Vertical soil profiling using a galvanic contact resistivity scanning approach.

Proximal sensing of soil electromagnetic properties is widely used to map spatial land heterogeneity. The mapping instruments use galvanic contact, capacitive coupling or electromagnetic induction. Regardless of the type of instrument, the geometrical configuration between signal transmitting and receiving elements typically defines the shape of the depth response function. To assess vertical soil profiles, many modern instruments use multiple transmitter-receiver pairs. Alternatively, vertical electrical sounding can be used to measure changes in apparent soil electrical conductivity with depth at a specific location. This paper examines the possibility for the assessment of soil profiles using a dynamic surface galvanic contact resistivity scanning approach, with transmitting and receiving electrodes configured in an equatorial dipole-dipole array. An automated scanner system was developed and tested in agricultural fields with different soil profiles. While operating in the field, the distance between current injecting and measuring pairs of rolling electrodes was varied continuously from 40 to 190 cm. The preliminary evaluation included a comparison of scan results from 20 locations to shallow (less than 1.2 m deep) soil profiles and to a two-layer soil profile model defined using an electromagnetic induction instrument.

Inhibitory effect of curcumin on the Al(III)-induced Aß42 aggregation and neurotoxicity in vitro.

The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves a key event which changes the morphology of amyloid-ß 42 (Aß)42 peptide from its soluble monomeric form into the fibrillated aggregates in the brain. Aluminum ion, Al(III), is known to act as a pathological chaperone of the Aß42 in this process; curcumin, a natural phenolic compound, is considered capable of binding Al(III) and Aß42; nevertheless, little is known about the combined action of curcumin and Al(III) on the Aß42 fibrillation and neurotoxicity. Here, combinations of circular dichroism spectroscopy, thioflavin T fluorescence, atomic force microscopy, Bradford and MTT assays, it is demonstrated that although Al(III) can promote the Aß42 fibrillation dose-dependently, leading to the high neurotoxicity to PC12 cells, curcumin can inhibit the events. Besides, we found that curcumin is able not only to inhibit the formation of Al(III)-induced Aß42 fibrillation, but also to form the Al(III)-curcumin complexes which in turn can remold the preformed, mature, ordered Aß42 fibrils into the low toxic amorphous aggregates. These findings suggest that curcumin could block the binding of Al(III) with Aß42 and form the Al(III)-curcumin complexes, so as to inhibit the Al(III)-induced Aß42 fibrillation and neurotoxicity. The Al(III)-curcumin complexes are worth potentially developing as a therapy agent against the neurodegenerative disorders in the future.

Effect of a novel proteoglycan PTP1B inhibitor from Ganoderma lucidum on the amelioration of hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia in db/db mice.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is implicated in the negative regulation of the insulin signalling pathway by dephosphorylating the insulin receptor (IR) and IR substrates. Ganoderma lucidum has traditionally been used for the treatment of diabetes in Chinese medicine; however, its anti-diabetic potency and mechanism in vivo is still unclear. Our previously published study reported a novel proteoglycan PTP1B inhibitor, named Fudan-Yueyang-Ganoderma lucidum (FYGL) from G. lucidum, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 5·12 (sem 0·05) µg/ml, a protein:polyglycan ratio of 17:77 and 78 % glucose in polysaccharide, and dominant amino acid residues of aspartic acid, glycine, glutamic acid, alanine, serine and threonine in protein. FYGL is capable of decreasing plasma glucose in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice with a high safety of median lethal dose (LD50) of 6 g/kg. In the present study, C57BL/6 db/db diabetic mice were trialed further using FYGL as well as metformin for comparison. Oral treatment with FYGL in db/db diabetic mice for 4 weeks significantly (P < 0·01 or 0·05) decreased the fasting plasma glucose level, serum insulin concentration and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. FYGL also controlled the biochemistry indices relative to type 2 diabetes-accompanied lipidaemic disorders. Pharmacology research suggests that FYGL decreases the plasma glucose level by the mechanism of inhibiting PTP1B expression and activity, consequently, regulating the tyrosine phosphorylation level of the IR ß-subunit and the level of hepatic glycogen, thus resulting in the improvement of insulin sensitivity. Therefore, FYGL is promising as an insulin sensitiser for the therapy of type 2 diabetes and accompanied dyslipidaemia.

[Development of a portable SOM detector based on NIR diffuse reflection].

A portable soil organic matter detector based on near infrared diffuse reflectance was developed. The detector uses a microprocessor 89S52 as the micro controller unit (MCU) and consists of an optical system and a control system. The optical system includes an 850 nm near-infrared LED lamp-house, a lamp-house driving-circuit, a Y type optical fiber, a probe, and a photoelectric sensor. The control system includes an amplifying circuit, an A/D circuit, a display circuit with LCD, and a storage circuit with USB interface. Firstly the single waveband optical signal from the near-infrared LED is transferred to the surface of the target soil via the incidence fibers. Then the reflected optical signal is collected and transferred to the photoelectric sensor, where the optical signal is converted to the electrical signal. Subsequently, the obtained electrical signal is processed by 89S52 MCU. Finally, the calculated soil organic matter content is displayed on the LCD and stored in the USB disk. The calibration experiments using the estimation model of the soil organic matter were conducted. Thirteen kinds of natural soil samples were prepared, each divided into five sub-samples. After measurement, the natural samples were dried under the condition of 105 degrees C for 24 h, and then the same measurements were performed. The analysis of the correlation between the detected SOM content and the measured reflectance was carried out. For the natural soil samples, R2 = 0.907, while R2 reached 0.963 for the dried soil samples. The average reflectance of the five sub-samples from the same kind soil was calculated for each kind of soil. And then the same correlation analysis was conducted, for the natural samples R2 = 0.950, and for the dried samples R2 = 0.982. The results showed that the developed detector is practical. And the soil moisture has an effect on the accuracy of the detector. It is necessary to correct the real time measurement result of the detector based on soil moisture.

Enhanced cell affinity of the silk fibroin- modified PHBHHx material.

Cell affinity is one of the important issues required for developing tissue engineering materials. Although the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) has been attractive for its controllable mechanical properties recent years, its cell affinity is still necessary to be improved for the requirements. For this purpose, the regenerated silk fibroin (SF) was coated on the PHBHHx films and its porous scaffolds. The mechanical test showed that SF-modified PHBHHx (SF/PHBHHx) film has a maximum tensile strength of 11.5 +/- 0.5 MPa and elongation at break of 175 +/- 5%. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy demonstrated that SF firmly attached on the scaffold by the hydrogen bonding interaction between SF and PHBHHx even flushed for 21 days in the phosphate-buffer saline (PBS) solution (pH = 7.4). In order to characterize the cell affinity of the SF-modified material, endothelial-like cell line ECV304 cells were seeded on the SF/PHBHHx films and its porous scaffolds. The histochemical analyses of cells stained by the hematoxylin and eosin (HE) as well as cell nuclei stained by the 4',6-diamindine-2'-phenylindole (DAPI) demonstrated that cell attached and reached nearly 100% confluence on the SF/PHBHHx films when cultured for 4 days, which was much faster than that on the pure PHBHHx film. Moreover, the assay of cell activity by the 3-(4, 5-dimethyl thiazol -2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl terazolium bromide (MTT) showed quantitatively that the number of cells on the SF/PHBHHx porous scaffolds was significant more than that on the unmodified ones after 4, 8, and 14 days culture, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the similar results. Therefore, the SF-modified PHBHHx material is maybe a potential material applicable in the cardiovascular tissue engineering.

[Application of wavelet packet analysis in estimating soil parameters based on NIR spectra].

Using the method of wavelet analysis, the NIR spectra of soil samples were decomposed and reconstructed, and higher precision PLS models were established to estimate soil parameter (TN, SOM). One hundred fifty soil samples were collected from a winter wheat field and the NIR spectra of all samples were measured. Firstly, experiment statistic features were analyzed aiming at all soil samples, and the system clustering was carried out for TN and SOM respectively. Then 50 new TN samples and their corresponding spectra, and 50 new SOM samples and their corresponding spectra were obtained. Secondly, the PLS models were established with these new samples based on their corresponding spectra. The models showed a certain amount of accuracy, but it was still not practical. Therefore, wavelet analysis of NIR spectra was tried. The wavelet packet decomposing by eight-level biorthogonal algorithm was carried out, and 256 nodes were gotten. The lowest approximation signal is corresponding to soil moisture and soil texture spectrum trend. The maximal detail signal is corresponding to the high-frequency turbulence caused by the soil particle size, precision of spectrometer, and other uncertainties. After reconstructing these two nodes and then removed from the original spectra, the characteristic spectra corresponding to each soil parameter were acquired. Finally, the PLS models were established for TN and SOM content respectively: for TN content, the calibration coefficient of the PLS model is 0.960, the validation coefficient is 0.920; and for SOM content, the calibration coefficient of the PLS model is 0.922, and the validation coefficient is 0.883. It was showed that the accuracy of each model was highly improved and the models were able to meet the needs of actual production. The research results conclude that wavelet analysis can eliminate or substantially reduce the factors outside the parameters. It can also remove the obstacles in establishing linear models of soil parameters, and it is feasible and potential method for the real-time estimation of soil parameters.

Inhibitory effect of dimeric beta peptide on the recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in mice.

AIM: To block the adhesion of tumor cells to the extracellular matrix, and prevent tumor metastasis and recurrence, the dimer of the beta peptide (DLYYLMDLSYSMKGGDLYYLMDLSYSMK, beta2) was designed and synthesized and its anti-adhesion and anti-invasion effects on hepatocellular carcinoma cells were assessed. Additionally, its influence on the metastasis and recurrence of mouse hepatocellular carcinoma was measured. METHODS: The anti-adhesion effect of beta2 on the highly metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HCCLM6 cells and fibronectin (FN) was assayed by the MTT assay. The inhibition of invasion of HCCLM6 cells by beta2 was observed using a Transwell (modified Boyden chamber) and matrigel. Using the hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis model and LCI-D20 nude mice, the influence of beta2 on the metastasis and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after early resection was investigated. RESULTS: HCCLM6 cells co-incubated with 100 mumol/L, 50 micromol/L, 20 micromol/L or 10 micromol/L beta2 for 3 h showed an obvious decrease in adhesion to FN. The adhesion inhibition ratios were 11.8%, 21.7%, 29.6% and 48.7%, respectively. Additionally, HCCLM6 cells cultured with 100 mumol/L beta2 had a dramatic decrease in cell invasion. beta2 was also observed to inhibit the incisal edge recurrence and the distant metastasis of nude mice hepatocellular carcinoma after early resection (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The beta2 peptide can specifically block the adhesion and invasion of HCCLM6 cells, and can inhibit HCC recurrence and metastasis of LCI-D20 model posthepatectomy in vivo. Thus, beta2 should be further studied as a new anti-tumor drug.

Differentiation of smooth muscle progenitor cells in peripheral blood and its application in tissue engineered blood vessels.

BACKGROUND: A major shortcoming in tissue engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) is the lack of healthy and easily attainable smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Smooth muscle progenitor cells (SPCs), especially from peripheral blood, may offer an alternative cell source for tissue engineering involving a less invasive harvesting technique. METHODS: SPCs were isolated from 5-ml fresh rat peripheral blood by density-gradient centrifugation and cultured for 3 weeks in endothelial growth medium-2-MV (EGM-2-MV) medium containing platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF BB). Before seeded on the synthesized scaffold, SPC-derived smooth muscle outgrowth cell (SOC) phenotypes were assessed by immuno-fluorescent staining, Western blot analysis, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The cells were seeded onto the silk fibroin-modified poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (SF-PHBHHx) scaffolds by 6x10(4) cells/cm2 and cultured under the static condition for 3 weeks. The growth and proliferation of the seeded cells on the scaffold were analyzed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. RESULTS: SOCs displayed specific "hill and valley" morphology, expressed the specific markers of the SMC lineage: smooth muscle (SM) alpha-actin, calponin and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SM MHC) at protein and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels. RT-PCR results demonstrate that SOCs also expressed smooth muscle protein 22alpha (SM22alpha), a contractile protein, and extracellular matrix components elastin and matrix Gla protein (MGP), as well as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). After seeded on the SF-PHBHHx scaffold, the cells showed excellent metabolic activity and proliferation. CONCLUSION: SPCs isolated from peripheral blood can be differentiated into the SMCs in vitro and have an impressive growth potential in the biodegradable synthesized scaffold. Thus, SPCs may be a promising cell source for constructing TEBVs.

[Estimation of soil organic matter and soil total nitrogen based on NIR spectroscopy and BP neural network].

Estimation models of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil total nitrogen (TN) were established based on NIR spectroscopy and BP neural network A total of 150 soil samples were collected from the tested farm, and the NIR spectra of all soil samples were measured. First, data pretreatment was performed for each sample with the method of locally weighted scatter plot smooth filtering. Then the box plot analysis for the measured SOM data and TN data were conducted separately and the information about the shape, location, and distribution of the target data was obtained. The variance between the SOM data was very small, and most of them were concentrated on the median. This was also observed from TN data. Thus clustering analysis was carried out for the target parameters of the soil samples so that the original dataset with 150 spectra was clustered to 50 groups. For each group, the average of spectral data was calculated at every wavelength to obtain a new spectrum. The new spectrum was calculated with natural logarithm and normalized, which was taken as a new sample. Principal component analysis (PCA) was executed for 50 new samples and the principal components with over 99.98% of cumulative proportion of correlation matrix were extracted to establish BP neural network. According to the analysis result of SOM content, the calibration accuracy of the model was 0.999, and the validation accuracy reached to 0.854. According to the analysis result of the soil TN content, the calibration accuracy of the model was close to 1, and the validation accuracy reached 0.808. The result shows that the smooth filter can weaken the noise in the data, expose the data features, provide a reasonable starting approach for parametric fitting; and improve the prediction accuracy; It is feasible and practical to estimate soil parameters by using BP neural network with the prediction accuracy of 0.854 (SOM) and 0.808 (TN); Compared to the other prediction modeling method, the BP neural network model has higher robustness and better fault tolerance, and the model accuracy would not be affected by the several outline samples when the number of samples is large enough.

Construction of tissue-engineered heart valves by using decellularized scaffolds and endothelial progenitor cells.

BACKGROUND: Tissue-engineered heart valves have the potential to overcome the limitations of present heart valve replacements. This study was designed to develop a tissue engineering heart valve by using human umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and decellularized valve scaffolds. METHODS: Decellularized valve scaffolds were prepared from fresh porcine heart valves. EPCs were isolated from fresh human umbilical cord blood by density gradient centrifugation, cultured for 3 weeks in EGM-2-MV medium, by which time the resultant cell population became endothelial in nature, as assessed by immunofluorescent staining. EPC-derived endothelial cells were seeded onto the decellularized scaffold at 3 x 10(6) cells/cm(2) and cultured under static conditions for 7 days. Proliferation of the seeded cells on the scaffolds was detected using the MTT assay. Tissue-engineered heart valves were analyzed by HE staining, immunofluorescent staining and scanning electron microscopy. The anti-thrombogenic function of the endothelium on the engineered heart valves was evaluated by platelet adhesion experiments and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis for the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). RESULTS: EPC-derived endothelial cells showed a histolytic cobblestone morphology, expressed specific markers of the endothelial cell lineage including von Willebrand factor (vWF) and CD31, bound a human endothelial cell-specific lectin, Ulex Europaeus agglutinin-1 (UEA-1), and took up Dil-labeled low density lipoprotein (Dil-Ac-LDL). After seeding on the decellularized scaffold, the cells showed excellent metabolic activity and proliferation. The cells formed confluent endothelial monolayers atop the decellularized matrix, as assessed by HE staining and immunostaining for vWF and CD31. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the occurrence of tight junctions between cells forming the confluent monolayer. Platelets adhesion experiments suggested that the neo-endothelium was non-thrombogenic. The expression levels of eNOS and t-PA genes in the neo-endothelium were quite similar to those in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: EPCs isolated from the human umbilical cord blood can differentiate into endothelial cells in vitro and form a functional endothelium atop decellularized heart valve scaffolds. Thus, EPCs may be a promising cell source for constructing tissue-engineered heart valves.

[Development of soil-organic-matter fast-determination instrument based on spectroscopy].

An instrument used to measure the content of soil organic matter was developed based on spectroscopy. The instrument consists of an optical unit and an electronic unit. The optical unit is used to collect the reflecting light from soil surface and change the filtered light into the electrical signal. The electronic unit includes an amplifying circuit, an A/D circuit, and a display and storage circuit. Three wavebands of filters, 530, 765, and 850 nm, were selected in the performance test in order to determine the optimal one. The soil samples tested include two types, dried soil and air-dry soil. The result shows that there is highest correlation between the reflectance and the content of soil organic matter at the wavelength of 850 nm (r2 = 0.930) for dried soil. While the coefficient of determination r2 is abouu 0.711 for air-dry soil at the same wavelength. Although the actual precision is lower because of the soil moisture, it is practical in real-time measurement in the field.

Biocompatibility of Poly(epsilon-caprolactone) scaffold modified by chitosan--the fibroblasts proliferation in vitro.

In this study, the surface of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffold was modified by chitosan (CS) in order to enhance its cell affinity and biocompatibility. It is demonstrated by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) that when 0.5-2.0 wt% chitosan solutions are used to modify the PCL scaffold, the amount of adhesion of the fibroblasts on the chitosan-modified PCL scaffolds dramatically increase when compared to the control after 7 days cell culture. The results indicate that the chitosan-modified PCL scaffolds are more favorable for cell proliferation by improving the scaffold biocompatibility. The improvement may be helpful for the extensive applications of PCL scaffold in heart valve and blood vessel tissue engineering.

[Expression of IgG receptor on human umbilical vein endothelial cells stimulated with TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma].

AIM: To detect the expression of IgG receptors (FcgammaR) on cytokine-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). METHODS: By using ELISA, immunocytochemical staining, immunofluorescent staining and RT-PCR, the expression and subtypes of FcgammaR were detected. RESULTS: Non-stimulated HUVECs expressed very low level of FcgammaRIIa. FcgammaRIIa mRNA was dramatically up-regulated upon 24 hour stimulation with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma(IFN-gamma). ELISA results indicated that the expression of FcgammaRIIa increased 16 folds after stimulation with TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma for 3 days (P<0.01). Immunofluorescent staining showed that FcgammaRIIa was expressed on the surface of the stimulated HUVECs. CONCLUSION: TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma could increase FcgammaRIIa expression on HUVECs. The enhanced expression of FcgammaRIIa may mediate the deposition of immune complexes to blood vessels under vasculitic conditions.

[Molecular cloning and expression of anti-tumor adhesion peptide (beta3)].

To block tumor cell adhesion, inhibit tumor metastasis and recurrence, the anti-adhesion peptide-trimeric beta peptide (DLYYLMDLSYSMKGGDLYYLMDLSYSMKGGDLYYLMDLSYSMK, beta3) was designed. The DNA fragment of beta3 was cloned into expression vector pET-His and the fusion protein His-beta3 was expressed in E. coli. BL21(DE3)plysS. After 1.5 hours' induction with IPTG, His-beta3 peptide was expressed significantly amounting to 10% of the insoluble proteins and 4% of the total proteins. 20mg of beta3 peptide was obtained from one litter culture medium after purification by using metal-chelating sepharose 6B FF. The purity of beta3 is 92.2% according to Gel-Pro analysis. The anti-adhesion effects of beta3 peptide, beta1 peptide (DLYYLMDLSYSMK) and GRGDS on the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line SMMC-7721 and the high metastasis hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HCCLM6 were studied. The result showed the beta3 blocked the adhesion of HCCLM6 cells and SMMC-7721 cells to fibronectin (FN) specifically. The inhibition effect was dose-dependent and time-dependent and the inhibition rate of beta3 was higher than three times concentration of beta1 and GRGDS. This suggested that pET-His-beta3/BL21(DE3)plysS was a suitable expression system for beta3, and the expressed beta3 specially inhibited the adhesion of cancer cells.