Defect-induced discrete breather in dissipative optical lattices with weak nonlinearity.

It is widely believed that the discrete breather (DB) can only be created when the nonlinearity is strong in nonlinear systems. However, we here establish that this belief is incorrect. In this work, we systemically investigate the generation of DBs induced by coupling of the defects and nonlinearity for Bose-Einstein condensates in dissipative optical lattices. The results show that, only in a clean lattice is strong nonlinearity a necessary condition for generating of DB; whereas, if the lattice has a defect, the DBs can also be discovered even in weak nonlinearity, and its generation turns out to be controllable. In addition, we further reveal a critical interval of the defect in weak nonlinearity, within which DBs can be found, while outside DBs do not exist. Furthermore, we also explore the impact of multiple defects on the generation of DBs, and analyze the underlying physical mechanisms of these interesting phenomena. The results not only have the potential to be used for more precise engineering in the DB experiments, but also suggest that the DB may be ubiquitous since the defects and dissipation are unavoidable in real physics.

Pyruvate as a novel carrier of hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 may protect kidney in rats subjected to severe burns.

BACKGROUND: The carrier of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) may play a critical role in kidney injury in fluid resuscitation. This study aimed mainly to compare effects of pyruvate-enriched saline with normal saline (NS) and acetate Ringer's (AR) solution as a carrier in HES130/0.4 on kidney function in rats subjected to severe burns. METHODS: Using a lethal burn model, 140 rats were randomly allocated in seven groups (n = 20): sham group (group S); no fluid after burn (group N); burn resuscitated with NS (group NS); burn resuscitated with pyruvate saline (group PS); burn resuscitated with AR plus pyruvate-HES (group SP); burn resuscitated with AR plus acetate-HES (group SA), and burn resuscitated with AR plus NS-HES (group SN). A low volume (18.75 mL·kg-1 during 12 h) of HES130/0.4 was infused with the ratio of 1:1 to crystalloids. Renal surface blood flow, blood creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, early sensitive indicators of kidney function: alpha-1 microglobulin, cystatin-C, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in blood and urine, and kidney tissue water contents were determined. Renal histopathological alterations with Paller scores were also measured at 8 h and 24 h after burn (n = 10), respectively. RESULTS: The results showed in a comparable manner that group SP was the best in three HES groups and group PS was superior to group NS in renal preservation; group SP appeared significantly beneficial compared with group PS in renal surface blood flow, cystatin-C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, water contents, and Paller scores at 8-h or both time points after burn, respectively (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The carrier of HES130/0.4 played a crucial role in kidney injury in fluid resuscitation of rats subjected to severe burns. Pyruvate-enriched HES130/0.4 was superior and HES130/0.4, per se, might be not renocytotoxic, but renoprotective. Further studies are warranted.

Damage to Trichothecium roseum caused by sodium silicate is independent from pH.

Trichothecium roseum is one of the most important postharvest pathogens in arid and semiarid regions. Sodium silicate (NaSi) and environmental pH have significant inhibitory effects on fungal growth. However, no study has addressed the relationship of NaSi and pH in combination and the effects on T. roseum. In this work, we showed that spore germination, germ tube elongation, and mycelial growth of T. roseum were significantly inhibited by various NaSi concentrations, which had corresponding increasing pHs. Furthermore, these NaSi solutions showed a much greater impact than did pH treatments alone. The pathogenicity of NaSi-treated conidia on a model assay (conidia-inoculated apple fruit) was dramatically reduced, whereas no changes of pathogenicity were evident for the corresponding pH (various sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions) treatments. Fluorescent microscopy, using propidium iodide staining, showed damage of the plasma membranes of T. roseum conidia treated with both NaSi and NaOH, although the damage was more severe with NaSi. Leakage of proteins and sugars was significantly higher in NaSi-treated and NaOH-treated conidia than in untreated controls. In addition, serious damage was observed in the conidia exposed to NaSi for longer periods of time. Ultrastructural observations showed that treatment with either NaSi or NaOH caused a plasmolysis state and disorganized organelles. Taken together the results show that NaSi has inhibitory effects on T. roseum and that the inherent higher pH of NaSi solutions of higher concentrations simply acts as an enhancer of the inhibitory effects of NaSi.

Integrative analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics reveals the protective effect and mechanism of salidroside on testicular ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Testicular torsion is a critical urologic condition for which testicular detorsion surgery is considered irreplaceable as well as the golden method of reversal. However, the surgical treatment is equivalent to a blood reperfusion process, and no specific drugs are available to treat blood reperfusion injuries. Salidroside (SAL) is one of the main effective substances in rhodiola, which has been shown to have antioxidant and antiapoptosis activities. This study was designed to determine whether SAL exerted a protective effect on testicular ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. In this study, the I/R injury model of the testes and reoxygenation (OGD/R) model were used for verification, and SAL was administered at doses of 100 mg/kg and 0.05 mmol/L, respectively. After the experiments, the testicular tissue and TM4 Sertoli cells were collected for histopathologic and biochemical analyses. The results revealed that SAL improves the structure of testicular tissue and regulates the oxidation-antioxidation system. To further understand the molecular mechanisms of SAL in treating testicular I/R injuries, transcriptomics and metabonomics analyses were integrated. The results show that the Nfr2/HO-1/GPX4/ferroptosis signaling pathway is enriched significantly, indicating that it may be the main regulatory pathway for SAL in the treatment of testicular I/R injuries. Thereafter, transfection with Nrf2 plasmid-liposome was used to reverse verify that the Nfr2/HO-1/GPX4/ferroptosis signaling pathway was the main pathway for SAL anti-testicular I/R injury treatment. Thus, it is suggested that SAL can protect against testicular I/R injuries by regulating the Nfr2/HO-1/GPX4 signaling pathway to inhibit ferroptosis and that SAL may be a potential drug for the treatment of testicular I/R injuries.

Pyruvate Ringer's solution corrects lactic acidosis and prolongs survival during hemorrhagic shock in rats.

BACKGROUND: Lactic acidosis is a life-threatening complication of hemorrhagic shock. There is no ideal therapy for it in the clinical setting. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate whether pyruvate Ringer's solution could treat hypoxic lactic acidosis associated with lethal hemorrhagic shock in rats. METHODS: A total of 54 rats were subjected to hemorrhagic shock with mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 40 mm Hg for 1 h. They were then randomly divided into three groups (n = 18 each): Group N had no fluid resuscitation; Group L received lactated Ringer's solution infusion; and Group P received pyruvate Ringer's solution infusion. The survival rate was investigated after 24 h. In addition, a second set of 54 rats was selected for blood sampling, with identical methods for shock and resuscitation being followed, to determine arterial pH, blood gas analysis, lactate, pyruvate, and organs' enzyme activities at various time points. The MAP was monitored for 6 h in both populations. RESULTS: Pyruvate Ringer's solution significantly increased the survival rate of rats subjected to fatal shock and receiving pyruvate Ringer's solution (Group P) by 1.5 times the survival rate in Group L at 24 h after fluid resuscitation (55.6% vs. 22.2%, respectively; p < 0.05). Pyruvate infusion maintained a higher MAP and fully corrected severe acidosis 1 h after resuscitation in comparison to the lactated infusion, and markedly decreased blood lactate levels and the lactate-to-pyruvate ratio 4 h after resuscitation. It also significantly improved serum markers of organ dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Pyruvate Ringer's solution efficiently treated hypoxic lactic acidosis and significantly increased the survival rate in rats with lethal hemorrhagic shock. Pyruvate Ringer's solution is potentially applicable to clinical resuscitation in humans.

Search for rogue waves in Bose-Einstein condensates via a theory-guided neural network.

An important and incompletely answered question is whether machine learning methods can be used to discover the excitation of rogue waves (RWs) in nonlinear systems, especially their dynamic properties and phase transitions. In this work, a theory-guided neural network (TgNN) is constructed to explore the RWs of one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates. We find that such method is superior to the ordinary deep neural network due to theory guidance of underlying problems. The former can directly give any excited location, timing, and structure of RWs using only a small amount of dynamic evolution data as the training data, without the tedious step-by-step iterative calculation process. In addition, based on the TgNN approach, a phase transition boundary is also discovered, which clearly distinguishes the first-order RW phase from the non-RW phase. The results not only greatly reduce computational time for exploring RWs, but also provide a promising technique for discovering phase transitions in parameterized nonlinear systems.

Super rogue waves: Collision of rogue waves in Bose-Einstein condensate.

An important and incompletely answered question is whether a high-order rogue wave (RW) can be excited by the collision of first-order RWs, especially for its generation and propagation mechanisms. In this paper, the evolution properties of collisions between RWs are studied numerically for two-component coupled Bose-Einstein condensates. We find that whether a second-order RW can be successfully excited strongly depends on the location and time of the first-order RWs encountered. Only when the highest peaks of two RWs meet at the same position at the same time, can the standard second-order RW be triggered and its structure is in good agreement with the exact solution. Further, we demonstrate that such results are also applicable to the collision of subordinate RWs. This paper not only reveals the collision properties of RWs, but also provides a feasible scheme to generate higher-order RWs for experimental realization.

Intramedullary nailing for pathological fractures of the proximal humerus caused by multiple myeloma: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma (MM) bone disease is indicative of MM, and reduces patient life quality. In addition to oncological, antineoplastic systemic therapy, surgical therapy in patients with MM is an essential treatment within the framework of supportive therapy measures and involves orthopedic tumor surgery. Nevertheless, there are few reports on intramedullary (IM) nailing in the treatment of MM-induced proximal humeral fracture to prevent fixation loss. We here describe a case of pathological fracture of the proximal humerus caused by MM successfully treated with IM nailing without removal of tumors and a review of the current literature. CASE SUMMARY: A 64-year-old male patient complaining of serious left shoulder pain and limited movement was admitted. The patient was finally diagnosed with MM (IgAλ, IIIA/II). After treatment of the pathological fracture with IM nailing, the patient's function recovered and his pain was rapidly relieved. Histopathological examination demonstrated plasma cell myeloma. The patient received chemotherapy in the Hematology Department. The humeral fracture displayed good union during the 40-mo follow-up, with complete healing of the fracture, and the clinical outcome was satisfactory. At the most recent follow-up, the patient's function was assessed using the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score, which was 29. CONCLUSION: Early surgery should be performed for the fracture of the proximal humerus caused by MM. IM nailing can be used without removal of tumors. Bone cement augmentation for bone defects and local adjuvant therapy can also be employed.

Retrospective analysis: the earthquake-injured patients in Barakott of Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To provide the experience on medical rescue and care for any giant earthquake by analysing the patients treated by the Chinese Medical Rescue Team in the Barakott earthquake of Pakistan. METHODS: On October 8, 2005, a giant earthquake (7.8 Richter scale) earthquake occurred in the northwest Pakistan. We belonged to the Chinese Medical Rescue Team and worked in the earthquake-affected town---Barakott from October 28, 2005 to November 17, 2005. The patients were classified into upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhea, trauma and other diseases. All the data of patients who were injured during the earthquake were analysed. The difference was analyzed by X(2) test. RESULTS: Of the 2 194 patients treated by the Chinese Medical Rescue Team, trauma patients only accounted for 29%, diarrhea patients for 4%, upper respiratory infection patients for 14%, and other types of diseases for 52%. Among the 630 trauma patients, 426 patients were injured during the earthquake. Of the 426 patients, 291 (68%) patients were found having open wounds, 85 (20%) patients mainly complained of soft tissue pain without any wound or fracture, and 76 (18%) patients had fractures with or without open wound. The most frequent site of wound was lower extremity. Head injury in children was 30%, obviously higher than that in the adults. Wound infection was common among the injured patients, with the rates of 72%, 64% and 78% in male, female adult patients and children, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of common diseases, trauma, wound infection and fracture are main problems presented at late stage of the giant earthquake. Great attention should be paid to head and lower extremity injuries.

Operative treatment for separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis.

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis on ankle joint and to compare various operative methods so as to find suitable stabilization for separated distal tibiofibular syndesmosis. METHODS: From July 1997 to July 2002, we treated 87 patients (64 males and 23 females, aged 18-54 years) with separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, among whom, 79 were combined with fracture of malleolus. Manipulative reduction, internal fixation with cancellous screws and external fixation with plaster support were performed on 37 patients, fixation with plate and screws for fibular fracture and fixation with cancellous screws for distal tibiofibular syndesmosis on 34 patients, and repair of the distal tibiofibular ligaments with tendon of peroneus longus, reduction of the separated distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, and fixation with cancellous screws on 16 patients. The ankle joint had been dorsiflexed for 30 degrees when the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis was fixed with cancellous screws. And the cancellous screws were taken out at 8-10 weeks after operation. RESULTS: These patients were followed up for at least two years. The curative effects were assessed according to the complaints of the patients and the contour, function and radiogram of the ankle joint: excellent in 55 patients (63%), good in 18 patients (21%), and fair in 14 patients (16%). Separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis recurred in 2 patients, who underwent a reoperation for repairing the distal tibiofibular ligaments with tendon of peroneus longus and recovered. One cancellous screw was broken off. No necrosis developed in the anterior skin of the ankle mortise. CONCLUSIONS: Separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis can be treated with various reasonable operations. Repair with tendon of the peroneus longus can get excellent outcomes for complete separation of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis.

[Mechanism of signal transduction of differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into cytokeratin-expressing epidermoid cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of the signal routes P38, ERK, and Rho in the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into epidermoid cells. METHODS: (1) MSCs were separated from the bone marrow of Wistar rats by Ficoll-Pague lymphocyte separating medium and proliferated in culture medium. Then the MSCs were immunocytochemically stained to detect the expression of surface antigens. (2) The MSCs were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group; pure induction induced group, cultured with epithelial growth factor (EGF) added into the culture fluid, and Rho inhibition group, cultured with EGF and HA1077, a ROK inhibitor, added into the culture fluid. One, 3, 5, and 7 days later FC was used to detect the levels of phosphorylated P38 and ERK. (3) MSCs were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, cultured with low-sugar DMEM complete culture fluid; pure induction group, cultured with supernatant of rat fibroblasts and EGF added into the culture fluid, p38 blocking group, with SB203580, inhibitor of P38 added into the culture fluid; and ERK blocking group, with PD98059, inhibitor of ERK added into the culture fluid. Seven days later, SP method was used to detect the expression of CK5/8 and CK19 induced by MSCs. (4) MSCs were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group; pure induction group, with supernatant of rat fibroblasts and EGF added into the culture fluid; and RHO blocking group, with HA1007 added into the culture fluid. Seven days later, FC was used to detect the expression of CK5/8 and CK19. RESULTS: (1) Both FC and immunocytochemistry showed that the MSCs were uniformly positive in CD29 and CD44, but did not express CD34 and CD45. (2) The phosphorylated P38 rate remained 0.01% in the control group. The phosphorylated P38 rate was 0.04%, significantly higher than that of the control group (0.01%, P < 0.05) at day 5, and then lowered to 0.01% at day 5 in the pure induction group; and became 6.17%, 4.13%, 3.97%, and 0.41% respectively at day 1, 3, 5, and 7, all significantly higher than those of the control group (all P < 0.05), in the Rho inhibition group. The phosphorylated ERK level was 4.23% in the control group; became 0.39% and 0.40% at day 3 and day 5 (both P < 0.05), and then returned to 5.10% at day 7 in the pure induction group; and was not significantly changed at days 1, 3, and 5, and then became 0.41%, significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05), in the Rho blocking group, (3) The control group was CK5/8 and CK19 negative. The CK5/8 and CK19 rates at day 7 of the pure induction group were 3.01% and 6.47% respectively, both significantly higher than those of the p38 inhibition group (1.43% and 5.41% respectively, both P < 0.05). The CK5/8 and CK19 expression rates of the ERK inhibition group were 5.54% and 7.56% respectively, both significantly higher than those of the pure induction group (both P < 0.05), (4) The CK5/8 and CK19 expression rates of the HA1077 group were 21.65% and 39.41% pure, both significantly higher than those of the pure induction group (1.81% and 10.19% respectively, both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: p38 route may play an active role in the differentiation of MSCs into epidermoid cells. Blocking of the upstream signal Rho may enhance the activation of p38 route and then promote the differentiation of MSCs into epidermoid cells.

[Expression of alpha-defensin-1 with J chain in the transfected COS-7 cells].

OBJECTIVE: To recombine the alpha-defensin-1 (HNP-1) and J chain cDNA fragment into a new germicidal molecule J-HNP-1, and investigate its expression in the transfected COS-7 cells. METHODS: J chain and HNP-1 cDNA were amplified from the plasmids pCH-J and pBabeNeo-HNP-1 respectively, then the J-HNP-1 DNA fragment was obtained by recombinant polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The J-HNP-1 fragments were inserted into pcDNA3.1 (-)/Myc-HisC, which subsequently was made to transfect the COS-7 cell by lipid transfection method. The expression was confirmed by Western blot. RESULTS: Determination with His antibody, a dense band at 24 ku was displayed by the cell lysate and the cell culture supernatant in concordance with that of the predicted extent, but not in the control. CONCLUSION: The new germicidal peptide J-HNP-1 is found to be expressed intracellularly and could be secreted. The results lay the foundation for further study on the germicidal activity of J-HNP-1.

Unidirectional transport of wave packets through tilted discrete breathers in nonlinear lattices with asymmetric defects.

We consider the transfer of lattice wave packets through a tilted discrete breather (TDB) in opposite directions in the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger model with asymmetric defects, which may be realized as a Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in a deep optical lattice, or as optical beams in a waveguide array. A unidirectional transport mode is found, in which the incident wave packets, whose energy belongs to a certain interval between full reflection and full passage regions, pass the TDB only in one direction, while in the absence of the TDB, the same lattice admits bidirectional propagation. The operation of this mode is accurately explained by an analytical consideration of the respective energy barriers. The results suggest that the TDB may emulate the unidirectional propagation of atomic and optical beams in various settings. In the case of the passage of the incident wave packet, the scattering TDB typically shifts by one lattice unit in the direction from which the wave packet arrives, which is an example of the tractor-beam effect, provided by the same system, in addition to the rectification of incident waves.

Evaluation of liver function and electroacupuncture efficacy of animals with alcoholic liver injury by the novel imaging methods.

Imaging methods to evaluate hepatic microcirculation (HM) and liver function (LF) by directly monitoring overall liver tissue remain lacking. This study establish imaging methods for LF that combines Laser speckle perfusion imaging (LSPI) and in vivo optical imaging (IVOI) technologies to investigate changes of hepatic microcirculation and reserve function in the animals gavaged with 50% ethanol (15 ml/kg·bw) for a model of acute alcoholic liver injury (ALI), and for evaluation of electroacupuncture (EA) effect. The liver blood perfusion and indocyanine green (ICG) distribution were observe by LSPI and IVOI separately. After EA, the livers were collected to measure the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), thromboxane A (TXA2), prostacyclin (PGI2) and endothelin (ET). The acquisitions of newly established LSPI of liver and ICG in vivo fluorescence imaging (ICG-IVFI), combining the results of other indexes showed: hepatic microcirculation perfusion (HMP) significantly reduced, ICG metabolism reduced, and ALT/AST increased in animal model with acute ALI. EA can reverse these changes. The use of LSPI of liver and ICG-IVFI, which was novel imaging methods for LF established in this study, could display the LF characteristics of ALI and the EA efficacy.

Pyruvate in oral rehydration salt improves hemodynamics, vasopermeability and survival after burns in dogs.

BACKGROUND: To investigate whether pyruvate-enriched oral rehydration solution (Pyr-ORS), compared with citrate-enriched ORS (Cit-ORS), improves hemodynamics and organ function by alleviating vasopermeability and plasma volume loss during intra-gastric fluid rehydration in dogs with severe burn. METHODS: Forty dogs subjected to severe burn were randomly divided into four groups (n=10): two oral rehydrated groups with Pyr-ORS and Cit-ORS (group PR and group CR), respectively, according to the Parkland formula during the first 24h after burns. Other two groups were the intravenous (IV) resuscitation (group VR) with lactated Ringer's solution with the same dosage and no fluid rehydration (group NR). During the next 24h, all groups received the same IV infusion. The hemodynamics, plasma volume, vasopermeability and water contents and function of various organs were determined. Plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet activating factor (PAF) were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: Hemodynamics parameters were significantly improved in group PR superior to group CR after burns. Levels of VEGF and PAF were significantly lower in group PR than in group CR. Organ function parameters were also greatly preserved in group PR, relative to groups CR and NR. Lactic acidosis was fully corrected and survival increased in group PR (50.0%), compared to group CR (20.0%). CONCLUSION: Pyr-ORS was more effective than Cit-ORS in improving hemodynamics, visceral blood perfusion and organ function by alleviating vasopermeability-induced visceral edema and plasma volume loss in dogs with severe burn.

Pyruvate Is Superior to Citrate in Oral Rehydration Solution in the Protection of Intestine via Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 Activation in Rats With Burn Injury.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that pyruvate-enriched oral rehydration solution (Pyr-ORS) may be superior to the standard bicarbonate-based ORS in the protection of intestine from ischemic injury. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Pyr-ORS with citrate-enriched ORS (Cit-ORS) on the intestinal hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1)-erythropoietin (EPO) signaling pathway for enteral rehydration in a rat model of burn injury. METHODS: Rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups (N = 20, 2 subgroups each: n = 10): scald sham (group SS), scald with no fluid resuscitation (group SN), scald and resuscitation with enteral Cit-ORS (group SC), and scald and resuscitation with enteral Pyr-ORS (group SP). At 2.5 and 4.5 hours after a 35% total body surface area (TBSA) scald, intestinal mucosal blood flow (IMBF), contents of HIF-1, EPO, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), nitric oxide (NO), barrier protein (ZO-1), levels of serum diamine oxidase (DAO), and intestinal mucosal histology injury score were determined. RESULTS: Serum DAO activities in the scalded groups were significantly elevated, but less raised in group SP than in group SC, at 2.5 hours and at 4.5 hours after the scald. Further, group SP more profoundly preserved intestinal HIF-1 expression compared with group SC at the 2 time points. Compared with group SC, group SP had markedly elevated intestinal EPO, eNOS, and NO levels at the same time points, respectively (P < .05). Similarly, IMBF and ZO-1 levels were significantly higher in group SP than in group SC. Intestinal mucosal histopathological scores were statistically higher at 2.5 hours and 4.5 hours after scalding but were more attenuated in group SP than in group SC (P < .05). Immunofluorescence expression of intestinal mucosal ZO-1 was consistent with the above changes. The above parameters were also significantly different between groups SC and SN (all P < .05). CONCLUSION: Pyr-ORS provides a superior option to Cit-ORS for the preservation of intestinal blood flow and barrier function and the attenuation of histopathological alterations in enteral resuscitation of rats with burn injury. Its underlying mechanism may be closely related to the pyruvate in activation of intestinal HIF-1-EPO signaling cascades.

[Cellular phenotype conversion induced by co-culture of human mesenchymal stem cells cocultured with human sweat gland cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cellular phenotype conversion during human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) cocultured with injured human sweat gland cells (hSGCs) in vitro. METHODS: HMSCs and hSGCs were isolated and cultured and expanded respectively. The antigens expression of hMSCs and hSGCs were detected by two-steps immunocytochemistry. HMSCs were labeled with BrdU. The hSGCs were heat-shocked at 47 degrees C for 40 min when they reached 70% confluency, then cooled for 1-2 h at 37 degrees C and (1 - 2) x 10(5) BrdU-labeled hMSCs were added before incubation for up to 2 weeks. The cocultures were observed by phase contrast microscopy and detected by double-staining immunocytochemistry using CEA and BrdU as primary antibodies. RESULTS: The cultured hMSCs and hSGCs were clonogenic growth. HMSCs were positive for anti-CD44 and anti-CD105 staining and negative for anti-CD34 and anti-CEA staining. HSGCs express CK7, CK18, CK19 and CEA. The positive rate of BrdU labeled-hMSCs was 90%. The majority of hSGCs lost cell-cell contact after heat-shock. 2 weeks after cocultured, some cocultured cells were positive for both anti-CEA and anti-BrdU staining and some cocultures had more than two nuclei which stained with two different colors by double-staining immunocytochemistry. Statistic results showed 1%-5% of the hMSCs added to the coculture system were recovered as double-staining cells expressing BrdU and CEA while only 0.01%-0.05% cells stained with two different colors in nuclei. The multi-nucleated cells were wide and flatten. CONCLUSION: HMSCs could differentiate into hSGCs in vitro under injured microenvironment. The mechanisms of which may be that hMSCs differentiate into hSGCs directly or by cell fusion, even nucleus fusion.

[Isolation and purification of eccrine sweat glands in human skin].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the method of isolation and purification of epithelial cells of human eccrine sweat gland in vitro. METHODS: Through digesting human skin with collagenase type II, cells of human eccrine sweat gland were isolated. Highly purified gland cells were obtained through transferring into the conditioned medium with a micropipette for at least three times under an inverted microscope. Primary culture was started immediately after purification. Cells could be further purified by enzyme-digestion to eradicate the fibroblasts. RESULTS: Collagenase type II could digest dermal collagen with little damage to gland cells. Isolated cells from human sweat glands were adherent to the wall of culture flask, and they grew well in cultures. The problem of contamination by tissue debris and other cells such as fibroblast could be overcome. CONCLUSION: Isolation and purification of human sweat gland cells in vitro are still facing tough problems. Gland cells are successful to isolate and cultivate without contamination.

Selective distillation phenomenon in two-species Bose-Einstein condensates in open boundary optical lattices.

We investigate the formation of discrete breathers (DBs) and the dynamics of the mixture of two-species Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in open boundary optical lattices using the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equations. The results show that the coupling of intra- and interspecies interaction can lead to the existence of pure single-species DBs and symbiotic DBs (i.e., two-species DBs). Furthermore, we find that there is a selective distillation phenomenon in the dynamics of the mixture of two-species BECs. One can selectively distil one species from the mixture of two-species BECs and can even control dominant species fraction by adjusting the intra- and interspecies interaction in optical lattices. Our selective distillation mechanism may find potential application in quantum information storage and quantum information processing based on multi-species atoms.

Dimethyl sulfoxide inhibits zymosan-induced intestinal inflammation and barrier dysfunction.

AIM: To investigate whether dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) inhibits gut inflammation and barrier dysfunction following zymosan-induced systemic inflammatory response syndrome and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham with administration of normal saline (SS group); sham with administration of DMSO (SD group); zymosan with administration of normal saline (ZS group); and zymosan with administration of DMSO (ZD group). Each group contained three subgroups according to 4 h, 8 h, and 24 h after surgery. At 4 h, 8 h, and 24 h after intraperitoneal injection of zymosan (750 mg/kg), the levels of intestinal inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-10] and oxides (myeloperoxidase, malonaldehyde, and superoxide dismutase) were examined. The levels of diamine oxidase (DAO) in plasma and intestinal mucosal blood flow (IMBF) were determined. Intestinal injury was also evaluated using an intestinal histological score and apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells was determined by deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The intestinal epithelial tight junction protein, ZO-1, was observed by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: DMSO decreased TNF-α and increased IL-10 levels in the intestine compared with the ZS group at the corresponding time points. The activity of intestinal myeloperoxidase in the ZS group was higher than that in the ZD group 24 h after zymosan administration (P < 0.05). DMSO decreased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased the activity of superoxide dehydrogenase (SOD) 24 h after zymosan administration. The IMBF was lowest at 24 h and was 49.34% and 58.26% in the ZS group and ZD group, respectively (P < 0.05). DMSO alleviated injury in intestinal villi, and the gut injury score was significantly lower than the ZS group (3.6 ± 0.2 vs 4.2 ± 0.3, P < 0.05). DMSO decreased the level of DAO in plasma compared with the ZS group (65.1 ± 4.7 U/L vs 81.1 ± 5.0 U/L, P < 0.05). DMSO significantly preserved ZO-1 protein expression and localization 24 h after zymosan administration. The TUNEL analysis indicated that the number of apoptotic intestinal cells in the ZS group was much higher than the ZD group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: DMSO inhibited intestinal cytokines and protected against zymosan-induced gut barrier dysfunction.