Accurate wavelength calibration method for compact CCD spectrometer.

Wavelength calibration is an important step in charge-coupled device (CCD) spectrometers. In this paper, an accurate calibration method is proposed. A model of a line profile spectrum is built at the beginning, followed by noise reduction, bandwidth correction, and automatic peak-seeking treatment. Experimental tests are conducted on the USB4000 spectrometer with a mercury-argon calibration light source. Compared with the traditional method, the results show that this wavelength calibration procedure obtains higher accuracy and the deviations are within 0.1 nm.

Thoracic stomach-right main bronchus fistula treated with dual Y-shaped covered airway stents.

AIM: To determine the efficacy of dual Y-shaped covered airway stents to treat thoracic stomach-right main bronchus fistulae. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifteen patients who developed thoracic stomach-right main bronchus fistula after oesophageal cancer resection and postoperative irradiation were retrospectively analysed. All fistulae were close to the right upper lobe bronchus. Two Y-shaped covered airway stents were designed for each patient. Under radiographic guidance, one stent was placed from the right main bronchus into the bifurcation of upper lobe and intermediate bronchus, the other was placed from the trachea into both main bronchi. RESULTS: All fistulae were closed immediately after stenting. All patients could eat a semi-solid diet. The symptom of coughing while lying down resolved in all patients, and no complications, such as airway bleeding or pneumothorax, occurred. The average survival time was 26.65 months (range 2-40 months, 11 patients were still alive at the study end). Two patients died of tumour recurrence. Another two patients died of pulmonary infections. In one of these patients, there was a long delay between symptom onset and stenting. In the other patient, a small rupture occurred in the silicone membrane covering the stent, which allowed the leakage of gastric contents into the lung. CONCLUSION: Dual Y-shaped covered airway stent placement is feasible and safe to treat thoracic stomach-right main bronchus fistulae. Improvements to the material covering the stents is required.

Histological changes within dental pulps in teeth with moderate-to-severe chronic periodontitis.

AIM: To investigate the effect of chronic periodontitis on dental pulps by assessing histological changes in the pulps of teeth with moderate-to-severe periodontitis. METHODOLOGY: A total of 242 teeth from 162 patients with moderate-to-severe periodontitis were collected, and histological changes in pulps were investigated by staining with haematoxylin and eosin. Baseline data were taken from the patients' records before extraction. The morphologic changes observed in the pulp were classified as degree I, degree II, degree III and degree IV. Statistical analysis of the severity of periodontitis and histological changes with the pulps was applied using the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test, whilst the contingency coefficient was used to analyse the inter-relationship between the severity of periodontitis and histological changes in the pulps. RESULTS: The inter-relationship between the severity of periodontitis and histological changes in the pulps was 0.274 (P < 0.001), and significant differences existed between teeth with moderate periodontitis and severe periodontitis group (Z = 4.145, P < 0.001). The inter-relationship between attachment loss and histological changes in the pulps was 0.397 (P < 0.001). There were significant differences in the histological changes amongst teeth with various degrees of attachment loss (χ(2) = 33.023, P < 0.001) and amongst teeth in different locations (χ(2) = 23.163, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There was a positive association between the severity of periodontitis and histological changes within the pulp. More attachment loss was correlated with pathological changes within the dental pulp.

Cloning and sequence analysis of sucrose phosphate synthase gene from varieties of Pennisetum species.

Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) is an enzyme used by higher plants for sucrose synthesis. In this study, three primer sets were designed on the basis of known SPS sequences from maize (GenBank: NM_001112224.1) and sugarcane (GenBank: JN584485.1), and five novel SPS genes were identified by RT-PCR from the genomes of Pennisetum spp (the hybrid P. americanum x P. purpureum, P. purpureum Schum., P. purpureum Schum. cv. Red, P. purpureum Schum. cv. Taiwan, and P. purpureum Schum. cv. Mott). The cloned sequences showed 99.9% identity and 80-88% similarity to the SPS sequences of other plants. The SPS gene of hybrid Pennisetum had one nucleotide and four amino acid polymorphisms compared to the other four germplasms, and cluster analysis was performed to assess genetic diversity in this species. Additional characterization of the SPS gene product can potentially allow Pennisetum to be exploited as a biofuel source.

Effect of continuous infusion of midazolam on immune function in pediatric patients after surgery.

The current study was performed to investigate the effects of midazolam on immune function in pediatric patients after surgery and possible mechanism involved. Patients who needed sedation for more than 2 consecutive days after undergoing surgery in the Pediatric Surgery Department of our hospital were enrolled for the study. Fifty-six patients (5-14 years old) were randomly divided into midazolam and propofol treatment groups (N = 28 each in each group). Pediatric patients received midazolam or profolol via continuous intravenous administration, and their plasma cytokine levels were compared after 48 h. Cultured rat C6 brain glioma cells were pretreated with a range of concentrations of midazolam or propofol for 60 minutes prior to incubation with 10 ng/mL IL-1ß in serum-free medium or vehicle for 36 h. IL-6 concentration was subsequently measured using ELISA. In comparison with levels measured before the infusion of midazolam for 48 h, concentrations of all cytokines decreased, with the differences in IL-1ß, IL-8, and TNF-α concentrations reaching significance (all P < 0.05). Midazolam significantly suppressed the IL-1ß-induced release of IL-6 in rat C6 glioma cells. This inhibition was concentration-dependent between 0.3 and 3 µM, with 3 µM concentration of midazolam decreasing the IL-1ß-induced release of IL-6 by 43.58%. Midazolam can significantly inhibit the release of cytokines in pediatric patients after surgery. One of the mechanisms may be the inhibition of IL-1ß- induced release of IL-6 in the central nervous system.

[Effect of zirconia personalized gingival penetration on peri-implant soft and hard tissue of thin gingival biotypes in the anterior region: a retrospective study].

Objective: To investigate the effect of zirconia personalized gingival structure on peri-implant soft and hard tissue stability after single-tooth implant restorations in patients with thin gingival biotypes in the anterior region, with a view to provide a clinical guideline. Methods: This retrospective study included 20 patients with thin gingival biotype and implant restorations in the anterior region. These patients included 9 males and 11 females, and the age was (35.2± 10.3) years. The patients were from the Department of Periodontal Implantology, Stomatology Hospital, Southern Medical University from January 2018 to December 2022. Computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques were used to fabricate a titanium base zirconia personalized gingival structure to maintain the soft-tissue perforated gingival contour of the anterior esthetic zone. This structure consists of two modalities: titanium base + zirconia outer crown or titanium base personalized zirconia abutment + zirconia outer crown. Clinical outcomes were recorded immediately and after delivery of the final restorations. Implant retention was recorded, esthetic scoring was performed using the pink esthetic index, the amount of bone resorption at the implant margins was measured based on digitized apical radiographs, and periodontal health was evaluated using the modified plaque index and the modified bleeding index. Results: The survival rate of the 20 implants was 100% after 3 years of wearing the final restorations, with a pink aesthetic score of 9.3±0.9. Bone resorption at the proximal and distal mesial margins of the implants was 0.09 (-0.21, 0.20) mm, 0.17 (-0.12, 0.27) mm after 3 years, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant when compared to bone resorption immediately after placement of the final restoration [0(0, 0) mm] (Z=-1.03, P=0.394; Z=-2.05, P=0.065). Conclusions: Zirconia personalized gingival structure maintains the stability of peri-implant hard and soft tissues of thin gingival biotypes in the anterior region.

In vivo measurement of the subchondral bone thickness of lumbar facet joint using magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To measure in vivo thicknesses of the facet joint subchondral bone across genders, age groups, with or without low back pain symptom groups and spinal levels. METHODS: Lumbar (L1-L2 to L5-S1) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed in 81 subjects (41 males and 40 females, mean age 37.6 years). Thicknesses of the subchondral bone were measured in 1620 facet joints using the MR images with custom-written image processing algorithms together with a multi-threshold segmentation technique using each facet joint's middle axial-slice. This method was validated with 12 cadaver facet joints, scanned with both MR and micro-computed tomography images. RESULTS: An overall average thickness value for the 1620 analyzed joints was measured as 1.56±0.01 mm. The subchondral bone thickness values showed significant increases with successive lower spinal levels in the subjects without low back pain. The facet joint subchondral bone thickness in asymptomatic females was much smaller than in asymptomatic males. Mean subchondral bone thickness in the superior facet was greater than that in the inferior facet in both female and male asymptomatic subjects. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to quantitatively show subchondral bone thickness using a validated MR-based technique. The subchondral bone thickness was greater in asymptomatic males and increased with each successive lower spinal level. These findings may suggest that the subchondral bone thickness increases with loading. Furthermore, the superior facet subchondral bone was thicker than the inferior facet in all cases regardless of gender, age or spinal level in the subjects without low back pain. More research is needed to link subchondral bone microstructure to facet joint kinematics and spinal loads.

A delayed bone-tendon junction healing model established for potential treatment of related sports injuries.

BACKGROUND: Animal models for the study of tendinopathy and bone-tendon (B-T) junction repair have been established in the past for sports medicine research. As healing at the B-T junction is difficult and sometimes delayed, establishing a delayed B-T healing experimental model is therefore essential to study the efficacy of potential biophysical and biological interventions for treatment of B-T junction healing. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that a delay in B-T healing could be modelled by shielding the B-T healing interface for the initial few weeks. METHODS: Using an established partial patellectomy model in rabbits, the B-T healing interface was shielded with a latex slice for the first 4 postoperative weeks in mature female rabbits. The characteristics of delay in B-T repair (n = 10) compared with controls (n = 10) were evaluated at 8 and 12 postoperative weeks. RESULTS: Radiology showed consistent delay in osteogenesis at the healing interface in all samples in the delayed healing group; growth of new bone was only 25.8% and 50.1% of that in the control group at weeks 8 and 12, respectively. Bone mineral density was 56.0% lower in the delayed healing group at week 8, but this difference diminished at week 12. The quality of B-T healing was poor in the delayed healing group, with 22.9% and 24.2% lower failure load than the control group at weeks 8 and 12, respectively. The healing quality was also reflected by histological findings. CONCLUSIONS: A delayed B-T healing experimental model was established for the first time for future sports medicine research.

Experimental study on angiogenesis in a rabbit VX2 early liver tumour by perfusion computed tomography.

Ten rabbits implanted with VX2 liver tumours were investigated by perfusion computed tomography (PCT) imaging 1 week (early) and 2 weeks (late) after tumour induction; 10 other rabbits were non-implanted controls. Time-density curves, perfusion parametric maps and perfusion parameters were obtained for tumour rim and normal tissue surrounding the tumour, and for liver tissue from the controls. In addition, microvessel density (MVD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were studied by immunohistochemistry 2 weeks after tumour implantation. A deconvolution mathematical model was used to calculate hepatic blood flow (HBF), hepatic blood volume (HBV), mean transit time (MTT), capillary vessel surface permeability (PS) and hepatic arterial index (HAI). At the tumour rim on the early PCT scan, MTT was significantly lower whereas HBF, HBV, HAI and PS were significantly higher than in surrounding normal tissue. There were no significant changes in perfusion parameters on the late PCT scan compared with the early scan. Significant linear correlations of MVD and VEGF were found with HBF, PS and HAI, but not with HBV or MTT. It is concluded that PCT imaging is useful for the evaluation of tumour angiogenesis and for the early detection of liver tumours.

Altered osmotic swelling behavior of proteoglycan-depleted bovine articular cartilage using high frequency ultrasound.

Swelling behavior is an electrochemical mechanical property of articular cartilage. It plays an important role in weight bearing and joint lubrication. In this study, the altered transient and inhomogeneous swelling behavior of the degenerated articular cartilage was observed and quantified in situ using ultrasound. Three groups of bovine patellar articular cartilage samples (n = 10 x 3) were obtained and digested by trypsin for 10, 20 and 30 min respectively to mimic different levels of degeneration. The osmotic-free shrinkage and swelling behavior induced by changing the concentration of the bathing saline solution from 0.15 M to 2 M and then back to 0.15 M were characterized using high-frequency ultrasound (central frequency = 35 MHz) before and after digestion. It was found that the degenerated cartilage specimens showed a weaker shrinkage-swelling behavior compared with the normal cartilage samples. However, no significant differences in the peak shrinkage or swelling strains were observed between different groups. The absolute values of the peak shrinkage strain significantly (p < 0.05) decreased by 45.4%, 42.1% and 50.6% respectively after the trypsin digestion for 10, 20 and 30 min, but such significance was not demonstrated for the peak swelling strains. Due to the potential alterations in the collagen-PG matrix during trypsin digestion, the correlation between the swelling strain and the shrinkage strain of the degenerated samples changed slightly in comparison with the normal samples. The proposed ultrasound method has been successfully used to measure the transient and inhomogeneous swelling behavior of the degenerated articular cartilage and has the potential for the characterization of osteoarthritis.

MicroRNA-556-3p promotes the progression of esophageal cancer via targeting DAB2IP.

OBJECTIVE: To detect the expression of microRNA-556-3p in esophageal cancer (EC) tissues and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying microRNA-556-3p in promoting EC progression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: QRT-PCR (quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction) was performed to detect microRNA-556-3p expression in 65 cases of EC tissues, 30 cases of normal esophageal tissues and EC cell lines. The overall survival (OS) of EC patients was calculated based on the 10-year follow-up data. For in vitro experiments, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) and transwell assay were performed to evaluate the effect of microRNA-556-3p on the proliferative and invasive abilities of EC cells. The effect of microRNA-556-3p on DAB2IP and MAPK pathway was determined by Western blot and qRT-PCR. The binding condition between microRNA-556-3p and DAB2IP was further confirmed by Luciferase reporter gene assay. RESULTS: MicroRNA-556-3p expression was upregulated in EC tissues than that of paracancerous tissues. EC patients with higher expression of microRNA-556-3p presented a shorter OS than those with lower expression. Moreover, microRNA-556-3p overexpression in EC cells remarkably promoted cell viability. Upregulated microRNA-556-3p in Eca109 and Eca7906 cell lines markedly increased cell proliferation and invasion. The expression level of DAB2IP was negatively regulated by microRNA-556-3p verified by the Luciferase reporter gene assay. CONCLUSIONS: MicroRNA-556-3p blocked the translation of DAB2IP at mRNA level by directly binding to 3'UTR of DAB2IP, thereafter enhancing the proliferation of Eca109 and Eca7906 cells. MicroRNA-556-3p promoted the occurrence and development of EC. Our study provided a new theoretical basis and therapeutic target for EC treatment.

[Experimental study of using chitosan nerve conduit combined with PRP to repair facial nerve defect].

Objective:The purpose of this study was to produce chitosan nerve conduit in order to investigate the feasibility of chitosan nerve conduit combined with autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for repairing facial nerve defects.Method:Forty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into four groups (n=10 in each group).Establishment of the facial nerve defect model of the upper buccal branches was placed in the nerve regeneration catheter and injected with the same amount of PRP and saline. The PRP was injected into the chitosan nerve conduit as group A. The physiological saline was injected into the chitosan nerve conduit as group B. The physiological saline was injected into the silicone tube as group C. The PRP was injected into the silicone tube as group D. Eight weeks later,facial nerve gross observation,facial nerve electrophysiological tests,histological observation,image analysis,valuation of nerve regeneration recovery were detected.Result:Five patients were lost to follow up (all five in the modified Semont group),and three patients failed to complete treatment (all three in the Epley group). The sequelae at the 3rd day and one week after modified Semont maneuver were 27 and 9,while 41 and 15 in Epley group. The efficacy rates at the 3rd day and one week after modified Semont maneuver were 91.7% and 98.3%,and 91.9% and 96.8% in Epley group retrospectively. The sequelae and short-term effective rate of patients in modified Semont group was no difference when compared with that in Epley group (P>0.05).Conclusion:The chitosan nerve conduit combined with PRP has a certain effect on the repair of facial nerve defects and is expected to be applied to the repair of clinical facial nerve defects.

[Retrospective study of partial superficial parotidectomy and superficial parotidectomy on superficial parotid benign tumor].

Objective:To compare the clinical effect between partial superficial parotidectomy (PSP) and superficial parotidectomy (SP) through a retrospective analysis and to provide evidence for the benign tumor surgical strategy. Method:According to different surgical strategies performed, 168 patients with superficial parotid benign tumor were reviewed and divided into PSP group and SP group. Clinical data was compared between two groups from different aspects, including operation condition, complications, recurrence rate, as well as parotid function. SPSS 22.0 software was used in statistical analysis. Result:PSP group has an average operative incision length of (6.65±1.17)cm, and average operation time of (82.25±11.56)min, while SP group is (10.86±1.65)cm and (121.42±17.32)min. So, compared with the SP group, PSP has obvious advantages in operation conditions (P<0.01). Furthermore, PSP group also presents an advantage over SP group in occurrence of postoperative complications (P<0.05), while there is no significant difference between two groups in palindromia rate (P>0.05). As for the maintenance of parotid gland functions, PSP group could retain most of parotid functions, but no function would be retained in SP group. Statistical analysis confirms the significance (P<0.05). Conclusion: Compared with SP, in PSP there is declined complication incidence but no increased palindromia recurrence. However, PSP has an apparent advantage on decreased surgical incision length, downscaled operation scope, reduced operation time and retained original functions of gland. All these advantages present the reliability and feasibility of PSP in treating superficial parotid benign tumor.

[Current status and further prospects of dental resin-based materials with antibacterial properties].

The mode of dental antibacterial resin-based materials can be divided into two types, namely, single and combined antibacterial mode. With regard to single antibacterial mode, only one kind of antibacterial agent is added into the resin, which can be released or act as contacting antibacterial agent. The single mode resin has limitation in sterilization methods and effect. As for combined antibacterial mode, it is a combination of different types of biocides and thus maximizes the sterilizing effect, including the releasing antibacterial agent incorporated with the contacting antibacterial agent or antibacterial agents combined with calcium compound possessing biological mineralization function. In this paper, current status and further prospects of dental resin-based materials with antibacterial properties are reviewed from the perspectives of single and combined antibacterial modes to provide guidance for dental antibacterial resin material research.

The effect of estrogen-related receptor α on the regulation of angiogenesis after spinal cord injury.

Estrogen receptor-related receptor-α (ERRα) is an orphan member of the nuclear receptor superfamily that interacts with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) to stimulate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and angiogenesis in a hypoxia-inducible factor-1α-independent pathway. Although it is not regulated by any natural ligand, the action of ERRα can be blocked by the synthetic molecule XCT790. In the present study, Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to a sham group, injury-saline group or injury-XCT90 group. A modified Allen's weight-drop method was applied to induce the acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) model in these rats, and an injection of XCT790 was administered every 24h, starting half an hour after the SCI contusion. Histological analyses revealed that XCT790 significantly aggravated tissue damage and decreased the number of ERRα-positive cells at 1, 3 and 7 days after SCI. Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses also indicated that XCT790 dramatically repressed the expression of ERRα, thus reducing the expression of VEGF and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) throughout the duration of the experiment, but the expression of PGC-1α was not affected. Immunofluorescence analyses indicated that vascular density and endothelial cell proliferation were decreased in the injury-XCT90 group compared with the injury-saline group. These results suggest that ERRα is involved in mediating angiogenesis after SCI in the rat traumatic SCI model.

Multilineage differentiation of ectomesenchymal cells isolated from the first branchial arch.

Cranial neural crest-derived ectomesenchymal cells may be pluripotent stem cells that are capable of generating a range of phenotypes. The fate of these cells appears to be determined in part by intrinsic genetic programs and also by the influence of extracellular signals in the local environment. The extent of lineage determination once neural crest cells have migrated to the first branchial arch is not clear, although branchial arch pattern is not thought to be the result of crest predetermination. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that ectomesenchymal cells of the first branchial arch show properties of pluripotent stem cells, the lineage of which may be directed by specific molecular signaling. Ectomesenchymal cells were enzymatically isolated from the mandibular processes of BALB/c mice and maintained in an undifferentiated state while cultured with leukemia inhibitory factor or induced to differentiate by lineage-specific induction factors or growth conditions, including transforming growth factor beta, forskolin, and a mineralization-promoting medium. Morphological observations and immunocytochemistry demonstrated that cells could be induced to differentiate into smooth muscle cells, glial cells, and osteoblasts, respectively. In the presence of the mineralization-promoting medium, alkaline phosphatase activity increased significantly and mineralization nodules formed. The data reported support the concept that many, although not all, first branchial arch-derived ectomesenchymal cells show properties of multipotent stem cells, the subsequent fate of which can be influenced by induction factors and growth conditions. Some cells, however, showed a degree of commitment with respect to their fate. The possible application of first branchial arch-derived stem cells to tissue engineering of the orofacial tissues should involve consideration of the developmental stage of cell harvesting and the desired cell fate.

Transcriptional mRNA of BMP-2, 3, 4 and 5 in trigeminal nerve, benign and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors.

The aim of our study was to document whether relationships existed among bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), peripheral nerve and neoplastic lesions of nerve sheath tumors. The mRNA transcriptions of BMP-2, 3, 4 and 5 in 10 cases of schwannoma, three cases of malignant schwannoma and two cases of trigeminal neuralgia were detected using an in situ hybridization technique. Our results demonstrated that the myelin sheaths of Schwann cell from the peripheral neuroectomy of trigeminal neuralgia positively expressed mRNA of BMP-2, 3, 4, and 5. The most interesting finding was that the nerve fibers of trigeminal nerve showed only BMP-2 positive staining. All of the neoplastic lesions of nerve sheath showed a consistent but variant expression of BMP-2, 3, 4, and 5. The expression signals of BMP-2, 3, 5 mRNA in malignant schwannoma were relatively lower than in benign lesions except for the expression of BMP-4 mRNA. Our results indicated that selected members of BMPs were expressed in the peripheral nerves that might contribute to the health maintenance, proliferation, regeneration and neoplastic transformation of the peripheral nerve system. Furthermore, the effects of BMP-2, 3, 4 and 5 on peripheral nervous system during neoplastic transformation might be widespread, diverse and antagonistic.

Overexpression of iNOS and down-regulation of BMPs-2, 4 and 7 in retinoic acid induced cleft palate formation.

The present work studied the induction of cleft palate formation in embryos developed from pregnant BALB/c mice treated orally with retinoic acid (RA). Previous studies on mature somatic cell types showed that RA exerted inhibitory effects on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) production. For the first time, our study has shown that RA actually stimulates significant expression of iNOS at specific zones of the affected embryonic palatal tissues at three consecutive stages, from gestation day 13 (GD13) to day 16 (GD16). Enzymatically, iNOS facilitates intracellular nitric oxide (NO) synthesis from L-arginine. When NO reacts with reactive superoxides it may result in irreparable cell injury. NO was also reported to induce apoptosis in some mammalian cell systems. Based on our findings, we propose that such an increase in NO production might be associated with apoptosis in the embryonic palatal tissues in the RA-treated mice. The detrimental effects of NO resulted in a reduction in proliferating palatal cells and therefore disturbed the normal plasticity of the palatal shelves. With iNOS overexpression, our findings also showed that there was significant concomitant down-regulation in the expressions of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) -2, 4, and 7 with regional variations particularly in the palatal mesenchymal cells for those embryos developing cleft palate. Since specific spatial and temporal expressions of BMPs -2, 4, and 7 are critical during normal palatal morphogenesis, any deficiency in the epithelial-mesenchymal interaction may result in retarding growth at the embryonic palatal shelves. Taken together, our study has demonstrated cleft palate formation in the BALB/c embryos involved overexpression of iNOS and down-regulation of BMPs-2, 4 and 7.

The requirement of low calcium dialysate in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis receiving calcium carbonate as a phosphate binder.

In the present study we investigated the requirement of low calcium dialysate in 35 patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) receiving calcium carbonate as the sole phosphate binder over a 12-month period. Patients with corrected serum calcium > or = 2.85 mmol/L after switching to oral calcium carbonate were given 1 to 3 2-litre exchanges of 2.5 mEq/L calcium dialysate. Serum phosphate level dropped from the pretreatment value of 2.95 +/- 0.62 to a level of between 1.70 +/- 0.41 to 2.03 +/- 0.44 mmol/L 2 weeks after therapy. Corrected serum calcium level increased significantly from 2 weeks onwards. Serum alkaline phosphatase rose initially at 2 and 6 weeks and decreased from 3 months onwards. Serum parathyroid hormone level dropped significantly from a mean pretreatment level of 569 to 320 pg/ml after 12 months (p < 0.001). Serum aluminum decreased significantly from a mean of 1.04 to 0.65 umol/L (p < 0.01). Daily calcium carbonate requirement fluctuated but tended to increase till 8 months and plateaued and ranged from 2.61 +/- 0.57 to 3.98 +/- 2.11 gm. The daily requirement of low calcium dialysate followed a similar trend with approximately three-quarters of patients ultimately requiring at least 1 bag of low calcium dialysate. Eight patients did not require low calcium dialysate. Patients who required low calcium dialysate were significantly older, had a significantly lower pretreatment serum parathyroid hormone and higher serum aluminum levels than those who did not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Label-free, real-time detection of the dynamic processes of protein degradation using oblique-incidence reflectivity difference method.

Based on the requirements for studying the dynamic process of proteinase action substrates in life science, we selected six random proteins including 1L-10, SCGB2A2, CENPQ, GST, HK1, KLHL7, as well as five different concentrations of 1L-10 proteins of 1 mg/ml, 0.5 mg/ml, 0.25 mg/ml, 0.125 mg/ml, and 0.0625 mg/ml, and fabricated two types of substrate protein microarrays, respectively. We detected the dynamic processes of proteins degraded by proteinase K using oblique-incidence reflectivity difference (OIRD) method in a label-free and real-time manner. We obtained the relevant degradation velocities and the degradation time. The experimental results demonstrate that OIRD has the ability to study proteinase action substrates which is out of reach of label methods and is expected to offer opportunities to determine protease-substrate relationships on the systems biology level.