Biodegradable electrospun fibers as sustained-release carriers of insect pheromones for field trapping of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

BACKGROUND: Insect pheromones are highly effective and environmentally friendly, and are widely used in the monitoring and trapping of pests. However, many researchers have found that various factors such as ultraviolet light and temperature in the field environment can accelerate the volatilization of pheromones, thus affecting the actual control effect. In recent years, electrospinning technology has demonstrated remarkable potential in the preparation of sustained carriers. Moreover, the utilization of biodegradable materials in electrospinning presents a promising avenue for the advancement of eco-friendly carriers. RESULTS: In this study, homogeneous and defect-free pheromone carriers were obtained by electrospinning using fully biodegradable polyhydroxybutyrate materials and pheromones of Spodoptera litura. The electrospun fibers with porous structure could continuously release pheromone (the longest can be ≤80 days). They also had low light transmission, hydrophobic protection. More importantly, the pheromone-loaded electrospun fiber carriers showed stable release and good trapping effect in the field. They could trap pests for at least 7 weeks in the field environment without other light stabilizers added. CONCLUSION: Sustained-release carriers constructed by electrospinning and green materials could improve the efficacy of pheromones and ensure environmental friendliness, and provided a tool for the management of S. litura and other pests and sustainable development of agricultural. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biphasic alcoholysis coupled with high-speed countercurrent chromatography for high performance on separating phorbol from Croton tiglium Linn extracts.

Phorbol is a tetracyclic diterpenoid found in Euphorbia tirucalli, Croton tiglium, and Rehmannia glutinosa, and is nuclear of various phorbol esters. The rapid obtaining of phorbol with high purity highly contributes to its application, such as synthesizing phorbol esters with designable side chains and particular therapeutic efficacy. This study introduced a biphasic alcoholysis method for obtaining phorbol from croton oil by using polarity imparity organic solvents in both phases and established a high-speed countercurrent chromatography method for simultaneous separation and purification of phorbol. The optimized operation conditions of biphasic alcoholysis were a reaction time of 91 min, a temperature of 14°C, and a croton oil-methanol ratio of 1:30 (g:ml). The phorbol during the biphasic alcoholysis was 3.2-fold higher in content than that obtained in conventional monophasic alcoholysis. The optimized high-speed countercurrent chromatography method was using the ethyl acetate/n-butyl alcohol/water at 4.7:0.3:5 (v:v:v) with Na2 SO4 at 0.36 g/10 ml as the solvent system, using the mobile phase flow rate of 2 ml/min, the revolution of 800 r/min, under which the retention of the stationary phase was achieved at 72.83%. The crystallized phorbol following high-speed countercurrent chromatography was obtained as high purity of 94%.

Preparation and Characterization of Protein Molecularly Imprinted Poly (Ionic Liquid)/Calcium Alginate Composite Cryogel Membrane with High Mechanical Strength for the Separation of Bovine Serum Albumin.

In order to improve the mechanical strength and imprinting efficiency, a novel bovine serum albumin (BSA) molecularly imprinted poly(ionic liquid)/calcium alginate composite cryogel membrane (MICM) was prepared. The results of the tensile test indicated that the MICM had excellent mechanical strength which could reach up to 90.00 KPa, 30.30 times higher than the poly (ionic liquid) membrane without calcium alginate; the elongation of it could reach up to 93.70%, 8.28 times higher than the poly (ionic liquid) membrane without calcium alginate. The MICM had a very high welling ratio of 1026.56% and macropore porosity of 62.29%, which can provide effective mass transport of proteins. More remarkably, it had a very high adsorption capacity of 485.87 mg g-1 at 20 °C and 0.66 mg mL-1 of the initial concentration of BSA. Moreover, MICM also had good selective and competitive recognition toward BSA, exhibiting potential utility in protein separation. This work can provide a potential method to prepare the protein-imprinted cryogel membrane with both high mechanical strength and imprinting efficiency.

Preparation and Characterization of Oleanolic Acid-Based Low-Molecular-Weight Supramolecular Hydrogels Induced by Heating.

The natural-product-based low-molecular-weight supramolecular hydrogels (LMWSHs) induced by heating are rarely reported. In this work, a simple salt of oleanolic acid (OA) and choline ([choline][OA]) was used as the natural product hydrogelator (NPHG) to form LMWSHs. Unlike common sol-gel transitions, the OA-based LMWSH displayed a unique property with which the system could undergo a phase transition from the sol state to the gel state upon heating. Moreover, the phase separation was observed in sol and gel states when the temperature was elevated with nonreversible transparent-turbid transitions. LMWSHs showed good stability and injectability and the potential to be a drug delivery vehicle for sustained release of drugs. In this regard, this work provided a facile approach to designing an OA-based NPHG for preparing heat-induced LMWSHs.

Effects of Rich-Polyphenols Extract of Dendrobium loddigesii on Anti-Diabetic, Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Oxidant, and Gut Microbiota Modulation in db/db Mice.

Dendrobium is a traditional Chinese herb with anti-diabetic effects and has diverse bibenzyls as well as phenanthrenes. Little is known about Dendrobium polyphenols anti-diabetic activities, so, a rich-polyphenols extract of D. loddigesii (DJP) was used for treatment of diabetic db/db mice; the serum biochemical index and tissue appearance were evaluated. In order to gain an insight into the anti-diabetic mechanism, the oxidative stress index, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and gut microbiota modulation were determined by ELISA, immunohistochemistry or high throughput sequencing 16S rRNA gene. The results revealed that DJP had the effects to decrease the blood glucose, body weight, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and increase insulin (INS) level in the mice. DJP improved the mice fatty liver and diabetic nephropathy. DJP showed the anti-oxidative abilities to reduce the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and increase the contents of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) as well as glutathione (GSH). DJP exerted the anti-inflammatory effects of decreasing expression of IL-6 and TNF-α. After treatment of DJP, the intestinal flora balance of the mice was ameliorated, increasing Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes ratios as well as the relative abundance of Prevotella/Akkermansia and reducing the relative abundance of S24-7/Rikenella/Escherichia coli. The function's prediction of gut microbiota indicated that the microbial compositions involved carbohydrate metabolism or lipid metabolism were changed. This study revealed for the first time that DJP improves the mice symptoms of diabetes and complications, which might be due to the effects that DJP induced the decrease of inflammation as well as oxidative stress and improvement of intestinal flora balance.

MiR-155 aggravated septic liver injury by oxidative stress-mediated ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction via targeting Nrf-2.

OBJECTIVE: Liver is uniquely vulnerable during sepsis. MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) is confirmed to play crucial roles in septic liver injury. The present study aims to investigate the mechanisms of miR-155 in septic liver injury. METHODS: The sepsis model was established by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. Mice were divided into four groups: Vehicle, miR-155 antagomir, LPS, LPS+ miR-155 antagomir. The survival rate and body weight were monitored. Liver injury was assessed by H&E staining. The levels of serum ALT and inflammatory cytokines were determined by ELISA kits. Oxidative stress was detected by MDA and SOD detection kits. The miR-155, Nrf-2, and markers related to oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, mitochondrial injury and apoptosis were detected by western blotting and qPCR. Apoptosis in liver tissues was detected by TUNELstaining. RESULTS: MiR-155 antagomir alleviated liver injury as evidenced by enhancing survival rate and body weight, inhibiting inflammatory cell infiltration, liver cells necrosis and decreasing ALT level. The productions of TNF-α, IL-6 were suppressed, while anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was promoted by miR-155 antagomir. Oxidative stress was inhibited by miR-155 antagomir via enhancing nuclear factor, erythroid 2-like 2 (Nrf-2) expression. ER stress and Cytochrome C (Cyto-C) release were restrained by miR-155 antagomir. Sepsis-induced apoptosis was repressed by miR-155 antagomir as manifested by the decreased levels of Bax, cleaved caspase-12, 9 and 3, and increased levels of Bcl-2 and uncleaved PARP. CONCLUSION: MiR-155 antagomir relieved septic liver injury through inhibiting oxidative stress-mediated ER stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis via targeting Nrf-2, suggesting miR-155 as a therapeutic target for septic liver injury.

The do-not-resuscitate order for terminal cancer patients in mainland China: A retrospective study.

With the development of palliative care, a signed do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order has become increasingly popular worldwide. However, there is no legal guarantee of a signed DNR order for patients with cancer in mainland China. This study aimed to estimate the status of DNR order signing before patient death in the cancer center of a large tertiary affiliated teaching hospital in western China. Patient demographics and disease-related characteristics were also analyzed.This was a retrospective chart analysis. We screened all charts from a large-scale tertiary teaching hospital in China for patients who died of cancer from January 2010 to February 2015. Analysis included a total of 365 records. The details of DNR order forms, patient demographics, and disease-related characteristics were recorded.The DNR order signing rate was 80%. Only 2 patients signed the DNR order themselves, while the majority of DNR orders were signed by patients' surrogates. The median time for signing the DNR order was 1 day before the patients' death. Most DNR decisions were made within the last 3 days before death. The time at which DNR orders were signed was related to disease severity and the rate of disease progression.Our findings indicate that signing a DNR order for patients with terminal cancer has become common in mainland China in recent years. Decisions about a DNR order are usually made by patients' surrogates when patients are severely ill. Palliative care in mainland China still needs to be improved.

[Characterization of a Newly Isolated Strain Pseudomonas sp. N3 for Denitrification at Low Temperature].

Based on traditional microbiological methods, a novel denitrifier Pseudomonas sp. N3 with excellent denitrification capacity at low temperature was isolated and identified using phenotypic and phylogenetic analysis. Complete nitrate removal was achieved at C/N=8, that is, 70 mg·L-1 nitrate. In addition, the isolate exhibited a great adaptability for low temperature and can reach 100% removal of 15 mg·L-1 nitrate at a temperature as low as 4℃ within 36 h. The denitrification genes of narG and nirS were highly expressed; they were at the same order of magnitude as those at 30℃. Semicontinuous experiments were conducted to test the stability of N3 immobilized with polyvinyl alcohol and sodium alginate at 10℃. The results show that immobilized N3 can remove 15 mg·L-1 nitrate completely within three days and maintains a strong mechanical performance and stability during the whole 54 days. The cold resistance and high denitrification ability of the strain N3 make it applicable to nitrogen wastewater treatment in winter.

[Dynamic Changes of Nitrogen-Transforming and Phosphorus-Accumulating Bacteria Along with the Formation of Cyanobacterial Blooms].

In order to reveal the dynamic changes of nitrogen-transforming and phosphorus-accumulating bacteria in the process of cyanobacterial bloom formation, bacterial community structure and functional genes associated with nitrogen cycling were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). The high-throughput sequencing results showed that the diversity of bacterial communities decreased during cyanobacterial blooms, and the lacustrine free-living and bloom-attached bacterial communities varied with increased bloom density. With increasing density of cyanobacteria, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes decreased, whereas that of Firmicutes increased. Moreover, the growth of phosphate-accumulating organisms was increased in the phycosphere of cyanobacterial blooms, while that of nitrifiers was inhibited. Denitrifiers increased significantly under moderate blooms. The qPCR data also revealed that the abundance of nitrification and denitrification genes decreased or disappeared with the development of cyanobacterial blooms, indicating that the nitrogen transformation process might be inhibited, which showed a positive feedback of bacterial community to the development of Microcystis blooms by satisfying the needs of the nutrients budget.

The mechanism of Jurkat cells apoptosis induced by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans cytolethal distending toxin.

Cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) which is produced by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans causes apoptosis in lymphocytes. But the specific mechanism is not clear. The aim of our research was to investigate the effect and mechanism during this process. The wild-type CdtA, CdtB, CdtC (CdtAW, CdtBW, CdtCW) and mutant CdtB (CdtBM) were expressed and purified respectively and the purity of each subunit was examined by BandScan software. And the type I deoxyribonuclease and PI-3,4,5-triphosphate (PI-3,4,5-P3, PIP3) phosphatase activity were detected by DNA agarose gel electrophoresis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay respectively. The cell apoptosis rates were analyzed by flow cytometry. The morphological changes of apoptosis cells were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The protein expression of Bax and Bcl-2 was examined by western blot. Differentially expressed apoptosis-related proteins were identified based on isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation technology. In the present study we found that: (i) recombinant wild-type CdtA, CdtB and CdtC (CdtAW, CdtBW, CdtCW) and mutant CdtB (CdtBM) were correctly expressed and the purity of each protein was higher than 80%, (ii) the average apoptosis rate in wild-type CDT (CDTW) treated groups was 50.54%, which was significantly higher than the controls (4.71%) and mutant CDT (CDTM) treated groups (5.58%) (p < 0.05), (iii) morphological changes of apoptosis were observed in CDTW treated cells, (iv) the expression of Bax protein was significantly increased in CDTW treated cells, while Bcl-2 protein expression was significantly decreased, (v) 17 apoptosis-related proteins were expressed differentially, among which 10 proteins (SMNDC1, TNFRSF10B, UBE2I, ITM2A, CASP3, P53, EIF1, TCF3, HMGN5, CASP8) were up-regulated and 7 proteins (RRM2, TPX2, KIF11, NUCKS1, TOP2A, XRCC1, PTPLAD1, RRM2) were down-regulated, (vi) one possible apoptotic pathway [Ubc9 (UBE2I)/P53/DR5 (TNFRSF10B)/Caspase-8 (CASP8)/ Caspase-3 (CASP3)] was selected and partially proved.

Clinical and morphologic spectrum of renal involvement in patients with HBV-associated cryoglobulinaemia.

AIM: Cryoglobulinaemic glomerulonephritis related to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been rarely reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features, renal biopsy findings in patients with HBV-associated cryoglobulinaemia. METHODS: Twelve patients with HBV-associated cryoglobulinaemia were identified in this study. The demographic, clinical, pathological characteristics, treatment and follow-up data were analyzed. RESULTS: Renal involvement was characterized by nephrotic range proteinuria with microscopic haematuria in all patients, and impaired renal function in nine patients (75%). Purpuric rash was the main extrarenal manifestation (58.3%). Type II cryoglobulinaemia was presented in three patients and type III in nine patients. Hypocomplementaemia and positive of rheumatoid factors were present in all patients. Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) was observed in all kidney specimens. Seven patients also had evidence of prominent cryoglobulins thrombi on renal biopsy, but only three patients had HBV antigen deposits in renal tissues. Antiviral and steroids or immunosuppressive agents have been used in most of patients. During follow-up, two patients died, and four reaching end-stage renal disease; three patients had complete remission, and three patients had renal function improved after therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Nephrotic syndrome with haematuria and renal insufficiency are the main clinical manifestation; cryoglobulinaemic glomerulonephritis are the main renal lesion in patients with HBV-Associated cryoglobulinaemia; half of patients have poor outcome even with antiviral and immunosuppressive therapy. The results of this study indicate that cryoglobulins should be detected in hepatitis B virus-Associated nephropathy in endemic area.

Attitudes of Chinese Oncology Physicians Toward Death with Dignity.

BACKGROUND: Death with dignity (DWD) refers to the refusal of life-prolonging measures for terminally ill patients by "living wills" forms in advance. More and more oncology physicians are receiving DWD requests from advance cancer patients in mainland China. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to investigate the attitudes of Chinese oncology physicians toward the legalization and implementation of DWD. METHODS: A questionnaire investigating the understanding and attitudes toward DWD was administered to 257 oncology physicians from 11 hospitals in mainland China. RESULTS: The effective response rate was 86.8% (223/257). The majority of oncology physicians (69.1%) had received DWD requests from patients. Half of the participants (52.5%) thought that the most important reason was the patients' unwillingness to maintain survival through machines. One-third of participants (33.0%) attributed the most important reason to suffering from painful symptoms. Most oncology physicians (78.9%) had knowledge about DWD. A fifth of respondents did not know the difference between DWD and euthanasia, and a few even considered DWD as euthanasia. The majority of oncology physicians supported the legalization (88.3%) and implementation (83.9%) of DWD. CONCLUSIONS: Many Chinese oncology physicians have received advanced cancer patients' DWD requests and think that DWD should be legalized and implemented. Chinese health management departments should consider the demands of physicians and patients. It is important to inform physicians about the difference between DWD and euthanasia, as one-fifth of them were confused about it.

Serum TGF-ß1 as a Biomarker for Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal expression of serum TGF-ß1 was found in patients with diabetic nephropathy. However, the association of TGF-ß1 with the risk of diabetic nephropathy remains unknown. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether such an association exists. METHODS: We searched the Chinese VIP, Wangfang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar databases for relevant studies and extracted all eligible data. Stata12 software was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Nine reports met our criteria and were used for data extraction. There were 264 patients and 227 healthy controls from qualified reports in this meta-analysis. The results suggested that serum TGF-ß1 levels were significantly up-regulated in patients with diabetic nephropathy; the instrumental variable was 3.94 (95% confidence interval 3.20-4.68, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Meta-analysis suggested that elevated serum TGF-ß level in patients with diabetes is associated with a high risk of nephropathy. Further studies are required to validate these observations.

The discordance of information needs between cancer patients and their families in China.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed at studying information needs of patients and their families, and their attitude towards the counterparts' information needs. Factors influencing psychological status of patients were investigated. METHODS: Self-designed questionnaires for information needs and attitude were delivered to participants. Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale were used to evaluate psychological status of patients. RESULTS: 183 eligible pairs of patients and families were involved. Except for the patients' expected life span, most patients and families needed information for all other subscales of disease-related information. Most patients wished families know more information; however, caregivers tended to prevent this. The occurrence of patients' psychiatric disorders was related to their needs for expected life span (OR 3.06 95%CI 1.36-6.93), as well as the attitude of caregivers about whether to provide more information about treatment outcomes (OR 0.24 95% CI 0.10-0.63). CONCLUSIONS: Information discordance between cancer patients and their families tended to happen when it came to patients' prognostic information. The psychological status of cancer patients was found in association with their information needs and families' attitude towards it. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: To guide oncology professionals and cancer patients' families for information provision.

A unique case of γ-heavy chain deposition disease characterized by concomitant deposition of γ2 and γ4 subclasses.

Heavy chain deposition disease (HCDD) is a rare entity. γ-HCDD is the predominant subtype and is characterized by glomerular and tubular deposition of a single γ-heavy chain subclass. To our knowledge, γ-HCDD with simultaneous deposition of two subclasses has not yet been described. A 39-year-old woman presented with hypertension, nephrotic syndrome, anemia, microscopic hematuria and progressive renal dysfunction. A light microscopic examination of renal biopsy specimens showed nodular glomerulosclerosis. Electron microscopy revealed electron-dense deposits along the glomerular and tubular basement membranes. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed positive glomerular and tubular staining for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and negative staining for κ and λ light chains. An analysis of the IgG subclass showed positive staining for both IgG2 and IgG4. We herein describe a unique case of γ-HCDD with concurrent deposition of two subclasses, presenting a new subtype to the disease spectrum.

Renal involvement in non-Hodgkin lymphoma: proven by renal biopsy.

AIMS: To determine the spectrum of renal lesions in patients with kidney involvement in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) by renal biopsy. METHODS: The clinical features and histological findings at the time of the renal biopsy were assessed for each patient. RESULTS: We identified 20 patients with NHL and renal involvement, and the diagnosis of NHL was established following the kidney biopsy in 18 (90%) patients. The types of NHL include the following: chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (n = 8), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (n = 4), T/NK cell lymphoma (n = 3), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (n = 2), cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (n = 1), mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (n = 1) and mantle cell lymphoma (n = 1). All presented with proteinuria, and 15 patients had impaired renal function. The pathological findings included (1) membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis-like pattern in seven patients; (2) crescent glomerulonephritis in four; (3) minimal-change disease in three, and glomeruli without specific pathological abnormalities in three; (4) intraglomerular large B-cell lymphoma in one; (5) intracapillary monoclonal IgM deposits in one; (6) primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the kidneys in one; and (7) lymphoma infiltration of the kidney in eight patients. CONCLUSION: A wide spectrum of renal lesions can be observed in patients with NHL, and NHL may be first proven by renal biopsies for evaluation of kidney injury or proteinuria. Renal biopsy is necessary to establish the underlying cause of renal involvement in NHL.

Challenge in pathologic diagnosis of Alport syndrome: evidence from correction of previous misdiagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Pathologic studies play an important role in evaluating patients with Alport syndrome besides genotyping. Difficulties still exist in diagnosing Alport syndrome (AS), and misdiagnosis is a not-so-rare event, even in adult patient evaluated with renal biopsy. METHODS: We used nested case-control study to investigate 52 patients previously misdiagnosed and 52 patients initially diagnosed in the China Alport Syndrome Treatments and Outcomes Registry e-system. RESULTS: We found mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MsPGN, 26.9%) and focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS, 19.2%) were the most common misdiagnosis. FSGS was the most frequent misdiagnosis in female X-linked AS (fXLAS) patients (34.8%), and MsPGN in male X-linked AS (mXLAS) patients (41.2%). Previous misdiagnosed mXLAS patients (13/17, 76.5%) and autosomal recessive AS (ARAS) patients (8/12, 66.7%) were corrected after a second renal biopsy. While misdiagnosed fXLAS patients (18/23, 78.3%) were corrected after a family member diagnosed (34.8%) or after rechecking electronic microscopy and/or collagen-IV alpha-chains immunofluresence study (COL-IF) (43.5%) during follow-up. With COL-IF as an additional criterion for AS diagnosis, we found that patients with less than 3 criteria reached have increased risk of misdiagnosis (3.29-fold for all misdiagnosed AS patients and 3.90-fold for fXLAS patients). CONCLUSION: We emphasize timely and careful study of electronic microscopy and COL-IF in pathologic evaluation of AS patients. With renal and/or skin COL-IF as additional criterion, 3 diagnosis criteria reached are the cutoff for diagnosing AS pathologically.

[Subtype and sequence analysis of the gag genes for HIV-1 strains isolated in Hubei province].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristic of subtypes and genetic diversity of HIV-1 circulating in Hubei province and its molecular epidemiological linkages with regard to risk factors of viral transmission. METHODS: plasma samples of 80 diagnosed individuals was characterized. The gene fragments of gag were amplified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and HIV-1 genotypes were determined based on the nucleotide sequences of gag region. RESULTS: Seven HIV-1 group M subtypes or CRF including B, B', G, CRF01-AE, CRF07-BC, CRF08-BC and CRF15-01B were identified. CRF01-AE was found to be the most dominant subtype (48.4%) followed by CRF7-BC (22.6%) and B' (12.9%). CONCLUSION: The data from this study indicate the existence of multiple HIV-1 subtypes or CRFs in Hubei province and the surveillance of HIV-1 gene variation should be paid more attention to.

[Comparative study on pathology of non involuting congenital hemangioma and infantile hemangioma].

OBJECTIVE: To distinguish non involuting congenital hemangioma (NICH) and infantile hemangioma (IH) by comparing the pathological structure and marker antigen expression. METHODS: From Jan. 2005 to Aug. 2010, 39 paraffin-embedded samples, including 13 cases of NICH, 13 cases of proliferating IH and 13 cases of involuting IH, were collected from operation. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the pathological structure. Immunohistochemical analysis was also performed to investigate the expression of Glut-1. RESULTS: The lobules of capillaries were well-defined in NICH. The lobules were surrounded by abundant fibrous tissue. The capillaries were often large and integrity in NICH. There were few mitosis and apoptosis in endothelial cells and stromal cells in NICH. While in IH, the pathologic findings were totally different. Immunochemistry revealed that the Glut-1 was expressed in endothelial cells of IH, but not in NICH. CONCLUSIONS: NICH has a steady histologic structure and low proliferation, while the endothelial cells in proliferative IH has a high proliferation. Glut-1 can be used as the reliable marker antigen for differential diagnosis of NICH and proliferative infantile hemangiomas.

Mitochondrial energy metabolism in young bamboo rhizomes from Bambusa oldhamii and Phyllostachys edulis during shooting stage.

The energy metabolism of mitochondria in young rhizomes of the bamboo species Bambusa oldhamii, which favors shooting during the summer, and Phyllostachys edulis, which favors shooting during the winter, was characterized. The mitochondrial energy-converting system was clarified in terms of respiratory activity and structural organization. The respiration rates were measured at 15, 28, and 42 °C by NADH, succinate, and malate oxidation. NADH was shown to act as an efficient substrate regardless of the temperature. The structural organization of functional mitochondrial respiratory supercomplexes was studied using blue native PAGE and in-gel activity staining. In both species, almost 90% of the total complex I was assembled into supercomplexes, and P. edulis contained a greater amount of complex-I-comprising supercomplexes than B. oldhamii. Approximately 50% of complex III and 75% of complex V were included in supercomplexes, whereas P. edulis mitochondria possessed a greater amount of complex-V-comprising supercomplexes. The alternative oxidase (AOX), plant mitochondrial uncoupling protein (PUCP), plant mitochondrial potassium channel (PmitoK(ATP)), rotenone-insensitive external/internal NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase [NDH(e/i)], and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities of the energy-dissipating systems were investigated. P. edulis mitochondria had higher levels of the PUCP1 and AOX1 proteins than B. oldhamii mitochondria. The activity of PmitoK(ATP) in P. edulis was higher than that in B. oldhamii. However, P. edulis mitochondria possessed lower NDH(e/i) and SOD activities than B. oldhamii mitochondria. The results suggest that the adaptation of P. edulis to a cooler environment may correlate with its greater abundance of functional mitochondrial supercomplexes and the higher energy-dissipating capacity of its AOX, PUCP and PmitoK(ATP) relative to B. oldhamii.