and hydroquinone) were designated as the probe pollutants. The energy levels of the frontier molecular orbitals (EHOMO and ELUMO) of organics, and the valence band (VB) and conduction band (CB) energy levels (EVB and ECB) of photocatalysts were obtained through experiments and calculations. By correlating the photocatalytic activities of photocatalysts for the degradations of the organic pollutants under the irradiation of a 300 W xenon lamp with their above-mentioned energy levels, some new findings can be acquired. To be specific, the more positive EHOMO of an organic pollutant leads to its easier photodegradation by photocatalysts. Meanwhile, the more negative VB position for a photocatalyst results in the higher photocatalytic activities for the degradations of organic pollutants. Therefore, the matching correlation between the EHOMO of an organic pollutant and the EVB of a photocatalyst is of great importance to the efficiency of photocatalytic degradation.

Comparative analysis of human mesenchymal stem cells from fetal-bone marrow, adipose tissue, and Warton's jelly as sources of cell immunomodulatory therapy.

To characterize different tissue MSCs as sources of cell immunomodulatory therapy. Examined the effects of IFN-γ on WJ-MSC and their immunomodulatory function characteristics. We compared human fetal bone marrow (F-BM), adipose tissue (AT), and Warton's Jelly-derived MSCs (WJ-MSCs) for surface antigen expression, differentiation ability, proliferation capacity, clonality, tolerance for aging, gene expression, and whether IFN-γ affected WJ-MSC gene expression, as determined by real time quantitative PCR. Fifteen geneswere examined. We further assess WJ-MSCs-mediated immunomodulatory on peripheral blood mononuclear, stimulated by PHA, IL-2 and CD3Ab after 5 days of co-cultured in a 5:1 ratio (PBMC:MSCs). Examined the effect of WJ-MSCs on the Th1, Th2, Th17 cytokines production and Treg augument. MSCs from different tissues have similar levels of cell surface antigen expression and differentiation ability, while F-BM-MSCs and WJ-MSC had higher rates of cell proliferation and clonality than AD-MSCs. All 15 genes were expressed at similar levels in WJ-MSCs and AD-MSCs (P > 0.05). 9 genes were upregulated in WJ-MSCFor F-MSC, including IL-6, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, ICAM-1, IDO1, HLA-G5, SDF1A, and NOTCH were down expression, but VCAM-1 was lower expressionin WJ-MSCS. After IFN-γ treatment, 7 genes were upregulated in WJ-MSC, including chemokine ligands CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11, and the adhesion protein VCAM1and ICAM1. Additionally, immunosuppressive factors, such as HLA-G and IDO were both increased. When cocultured with peripheral blood mononuclear, WJ-MSCs showed an immunosuppressive function by inhibit the proliferative response of Th1 and Th17 but augment Th2 and Treg. Primed WJ-MSCs by IFNγ caused a greater reduction in IFNγ and TNFα than untreated WJ-MSCs, also the effect on augument in Treg and inhibit Th17 (P < 0.01). Our results demonstrate that primitive F-BM-MSCs and WJ-MSCs have biological advantages as compared to adult cells, WJ-MSCs have a gene expression pattern similar to AT-MSCs but not F-BM MSCs, and that inflammatory stimuli regulate gene expression in WJ-MSCs. WJ-MSC showed the immunosuppressive function in co-cultured system with PBMC, and IFNγ can promoted the immunosuppressive function.

Immunophenotypic, Cytogenetic and Clinical Features in Chinese Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) Patients.

INTRODUCTION: This study sought to investigate the immunophenotypic subtype profiles of 110 Chinese adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and its association to cytogenetics and the clinical features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 110 adult patients with ALL were immunophenotyped by CD45/SSC double parameters and 4 colour flow cytometry. Seventy-three cases were also subjected to karyotype analysis by R-banding technology. The clinical and laboratory data of 110 ALL patients were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: Of all the patients, 21.8% were identified as T-ALL, 78.2% as B-ALL. Abnormal karyotypes were detected in 37 out of 73 (50.7%) cases and the most common cytogenetic abnormality was the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome, which was found in 23.3% (17/73) of the cases. Myeloid antigen (MyAg) expression was documented in 47.3% of the 110 adult ALL cases analysed and CD13 was the most commonly expressed MyAg in ALL patients (32.1 %). No difference was observed in the expression of MyAg between the groups of patients with T-ALL (45.8%) and B-ALL (47.7%). Our data showed that older age, higher CD34 positivity and lower proportion of patients with splenomegaly were found to be correlated with MyAg+ ALL, and that patients with Ph+ B-ALL were older, presented with higher haemoglobin level and higher CD34 expression. No statistical difference was noted in complete remission (CR) rate, relapse rate, induction mortality or total death rate among My+ and My-, Ph+ and Ph-, or B-ALL and T-ALL patients. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the distribution of ALL in Chinese adult patients was similar with the general distribution pattern in the other countries, and the expression of MyAg in patients with T-ALL and B-ALL was comparable. Both the expression of MyAg and the presence of Ph chromosome in adult ALL were significantly associated with median age and CD34 expression while not with the response to induction treatment.

Clinical and laboratory features of adult biphenotypic acute leukemia.

AIM: To analyze the clinical and biological characteristics of adult BAL. METHODS: We identified 22 cases (4.4%) of BAL from 496 newly diagnosed acute leukemia patients and compared them with patients with acute myloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). RESULTS: CD34 positivity was higher in BAL (87%) than in ALL (60%, P = 0.04) and AML patients (63%, P = 0.05). The median age in the BAL group was greater than in ALL (43 vs 31 years, P = 0.04). Enlargement of liver, spleen and lymphonodes was more common in BAL (81.8%) than AML (46%, P = 0.003). Cytogenetic analysis revealed abnormal karyotypes in 56% of BAL patients. The overall completed remission rate in the BAL group (65%) was lower than in ALL (86%, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: BAL patients showed a much higher incidence of older age, CD34 antigen expression, presence of Philadelphia chromosome, liver, spleen and lymphonodes infiltration and resistance to therapy.

Bioleaching of heavy metals from a contaminated soil using indigenous Penicillium chrysogenum strain F1.

Bioleaching of heavy metals from contaminated soil using Penicillium chrysogenum strain F1 was investigated. Batch experiments were performed to compare leaching efficiencies of heavy metals between one-step and two-step processes and to determine the transformation of heavy metal fractions before and after bioleaching. The results showed that two-step process had higher leaching efficiencies of heavy metals than one-step process. When the mass ratio of soil to culture medium containing P. chrysogenum strain F1 was 5% (w/v), 50%, 35%, 9% and 40% of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were removed in one-step process, respectively. The two-step process had higher removals of 63% Cd, 56% Cu, 14% Pb and 54% Zn as compared with one-step process. The results of the sequential extraction showed that the metals remaining in the soil were mainly bonded in stable fractions after bioleaching. The results of TEM and SEM showed that during bioleaching process, although the mycelium of P. chrysogenum was broken into fragments, no damage was obviously observed on the surface of the living cell except for thinner cell wall, smaller vacuoles and concentrated cytoplasm. The result implied that P. chrysogenum strain F1 can be used to remove heavy metals from polluted soil.

Immunophenotype of Chinese patients with T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia and its association to biological and clinical features.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate the immunophenotype of 46 Chinese patients with T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and its association with biological and clinical features. METHODS: 46 patients with T-ALL were immunophenotyped by flow cytometry, and 30 cases were also subjected to karyotype analysis by R-banding technology. The clinical and biological characteristics of T-ALL patients between MyAg+ and MyAg- groups were analyzed. RESULTS: Myeloid antigen (MyAg) expression was documented in 41.3% of the 46 T-ALL cases. Abnormal karyotypes were detected in 17 out of 30 (56.7%) cases. Our data showed that the median lowest white blood cell (WBC) count and lowest hemoglobin level, higher CD34 positivity, and a lower proportion of patients with splenomegaly were found to be correlated with MyAg+ T-ALL. No statistical difference was noted in the complete remission (CR) rate, relapse rate, induction death rate or total death rate among MyAg+ and MyAg- patients. In our cohort, none of the antigens tested affected the CR rate after the first induction. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that MyAg expression in patients with T-ALL was not associated with adverse presenting clinical and biological features as well as response to induction treatment. The expression of surface antigens had no impact on initial chemotherapy CR achievement.

Long-term culture and cryopreservation of interstitial cells of Cajal.

OBJECTIVE: Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) in the gastrointestinal tract generate and propagate slow waves and mediate neuromuscular neurotransmission. Damage to ICCs has been described in several gastrointestinal motor disorders, and although many studies have examined ICCs in culture, they have been largely limited to freshly dissociated cells or short-term cultures. An efficient and reliable method to establish a source of ICCs is much needed. The aim of this study was to investigate methods for culturing, subculturing, cryopreservation, and recovery of ICCs. METHODS: ICCs were derived from intestinal segments of domestic rabbits, and immunohistochemistry for c-Kit was used to identify ICCs in culture and after recovery. Recovered ICCs were also examined for motilin receptor expression. RESULTS: Optimal conditions for ICC culture and cryopreservation were based on cell growth curves and MTT assay. On the basis of these findings, recovered cells were cultured for 7 days and then sorted via flow cytometry based on c-Kit immunoreactivity. The percent of c-Kit positive cells was 64.3%, and the number of ICCs sorted was 6.7 × 10(5). Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting verified motilin receptor expression in c-Kit-positive ICCs. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to describe the culture, passage, and recovery of ICCs and to show motilin receptor expression. Our results suggest that ICCs play an important role, at least in some species, in initiating the migrating myoelectric complex induced by motilin.

[Immunophenotypes in 207 pediatric patients with ALL and theirs correlation with cytogenetics and clinical features].

The objective of this study was to investigate the immunophenotypic subtype profiles of 207 pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and its correlation with cytogenetics and clinical features. 207 children with ALL were immunophenotyped by four color flow cytometry using a panel of monoclonal antibodies. 207 patients were enrolled in this study, out of which 146 cases were subjected to karyotype analysis by R-banding technology. The results showed that 11.6% out of 207 children with ALL were identified as T-ALL, 88.4% as B-ALL. Myeloid antigen (MyAg) expression was documented in 42.5% out of 207 cases analyzed and CD13 was the most commonly expressed MyAg (31.4%). No difference was observed in the expression of MyAg between the groups of patients with T-ALL (41.7%) and B-ALL (42.6%). Abnormal karyotypes were detected in 84 out of 146 (57.5%) children. The clinical and biological characteristics of ALL patients between MyAg(+) and MyAg(-) groups showed that higher percentage of patients with high WBC count (> 50 × 10(9)/L) and higher CD34 positivity were found to be correlated with MyAg(+) ALL. It is concluded that immunophenotype analysis is useful for ALL diagnosis and classification, and the immunophenotypes are in relevance to the abnormal cytogenetic changes as well as clinical features in childhood ALL.

Immunophenotypic, cytogenetic, and clinical features of 207 cases of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in china.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the immunophenotypic subtype profiles of 207 Chinese children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and its association with cytogenetics and clinical features. METHODS: A total of 207 children with ALL were immunophenotyped by 4-color flow cytometry using a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Among the 207 patients enrolled in this study, 146 cases were also subjected to karyotype analysis by R-banding technology. RESULTS: Of the 207 children with ALL, 11.6% were identified as T-ALL and 88.4% as B-ALL. Among B-ALL, 6.6% were identified as Pro-B ALL, 67.2% as Com-B ALL, 24.0% as Pre-B ALL, and 2.2% as mature-B ALL. Myeloid antigen (MyAg) expression was documented in 42.5% of the 207 cases analyzed and CD13 was the most commonly expressed MyAg (31.4%). No difference was observed in the expression of MyAg between the groups of patients with T-ALL (41.7%) and B-ALL (42.6%). Abnormal karyotypes were detected in 84 of 146 (57.5%) children. The clinical and biological characteristics of ALL patients between the MyAg⁺ and MyAg⁻ groups showed that a higher percentage of patients with high WBC count (>50×109/L) and higher CD34 positivity were found to be correlated with MyAg⁺ ALL. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the distribution of ALL in Chinese children was similar to the general distribution pattern in other countries. Unlike previous studies, we found that the expression of MyAg in children with T-ALL and B-ALL was comparable, and the percentage of patients with a high WBC count (>50×109/L) and CD34 positivity in MyAg⁺ was higher than that in MyAg⁻ ALL types, but no differences were found with regard to other clinical features.

[Motilin receptor expression in the interstitial cells of Cajal].

OBJECTIVE: To look for the evidences of motilin receptor expression on interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) of the rabbit. METHOD: Smooth muscle segments with ICC were isolated from the small intestine of 10-day old rabbits. The tissue segments equilibrated in Ca(2+)-free Hanks' solution were dispersed with an enzyme solution containing collagenase type II and then Ficoll density centrifugation was used to dissociate ICC. The cells were suspended and cultured in the M199 medium. The c-kit antibody was applied to distinguish the cultured ICC. The motilin receptor was identified by immunocytochemical assay with GPR38 antibody, c-kit antibody and hoechst 33342 combined to label ICC. Cells cultured for a few days were sorted for ICC with c-kit stained green fluorescent through flow cytometry. The total RNA and proteins extracted from the sorted ICC were respectively used to verify motilin receptor on the ICC by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. RESULT: We had successfully dissociated and cultured ICC of rabbit small intestine in vitro. Fluorescent staining with c-kit antibody confirmed that the culture ICC was successful. Triple-labeled immunofluorescent staining had detected the motilin receptor on membrane of ICC. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the ratio of c-kit positive cell in the cultured cells was 64.3%. The number of sorted ICC was 6.7 × 10(5) and 5.6 × 10(6). The results of RT-PCR and Western blot confirmed that the ICC had motilin receptor expression. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated presence of motilin receptor on ICC of the rabbit. The present results may suggest that ICC play an important role in gastrointestinal movement induced by motilin.