谷糠多酚对酒精性胃黏膜损伤的保护作用

目的：初步阐明谷糠多酚对酒精性胃黏膜损伤的保护作用以及具体分子机制,为谷糠多酚在饮酒人群胃黏膜损伤营养干预方面的应用提供科学依据。方法：雄性Wistar大鼠连续3 周每天灌胃50 mg/kg mb谷糠多酚,干预结束后通过灌胃体积分数75%乙醇溶液建立急性酒精性胃黏膜损伤模型;利用不同剂量（1～15 μg/mL）谷糠多酚对人胃黏膜上皮细胞（GES-1）处理24 h,继而通过1 000 mmol/L酒精继续作用12 h建立酒精性GES-1细胞损伤及干预模型;通过解剖观察大鼠胃组织形态学及病理结构,评价谷糠多酚对大鼠胃黏膜组织的保护作用;结合细胞形态变化及存活情况评价谷糠多酚对GES-1细胞的保护作用;通过测定氧化应激和细胞凋亡相关指标,评价谷糠多酚对急性酒精性胃黏膜损伤大鼠及GES-1细胞的抗氧化和抑制凋亡能力的影响。结果：谷糠多酚可以有效预防酒精引起的大鼠胃黏膜及GES-1细胞损伤,极显著缓解酒精引起的GES-1细胞活性氧（reactive oxygen species,ROS）水平升高（P＜0.01）;同时极显著缓解大鼠胃黏膜组织和GES-1细胞中丙二醛（methane dicarboxylic aldehyde,MDA）水平升高（P＜0.01）,提高超氧化物歧化酶（superoxide dismutase,SOD）活力,明显抑制酒精引起的细胞凋亡。结论：谷糠多酚能够通过缓解酒精引起的胃黏膜上皮细胞氧化损伤从而保护胃黏膜。     

Atherogenic effect of oxidized products of cholesterol

Cholesterol under certain in vitro and possibly in vivo conditions may be oxidized to oxysterols, which are suspected of being initiators of atherosclerotic plaques. Oxysterols inhibit HMG-CoA reductase activity resulting in a decreased cholesterol concentration in the cell membrane, which leads to endothelial membrane injury and probable premature cell death. Exogenous oxidation of cholesterol in human tissues under certain unusual conditions is highly probable. Dietary oxysterols are absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and are selectively transported by the athrogenic lipoproteins LDL and VLDL. The oxysterols cholestanetriol and 25-OH cholesterol have been shown to be atherogenic. Oxysterols are commonly found in dried egg products, powdered milk, cheeses and in a variety of high temperature dried animal products.     

MSC Pretreatment for Improved Transplantation Viability Results in Improved Ventricular Function in Infarcted Hearts

Many clinical studies utilizing MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells, mesenchymal stromal cells, or multipotential stromal cells) are underway in multiple clinical settings; however, the ideal approach to prepare these cells in vitro and to deliver them to injury sites in vivo with maximal effectiveness remains a challenge. Here, pretreating MSCs with agents that block the apoptotic pathways were compared with untreated MSCs. The treatment effects were evaluated in the myocardial infarct setting following direct injection, and physiological parameters were examined at 4 weeks post-infarct in a rat permanent ligation model. The prosurvival treated MSCs were detected in the hearts in greater abundance at 1 week and 4 weeks than the untreated MSCs. The untreated MSCs improved ejection fraction in infarcted hearts from 61% to 77% and the prosurvival treated MSCs further improved ejection fraction to 83% of normal. The untreated MSCs improved fractional shortening in the infarcted heart from 52% to 68%, and the prosurvival treated MSCs further improved fractional shortening to 77% of normal. Further improvements in survival of the MSC dose seems possible. Thus, pretreating MSCs for improved in vivo survival has implications for MSC-based cardiac therapies and in other indications where improved cell survival may improve effectiveness.     

Comparative study of the rheological behavior of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and nanofiber composites prepared by the dilution of a masterbatch of polypropylene

In this investigation, the characteristics and the rheological properties of two different nanocomposite systems were investigated. These systems consisted of a dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) in a polypropylene (PP) matrix. The mixing process was carried out by melt compounding with a twin‐screw corotating extruder with different reinforcement amounts (0.2–20 wt %) from concentrated masterbatches (20 wt %) of PP/CNT and PP/CNF. The results show a remarkable increase in the viscosity for both blends as the reinforcement amount was increased. It was important to evaluate the rheological behavior to understand the effect of the nanocarbon particles on the internal structures and their processing properties of the obtained composites. CNFs were a more viable reinforcement from a processability point of view because the obtained viscosities of the PP/CNF blends were more manageable. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Assembly homogenization techniques for core calculations

We have applied the black-box paradigm to assembly homogenization and introduced current discontinuity factors (CDFs) for an arbitrary low-order operator in the presence of boundary leakage. The CDFs preserve average reaction rates and the assembly partial currents in a given reference situation as well for full assembly as for pin-by-pin homogenization. In the presence of surface leakage, the CDFs depend on the discretization of the low-order operator but can be determined from a few calculations with the low-order operator without scattering. For diffusion-like, low-order operators, the CDFs can be advantageously replaced by flux discontinuity factors (FDFs), which also preserve partial currents. However, the effect of the FDFs is not equivalent to that of the CDFs in the final core calculation. Unlike the CDFs, that are double-valued for homogenization with surface leakage, the FDFs are always single valued. The cases when the low-order operator is diffusion, SP_N or quasidiffusion are discussed in detail. We also show that, for full-assembly homogenization without boundary leakage, the FDFs are identical to Smith's discontinuity coefficients (DCs) only if the reference calculation has also been done with diffusion. In the case of diffusion, preliminary test calculations for small PWR motifs show that the FDFs and Smith's DCs give close results, with a better precision for the FDFs when transport effects are predominant.     

Classification of a bacterial isolate, from pozol, exhibiting antimicrobial activity against several gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, yeasts, and molds

A bacterial isolate, designated CS93, capable of producing a broad-spectrum antimicrobial compound(s) effective against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, yeasts, and molds was isolated from pozol, a fermented maize product. This strain was phenotypically similar to another pozol isolate that was previously designated as Agrobacterium azotophilium by other investigators. By using biochemical, phenotypic, and 16S rRNA sequence analysis, both pozol isolates were identified as members of the genus Bacillus, possibly a variant of Bacillus subtilis. While the antimicrobial compound(s) was initially produced only on a solid medium, parameters were identified for production in broth. The compound(s) was heat stable (121 degrees C for 15 min), exhibited activity over a wide pH range (pH 3 to pH 11), and was inactivated by pronase E. The antimicrobial compound(s) was bactericidal and bacteriolytic against Escherichia coli V517, bacteriostatic against Micrococcus luteus, and fungistatic against Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The inhibitory compound(s) could possibly serve as a food biopreservative.     

Molecular regulation of UVB-induced cutaneous angiogenesis

We determined whether cutaneous angiogenesis induced by exposure of mice to ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation is associated with an imbalance between positive and negative angiogenesis-regulating molecules. Unshaved C3H/HeN mice were exposed to a single dose (15 kJ per m2) of UVB. At various times, the mice were killed, and their external ears were processed for routine histology and immunohistochemistry. Antibodies against proliferating cell nuclear antigen and bromodeoxyuridine identified dividing cells. Antibodies against CD31/ PECAM-1 identified endothelial cells, and antibodies against basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular permeability factor, and interferon-beta (IFN-beta) identified angiogenesis-regulating molecules. Epidermal hyperplasia was documented by 48 h and reached a maximum on day 7 after exposure to UVB. The expression of bFGF increased by 24 h, whereas the expression of IFN-beta decreased by 72 h after exposure to UVB. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular permeability factor increased slightly after irradiation. The altered balance between bFGF and IFN-beta was associated with increased endothelial cell proliferation (bromodeoxyuridine + CD31 + cells) within existing blood vessels, leading to telangiectasia and new blood vessels. UV-induced epidermal hyperplasia and cutaneous angiogenesis were highest in IFN-alpha/beta receptor knockout mice. These results demonstrate that in response to UVB radiation, dividing keratinocytes produce a positive angiogenic molecule (bFGF) but not a negative angiogenic molecule (IFN-beta), and that this altered balance is associated with enhanced cutaneous angiogenesis.     

Assessment of risk for severe hypoglycemia among adults with IDDM: validation of the low blood glucose index

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical/research utility of the low blood glucose index (LBGI), a measure of the risk of severe hypoglycemia (SH), based on self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: There were 96 adults with IDDM (mean age 35+/-8 years, duration of diabetes 16+/-10 years, HbA1 8.6+/-1.8%), 43 of whom had a recent history of SH (53 did not), who used memory meters for 135+/-53 SMBG readings over a month, and then for the next 6 months recorded occurrence of SH. The SMBG data were mathematically transformed, and an LBGI was computed for each patient. RESULTS: The two patient groups did not differ with respect to HbA1, insulin units per day, average blood glucose (BG) and BG variability. Patients with history of SH demonstrated a higher LBGI (P < 0.0005) and a trend to be older with longer diabetes duration. Analysis of odds for future SH classified patients into low- (LBGI <2.5), moderate- (LBGI 2.5-5), and high- (LBGI >5) risk groups. Over the following 6 months low-, moderate-, and high-risk patients reported 0.4, 2.3, and 5.2 SH episodes, respectively (P = 0.001). The frequency of future SH was predicted by the LBGI and history of SH (R2 = 40%), while HbA1, age, duration of diabetes, and BG variability were not significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS: LBGI provides an accurate assessment of risk of SH. In the traditional relationship history of SH-to-future SH, LBGI may be the missing link that reflects present risk. Because it is based on SMBG records automatically stored by many reflectance meters, the LBGI is an effective and clinically useful on-line indicator for SH risk.