[Tumor cell-based glycolytic metabolism and single-cell sequencing of urinary exfoliated cells for the diagnosis and molecular profiling of urothelial carcinoma].

Objective: To explore the diagnostic values of HK2 testing and single-cell sequencing in the urothelial carcinoma (UC). Methods: The qualified urine specimens of 265 suspected UC patients or postoperative patients from the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China were collected. Both exfoliative cytology and HK2 testing were performed on clinically suspected UC or postoperative patients. The performance of diagnostic cytology and HK2, including consistency, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value, was evaluated based on histopathological, clinical and imaging diagnosis. Isolated HK2 metabolically abnormal cells were subject to single-cell sequencing to verify the reliability of HK2 detection performance and to explore the molecular characteristics of UC. Results: The concordance rate of HK2 testing and cytology for detecting UC was 90.3% (102/113, Kappa=0.604). Compared with cytology, the sensitivity of HK2 was significantly higher (85.2% versus 75.6%, P=0.024). The detection sensitivity of combined HK2 testing and cytology was increased to 91.1%. HK2 testing was significantly more sensitive than cytology for diagnosing UC in the upper urinary tract (81.8% versus 65.5%, P=0.022). It was also more sensitive than cytology for diagnosing early-stage UC (82.6% versus 69.5%, P=0.375) and low-grade UC (69.6% versus 47.8%, P=0.125). Single-cell sequencing of the ten patients, whose samples were positive for HK2, demonstrated highly concordant copy number variations (CNVs) in tumor cells from the same UC patient, with heterogeneity in CNV profiles among different patients. Deletion of chromosome 8p was found in 3 of the 4 urine samples of renal pelvis UC. The 2 patients with benign lesions had no CNVs in all sequenced cells. Conclusions: The test for abnormal urinary glycolytic HK2 metabolism can assist urine cytology to improve the sensitivity of UC diagnosis, and it provides a novel and reliable approach for early detection of upper urinary tract UC and lower grade UC. Meanwhile, this study has preliminarily revealed the feasibility of single-cell sequencing in urinary samples, which is expected to improve the diagnostic specificity of HK2 testing.

[Efficacy of compound pholcodine syrup and compound codeine phosphate oral solution on lung cancer-related cough].

Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy of compound pholcodine syrup and compound codeine phosphate oral solution on lung cancer-related cough. Methods: A total of 60 patients diagnosed with middle-advanced stage lung cancer and had lung cancer-related cough in the Department of Geriatric Oncology of Chongqing University Cancer Hospital from January to May 2022 were prospectively enrolled. According to the random number table method, the patients were divided into two groups: observation group and control group. The observation group [n=30, with 21 males and 9 females, and aged (62.3±10.4) years] received compound pholcodine syrup treatment, while the control group [n=30, with 21 males and 9 females, and aged (62.0±8.1) years] received compound codeine phosphate oral solution treatment. The dosage of the two drugs was 15 ml each time, 3 times a day, and the treatment course was 5 days. The antitussive effectiveness, cough severity and quality of life (Leicester Cough Questionnaire in Mandarin-Chinese scale) were observed and compared between the two groups 3 days and 5 days after the treatment. Results: All 60 patients completed the study. Both regimens were effective in controlling lung cancer-related cough. After 3 days treatment, the antitussive effective rate of the observation group and the control group was 83.3% (25/30) and 73.3% (22/30), respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P=0.347). Likewise, after 5 days treatment, the antitussive effective rate of observation group and control group was 90.0% (27/30) and 86.6% (26/30), respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P=0.687). There was no statistically significant difference in the cough severity between observation group [moderate and severe cough: 56.7% (17/30)] and control group [moderate and severe cough: 67.7% (20/30)] (P=0.414). After 3 days treatment, cough symptoms were relieved in both groups. Patients with mild cough accounted for 73.3% (22/30) in the observation group and 56.7% (17/30) in the control group, and the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.331). Moreover, after 5 days treatment, there was also no significant difference in mild cough between observation group [86.7% (26/30)] and control group [66.7% (20/30)] (P=0.067). Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in the physiological score, psychological score, social score and total score of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire in Mandarin-Chinese scale before the treatment, after 3 days and 5 days treatment between the two groups (all P>0.05). The incidence of both xerostomia and constipation in the observation group was 0, which was lower than those of the control group [20.0% (6/30) and 20.0% (6/30)] (both P<0.05). Conclusions: Both compound pholcodine syrup and compound codeine phosphate oral solution are effective in treating lung cancer-related cough with similar antitussive effectiveness. Compound pholcodine syrup has a lower incidence of xerostomia and constipation than control group, with a better safety profile.

Diagnostic value of ultrasound elastography for differentiation of benign and malignant axillary lymph nodes: a meta-analysis.

AIM: To investigate the diagnostic value of ultrasound elastography (UE) for benign and malignant axillary lymph nodes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was conducted from PubMed, Cochrane EMBASE, and Medline. Fourteen studies including 1,186 patients with 1,411 lymph nodes were enrolled. Overall, diagnostic descriptive statistics included pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were generated by random effect model. Subgroup analyses were performed in (real-time elastography [RTE] versus shear wave elastography [SWE]) and (conventional ultrasound versus combination of traditional ultrasound and elastography). Meta-regression was used to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS: The overall pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of UE was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.71-0.86), 0.90 (95% CI: 0.83-0.95), and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.88-0.93), respectively. In the subgroup analysis of the two UE techniques, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of SWE was higher than that of RTE (sensitivity: 0.82>0.77; specificity: 0.91>0.89; AUC: 0.94>0.89). The pooled diagnostic value of ultrasound combined with UE were significantly improving compared with traditional ultrasound (sensitivity: 0.87>0.82, specificity: 0.83>0.78, and AUC: 0.91>0.87). No independent heterogeneous factor was found in meta-regression. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that UE was an effective technique for identifying malignant axillary lymph nodes due to its high diagnostic efficiency, which can provide useful information for surgical procedure selection.

[Changes and clinical significance of serum proteinase 3 in latent autoimmune diabetes in adults].

Objective: To investigate the changes of circulating proteinase 3 (PR3) in latent autoimmune diabetes mellitus in adults (LADA) patients, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, obese patients without diabetes and healthy controls, and explore the value of serum PR3 in differentiating LADA and T2DM. Methods: Forty LADA patients, 29 T2DM patients, 26 obesity patients without diabetes, and 76 healthy controls were enrolled in Department of Metabolism & Endocrinology, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. Serum PR3 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The differences of serum PR3 among the four groups were compared. The correlation between serum PR3 and other metabolic indexes was analyzed. The value of serum PR3 in the differential diagnosis between LADA and T2DM was evaluated. Results: There was no significant difference in age among LADA patients, T2DM patients, obesity patients without diabetes and healthy controls [(50±13) years, (49±6) years, (49±6) years vs (47±7) years, P=0.254], while there was significant difference in gender among the four groups (χ(2)=18.28, P<0.001). Serum PR3 was significantly increased in LADA patients compared to the other three groups [195.4 (127.6, 288.1) µg/L vs 43.4 (30.9, 53.7) µg/L, 36.0 (29.2, 46.4) µg/L, 41.2 (30.2, 52.8) µg/L, all P<0.01], whereas there was no significant differences among the other three groups. After adjustment for age, gender and body mass index (BMI), serum PR3 remained higher in LADA patients compared to the other three groups. Correlation analysis indicated that PR3 correlated positively with fasting and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (r=0.346, r=0.357, both P<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the cut-off value of PR3 (71.7 µg/L) for differentiating LADA and T2DM had a sensitivity of 97.5% and specificity of 89.7% and rendered an area under the curve of 0.955 (95%CI: 0.894~1.000, compared to 0.5, P<0.01). Conclusion: Serum PR3 significantly elevated in LADA patients, and may serve as a biomarker for differentiating LADA and T2DM patients.

Activated YAP causes renal damage of type 2 diabetic nephropathy.

OBJECTIVE: Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a critical factor of Hippo pathway. It can control organ size, regulate proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of cells, and mediate epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cell contact inhibition. It has gradually become a hot spot in the field of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Tea domain (TEAD) is a factor with a deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) binding domain, which combines with activated YAP to control the expression of their important target factor - connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We have investigated the role of YAP in type 2 diabetic nephropathy and evaluated the correlation between YAP and the progress of type 2 diabetic nephropathy. We have detected the expression of YAP, TEAD and CTGF in normal people (n=10) and patients with DN (n=51) by immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining and evaluated the relationship among clinical, pathologic data and YAP expression in type 2 diabetic nephropathy. RESULTS: In kidneys of type 2 diabetic nephropathy, YAP, TEAD and CTGF were highly expressed in the nucleus of glomerular podocytes. In those healthy kidneys, however, all three of the above factors were mainly expressed in cytoplasm. Furthermore, the high expression of YAP in DN had relevance to increasing systolic blood pressure (SBP) (r=0.484, p=0.019), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (r=0.522, p=0.032), creatinine (Cr) (r=0.496, p=0.031), progression of DN stage (r=0.647, p=0.001) and progression of DN pathologic classification (r=0.298, p=0.033). In addition, decreasing serum albumin (SAlb) (r=-0.656, p=0.001) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (r=-0.607, p=0.006) were also correlated with the high expression of YAP in DN. CONCLUSIONS: High expression of YAP, TEAD and CTGF in kidney tissues suggested that YAP played a significant role in the renal damage of type 2 diabetic nephropathy. YAP that is correlated with SBP, BUN, Cr, DN stage, DN pathologic classification, SAlb and eGFR, suggested that inhibition of the activity of YAP might have the effect in delaying DN progression.

Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfate protects myocardium against paraquat-induced toxicity through activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway in rats.

OBJECTIVE:: To investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfate (STS) on paraquat (PQ)-induced myocardial injuries in a rat model. METHODS:: Healthy adult Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control, PQ, and PQ + STS groups. PQ group was given a single intragastric administration of PQ (80 mg/kg). PQ + STS group was intraperitoneally injected with STS (1 ml/kg) at 30 min following PQ exposure. Rats in control and PQ groups were injected with equal amount of saline. After 12, 24, 48, and 72 h, rats were killed, and the apoptosis of myocardial cells was detected. Myocardial expression of Bax and Bcl-2 was measured. The activity of the nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway was assessed by Western blot. RESULTS:: The apoptotic cells in PQ group were significantly increased in a time-dependent manner compared with the control group ( p < 0.01). The rats in PQ group exhibited significantly lower Bcl-2 expression, but notably higher Bax expression at 12, 24, 48, and 72 h after PQ exposure ( p < 0.05 or 0.01). STS intervention markedly reduced the proportion of apoptotic myocardial cells, increased Bcl-2 expression, and decreased Bax expression at 24, 48, and 72 h after treatment ( p < 0.05 or 0.01). The expression of phosphorylated Nrf2 and heme oxygenase 1 in PQ + STS group was significantly increased compared with PQ and control groups ( p < 0.05 or 0.01). CONCLUSION:: STS effectively inhibits PQ-induced myocardial cell apoptosis in rats via modulating the Nrf2 pathway, suggesting its potential as a promising therapeutic agent for PQ-induced myocardium damage.

Dexmedetomidine protects liver cell line L-02 from oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced injury by down-regulation of microRNA-711.

OBJECTIVE: In liver transplantation, long-time portal vein blocking causes the occurrence of ischemic liver injury. Dexmedetomidine, a widely admired anesthetic, has been reported as a protective agent on organs under ischemic condition. The objective of this study was to reveal the role and underlying mechanism of dexmedetomidine in ischemic liver injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: L-02 cells were treated with dexmedetomidine during 6 h of oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) exposure. The expression of microRNA-711 (miR-711) in cell was overexpressed by miRNA transfection. Then, the following parameters were observed: cell viability, apoptosis, the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, and the expression and the release of Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) and Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). RESULTS: Apoptosis and inflammation were induced following OGD exposure in L-02 cells, as cell viability was impaired, apoptotic cell rate was increased, caspase-3, and caspase-9 was cleaved, and the expression and release of TNF-α and IL-1ß were increased. Dexmedetomidine attenuated OGD-induced apoptosis and inflammation, and dexmedetomidine down-regulated the expression of miR-711. Also, dexmedetomidine blocked the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) and Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription protein (STAT) signaling upon OGD. Moreover, when miR-711 was overexpressed, dexmedetomidine did not protect L-02 cells against OGD, and did not block p38MAPK and JAK/STAT signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Dexmedetomidine ameliorated OGD-induced cell apoptosis and inflammation in L-02 cells, exerting protective activities in ischemic liver injury. The anti-OGD effects of dexmedetomidine might be realized by down-regulation of miR-711 and suppression of p38MAPK and JAK/STAT signaling pathways.

[Clinical abservations of pulmonary surfactant' s autologous transfusion in massive lung lavage].

Objective: Investigate the pulmonary surfactant autotransfusion effect on the recovery of respiratory function in patients with whole lung lavage, to provide theoretical basis for the clinical application. Methods: We taken 30 patients of pneumoconiosis treated by whole lung lavage as the subjects. We extracted the pulmonary surfactant from lavage fluid, after single postoperative lung lavage for the first time; after one weeks when the second times of lung lavage were performed to the other side of the lung of patients, we put PS into the right side. We taken the patients the second times of lung lavage who were put PS into the right side as returning group, the first times of lung lavage who were not put PS into as on returning group. We observed indi-cators, such as expiratory resistance, respiratory work, lung compliance, airway pressure, PO(2), the pulmonary function recovery time and other indicators, comparing with the changes of pulmonary function before lung la-vage for the first time and at 0、60、90、120 min after the pulmonary surfactant autotransfusion. Results: Com-pared with the no returning group, the expiratory resistance of the returning group decreased significantly at 90 min、120 min after the pulmonary surfactant autotransfusion; the respiratory work and airway pressure of the re-turning group decreased significantly at 60、90、120 min after the pulmonary surfactant autotransfusion, there was statistically significant in the difference between different groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the no returning group, the lung compliance and the PO(2) of the returning group increased significantly at 60 min、90 min、120 min after the pulmonary surfactant autotransfusion, there was statistically significant in the difference between different groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). The lung function recovery time of returning group was (155.7 ± 35.2) min, the lung function recovery time of no returning group was (183.71±41.81) min, there was statistical-ly significant in the difference between different groups (P<0.05). Compared with the no returning, there were not statistically significant in the difference of the Heart rate、the systolic blood pressure and the diastolic blood pressure about the returning at 60、90、120 min after the pulmonary surfactant autotransfusion.There was no ad-verse reactions such as pulmonary infection, pulmonary infection and so on. Conclusion: The pulmonary surfac-tant autotransfusion may reduce expiratory resistance, work of breathing, airway pressure; improve lung compliance, alveolar ventilation function; increase oxygen partial pressure and decrease the surgery recovery time in patients with pneumoconiosis.

Up-regulation of A20 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is associated with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure.

Aberrant immunity contributes to the pathogenesis of acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF), and A20 is a newly identified negative regulatory molecule of the immune response. However, no data have been reported for the role of A20 in ACHBLF. This study aimed to investigate A20 mRNA expression in ACHBLF and to determine the potential of A20 as a biomarker for the prognosis of ACHBLF. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to measure the mRNA expression of A20 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 137 ACHBLF patients, 105 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 35 healthy controls (HCs). A secondary cohort with 37 ACHBLF patients was set up as validation data set. The plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and IL-10 were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the predictive value of A20 for the prognosis of ACHBLF patients. A20 mRNA expression in ACHBLF was significantly higher compared with CHB and HCs. In ACHBLF patients, A20 mRNA was closely associated with total bilirubin, albumin, international normalized ratio, prothrombin time activity and model for end-stage liver disease. Furthermore, A20 mRNA was significantly correlated with IL-6 and IL-10. An optimal cut-off value of 12.32 for A20 mRNA had significant power in discriminating survival or death in ACHBLF patients. In conclusion, our results suggest that the up-regulation of the A20 gene might contribute to the severity of ACHBLF and A20 mRNA level might be a potential predictor for the prognosis of ACHBLF.

Correlation Between MMP-7 and bFGF Expressions in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Tissue and Clinicopathologic Features.

The present study intends to investigate the correlation between clinicopathologic features of non-small cell lung cancer and matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and to investigate the roles of MMP-7 and bFGF in detecting the course of disease of non-small cell lung cancer. Ninety cases of paraffin-embedded tissue samples from patient with primary non-small cell lung cancer and fifty cases of lung tissue samples from normal subjects were included in the present study. Immunohistochemical S-P method was used to detect proteins MMP-7 and bFGF. (1) The positive rate of MMP-7 protein was 14 % in normal lung tissue section and 68.89 % in non-small cell lung cancer tissue section, and the difference was statistically significant (χ (2) = 38.774, P = 0.000 < 0.05). There were 43 cases (43/56) with positive expression in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and 22 cases (22/34) with positive expression in patients with adenocarcinoma, and the difference was not statistically significant (χ (2) = 1.539, P = 0.215 > 0.05). There were 14 cases (14/51) with positive expression in patients with moderate- and well-differentiated lung carcinoma and 36 cases (36/39) with positive expression in patients with poor-differentiated lung carcinoma, and the difference was statistically significant (χ (2) = 35.068, P = 0.000 < 0.05). There were 37 cases (37/42) with positive expression in patients with lymphatic metastasis and 26 cases (26/48) with positive expression in patients without lymphatic metastasis, and the difference was statistically significant (χ (2)  = 12.279, P = 0.000 < 0.05). (2) The mean intratumoral microvessel density (iMVD) was 46.2 ± 6.77 in the field of lung cancer tissue at high magnification under MMP-7-positive condition and 30.8 ± 7.54 in the field of lung cancer tissue at high magnification under MMP-7-negative condition, and the difference was statistically significant (t = 9.641, P = 0.000 < 0.05). (3) The positive rate of bFGF was 12 % in normal tissue section and 63.3 % in non-small cell lung cancer tissue section, and the difference was statistically significant (χ (2) = 34.222, P = 0.000 < 0.05). There were 41 cases (41/56) with positive expression in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and 20 cases (20/34) with positive expression in patients with adenocarcinoma, and the difference was not statistically significant (χ(2) = 2.006, P = 0.157 > 0.05). There were 29 cases (29/51) with positive expression in patients with moderate- and well-differentiated lung carcinoma and 35 cases (35/39) with positive expression in patients with poor-differentiated lung carcinoma, and the difference was statistically significant (χ (2) = 10.085, P = 0.001 < 0.05). There were 37 cases (37/42) with positive expression in patients with lymphatic metastasis and 25 cases (25/48) with positive expression in patients without lymphatic metastasis, and the difference was statistically significant (χ (2)  = 13.554, P = 0.001 < 0.05). (4) The (iMVD) was 45.8 ± 7.16 in the field at high magnification under bFGF-positive condition and 31.2 ± 6.46 in the field at high magnification under bFGF-negative condition, and the difference was statistically significant (t = 9.654, P = 0.001 < 0.05). (5) A correlation was demonstrated between MMP-7 and bFGF in non-small cell lung cancer (r = 0.353, P = 0.000 < 0.05). Both MMP-7 and bFGF are participated in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer and exert a synergistic effect during physiological processes including pathogenesis, invasion, and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer. Therefore, a combined detection of MMP-7 and bFGF for non-small cell lung cancer contributes to predict the progression and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer, with significant clinical value.

The impact of short daily hemodialysis on anemia and the quality of life in Chinese patients.

Anemia is a frequent complication in hemodialysis patients. Compared to conventional hemodialysis (CHD), short daily hemodialysis (sDHD) has been reported to be effective in many countries except China. The aim of the present study was to determine whether sDHD could improve anemia and quality of life (QOL) for Chinese outpatients with end-stage renal disease. Twenty-seven patients (16 males/11 females) were converted from CHD to sDHD. All laboratory values were measured before conversion (baseline), at 3 months after conversion (sDHD1), and at 6 months after conversion (sDHD2). The patient's QOL was evaluated at baseline and 6 months after conversion using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Hemoglobin concentration increased significantly from 107.4 ± 7.9 g/L at baseline to 114.4 ± 6.8 g/L (P<0.05) at sDHD1, and 118.3±8.4 g/L (P<0.001) at sDHD2 (Student paired t-test). However, the dose requirement for erythropoietin decreased from 6847.8 ± 1057.3 U/week at baseline to 5869.6±1094.6 U/week (P<0.05) at sDHD2. Weekly stdKt/V increased significantly from 2.05±0.13 at baseline to 2.73±0.20 (P<0.001) at sDHD1, and 2.84±0.26 (P<0.001) at sDHD2. C-reactive protein decreased from baseline to sDHD1 and sDHD2, but without statistically significant differences. Physical and mental health survey scores increased in the 6 months following conversion to sDHD. sDHD may increase hemoglobin levels, decrease exogenous erythropoietin dose requirements, and improve QOL in Chinese hemodialysis patients compared to CHD. A possible mechanism for improvement of clinical outcomes may be optimized management of uremia associated with the higher efficiency of sDHD.

The impact of short daily hemodialysis on anemia and the quality of life in Chinese patients

Anemia is a frequent complication in hemodialysis patients. Compared to conventional hemodialysis (CHD), short daily hemodialysis (sDHD) has been reported to be effective in many countries except China. The aim of the present study was to determine whether sDHD could improve anemia and quality of life (QOL) for Chinese outpatients with end-stage renal disease. Twenty-seven patients (16 males/11 females) were converted from CHD to sDHD. All laboratory values were measured before conversion (baseline), at 3 months after conversion (sDHD1), and at 6 months after conversion (sDHD2). The patient's QOL was evaluated at baseline and 6 months after conversion using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Hemoglobin concentration increased significantly from 107.4±7.9 g/L at baseline to 114.4±6.8 g/L (P<0.05) at sDHD1, and 118.3±8.4 g/L (P<0.001) at sDHD2 (Student paired t-test). However, the dose requirement for erythropoietin decreased from 6847.8±1057.3 U/week at baseline to 5869.6±1094.6 U/week (P<0.05) at sDHD2. Weekly stdKt/V increased significantly from 2.05±0.13 at baseline to 2.73±0.20 (P<0.001) at sDHD1, and 2.84±0.26 (P<0.001) at sDHD2. C-reactive protein decreased from baseline to sDHD1 and sDHD2, but without statistically significant differences. Physical and mental health survey scores increased in the 6 months following conversion to sDHD. sDHD may increase hemoglobin levels, decrease exogenous erythropoietin dose requirements, and improve QOL in Chinese hemodialysis patients compared to CHD. A possible mechanism for improvement of clinical outcomes may be optimized management of uremia associated with the higher efficiency of sDHD.

A comparative cytogenetic study of the rice (Oryza sativa L.) autotetraploid restorers and hybrids.

We studied pollen fertility, seed set and cytogenetic characteristics of restorer lines and F1 hybrids of autotetraploid rice. T4002, T4063, T461A x T4002 and T461A x T4063 showed significantly higher pollen fertility and seed set than T4132 and T461A x T4132. Meiotic pairing configurations of T4002, T4063, T4132, T461A x T4002, T461A x T4063 and T461A x T4132 were 0.051 + 19.96II (9.89 rod + 10.07 ring) + 0.01III + + 2.00IV, 0.11I + 19.17II (8.90 rod + 10.37 ring) + 0.09III + 2.26IV + 0.01VI, 1.34I + 9.46II (4.50 rod + 4.96 ring) + 0.80III + 6.02IV + 0.09VI + 0.09VIII, 0.02I + 14.36II (6.44 rod + 7.91 ring) + 0.01III + 4.80IV + 0.01VIII, 0.06I + 17.67II (11.01 rod + 6.67 ring) + 0.06III + 3.10IV + 0.01VI and 1.11I + 11.31II (5.80 rod + 5.51 ring) + 0.41III + 5.63IV + 0.03VI + 0.03VIII, respectively. Configuration 16II + 4IV and 12II + 6IV occurred in the highest frequency among the autotetraploid restorers and hybrids. Meiotic chromosome behaviors were less abnormal in the tetraploids with high seed set than those with low seed set. The hybrids had fewer frequencies of bivalents, univalents, trivalents and multivalents than the restorers, but higher frequency of quatrivalents than the restorers at MI. The frequency of univalents at MI had the most impact on pollen fertility and seed set, i.e., pollen fertility decreased with the increase of univalents. The secondary impact factors were trivalents and multivalents, and bivalents and quatrivalents had no effect on pollen fertility and seed set. The correlative relationship between pollen fertility and cytogenetic behaviors could be utilized to improve seed set in autotetraploidy breeding.

Effects of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae on growth and metal uptake by four plant species in copper mine tailings.

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in encouraging revegetation of copper (Cu) mine tailings. Two native plant species, Coreopsis drummondii and Pteris vittata, together with a turf grass, Lolium perenne and a leguminous plant Trifolium repens associated with and without AMF Glomus mosseae were grown in Cu mine tailings to assess mycorrhizal effects on plant growth, mineral nutrition and metal uptake. Results indicated that symbiotic associations were successfully established between G. mosseae and all plants tested, and mycorrhizal colonization markedly increased plant dry matter yield except for L. perenne. The beneficial impacts of mycorrhizal colonization on plant growth could be largely explained by both improved P nutrition and decreased shoot Cu, As and Cd concentrations. The experiment provided evidence for the potential use of local plant species in combination with AMF for ecological restoration of metalliferous mine tailings.

Analysis of estrogens in river water and effluents using solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-negative chemical ionisation mass spectrometry of the pentafluorobenzoyl derivatives.

A procedure was developed for the analysis of estrogens in environmental water and effluents. Samples were extracted by passing through polymer-impregnated solid-phase extraction discs or C18 cartridges, followed by gas chromatography-negative chemical ionisation mass spectrometry of the pentafluorobenzoyl derivatives. The derivatives were stable and gave diagnostic negative molecular ions as the base peak for each of the major estrogens studied. The absolute recovery of estrogens spiked into clean groundwater using the disc procedure was 84-116% at the 10 ng l(-1) level (calculation not based on use of internal standards). Using doubly deuterated estradiol as internal standard added prior to extraction, the % relative standard deviation of estrogen extraction and analysis in spiked groundwater at the 10 ng(-1) level was 2.6-9.8%. Detection limits were 0.2 ng l(-1) or below for the major estrogens, based on a 2.5 litre sample. The most abundant estrogen was estrone, with concentrations over the range 6.4-29 ng l(-1) in effluents, and 0.2 to 17 ng l(-1) in water from the River Thames.

Solid-phase combinatorial synthesis using MicroKan reactors, Rf tagging, and directed sorting.

A modular system for high-output solid-phase combinatorial synthesis has been designed and developed. The system employs three technological innovations to achieve its high efficiency and reliability: (1) application of microreactors as the reaction units in solid-phase synthesis; (2) use of radiofrequency tagging as the non-chemical tracking method; and (3) development of the directed sorting technology for split & pool synthesis. The system has been successfully applied in the synthesis of compound libraries of several hundred to several thousand compounds in multi-milligrams per compound quantity by many organizations.

Optimization of solid supports for combinatorial chemical synthesis.

Until recently, resins were used primarily for peptide and oligonucleotide synthesis. Recent advances in combinatorial chemistry have fostered increased acceptance of resins as supports for the synthesis of small molecule libraries. The methodology for selecting a resin bead that is ideal for the solid phase synthesis of small molecules is described in this review. The process of manufacturing a typical resin, the UniSphere-200, is also explained. Furthermore, a new approach is proposed for the solid phase synthesis of analogs which are traditionally done in solution phase. This new procedure involves the use of building blocks attached to an activated resin. These building blocks are displaced by a functional group on the scaffold around which the analogs are built. Use of an excess of resin-linked building blocks drives the reaction to completion. Additionally, a newly developed, grafted surface solid support, is described. This support, the MicroTube, can be used for the synthesis of large numbers of discrete molecules by a patented directed sorting method.

Malonyl alpha-mercaptoketones and alpha-mercaptoalcohols, a new class of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors.

A novel series of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitors is described. Incorporation of a terminal alpha-mercaptoketone or alpha-mercaptoalcohol in the zinc binding domain of a series of inhibitors led to compounds exhibiting low nanomolar activity against collagenase-1 (MMP-1), stromelysin (MMP-3), and gelatinase-B (MMP-9).

The asymmetric synthesis and in vitro characterization of succinyl mercaptoalcohol and mercaptoketone inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases.

A series of succinyl based mercaptoketones and diastereomeric mercaptoalcohols were prepared and evaluated in vitro as inhibitors of the matrix metalloproteinases collagenase-1 (MMP-1), stromelysin (MMP-3), and gelatinase-B (MMP-9).