Induction of immune tolerance with heart-thymus composite allotransplantation in rats

Objective To study on the role of thymus transplantation for heart allograft in rats. Methods Vascularized heart-thymus combined transplantation was performed with microsurgical technique. Graft survival, histopathology, level of IL-2, IL-4 and its mRNA expression in serum and cardiac grafts were investigated. Results Heart-thymus combined transplantation achieved effect in the prolongation of cardiac graft survival with short-term administration of cyclosporine. Conclusions Vascularized thymus transplantation induced immune tolerance in thymectomized rats.     

Establishment and improvement of model of vascularized heart-thymus composite transplantation in rats

Objective To establish and improve the model of heart-thymus composite transplantation. Methods Vascularized both lobes of the thymus is transplanted heterotopically with the heart as a composite graft in rats. This technique was developed and assessed, and viability of the grafts was evaluated histologically. Results Donor operation costed 38.5 ± 3.52 min, vascular anastomosis costed 25.0 ± 3.28 min, operating successful rate was 90%, acute rejection was observed in SD-Wistar group, viable thymus with normal microarchitecture was maintained in Wistar-Wistar group. Conclusions The improved novel technique for combined heart-thymus transplantation is a valuable method for study of the role of thymus in transplantation immunity.     

Effect of FTY720 and ICAM-1 mAb mono and combination therapy in cardiac allo-transplantation in rats

Objective To observe the effect of FTY720 and ICAM-1 mAb mono and combination therapy in cardiac allo-transplantation in rats. Methods Rats were randomly assigned to 9 groups, heart allo-transplantation were performed in abdominal site with micro-surgical technique. Recipients with allografts were treated with different doses of FTY720 and (or) ICAM-1 mAb. Graft survival, histopathology and level of serum IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10 were investigated. Results Low doses of FTY720 (1mg/kg) combined with ICAM-1 mAb achieved synergistic effect in the prolongation of cardiac graft survival, combination index(CI)=0.67. Conclusion Concomitant therapy of FTY720 and ICAM-1 mAb achieved a synergistic effect in the prolongation of heart allograft survival in rats.     

Establishment and improvement of model of vascularized heart-thymus composite transplantation in rats

Objective To establish and improve the model of heart-thymus composite transplantation. Methods Vascularized both lobes of the thymus is transplanted heterotopically with the heart as a composite graft in rats.This technique was developed and assessed, and viability of the grafts was evaluated histologically. Results Donor operation costed 38. 5 ± 3. 52 min, vascular anastomosis costed 25.0 ± 3. 28 min, operating successful rate was 90%, acute rejection was observed in SD-Wistar group, viable thymus with normal microarchitecture was maintained in Wistar-Wistar group. Conclusions The improved novel technique for combined heart-thymus transplantation is a valuable method for study of the role of thymus in transplantation immunity.     

Effect of FTY720 and ICAM-1 mAb mono and combination therapy in cardiac allo-transplantation in rats

Objective To observe the effect of FTY720 and ICAM-1 mAb mono and combination therapy in cardiac silo-transplantation in rats. Methods Rats were randomly assigned to 9 groups, heart allo-transplantation were performed in abdominal site with micro-surgical technique. Recipients with allografts were treated with different doses of FTY720 and(or) ICAM-1 mAb. Graft survival, histopathology andlevel of serum IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10were investigated. Results Low doses of FTY720 (lmg/kg) combined with ICAM-1 mAb achieved synergistic effect in the prolongation of cardiac graft survival, combination index(CD =0.67. Conclusion Concomitant therapy of FTY720 and ICAM-1 mAb achieved a synergistic effect in the prolongation of heart allograft survival in rats.     

IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF-a change of experimental knee joint degeneration model and effect of local loosening therapy

Objective To observe IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF-a level change of the joint fluid in the experimental knee joint degeneration and the effect of the local loosening therapy. Methods Thirty rabbits were divided into 3 groups at random: ten in the normal contrast group, ten in the blank model group and ten in the loosening therapy group to observe the IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF-a change of the joint fluid before and after the treatment in each group. Result IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF-a level in the blank model group was obviously higher than that in the normal group. (P<0.05). IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF-a level in the treatment group was obviously lower than that in the normal group. (P<0.05). Conclusions 1) IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF-a level of the joint fluid in the blank model group was obviously higher than that in the normal group. 2) Loosening soft tissues of the knees can improve IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF-a level of the joint fluid. Foundation item: Project (99JJy2081) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province     

Feasibility study of marrow stromal cells transplantation into guinea pig cochlea

Objective This pilot-study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of cell transplantation into guinea pig cochlea. Methods Marrow stromal cells were labeled with DAPI, and then implanted into the cochlea of guinea pig. The existence and differentiation trend were observed roughly two weeks later by histologic analysis. Results Transplant-derived marrow stem cells survived in cochlea two weeks later with a trend of attaching to cochlear architecture but not differentiate into neuron. Conclusions Transplant-derived marrow stem cells can survive in cochlea, and cell transplantation may be a useful strategy in inner ear diseases. Foundation item: Project (30000094) supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China; project supported by the Postdoctoral Foundation of Central South University     

Spectra and DNA-binding properties of two novel mixed-ligand complexes containing organosulfonate

Two novel mixed-ligand complexes, [M(phen)₂(ans)₂]·H₂O (M = Cd(II) 1, Zn(II) 2; phen is 1, 10-phenanthroline, and ans is 4-aminonaphthalene-1-sulfonate), were obtained from the reaction of 1, 10-phenanthroline, sodium 4-aminonaphthalene-1-sulfonate tetrahydrate and acetate in mixed solvents. Interaction of the complexes with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) were investigated using UV-vis absorption spectra, luminescence titrations, steady-state emission quenching by [Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻, DNA competitive binding with ethidium bromide (EB) and viscosity measurements. The experimental results indicate that there exist two interaction modes between the complexes and DNA, namely the electrostatic interaction and intercalation, with the binding constants of 1.82 × 10⁵ M⁻¹ for 1 and 4.78 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ for 2 in buffer of 50 mM NaCl and 5 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.0). Funded by Key Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 60537050)     

Effect of juglone on immunity response and oxidative stress in mice

To research juglone's immunology regulation, several perspectives including immunology regulation, lymphocyte proliferation, and cytokines were presented.The index of thymus and spleen, total supperoxide dismutase activity (T-SOD), serum malondialdehyde (MDA), content of nitrogen oxide (NO), the anti-superoxide anion ability, the suppressing hydroxy radical ability, contents of reduced glutathione (GSH) in thymus, total antioxidationability (T-AOC) and the level of mouse lysozyme (LZM) in plasma were measured. LPS-induced B thymocytes proliferation was measured by MTT assay.In the low-immunity model group, MDA and NO levels were decreased (p<0.001). Juglone improved lysozyme (LZM), GSH contents in thymus, T-AOC, T-SOD activity, the anti-superoxide anion ability (anti- O2-) (p<0.001).In the stimulation immunity model group, MDA and NO levels (p<0.05), anti- O2- and T-SOD activity (p<0.05) were up-regulated, whereas LZM, T-AOC contents were down-regulated.juglone has a significant effect, which promotes cell regeneration and function recovery, also may alleviate oxidative damage; juglone possesses a dual regulating effect on humoral immunity in mice.     

Extraction process of chlorogenic acid in flos lonicerae by enzymatic treatment

A new method of extracting chlorogenic acid from flos lonicerae, and treating the materials with enzyme before being extracted by ethanol is developed, and the optimum conditions are also investigated in detail. Three important factors, enzyme dosage, treatment time and treatment temperature are adapted to optimize the extraction process. The experimental results show that the extract yield of flos lonicerae and chlorogenic acid can be obviously increased by the cellulase treatment, 61.5 mg chlorogenic acid is obtained from 1.00 g flos lonicerae at most. The optimal temperature of enzymatic treatment is 40-50 ℃. Compared with the use of single cellulase, the combined treatment of cellulase and pectinase increase the extract yield obviously but fail to improve that of chlorogenic acid.     

Antibiotic properties of Al2O3 doping silver

The preparation technique and properties of Ag-type inorganic antibiotic material carried by Al₂O₃ were studied. The results show that the material has good antibiotic and safety properties, the acute toxicity taken by stomata is LD ₅₀>8 000 mg/kg (little and big white rats), and the normal quantity in subacute toxicity test is 80 mg/(kg · d). The better mass fraction of doping Ag₂O in antibiotic material carried by Al₂O₃ is 4%–8%, and the optimal sintering temperature is from 1 000 °C to 1 100 °C. Foundation item: Project (2002AA327090) supported by National High Technology Research and Development Program of China     

A new support vector machine optimized by improved particle swarm optimization and its application

A new support vector machine （SVM） optimized by an improved particle swarm optimization （PSO） combined with simulated annealing algorithm （SA） was proposed. By incorporating with the simulated annealing method, the global searching capacity of the particle swarm optimization（SAPSO） was enchanced, and the searching capacity of the particle swarm optimization was studied. Then, the improyed particle swarm optimization algorithm was used to optimize the parameters of SVM （c,σ and ε）. Based on the operational data provided by a regional power grid in north China, the method was used in the actual short term load forecasting. The results show that compared to the PSO-SVM and the traditional SVM, the average time of the proposed method in the experimental process reduces by 11.6 s and 31.1 s, and the precision of the proposed method increases by 1.24% and 3.18%, respectively. So, the improved method is better than the PSO-SVM and the traditional SVM.     

Characteristics of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles encapsulated with human serum albumin

Magnetic nanoparticles （Fe304） were prepared by chemical precipitation method using Fe^2＋ and Fe^3＋ salts with sodium hydroxide in the nitrogen atmosphere. Fe3O4 nanoparticles were coated with human serum albumin（HSA） for magnetic resonance imaging as contrast agent. Characteristics of magnetic particles coated or uncoated were carried out using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Zeta potentials, package effects and distributions of colloid particles were measured to confirm the attachment of HSA on magnetic particles. Effects of Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with HSA on magnetic resonance imaging were investigated with rats. The experimental results show that the adsorption of HSA on magnetic particles is very favorable to dispersing of magnetic Fe3O4 particles, while the sizes of Fe3O4 particles coated are related to the molar ratio of Fe3O4 to HSA. The diameters of the majority of particles coated are less than 100 nm. Fe3O4 nanoparticle coated with HSA has a good biocompatibility and low toxicity. This new contrast agent has some effects on the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging of liver and the lowest dosage is 20μmol/kg for the demands of diagnosis.     

Analysis of brittle fracture due to compressive loading using center-cracked Brazilian disk

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SWAT模型参数移植法缺资料地区非点源污染模拟研究

为了解决资料稀缺流域非点源污染研究中分布式物理模型无法直接应用的问题,基于SWAT（Soil and Water Assessment Tool）模型,采用参数移植法构建了无径流无泥沙资料的西充河流域（西充境内）非点源污染模拟方案。验证流域模拟结果良好（R2>0.8,NSE>0.5）表明SWAT模型径流泥沙参数可用于相似流域移植,研究区西阳寺断面TP（R2=0.52,NSE=0.69,Re=35%）水质模拟结果说明基于径流泥沙参数移植后的SWAT模型可用于进一步非点源污染模拟研究。     

Probabilistic density function estimation of geotechnical shear strength parameters using the second Chebyshev orthogonal polynomial

A method to estimate the probabilistic density function （PDF） of shear strength parameters was proposed. The second Chebyshev orthogonal polynomial（SCOP） combined with sample moments （the origin moments） was used to approximate the PDF of parameters. X^2 test was adopted to verify the availability of the method. It is distribution-free because no classical theoretical distributions were assumed in advance and the inference result provides a universal form of probability density curves. Six most commonly-used theoretical distributions named normal, lognormal, extreme value Ⅰ , gama, beta and Weibull distributions were used to verify SCOP method. An example from the observed data of cohesion c of a kind of silt clay was presented for illustrative purpose. The results show that the acceptance levels in SCOP are all smaller than those in the classical finite comparative method and the SCOP function is more accurate and effective in the reliability analysis of geotechnical engineering.     

Anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of usnic acid

The anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of Usnic acid (UA) were explored on lipopoly-saccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cell line.The effects of UA on pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-α),interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β),pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO),inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were studied by sandwich ELISA,real-time PCR and western blot analyses.Similarly,the effect of UA on anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) and anti-inflammatory mediator heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were also studied following the same methods.Furthermore,nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) was assayed by immunocytochemistry.The results showed that UA has anti-inflammatory effect by down-regulatinng iNOS,COX-2,IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α,COX-2 gene expression through the suppression of NF-κB activation and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and anti-inflammatory mediator HO-1 production.     

Mechanism of apoptosis of human osteosarcoma M-G63 induced by arsenic trioxide

Objective To observe the apoptosis of osteosarcoma MG-63 cells induced by As₂O₃ and to explore its possible mechanisms. Methods The flowcytometric analysis and transmission electronmicroscope were performed to investigate the inducing apoptosis and inhibitative of As₂O₃ on osteosarcoma MG-63 cells. In order to study mechanism of apoptosis in MG-63 cells treated with As₂O₃, microarray was performed. The down-regulated gene was confirmed by RT-PCR, Northern-blotting. Results After treated with As₂O₃, hypodiploid peak before G0/G1 phase was observed in MG-63 cells through FCM analysis. Loss of microvilli, condensation and fragmentation of nuclear chromatin, condensation of cytoplasmic organelles, dilatation of the endoplasmic reticulum shrinkage of cells and alterations in cell membranes and apoptosis bodies which were observed in MG-63 cells treated with As₂O₃ by transmission electronmicroscope. The results of microarray show that As₂O₃ induced MG-63 cell apoptosis involves down-regulation of IEX-1 and the down-regulated gene is confirmed by RT-PCR and Northern-blotting. Conclusion The results show that As₂O₃ selectively inhibits growth of the solid tumor MG-63 cells by triggering apoptosis and indicates MG-63 induced by As₂O₃ cell apoptosis may through the IEX-1 pathway. Foundation item: Project (02JTY1005) supported by the Foundation of Science & Technology Department of Hunan Province; project (Y02-033) supported by the Foundation of Health Department of Hunan Province     

Aerobic oxidation behavior of α-ionone catalyzed by N-hydroxyphthalimide combined with acetylacetone cobalt(II)

A practical catalytic method to oxidize α-ionone with molecular oxygen using N-hydroxyphthalimide(NHPI) combined with acetylacetone cobatt(II) (Co(acac)₂) was developed, and the probable catalytic mechanism was proposed. The influences of the reaction conditions on conversion of α-ionone and the selectivity of the major product (5-keto-α-ionone) were investigated, and the technical parameters for 5-keto-α-ionone were optimized. The results show that the primary product is 5-keto-α-ionone, and by-products include epoxy-α-ionone, as well as rearrangement products 4-keto-β-ionone and epoxy-β-ionone, which are characterized by infrared spectra, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, mass spectra and elemental analysis. The selectivity of 5-keto-α-ionone and the conversion of α-ionone are 55.0% and 97.0%, respectively, when 30%(molar fraction) NHPI, 1.0%(molar fraction) Co(acac)₂ and no solvent are employed under O₂ pressure of 1.0 MPa and the reaction temperature of 65 °C for 11 h. The procedure shows good reproducibility in the parallel experiments. Foundation item: Project(50573019) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Effect of Tongmai Decoction on expression of NF-κB in ox-LDL injured endothelial cells

Objective Study on the effect of NF-κB in ox-LDL injured HUVEC-304 and the intervention with the serum of Tongmai Decoction. Methods Tongmai Decoction herbage-contained serum was made by the serum pharmacology methods, then the HUVEC-304 cells were divided into 5 groups and incubated for 24 h: 1) normal group; 2) fetal calf serum group; 3) ox-LDL group; 4) simvastatin group; 5) Tongmai Decoction group. RT-PCR was used to determine the mRNA of NF-κB in the cells, Western Blot Assay was used to determine the protein content of NF-κB in the cells. Results 1) Compared with the cells in normal group and serum control group, the endothelial cells in ox-LDL group are seriously injured, while those in Tongmai Decoction group grow better; 2) Compared with the cells in normal group and fetal calf serum group, the expressions of NF-κB gene and protein are up-regulated in ox-LDL group(P<0.05, P<0.01); 3) Compared with the cells in ox-LDL group, the expression of NF-κB gene and protein in Tongmai Decoction group are significantly down-regulated, there is no difference between Tongmai Decoction group and simvastatin group(PP>0.05). Conclusion Tongmai Decoction can protect the injured endothelial cells, up-regulate the expressions of NF-κB gene and protein content. Foundation item: Project (02jjy3034) supported by the Nature Science Foundation of Hunan Province