A novel injectable cement composed of chitosan-bonded borate bioactive glass (BG) particles was evaluated as a carrier for local delivery of vancomycin in the treatment of osteomyelitis in a rabbit ...tibial model.
The setting time, injectability, and compressive strength of the borate BG cement, and the release profile of vancomycin from the cement were measured in vitro. The capacity of the vancomycin-loaded BG cement to eradicate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-induced osteomyelitis in rabbit tibiae in vivo was evaluated and compared with that for a vancomycin-loaded calcium sulfate (CS) cement and for intravenous injection of vancomycin.
The BG cement had an injectability of >90% during the first 3 minutes after mixing, hardened within 30 minutes and, after hardening, had a compressive strength of 18 ± 2 MPa. Vancomycin was released from the BG cement into phosphate-buffered saline for up to 36 days, and the cumulative amount of vancomycin released was 86% of the amount initially loaded into the cement. In comparison, vancomycin was released from the CS cement for up 28 days and the cumulative amount released was 89%. Two months post-surgery, radiography and microbiological tests showed that the BG and CS cements had a better ability to eradicate osteomyelitis when compared to intravenous injection of vancomycin, but there was no significant difference between the BG and CS cements in eradicating the infection. Histological examination showed that the BG cement was biocompatible and had a good capacity for regenerating bone in the tibial defects.
These results indicate that borate BG cement is a promising material both as an injectable carrier for vancomycin in the eradication of osteomyelitis and as an osteoconductive matrix to regenerate bone after the infection is cured.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A clinical chromatographic fingerprinting of 18 standard strains of Mycobacteria commercialized in China by high-performance liquid chromatography approach was developed and improved in this ...laboratory. A comparison of clinical chromatographic fingerprintings of mycolic acids was carried out.
Mycolic acids were extracted from whole cultured cells of Mycobacteria by biochemical methods, and then samples was prepared for analysis after the mycolic acids were saponified, acidified and derived. The samples were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography under optimum conditions.
Using above techniques a clinical chromatographic fingerprinting of Mycolic acids analysis was successfully established. The repeatability of the mycolic acids fingerprinting was evaluated. Coefficient of variation (CV) of chromatographic fingerprinting was between 0.20% - 0.83%.
The first clinical chromatographic fingerprinting of 18 standard strains of Mycobacteria in China was established in this laboratory. Mycobacteria can be
Background A novel injectable cement composed of chitosan-bonded borate bioactive glass (BG) particles was evaluated as a carrier for local delivery of vancomycin in the treatment of osteomyelitis in ...a rabbit tibial model. Materials and Methods The setting time, injectability, and compressive strength of the borate BG cement, and the release profile of vancomycin from the cement were measured in vitro. The capacity of the vancomycin-loaded BG cement to eradicate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-induced osteomyelitis in rabbit tibiae in vivo was evaluated and compared with that for a vancomycin-loaded calcium sulfate (CS) cement and for intravenous injection of vancomycin. Results The BG cement had an injectability of >90% during the first 3 minutes after mixing, hardened within 30 minutes and, after hardening, had a compressive strength of 18 plus or minus 2 MPa. Vancomycin was released from the BG cement into phosphate-buffered saline for up to 36 days, and the cumulative amount of vancomycin released was 86% of the amount initially loaded into the cement. In comparison, vancomycin was released from the CS cement for up 28 days and the cumulative amount released was 89%. Two months post-surgery, radiography and microbiological tests showed that the BG and CS cements had a better ability to eradicate osteomyelitis when compared to intravenous injection of vancomycin, but there was no significant difference between the BG and CS cements in eradicating the infection. Histological examination showed that the BG cement was biocompatible and had a good capacity for regenerating bone in the tibial defects. Conclusions These results indicate that borate BG cement is a promising material both as an injectable carrier for vancomycin in the eradication of osteomyelitis and as an osteoconductive matrix to regenerate bone after the infection is cured.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Although type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are very important in many astrophysical fields, such as cosmology, their explosion mechanisms and progenitor systems still remain unclear. In physics, ...the relative equivalent width (REW) of the Si
ii
635.5 nm absorption feature reflects the velocity interval of the silicon in the SN ejecta, which may then provide constraints on the explosion mechanisms of SNe Ia. In this paper, we divide the SNe Ia into broad-line (BL) and normal-line (NL) subsamples, based on the REW of the Si
ii
635.5 nm absorption lines around their maximum lights, and we find that the BL SNe Ia have a dimmer mean brightness than the NL ones, which is possibly a result of their different metallicities. However, based on a pixel statistics study of the environments of the two subsamples, we do not find any significant potential differences in the environments of the BL and NL SNe Ia, which implies that the explosion mechanisms of SNe Ia could be independent of their progenitor populations.
Background
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a heterogeneous disease with major diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. A large‐scale multicenter study of pediatric HLH is still lacking in ...China.
Procedure
The Histiocytosis Study Group of the Chinese Pediatric Society conducted this retrospective study in 2014. A total of 323 patients diagnosed with HLH between 2011 and 2013 from 12 hospitals were registered.
Results
The median age at diagnosis was 2.2 years (range, 0–14.6 years), with a peak age of HLH onset at 0 to 3 years (63%). Mutations in HLH‐related genes were found in 27.9% (24/86) patients who underwent genetic testing. PRF1, UNC13D, STXBP2 and LYST were the predominant genes involved. Sixteen patients (66.7%) presented with only monoallelic mutations in one gene. Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection was the major condition related to HLH, which was documented in 74.4% (201/270) of the patients who underwent EBV detection. Of 252 evaluable patients, 64.7% (163) achieved non‐active disease at the eighth week and patients treated with a protocol containing etoposide presented higher remission rates (75.6% vs. 46.8%, P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, a younger age at diagnosis (<12 months), platelet count less than 80×109/L, central nervous system involvement, and initial treatment using a protocol without etoposide (not HLH‐94/04) were independent prognostic factors indicating resistant disease.
Discussion
This study first multicenter assessment of HLH in China shows some different features in Chinese children with HLH compared with those in western countries, including older age, vulnerability to EBV infection, and a high proportion of patients with single monoallelic genetic mutations.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
(1) Background: Upland cotton (
L.) is the most important natural fiber worldwide, and it is extensively planted and plentifully used in the textile industry. Major cotton planting regions are ...frequently affected by abiotic stress, especially drought stress. Drought resistance is a complex, quantitative trait. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) constitutes an efficient method for dissecting the genetic architecture of complex traits. In this study, the drought resistance of a population of 316 upland cotton accessions was studied via GWAS. (2) Methods: GWAS methodology was employed to identify relationships between molecular markers or candidate genes and phenotypes of interest. (3) Results: A total of 8, 3, and 6 SNPs were associated with the euphylla wilting score (EWS), cotyledon wilting score (CWS), and leaf temperature (LT), respectively, based on a general linear model and a factored spectrally transformed linear mixed model. For these traits, 7 QTLs were found, of which 2 each were located on chromosomes A05, A11, and D03, and of which 1 was located on chromosome A01. Importantly, in the candidate regions
,
,
, and
, which are involved in the response to abscisic acid (ABA), the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and the calcium transduction pathway were identified in upland cotton at the seedling stage under drought stress according to annotation information and linkage disequilibrium (LD) block analysis. Moreover, RNA sequencing analysis showed that
,
,
, and
were induced by drought stress, and the expression of these genes was significantly different between normal and drought stress conditions. (4) Conclusions: The present study should provide some genomic resources for drought resistance in upland cotton. Moreover, the germplasm of the different phenotypes, the detected SNPs and, the potential candidate genes will be helpful for molecular marker-assisted breeding studies about increased drought resistance in upland cotton.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Although expression of interleukin (IL)-34 is upregulated in active ulcerative colitis (UC), the molecular function and underlying mechanism are largely unclear.
To investigate the function of IL-34 ...in acute colitis, in a wound healing model and in colitis-associated cancer in IL-34-deficient mice.
Colitis was induced by administration of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS), and carcinogenesis was induced by azoxymethane (AOM). Whether the impact of IL-34 on colitis was dependent on macrophages was validated by depletion of macrophages in a murine model. The association between IL-34 expression and epithelial proliferation was studied in patients with active UC.
IL-34 deficiency aggravated murine colitis in acute colitis and in wound healing phase. The effect of IL-34 on experimental colitis was not dependent on macrophage differentiation and polarization. IL-34-deficient mice developed more tumors than wild-type mice following administration of AOM and DSS. No significant difference was shown in degree of cellular differentiation in tumors between wild-type and IL-34-deficient mice. IL-34 was dramatically increased in the active UC patients as previously reported. More importantly, expression of IL-34 was positively correlated with epithelial cell proliferation in patients with UC.
IL-34 deficiency exacerbates colonic inflammation and accelerates colitis-associated carcinogenesis in mice. It might be served as a potential therapeutic target in UC.
Summary
Manganese (Mn) is an essential micronutrient in plants. However, excessive Mn absorption in acidic soils can cause Mn toxicity, which adversely affects plant growth and crop yields. At ...present, acidic soils cover c. 30% of the Earth's surface. However, the mechanism underpinning Mn uptake remains largely unknown.
We identified cbl1/9 and cipk23 mutants exhibiting high‐Mn‐sensitive phenotype through the reverse genetics method. Furthermore, we identified the CIPK23 phosphorylated NRAMP1 through a variety of protein interaction techniques and protein kinase assays.
Here, we demonstrated that two calcineurin B‐like proteins, CBL1/9, and their interacting kinase CIPK23 positively regulated the tolerance of Mn toxicity in Arabidopsis. The cbl1 cbl9 double mutant and cipk23 mutants exhibited high‐Mn‐sensitive phenotypes, which manifested as decreased primary root length, biomass, and chlorophyll concentration, and higher accumulation of Mn. In addition, CIPK23 interacted with and phosphorylated the Mn transporter NRAMP1 primarily at Ser20/22 in vitro and in vivo, and thereby induced clathrin‐mediated endocytosis of NRAMP1 to reduce its distribution on the plasma membrane and enhance plant tolerance to Mn toxicity.
In summary, we found that the CBL1/9–CIPK23–NRAMP1 module regulates the tolerance to high‐Mn toxicity and provide insight into a mechanism of the tolerance of plants to Mn toxicity.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
ABSTRACT Photometric and spectroscopic observations of a slowly declining, luminous Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) SN 2011hr in the starburst galaxy NGC 2691 are presented. SN 2011hr is found to peak at , ...with a postmaximum decline rate Δm15(B) = 0.92 0.03 mag. From the maximum-light bolometric luminosity, , we estimate the mass of synthesized 56Ni in SN 2011hr to be . SN 2011hr appears more luminous than SN 1991T at around maximum light, and the absorption features from its intermediate-mass elements (IMEs) are noticeably weaker than those of the latter at similar phases. Spectral modeling suggests that SN 2011hr has IMEs of ∼0.07 in the outer ejecta, which is much lower than the typical value of normal SNe Ia (i.e., 0.3-0.4 ) and is also lower than the value of SN 1991T (i.e., ∼0.18 ). These results indicate that SN 2011hr may arise from a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf progenitor that experienced a more efficient burning process in the explosion. Nevertheless, it is still possible that SN 2011hr may serve as a transitional object connecting the SN 1991T-like SNe Ia with a superluminous subclass like SN 2007if given that the latter also shows very weak IMEs at all phases.
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