Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the major public health problems throughout the world. Although originally associated with tumorigenic processes, liver angiogenesis has also been observed in the context of different liver inflammatory, fibrotic, and ischemic conditions. Here we investigate the fractal dimension as a quantitator of non-Euclidean two-dimensional vascular geometry in a series of paired specimens of primary HCC and surrounding non-tumoral tissue, and discuss why this parameter might provide additional information regarding cancer behavior. The application of fractal geometry to the measurement of liver vascularity and the availability of a computer-aided quantitative method can eliminate errors in visual interpretation, and make it possible to obtain closer-to-reality numerals that are compulsory for any measurement process.

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a rare disease of unknown etiology. The exact pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension is still not well known. In the past decades, many protein molecules have been found to be involved in the development of IPAH. With proteomic techniques, profiling of human plasma proteome becomes more feasible in searching for disease-related markers. In present study, we showed the protein expression profiles of the serum of IPAH and healthy controls after depleting a few high-abundant proteins in serum. Thirteen spots had changed significantly in IPAH compared with healthy controls and were identified by LC-MS/MS. Alpha-1-antitrypsin and vitronectin were down-regulated in IPAH and may be valuable candidates for further explorations of their roles in the development of IPAH.

Study on the action mechanism of inflammatory mediators generated by the severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in multiple organ injury is a hotspot in the surgical field. In clinical practice, the main complicated organ dysfunctions are shock, respiratory failure, renal failure, encephalopathy, with the rate of hepatic diseases being closely next to them. The hepatic injury caused by SAP cannot only aggravate the state of pancreatitis, but also develop into hepatic failure and cause patient death. Its complicated pathogenic mechanism is an obstacle in clinical treatment. Among many pathogenic factors, the changes of vasoactive substances, participation of inflammatory mediators as well as OFR (oxygen free radical), endotoxin, etc. may play important roles in its progression.

The correlation of serum arylesterase (PON1) activity on phenylacetate determined by an integrated method to classical biochemical indexes of liver damage was investigated for the use of PON1 activity to evaluate liver damage. PON1 reaction curve as absorbance at 270 nm for 0.20 mmol/L phenylacetate hydrolysis was analyzed by the integrated method to determine maximal PON1 reaction rate. Classical biochemical indexes of liver damage were determined routinely. The 95% confidence threshold of PON1 activity in sera from healthy individuals was 2.12 mkat/L [(4.73±1.31) mkat/L, n=105]. PON1 activity in clinical sera was closely correlated to serum albumin, total protein and the ratio of albumin to globulins, but was weakly correlated to both direct and total bilirubin in serum. There were no correlations of PON1 activity to γ-glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. Among 127 clinical sera with PON1 activity>2.12 mkat/L, there were 92% healthy individuals examined by albumin, 90% healthy individuals examined by total protein, 88% healthy individuals examined by total bilirubin, 86% healthy individuals examined by direct bilirubin and 64% healthy individuals examined by the ratio of albumin to globulins, respectively. In each group of healthy individuals judged by classical biochemical indexes of close correlation to PON1 activity, percentage of healthy individuals examined by PON1 activity was always >80%. These results suggested PON1 activity on phenylacetate estimated by the integrated method was also suitable for the evaluation of liver damage.

Background: Recent autopsy study showed a high incidence of cerebrovascular lesions in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To assess the impact of cerebrovascular pathology in AD, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to study AD patients with and without cerebrovascular lesions. Materials and Methods: Conventional and DTI scans were obtained from 10 patients with probable AD, 10 AD/V patients (probable AD with cerebrovascular lesions) and ten normal controls. Mean diffusivity (D) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values of some structures involved with AD pathology were measured. Results: D value was higher in AD patients than in controls in hippocampus and the cingulate gyrus. In AD/V patients, increased D value was found in the same structures and also in the thalamus and basal ganglia compared to controls. There was a significant difference of D value between AD and AD/V patients. FA value reduced in the white matter of left inferior temporal gyrus and in the bilateral middle cingulate gyrus in patients with AD/V compared with controls. The MMSE (mini-mental state examination) score significantly correlated with FA value in the right hippocampus (r=0.639, P<0.019), in the right anterior cingulate gyrus (r=0.587, P<0.035) and in left parahippocampal gyrus (r=0.559, P<0.047). Conclusion: Cerebrovascular pathology had stronger impact on the D value than the AD pathology alone did. Elevated D value in thalamic and basal ganglia may contribute to cognitive decline in AD/V patients. Reduced FA values in AD/V patients may indicate that cerebrovascular pathology induced more severe white matter damage than the AD pathology alone did.

Objective: To investigate the effect of berbamine on human hepatoma cell line SMMC7721. Methods: The effects of 24 h and 48 h incubation with different concentrations (0~64 μg/ml) of the berbamine on SMMC7721 cells were evaluated using 3-4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Hoechst 33258 staining was conducted to distinguish the apoptotic cell, and the appearance of sub-G₁ stage was determined by PI (propidium iodide) staining, the percentage of apoptotic cell was determined by flow cytometry following annexin V/PI staining. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the cell cycle distribution and the mitochondrial membrane potential (∆ψ_m); the expression of activated caspase3 and caspase9 was analyzed by Western-blot. Results: The proliferation of SMMC7721 was decreased after treatment with berbamine in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Berbamine could induce apoptosis in SMMC7721 cells and could cause cell cycle arrest in G₀/G₁ phase, to induce loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (∆ψ_m) and activate caspase3 and caspase9. Berbamine-induced apoptosis could be blocked by the broad caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk. Conclusion: Berbamine exerts antiproliferative effects on human hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC7721 cells. The anticancer activity of berbamine could be attributed partly to its inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis in cancer cells through loss in mitochondrial transmembrane potential and caspase activation.

The AtTOM1 gene of Arabidopsis thaliana had been shown to be essential for the efficient multiplication of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in A. thaliana. In this study, we cloned an AtTOM1-like gene from Nicotiana benthamiana named as NbTOM1. Sequence alignment showed that NbTOM1 is closely related to AtTOM1 homologues of N. tabacum and Lycopersicon esculentum with 97.2% and 92.6% nucleotide sequence identities, respectively. Silencing of NbTOM1 by a modified viral satellite DNA-based vector resulted in complete inhibition of the multiplication of TMV in N. benthamiana. The result suggests that inhibition of NbTOM1 via RNA silencing is a potentially useful method for generating TMV-resistant plants.

The yeast strain (Y18) was isolated from a soil sample collected from Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica. The strain is a psychrophilic yeast with optimum and maximum growth temperatures of 10 °C and 18 °C, respectively. Teliospores were formed after 7 d on malt agar, when the germination of teliospores was observed. Both inositol and D-glucuronate were assimilated. Positive results of the DBB (diazonium blue B) color reaction, urease test, and starch formation were observed. The major CoQ is Q₈. All results indicated that Y18 belongs to the genes of Mrakia. The 18S rDNA sequence analyses showed that Y18 is closely related to Mrakia frigida. DNA-DNA relatedness study, and some biochemistry characteristics indicated that Y18 represents a new species for which Mrakia psychrophila sp. nov. is proposed.

The effects of salinity (50 mmol/L NaCl) and Cd (1 μmol/L CdCl₂) as sole and combined on growth and photosynthetic parameters were studied using two soybean genotypes, Huachun 18 and NGB. The concentrations of Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺ and Na⁺ were also determined in seeds and pods. Huachun 18 suffered a more serious decrease than NGB in net photosynthetic rate (P_n) in the treatments of salinity stress alone and combined stress (NaCl+Cd), showing that it is relatively sensitive to salinity. The decrease in P_n caused by salt stress in Huachun 18 was mainly due to the reduced total chlorophyll content and photosynthetic efficiency (the ratio of variable fluorescence to maximal fluorescence, F_v/F_m), whereas the decease in NGB was mainly related to reduced stomatal conductance (G_s). The combined stress of both Na and Cd did not induce further decrease in photosynthesis and fluorescence in the two genotypes relative to salt or Cd stress alone. Greater change in the pod concentrations of Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺ and Na⁺ was detected under salt stress for Huachun 18 than for NGB. The results suggested that the interactive effect of NaCl-Cd on growth and nutrient uptake differs between the two soybean genotypes.

Simple procedures for extraction and chromatographic determination of dimethachlon residues in fresh tobacco leaves and cut-tobacco are described. The determination was carried out by capillary gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection (ECD) and confirmed by GC-MS. The mean recoveries and relative standard deviation (RSD) were 93.2%~112.9% and 3.5%~6.7%, respectively at levels ranging from 0.01 to 0.1 mg/kg. The limit of determination was 0.001 mg/kg. Tobacco samples in routine check were successfully analyzed using the proposed method.

Objective: Chilling tolerance of salicylic acid (SA) in banana seedlings (Musa acuminata cv., Williams 8818) was investigated by changes in ultrastructure in this study. Methods: Light and electron microscope observation. Results: Pretreatment with 0.5 mmol/L SA under normal growth conditions (30/22 °C) by foliar spray and root irrigation resulted in many changes in ultrastructure of banana cells, such as cells separation from palisade parenchymas, the appearance of crevices in cell walls, the swelling of grana and stromal thylakoids, and a reduction in the number of starch granules. These results implied that SA treatment at 30/22 °C could be a type of stress. During 3 d of exposure to 7 °C chilling stress under low light, however, cell ultrastructure of SA-pretreated banana seedlings showed less deterioration than those of control seedlings (distilled water-pretreated). Conclusion: SA could provide some protection for cell structure of chilling-stressed banana seedling.

The ability of triadimefon (TDM), a triazolic fungicide, to alter the biochemical constituents and thereby minimizing the days required for sprouting in white yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir.) tubers during storage under (30±2) °C in the dark, was studied. TDM at 20 mg/L was given to tubers by dipping the tubers in treatment solution containing 20 mg/L TDM on 10, 25 and 40 d after storage (DAS). Starch, sugars, protein, amino acid contents as well as protease and α-amylase activities were estimated on 15, 30 and 45 DAS from two physiological regions viz., apical and basal regions of the tubers. In normal conditions (control) sprouting occurred on 70 to 80 DAS. The starch content decreased, while protein, amino acid, sugar contents and protease and α-amylase activities were increased due to TDM treatment and led to early sprouting.