Accurate assessment of HER2 gene status for invasive component of breast cancer by combination of immunohistochemistry and chromogenic In Situ hybridization.

The specimens of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with early invasion, and specimens collected by core needle biopsy (CNB) tend to contain limited amount of invasive component, so it is imperative to explore a new technique which can assess HER2 gene status accurately for the limited invasive cancer component in these specimens. Dual staining technique of combining immunohistochemistry (IHC) for myoepithelial cells and single or dual probe chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) for HER2 gene was performed on routinely processed paraffin sections from 20 cases diagnosed as having DCIS with invasive cancer. Among them, 10 had fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-confirmed amplification of HER2 and 10 had FISH-confirmed non-amplification of HER2. We successfully detected HER2 genetic signals and myoepithelial IHC markers (SMM-HC or CK5/6) simultaneously on a single section in all 20 specimens. Myoepithelial markers and HER2 signals detected by dual staining assay were consistent with those by individual technique performed alone. HER2 gene amplification results determined by dual staining assay were 100% consistent with those of FISH. Dual staining technique which allows simultaneous detection of myoepithelial marker protein and cancerous HER2 gene is feasible, and it has potential to be used in clinical practice for effective determination of HER2 amplification in limited invasive component.

Synthesis of Novel Pd Nanosponges for Non-Enzymatic Glucose Sensor.

A unique nanostructured electrocatalyst based on Palladium (Pd) nanosponge architecture is synthesized by one-step dealloying of the amorphous alloy precursor with low Pd concentration. The sponge-like nanostructure with hollow interiors enables sufficient contact between reactants andboth the interior and exterior surfaces. The results of cyclic voltammetry reveal that the as-prepared Pd nanosponge exhibits high sensitivity of 32 µA mM-1 cm-2 in a wide linear range (1-18 mM), and long-term stability toward glucose electro-oxidation. The Pd nanosponge also manifests detection limit as low as 2.0 µM (S/N = 3) and high selectivity for glucose sensing. The enhanced catalytic activity of the Pd nanosponge is attributed to the bimetallic synergistic effect and the large active surface area of the high-uniformity porous structure. The facile synthesis of the cost-effective Pd nanosponge with superior electrocatalytic performance makes it hold great potentials for biosensor and other catalysis applications.

Acute toxicity of Potentilla anserina L. extract in mice.

Potentilla anserina L. is not only a medicinal plant, but also a traditional cuisine. Hence, an acute toxicity study was performed to confirm its safety profile. Forty Kunming mice were randomly divided into two groups: control group and P. anserina L. extract group. Using the maximum dosage method, the P. anserina L. extract group was given the maximum dose within 12 h, equivalent to 345.6 g/kg crude drug. The control group was given distilled water. After administration, toxicity symptoms of mice were observed, body weight and food intake were recorded. After 14 days, blood was collected to measure biochemical parameters, autopsy was carried out to observe the changes of organs, and the vital organs were separated, weighed, and preserved for histopathological examination. The results showed that P. anserina L. extract group had no toxic symptoms. The activity, weight, and diet of mice were normal, and no abnormality was found in organ index, renal function, liver function, anatomical observation, and histopathological examination. Therefore, the maximum oral dosage (345.6 g/kg) of P. anserina L. was good safety. This study indicated that P. anserina L. had a large safety range and the clinical application was safe.

Refinement of Nanoporous Copper with Poly(vinyl alcohol) During Dealloying Amorphous Mg65Cu25Y10 Precursors.

Ultrafine nanoporous copper (UNP Cu) with a characteristic pore size of about 12 nm and a ligament size of about 14 nm was fabricated from amorphous Mg65Cu25Y10 precursor alloys after dealloying in a 0.1 M H2SO4 solution modified by poly(vinyly alcohol) polymers with a molecular weight of 105000 g/mol (PVA-124). The suppression of the surface diffusion from PVA-124 reduced the size of the nanopores and ligaments to 20 nm when the concentration of the added PVA-124 exceeded 0.1 g L-1. When the concentration of the added PVA-124 exceeded 2 g L-1, PVA-124 triggered the polymerization process. The resultant polymer surface layer on the fcc Cu ligaments was shown to reduce the rate of selective dissolution. It was also shown that extending the immersion time resulted in a suppression of coarsening. The introduction of PVA-124 polymer into acids resulted in a higher viscosity of the dealloying solutions, particularly when the concentration of PVA-124 was higher than 1.0 g L-1. This viscosity was shown not only to reduced rate of diffusion of Cu adatoms in PVA-124 solutions, but also forced the accumulation of Cu adatoms to form small scale UNP Cu.

Physiological responses and evaluation of effects of BMI, smoking and drinking in high altitude acclimatization: a cohort study in Chinese Han young males.

High altitude acclimatization is a series of physiological responses taking places when subjects go to altitude. Many factors could influence these processes, such as altitude, ascending speed and individual characteristics. In this study, based on a repeated measurement design of three sequential measurements at baseline, acute phase and chronic phase, we evaluated the effect of BMI, smoking and drinking on a number of physiological responses in high altitude acclimatization by using mixed model and partial least square path model on a sample of 755 Han Chinese young males. We found that subjects with higher BMI responses were reluctant to hypoxia. The effect of smoking was not significant at acute phase. But at chronic phase, red blood cell volume increased less while respiratory function increased more for smoking subjects compared with nonsmokers. For drinking subjects, red blood cell volume increased less than nondrinkers at both acute and chronic phases, while blood pressures increased more than nondrinkers at acute phase and respiratory function, red blood cell volume and oxygen saturation increased more than nondrinkers at chronic phase. The heavy and long-term effect of smoking, drinking and other factors in high altitude acclimatization needed to be further studied.