Bioceramic scaffolds with two-step internal/external modification of copper-containing polydopamine enhance antibacterial and alveolar bone regeneration capability / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Magnesium-doped calcium silicate (CS) bioceramic scaffolds have unique advantages in mandibular defect repair; however, they lack antibacterial properties to cope with the complex oral microbiome. Herein, for the first time, the CS scaffold was functionally modified with a novel copper-containing polydopamine (PDA(Cu2+‍)) rapid deposition method, to construct internally modified (*P), externally modified (@PDA), and dually modified (*P@PDA) scaffolds. The morphology, degradation behavior, and mechanical properties of the obtained scaffolds were evaluated in vitro. The results showed that the CS*P@PDA had a unique micro-/nano-structural surface and appreciable mechanical resistance. During the prolonged immersion stage, the release of copper ions from the CS*P@PDA scaffolds was rapid in the early stage and exhibited long-term sustained release. The in vitro evaluation revealed that the release behavior of copper ions ascribed an excellent antibacterial effect to the CS*P@PDA, while the scaffolds retained good cytocompatibility with improved osteogenesis and angiogenesis effects. Finally, the PDA(Cu2+)-modified scaffolds showed effective early bone regeneration in a critical-size rabbit mandibular defect model. Overall, it was indicated that considerable antibacterial property along with the enhancement of alveolar bone regeneration can be imparted to the scaffold by the two-step PDA(Cu2+) modification, and the convenience and wide applicability of this technique make it a promising strategy to avoid bacterial infections on implants.

Expression and characterization of mesophilic GH1 β-glucosidase CdBglA from acidophilic Cuniculiplasma divulgatum / 生物工程学报

β-glucosidase has important applications in food, pharmaceutics, biomass conversion and other fields, exploring β-glucosidase with strong adaptability and excellent properties thus has received extensive interest. In this study, a novel glucosidase from the GH1 family derived from Cuniculiplasma divulgatum was cloned, expressed, and characterized, aiming to find a better β-glucosidase. The amino acid sequences of GH1 family glucosidase derived from C. divulgatum were obtained from the NCBI database, and a recombinant plasmid pET-30a(+)-CdBglA was constructed. The recombinant protein was induced to express in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The enzymatic properties of the purified CdBglA were studied. The molecular weight of the recombinant CdBglA was 56.0 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature were 5.5 and 55 ℃, respectively. The enzyme showed good pH stability, 92.33% of the initial activity could be retained when treated under pH 5.5-11.0 for 1 h. When pNPG was used as a substrate, the kinetic parameters Km, Vmax and Kcat/Km were 0.81 mmol, 291.99 μmol/(mg·min), and 387.50 s-1 mmol-1, respectively. 90.33% of the initial enzyme activity could be retained when CdBglA was placed with various heavy metal ions at a final concentration of 5 mmol/L. The enzyme activity was increased by 28.67% under 15% ethanol solution, remained unchanged under 20% ethanol, and 43.68% of the enzyme activity could still be retained under 30% ethanol. The enzyme has an obvious activation effect at 0-1.5 mol/L NaCl and can tolerate 0.8 mol/L glucose. In conclusion, CdBglA is an acidic and mesophilic enzyme with broad pH stability and strong tolerance to most metal ions, organic solvents, NaCl and glucose. These characteristics may facilitate future theoretical research and industrial production.

Antiarrhythmic active components in traditional Chinese medicine acting on potassium channels / 中国中药杂志

Arrhythmia is an external manifestation of cardiac electrophysiological disorder. It exists in healthy people and patients with various heart diseases, which is often associated with other cardiovascular diseases. The contraction and diastole of myocardium are inseparable from the movement of ions. There are many ion channels in the membrane and organelle membrane of myocardium. The dynamic balance of myocardial ions is vital in maintaining myocardial electrical homeostasis. Potassium ion channels that have a complex variety and a wide distribution are involved in the whole process of resting potential and action potential of cardiomyocytes. Potassium ion channels play a vital role in maintaining normal electrophysiological activity of myocardium and is one of the pathogenesis of arrhythmia. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has unique advantages in treating arrhythmia for its complex active components and diverse targets. A large number of TCM preparations have definite effect on treating arrhythmia-related diseases, whose antiarrhythmic mechanism may be related to the effect on potassium channel. This article mainly reviewed the relevant studies on the active components in TCM acting on different potassium channels to provide references for clinical drug use and development.

Effect of pH on the chelation between strontium ions and decellularized small intestinal submucosal sponge scaffolds / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the preparation of decellularized small intestinal submucosa (dSIS) sponge scaffolds with chelated strontium (Sr) ions at different pH values, and to select the appropriate pH values for synthesizing Sr/dSIS scaffolds using the physicochemical properties and biocompatibility of the scaffolds as evaluation indexes.@*METHODS@#(1) Sr/dSIS scaffolds preparation and grouping: After mixing dSIS solution and strontium chloride solution in equal volumes, adjusting pH of the solution to 3, 5, 7, and 9 respectively, porous scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying method after full reaction at 37℃, which were named Sr/dSIS-3, -5, -7, and -9 respectively, and the dSIS scaffolds were used as the control group. (2) Physicochemical property evaluation: The bulk morphology of the scaffolds was observed in each group, the microscopic morphology analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, and the porosity and pore size determined, the surface elements analyzed by energy spectroscopy, the structure of functional groups analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, the chelation rate determined by atomic spectrophotometry, the water absorption rate detected by using specific gravity method, and the compression strength evaluated by universal mechanical testing machine.(3) Biocompatibility evaluation: The cytotoxicity and proliferative effect to bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) of each group were evaluated by Calcein-AM/PI double staining method.@*RESULTS@#Scanning electron microscopy showed that the scaffolds of each group had an interconnected three-dimensional porous structure with no statistical difference in pore size and porosity. Energy spectrum analysis showed that strontium could be detected in Sr/dSIS-5, -7 and -9 groups, and strontium was uniformly distributed in the scaffolds. Functional group analysis further supported the formation of chelates in the Sr/dSIS-5, -7 and -9 groups. Chelation rate analysis showed that the Sr/dSIS-7 group had the highest strontium chelation rate, which was statistically different from the other groups (P < 0.05). The scaffolds in all the groups had good water absorption. The scaffolds in Sr/dSIS-5, -7 and -9 groups showed significantly improved mechanical properties compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The scaffolds in all the groups had good biocompatibility, and the Sr/dSIS-7 group showed the best proliferation of BMSCs.@*CONCLUSION@#When pH was 7, the Sr/dSIS scaffolds showed the highest strontium chelation rate and the best proliferation effect of BMSCs, which was the ideal pH value for the preparation of the Sr/dSIS scaffolds.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Five Indoles or Indazole Amide Synthetic Cannabinoids in Suspected E-Cigarette Oil by GC-MS / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To establish the GC-MS qualitative and quantitative analysis methods for the synthetic cannabinoids, its main matrix and additives in suspicious electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) oil samples.@*METHODS@#The e-cigarette oil samples were analyzed by GC-MS after diluted with methanol. Synthetic cannabinoids, its main matrix and additives in e-cigarette oil samples were qualitatively analyzed by the characteristic fragment ions and retention time. The synthetic cannabinoids were quantitatively analyzed by using the selective ion monitoring mode.@*RESULTS@#The linear range of each compound in GC-MS quantitative method was 0.025-1 mg/mL, the matrix recovery rate was 94%-103%, the intra-day precision relative standard deviations (RSD) was less than 2.5%, and inter-day precision RSD was less than 4.0%. Five indoles or indazole amide synthetic cannabinoids were detected in 25 e-cigarette samples. The main matrixes of e-cigarette samples were propylene glycol and glycerol. Additives such as N,2,3-trimethyl-2-isopropyl butanamide (WS-23), glycerol triacetate and nicotine were detected in some samples. The content range of synthetic cannabinoids in 25 e-cigarette samples was 0.05%-2.74%.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The GC-MS method for synthesizing cannabinoid, matrix and additive in e-cigarette oil samples has good selectivity, high resolution, low detection limit, and can be used for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of multiple components; The explored fragment ion fragmentation mechanism of the electron bombardment ion source of indole or indoxamide compounds helps to identify such substances or other compounds with similar structures in cases.

The effect of parasitic ions on riboflavin permeability and cross-linking effectiveness in iontophoresis-assisted scleral cross-linking / 生物医学工程学杂志

The effect of parasitic ions on the results of ultraviolet A (UVA) cross-linking in iontophoresis was still not clear. In this work, the porcine sclera was cross-linked by riboflavin lactate Ringer's solution (group A) and riboflavin normal saline (group B)

Advances in anti-adversity of biological composites based on metal-organic frameworks / 生物工程学报

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are formed by self-assembly of metal ions or clusters with organic ligands, and are widely used in the fields of catalysis, sensing, energy and biomedicine. Recently, biological composites based on MOFs have attracted increasing attention. MOFs can be used as a platform for encapsulating bioactive substances due to the advantages such as large pore capacity, large specific surface area and diverse structure composition. These features can protect bioactive substances from adverse conditions, e.g. high temperature, high pressure, and organic solvents, thus improving the anti-adversity of bioactive substances. This review summarizes the advances of using MOFs as protective coatings to improve the anti-adversity of different bioactive substances, and introduces the synthesis strategy of MOFs-based biological composites, with the aim to promote the practical application of MOFs-based biological composites.

Study on fragmentation patterns of coumarins in Notopterygium inchum with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry / 中国中药杂志

To demonstrate the fragmentation patterns of simple coumarins furanocourmarin(C_7-C_8), furanocourmarin(C_6-C_7) and dihydrofuran coumarin by mass spectrometry, with fraxin, scopoletin, isopsoralen, pimpinellin, isoimperatorin, notopterol and noda-kenin as study subjects, so as to provide a basis for rapid identification of compounds in different subtypes of coumarins. Ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography combined with quardrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was implemented in both positive and negative ion modes. Masslynx software was employed to provide the elemental constituents of each detected ion based on its accurate molecular weight. Chemdraw 2014 was used to cultivate mass number of each inferred structure. The fragment pattern of each compound was determined based on the structures inferred from all the relevant ions. And the patterns were drawn by Chemdraw 2014. The deviation between the calculated molecular weight of the inferred structure and the detected value of the ions was used to assess the correctness of the inferred structures in the fragmentation patterns. The results showed that with UPLC-Q-TOF, neutral loss of CO_2 and CO was reflected in lactone and furan skeletons from the courmarin structure. An even mass was attributed to the loss of an odd number of methyl radicals from compounds with a methoxy substituent. Furanocourmarin(C_7-C_8) produced a protonated molecular ion([M+H]~+), while the other courmarin subtypes produced either a sodium adduct of the molecular ion([M+Na]~+) or a sodium adduct of the molecular ion([M+Na]~+) with a protonated molecular ion([M+H]~+). The m/z 203.03 was a diagnostic ion for furanocourmarin(C_6-C_7), and the m/z 147.04 was supplementary evidence for furanocourmarin(C_6-C_7) identification. The characteristic ion of furanocourmarin(C_7-C_8) was m/z 131.05, while m/z 187.04 was the characteristic ion of dihydrofuran coumarin. The m/z 203.03 ion for furanocourmarin(C_7-C_8) was pretty weak. In negative ion mode, furanocourmarin(C_7-C_8) did not have any signals that were different from the other subtypes of courmarins. The fragmentation patterns in negative ion mode for the other subtypes of courmarins were similar to those in positive ion mode. Four types of fragmentation patterns were identified as forcourmarins from Notopterygium inchum. This study provides the basis for the rapid identification of courmarin subtypes by mass spectrometry.

DNA damage in a solution containing copper(II) ions and ascorbic acid: Effect of the presence of sulfite

Some antioxidant compounds have a pro-oxidant effect in the presence of transition metal ions, due to the reduction of Mn+ to M(n-1)+ with simultaneous formation of free radicals, which then promote DNA damage. In the present study, we evaluated the pUC19 DNA damage in a solution containing Cu(II) and ascorbic acid (AA) or S(IV) saturated with air by agarose gel electrophoresis. Our results showed that this damage decreases if AA and S(IV) are simultaneously added. This study also illustrates the importance of Cu(II) in this process, as no DNA damage was observed when AA or S(IV) were present in the absence of this metallic ion. Our data showed that DNA preservation depends on the concentration of AA and S(IV) and occurs when the [S(IV)]:[AA] ratio ranges from 1:1 to 20:1. Absorbance measurements and thermodynamic data show that no reaction occurs between AA and S(IV) when this mixture (pH 5.5) is added to pUC-19 DNA. The presence of dissolved oxygen may be the cause of AA consumption in the mixture of these two antioxidants, which subsequently decreases DNA damage.

Determination of Salt Forms of New Psychoactive Substances by Ion Chromatography / 法医学杂志

Objective To establish an ion chromatography method for the salt form determination of new psychoactive substances （NPS）. Methods The method of conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis of six types of organic acid ions （acetate ion, tartrate ion, maleate ion, oxalate ion, fumarate ion, citrate ion） and five types of inorganic anions （fluoride ion, chloride ion, nitrate ion, sulfate ion, phosphate ion） in NPS sample by ion chromatography was developed. The salt forms of 222 seized NPS samples （103 samples with synthetic cannabinoids, 81 samples with cathinones, 44 samples with phenylethylamines, 12 samples with tryptamines, 7 samples with phencyclidines, 6 samples with piperazines, 2 samples with aminoindenes, 26 samples with fentanyls and 43 samples with other types of NPS） were analyzed by this method. Results Each anion had good linearity in the corresponding linear range, the correlation coefficients （r） were greater than 0.999, the limits of detection were 0.01-0.05 mg/L, and the limits of quantitative were 0.1-0.5 mg/L. Except that 5F-BEPIRAPIM was hydrochloride, the salt forms of the other 102 synthetic cannabinoids were all base. The salt form of 81 cathinone samples, 44 phenylethylamine samples, 7 phencyclidine samples and 2 aminoindene samples were all hydrochloride. The salt forms of tryptamine samples included base, hydrochloride, fumarate and oxalate. The salt forms of piperazine samples included base and hydrochloride. The salt forms of fentanyl samples and samples of other types included base, hydrochloride and citrate. Conclusion Ion chromatography is a simple, accurate and efficient method for determining the salt form of NPS samples, which makes the qualitative and quantitative conclusions of NPS more scientific and rigorous.

Determination of Azide Ions in Blood by Pentafluorobenzyl Derivation Followed by GC-MS / 法医学杂志

Objective To establish a method for determination of the azide ions in blood by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） following pentafluorobenzyl derivatization. Methods A blood sample of 0.2 mL was placed into a 10 mL glass test tube, and the internal standard sodium cyanide, derivatization reagent pentafluorobenzyl bromide and catalyst tetradecyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride were added in turn. After vortex mixing, the mixture was heated with low-power microwave for 3 min. After centrifugation, the organic phase was taken for GC-MS analysis. Results The azide ions in blood had a good linear relationship in the mass concentration range of 0.5 to 20 μg/mL. The lowest detection limit was 0.25 μg/mL and the relative recovery was 91.36%-94.58%. The method was successfully applied to a case of death from sodium azide poisoning. The mass concentration of azide ions in the blood of the dead was 11.11 μg/mL. Conclusion The method developed in this paper has strong specificity and is easy to operate, which is suitable for the rapid detection of azide ions in blood.

Effects of SCD-1 gene overexpression on the content of calcium ion and lipids in duck uterine epithelial cells / 生物工程学报

Stearoyl-CoAdesaturase-1 (SCD-1) is a key regulator of monounsaturated fatty acid synthesis. It plays a vital role in lipid synthesis and metabolism. Ca²⁺ is an important cation in the body and plays an important role in the organism. The aims of this study were to investigate the correlation of SCD-1 gene overexpression with lipid indexes and calcium ion level. The pcDNA3.1 (+) + SCD-1 +Flag eukaryotic expression vector and cultured duck uterine epithelial cells were co-transfected. The overexpression of SCD-1 gene was measured using the Flag Label Detection Kit. Ca ions and lipid contents were detected through Fluo-3/AM Calcium Ion Fluorescence Labeling method and Lipid Measuring Kit, respectively. SCD-1 gene overexpression was negatively correlated with triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and positively correlated with Ca ion, total cholesterol (TC), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Meanwhile, Ca ion was positively correlated with TG, LDL-C and HDL-C contents, and negatively correlated with TC and VLDL-C levels. Overexpression of SCD-1 gene could regulate Ca ion secretion, as well as lipid synthesis and transport in duck uterine epithelial cells.

Fluoxetine Induces Apoptotic and Oxidative Neuronal Death Associated with The Influx of Copper Ions in Cultured Neuronal Cells / 전남의대학술지

We examined the effect of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant, on neuronal viability in mouse cortical near-pure neuronal cultures. Addition of fluoxetine to the media for 24 hours induced neuronal death in a concentration-dependent manner. To delineate the mechanisms of fluoxetine-induced neuronal death, we investigated the effects of trolox, cycloheximide (CHX), BDNF, z-VAD-FMK, and various metal-chelators on fluoxetine-induced neuronal death. Neuronal death was assessed by MTT assay. The addition of 20 µM fluoxetine to the media for 24 hours induced 60–70% neuronal death, which was associated with the hallmarks of apoptosis, chromatin condensation and DNA laddering. Fluoxetine-induced death was significantly attenuated by CHX, BDNF, or z-VAD-FMK. Treatment with antioxidants, trolox and ascorbate, also markedly attenuated fluoxetine-induced death. Interestingly, some divalent cation chelators (EGTA, Ca-EDTA, and Zn-EDTA) also markedly attenuated the neurotoxicity. Fluoxetine-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was measured using the fluorescent dye 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate. Trolox and bathocuproine disulfonic acid (BCPS), a cell membrane impermeable copper ion chelator, markedly attenuated the ROS production and neuronal death. However, deferoxamine, an iron chelator, did not affect ROS generation or neurotoxicity. We examined the changes in intracellular copper concentration using a copper-selective fluorescent dye, Phen Green FL, which is quenched by free copper ions. Fluoxetine quenched the fluorescence in neuronal cells, and the quenching effect of fluoxetine was reversed by co-treatment with BCPS, however, not by deferoxamine. These findings demonstrate that fluoxetine could induce apoptotic and oxidative neuronal death associated with an influx of copper ions.

Determinação de baixas concentrações de lítio em águas de abastecimento público por cromatografia de íons: validação de método / Determination of low concentrations of lithium in public water supply by the ion chromatography: method validation

Esta nota apresenta a validação de um método para realizar a determinação de lítio em concentrações menores do que 40 µg L­1 em amostras de águas de abastecimento público, utilizando­se cromatografia de íons e calibração externa, com a curva analítica obtida por regressão linear (mínimos quadrados ordinários). O método é seletivo, e apresenta limite de detecção igual a 1,0 µg L­1e limite de quantificação igual a 2,0 µg L­1.Os ensaios de recuperação em três níveis de concentração apresentaram resultados entre 99,4 e 101,9%. Na avaliação da precisão nos mesmos três níveis de concentração, os coeficientes de variação exibiram valores entre 1,1 e 4,0%. (AU)

This note presents the validation of a method for determining the lithium at concentrations less than 40 µg L­1 in the public water supply, by using the ion chromatography and external calibration, and the analytical curve was obtained by the linear regression (ordinary least squares). The employed method is selective, showing the detection limit equal to 1.0 µg L­1 and the quantification limit equal to 2.0 µg L­1. Recovery tests in three concentration levels presented results from 99.4 to 101.9%. On the precision evaluation in the same three concentration levels, the coefficients of variation exhibited values between 1.1 and 4.0%. (AU)

Effect of Ions Released and pH of Two Glass Ionomer Cements in Human Gingival Fibroblasts / Efecto de la liberación de iones y pH de dos cementos de ionómero de vidrio en fibroblastos gingivales humanos

Abstract 20. Conventional glass ionomer cements are used as dental provisional restorative materials, which present several advantages such as adhesion to the tooth mineral phase among others. On the other hand, the knowledge about biological property of glass ionomers shows various approaches and results. In this work, it was studied the in vitro biological response of human gingival fibroblasts in contact with commercial cements of glass ionomer: Mirafil® and Ionglass® and with their extracts, according to ISO 10993. The extracts of the cements, in which the cells were cultured, were adjusted at different concentrations ranging 0.1% to 100%. The cellular metabolic activity of gingival fibroblasts was measured using the Alamar Blue® reagent. The results showed a significant effect on the cellular metabolic activity correlated with the concentration of liberated ions (Al³+ and Ca²+) for both ionomers, as well as the pH variations of the culture media. This could mean that the cellular metabolic activity is substantially influenced by ions and pH of the cell culture.

Resumen 24. Los cementos de ionómero de vidrio convencionales se utilizan como materiales de restauración provisional para uso dental, los cuales presentan varias ventajas como la adhesión a la fase mineral de los dientes. Por otro lado, las propiedades biológicas de los ionómeros de vidrio muestran diversos enfoques y resultados. En éste trabajo se estudió la respuesta biológica in vitro de fibroblastos gingivales humanos en contacto con cementos comerciales de ionómero de vidrio: Mirafil® e Ionglass® y con sus respectivos extractos según la norma ISO 10993. Los extractos de los cementos en los que se cultivaron las células estaban en diferentes concentraciones: de 0.1% a 100%. La actividad metabólica celular se midió usando el reactivo Alamar Blue®. Los resultados mostraron un efecto significativo sobre la actividad metabólica celular correlacionada con la concentración de iones liberados (Al³+ y Ca²+) para ambos ionómeros, así como las variaciones de pH de los medios de cultivo. Ello podria explicar la influencia por los iones y el pH del cultivo celular en la actividad metabólica celular.

Nickel and Chromium Ion Levels in Hair and Gingival Crevicular Fluid with the Corrosion of Brackets in Orthodontic Patients: A Longitudinal Study

Objective: To assess the levels of nickel and chromium ions in hair and Gingival Crevicular Fluid (GCF) of orthodontic patients and to evaluate the corrosion of orthodontic bracket surfaces. Material and Methods: Nickel and chromium ion concentrations were measured in hair and GCF of 15 patients (9 females and 6 males, aged 16-28 years old) who had fixed orthodontic treatment using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The samples were taken before treatment (baseline), 4, 8, and 16 months later during treatment. Along with ionic sampling, microscopic sampling was done. One of each patient brackets was removed to get 15 brackets per group. Five brackets were taken randomly from each group to be examined under scanning electron microscope (SEM). Data obtained were analyzed using paired t-tests. Results: After 16 months, compared with the baseline, average hair nickel level changed from 0.125 µg/g to 0.956 µg/g with statistically significant difference (p=0.00); average chromium level changed from 0.090 µg/g to 0.295 µg/g but no significant difference (p>0.05); average GCF nickel level changed from 3.335 µg/g to 10.410 µg/g; average chromium level changed from 1.859 µg/g to 9.818 µg/g. Both of these increases were significant (p=0.000). SEM examinations showed that the corrosion on brackets was seen in the fourth month, and more severely visible after 8 and 16 months of uses. Conclusion: After 16 months of treatment, compared with the baseline, the hair nickel level was increased by 7.7 times; while for chromium was by 3.3 times. Gingival crevicular fluid nickel level was increased by 3.1 times and chromium level was by 5.3 times. The longer time of treatment, the more ions released and the more corrosion of brackets will be.

Comprehensive mass spectrum analysis of two flavone-6,8-C-di-glycosides and its application by high resolution electrospray ionization tandem mass spectroscopy in both negative and positive ion modes / 中国中药杂志

The tandem mass spectrum of apigenin-6,8-C-di-glucoside( 1) and apigenin-6-C-glucose-8-C-rhamnoside( 2) were obtained by high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry( HR-ESI-MS/MS) in both positive and negative ion modes. The elemental composition of each ion was determined according to its accurate mass-to-charge,hence,the fragmentation pathways of each compound were proposed in both negative and positive ion modes. Comprehensive analysis of each ion and its proposed fragmentation pathways of the two compounds was initially conducted in both negative and positive ion mode HR-ESI-MS/MS to explore the diagnostic ions for flavone-6,8-C-di-glycosides and the characteristic ions for each compound and their cleavage rules. The results showed that a family of fragmentation ions with m/z 353,325,311,297 in ESI(-)-MS and m/z 355,325,307,295 in ESI( +)-MS could be the diagnostic ions of flavone-6,8-C-di-glycoside,and characteristic neutral loss could be assigned to glycosyl substitution,for example,neutral losses of C_4H_8O_4( 120),C_3H_6O_3( 90),C_2H_4O_2( 60) for glucoside substitution while neutral losses of C_4H_8O_3(104),C_3H_6O_2( 74),C_2H_4O( 44) for rhamnoside substitution. Furthermore,only one H_2O loss from mother ion( [M-H]-) was observed for 1 & 2 in ESI(-)-MS while five to six H2 O loss from mother ion( [M+H]+) was observed for 1 & 2 in ESI( +)-MS to produce a family of ions by subsequent loss of H_2O,which could be applied for glucosyl difference. The flavone-6,8-C-di-glycosides in both ESI( +)-MS and ESI(-)-MS showed the cleavage similarity at sugar substitutions. However,there were much more differences by the fragmentation pathways and neutral losses between ESI( +)-MS and ESI(-)-MS as following,hyperconjugation ions by subsequent loss of H_2O from precursor ions of flavone-6,8-C-di-glycosides in ESI( +)-MS were not observed in ESI(-)-MS; the subsequent neutral loss of CH_2O in ESI( +)-MS were rarely observed in ESI(-)-MS; the loss of CO only happen at C-ring of flavone ESI( +)-MS other than glycosyl position in ESI(-)-MS; the C4-chain neutral loss of flavone-6,8-C-di-glycosides happened at 8-C-glycosyl position other than at 6-C-glycosyl position. The above cleavage rules and diagnostic ions of ESI( +)-MS were successfully applied for the structure identification of 4 flavone-6 C,8 C-diglycosides from the stem extract of Dendrobium officinale as vicenin Ⅱ,vicenin Ⅰ,isoschaftoside,schaftoside as well as one flavone-O-glysoside named rutin,which were supported by ESI(-)-MS data as well.

Follow-up of Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacements at a Large District Hospital and the Implementation of Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency Guidelines: A Review of 297 Patients

BACKGROUND: Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) guidance for patients with metal-on-metal (MoM) hip replacements was provided in 2012 and updated in 2017 to assist in the early detection of soft-tissue reactions due to metal wear debris. A large number of MoM hip replacements were undertaken at our hospital trust. A program of recall for all patients with MoM hip replacements was undertaken and MHRA guidelines were implemented. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the revised MHRA guidelines in the detection of early adverse reactions to metal debris and to re-evaluate the indications for metal artifact reduction sequence magnetic resonance imaging (MARS-MRI) and revision surgery. METHODS: Identification and recall of all patients with MoM hip replacements from 2001 were conducted by using theatre logs, patient records, clinical coding information, and consultant logbooks. Two senior arthroplasty consultants reviewed X-rays and patient records. Postal questionnaires were forwarded to patients, together with requests for general practitioners to complete cobalt and chromium blood tests. The two consultant-led review of MOM replacements was undertaken with further radiological investigations (X-rays, MARS-MRI) performed according to the 2017 guidance with support of consultant radiologists. RESULTS: Of 674 identified patients, 297 were available for review: 26 patients did not have MoM implants, 36 were untraceable, 59 refused follow-up, 87 moved out of area, 147 had died, and 22 already had revision. Of 297 patients, 126 were women and 171 were men; age range was 39 to 95 years (mean age, 69 years); 126 had resurfacing and 171 had MoM replacements. Twenty-six patients had elevated metal ions. Thirty-three patients underwent MARS-MRI: MARS-MRI results were positive in 17 and negative in 16. Of 17 patients with positive MARS-MRI, 10 patients were asymptomatic and seven were waiting revision. CONCLUSIONS: Positive MARS-MRI can often occur in the absence of elevated metal ion levels; elevated blood metal ion levels do not mean MARS-MRI will be positive. All patients with MoM replacements were at risk. It is imperative to assess patients regularly for symptoms that may raise clinical suspicion and maintain a low threshold to performing MARS-MRI.

Ion Abundance Ratios of Qualitative Analysis by GC-MS of 4 Common Drugs （Poisons / 法医学杂志

Objective To investigate the maximum allowable deviation of ion abundance ratios of characteristic fragment ions in common drugs （poisons） in blood by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） method. Methods Four common drugs （poisons） （dichlorvos, phorate, diazepam and estazolam） were detected by GC-MS full scan mode after liquid-liquid extraction in two laboratories and under three chromatographic conditions. The deviations of ion abundance ratios of the four common drugs （poisons） in marked blood samples with concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0 μg/mL were analyzed. At the same time, the false negative rates of ion abundance ratios were analyzed when the mass concentration was limit of detection （LOD）, 2LOD, limit of quantitation （LOQ） and 2LOQ, and the false positive rates of ion abundance ratios were analyzed with blank blood samples. Results Under the two laboratories, four common drugs （poisons） and three kinds of chromatography conditions, the differences in deviations of the ion abundance ratios of marked blood samples were not statistically significant （P>0.05）. More than 95% of the absolute deviations of the ion abundance ratios of the marked blood samples were within the range of ±10%, and more than 95% of the relative deviations were within the range of ±25%. In cases of low concentration （concentration less than 2LOQ） or low signal to noise ratio （3-15）, the false negative rate was less than 5% and the false positive rate was 0% when the relative deviation was greater than 50%. Conclusion The absolute deviations of ion abundance ratios of four common drugs （poisons） in marked blood samples are advised to have a determination range within ±10%, and the determination range of relative deviations within ±25%.

Silencing of LncRNA-ANCR Promotes the Osteogenesis of Osteoblast Cells in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis via Targeting EZH2 and RUNX2

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the effects and mechanisms of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) anti-differentiation non-coding RNA (ANCR) on the osteogenesis of osteoblast cells in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mice models of PMOP were established. ANCR expression and intracellular calcium ions were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and laser confocal microscopy, respectively. ANCR was silenced in osteoblast cells from PMOP mice by the transfection of siRNA-ANCR (si-ANCR). The proliferation and apoptosis of osteoblast cells was analyzed by MTT and flow cytometry, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and calcium nodules were examined by ALP and alizarin red staining assay, respectively. The expression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), runt related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), and OSTERIX was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Furthermore, an osteogenesis model was constructed in mice, and osteoid formation was observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The interaction between lncRNA-ANCR and EZH2 was further identified by RNA pull-down assay. RESULTS: ANCR expression and intracellular calcium ions were increased in PMOP mice. Si-ANCR significantly increased the proliferation, ALP activity, calcium deposition of osteoblast cells and decreased apoptosis. ANCR and EZH2 were down-regulated by si-ANCR, while RUNX2 and OSTERIX were upregulated. Si-ANCR also promoted osteoid formation in mice treated with hydroxyapatite-tricalcium phosphate. In addition, ANCR specifically bound to EZH2. CONCLUSION: Silencing ANCR promotes the osteogenesis of PMOP osteoblast cells. The specific binding of ANCR with EZH2 suppressed RUNX2, thereby inhibiting osteogenesis.