| 1. |
- Liu, Jin-ming, et al.
(författare)
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Mid-term effects of lung volume reduction surgery on pulmonary function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- 2007
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Ingår i: Chinese Medical Journal. - 0366-6999. ; 120:8, s. 658-662
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Now lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) has become one of the most effective methods for the management of some cases of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We evaluated the mid-term effects of LVRS on pulmonary function in patients with severe COPD. Methods Ten male patients with severe COPD aged 38-70 years underwent LVRS and their pulmonary function was assessed before, 3 months and 3 years after surgery. The spirometric and gas exchange parameters included residual volume, total lung capacity, inspiratory capacity, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, diffusion capacity for CO, and arterial blood gas. A 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) test was performed. Results As to preoperative assessment, most spirometric parameters and 6MWD were significantly improved after 3 months and slightly 3 years after LVRS. Gas exchange parameters were significantly improved 3 months after surgery, but returned to the preoperative levels after 3 years. Conclusions LVRS may significantly improve pulmonary function in patients with severe COPD indicating for LVRS. Mid-term pulmonary function 3 years after surgery can be decreased to the level at 3 months after surgery. Three years after LVRS, lung volume and pulmonary ventilation function can be significantly improved, but the improvement in gas exchange function was not significant.
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| 2. |
- Aamodt, K., et al.
(författare)
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The ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 3:S08002
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is a general-purpose, heavy-ion detector at the CERN LHC which focuses on QCD, the strong-interaction sector of the Standard Model. It is designed to address the physics of strongly interacting matter and the quark-gluon plasma at extreme values of energy density and temperature in nucleus-nucleus collisions. Besides running with Pb ions, the physics programme includes collisions with lighter ions, lower energy running and dedicated proton-nucleus runs. ALICE will also take data with proton beams at the top LHC energy to collect reference data for the heavy-ion programme and to address several QCD topics for which ALICE is complementary to the other LHC detectors. The ALICE detector has been built by a collaboration including currently over 1000 physicists and engineers from 105 Institutes in 30 countries, Its overall dimensions are 16 x 16 x 26 m(3) with a total weight of approximately 10 000 t. The experiment consists of 18 different detector systems each with its own specific technology choice and design constraints, driven both by the physics requirements and the experimental conditions expected at LHC. The most stringent design constraint is to cope with the extreme particle multiplicity anticipated in central Pb-Pb collisions. The different subsystems were optimized to provide high-momentum resolution as well as excellent Particle Identification (PID) over a broad range in momentum, up to the highest multiplicities predicted for LHC. This will allow for comprehensive studies of hadrons, electrons, muons, and photons produced in the collision of heavy nuclei. Most detector systems are scheduled to be installed and ready for data taking by mid-2008 when the LHC is scheduled to start operation, with the exception of parts of the Photon Spectrometer (PHOS), Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) and Electro Magnetic Calorimeter (EMCal). These detectors will be completed for the high-luminosity ion run expected in 2010. This paper describes in detail the detector components as installed for the first data taking in the summer of 2008.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Liu, Jing-fu, et al.
(författare)
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Disposable ionic liquid coating for headspace solid-phase microextraction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene. and xylenes in paints followed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Chromatography A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9673. ; 1066:1-2, s. 27-32
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with a disposable ionic liquid (IL) coating was developed for headspace extraction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in paints. The SPME fiber was coated with IL prior to every extraction, then the analytes were extracted and desorbed on the injection port of gas chromatography, and finally the IL coating on the fiber was washed out with solvents. The coating and washing out of IL from the fiber can be finished in a few minutes. This disposable IL-coated fiber was applied to determine BTEX in water-soluble paints with results in good agreement with that obtained by using commercially available SPME fibers. For all the four studied paints samples, the benzene contents were under the detection limits, but relatively high contents of toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (56-271 mug g(-1)) were detected with spiked recoveries in the range of 70-114%. Compared to the widely used commercially available SPME fibers, this proposed disposable IL-coated fiber has much lower cost per determination, comparable reproducibility (RSD < 11%), and no carryover between each determination. Considering that IL possess good extractability for various organic compounds and metals ions, and that task-specific IL can be designed and synthesized for selective extraction of target analytes, this disposable IL coating SPME might has great potential in sample preparation. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Tian, Chao, et al.
(författare)
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Overexpression of connective tissue growth factor WISP-1 in Chinese primary rectal cancer patients
- 2007
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Ingår i: World Journal of Gastroenterology. - 1007-9327 .- 2219-2840. ; 13:28, s. 3878-3882
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To clarify the expression change of Wnt-induced secreted protein-1 (WISP-1) in human rectal cancer and to determine whether it is correlated with invasion and metastasis of human rectal cancer. Methods: Eighty-six paired samples of rectal cancer and surgically resected distant normal rectal tissue were collected and allocated into cancer group and control group respectively. WISP-1 mRNA was detected by relative quantitative real-time RT-PCR and WISP-1 protein was examined by immunohistochemical staining. Results: WISP-1 gene overexpression was found in 65% (56/86) primary rectal cancers, 2-30 times that of the level in normal matched rectal tissues (P = 0.001). The mRNA expression level was correlated with Duke's staging, histological differentiation grade and lymph node status. The WISP-1 protein expression was in accordance with mRNA expression level. The positive degree of immunohistochemical staining in the cancer group (1.40 ± 0.35) was different from that in control group (1.04 ± 0.08, P < 0.001). Moreover, in cancer group the positive staining degree in high-level mRNA cancers (1.46 ± 0.37, n = 56) was higher than that in low-level mRNA (1.28 ± 0.28, n = 30, P = 0.018). Conclusion: Aberrant levels of WISP-1 expression may play a role in rectal tumorigenesis. WISP-1 may be used as a specific clinical diagnosis and prognosis marker in rectal cancer. © 2007 WJG. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Tian, Yu-Peng, et al.
(författare)
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Investigations and facile synthesis of a series of novel multi-functional two-photon absorption materials
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 0959-9428 .- 1364-5501. ; 17:34, s. 3646-3654
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Six centrosymmetric D-(pi-A)(3) structural triphenylamine derivatives that can be used as two- photon photopolymerization and optical data storage chromophores, tris[ 4-( 4- pyridylethenyl) phenyl] amine ( 1), tris[ 4-( 2- pyridylethenyl) phenyl] amine ( 2), tris( 4- cyanoethenylphenyl) amine ( 3), tris[ 4- butylacrylatephenyl] amine ( 4), tris[ 4- methylacrylatephenyl] amine ( 5) and tris[ 4- acrylicethenylphenyl] amine ( 6), have been successfully synthesized via a triple palladium-catalyzed Heck coupling reaction, and the novel chromophores were fully characterized by elemental analysis, IR, (1)H-NMR and ESIMS. The structure for 3 was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction study. One- and two-photon absorption and fluorescence in various solvents were experimentally investigated. Two-photon initiated polymerization microfabrication and optical data recording experiments were carried out under 780 nm laser radiation, and the possible polymerization mechanism is discussed based on theoretical calculations. All the six chromophores have relatively large two-photon absorption crosssections, and exhibit optical memory and highly efficient two-photon initiated polymerization abilities.
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| 7. |
- Wang, Yong, et al.
(författare)
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mRNA expression of minichromosome maintenance 2 in colonic adenoma and adenocarcinoma
- 2009
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Ingår i: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER PREVENTION. - 0959-8278. ; 18:1, s. 40-45
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As proliferation is essential for Progression from normal cells to tumor, certain markers specific to proliferating cells may permit detection of premalignant lesions. Here, we aimed to evaluate the possible value of a proliferation marker, minichromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2), in the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer, by analyzing the difference in MCM2 expression among normal mucosa, adenoma, and adenocarcinoma, and investigating the relationship of MCM2 expression in adenomas with clinicopathologic variables. Using immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcription-PCR, we observed that the expression of MCM2 protein was present on basal third to half of colonic crypts in normal mucosa, whereas throughout the epithelium in adenomas and adenocarcinomas, the expression of MCM2 mRNA in adenocarcinomas was significantly higher than in adenomas (P=0.001), whereas the difference between adenoma and normal mucosa was not significant (P=0.184); we also found that the expression of MCM2 mRNA tended to be increased in the adenomas with high-grade dysplasia, or in older patients, respectively, compared with those with low-grade dysplasia, and younger patients. These results suggested the potential value of MCM2 in early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
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| 8. |
- Agustin, Sanchez-Arcilla, et al.
(författare)
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Introduction
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Hydraulic Research. - 0022-1686. ; 46:2, s. 179-182
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 9. |
- Ding, Wen-hong, et al.
(författare)
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Echocardiographic predictors of left ventricular functional recovery following valve replacement surgery for severe aortic stenosis.
- 2008
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Ingår i: International Journal of Cardiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5273 .- 1874-1754. ; 128:2, s. 178-84
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify the most sensitive echocardiographic measurements that predict recovery of left ventricular function following valve replacement surgery in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and LV dysfunction.METHODS: We studied 66 patients (mean age 70+/-2 years, 53 male) who underwent AVR for severe AS with concurrent LV dysfunction between 1998 and 2003 at the Royal Brompton Hospital. Clinical symptoms, co-morbidities and echocardiographic measurements of LV function were recorded before and at a median follow-up of 46 months after AVR. Pre-operative LV systolic dysfunction was defined as LV ejection fraction (EF) <50% and the post-op LV recovery as an increase of EF >10%.RESULTS: Following AVR peak aortic pressure gradient decreased and aortic valve area index increased (64+/-3 to 19+/-1 mm Hg and 0.30+/-0.01 to 0.89+/-0.03 cm(2)/m(2), p<0.001 for both). LV EF increased (from 45+/-1 to 54+/-2%; p<0.001) and the LV dimensions fell (LVEDD index: from 33+/-1 to 30+/-1 mm/m(2); and LVESD index: from 27+/-1 to 20+/-1 mm/m(2); p<0.01 for both). LV diastolic dysfunction improved as evidenced by the fall in E/A ratio (from 2.6+/-0.2 to 1.9+/-0.4) and prolongation of total filling time; (from 29.2+/-0.6 to 31.4+/-0.5 s/min, p=0.01 for both). Among all echocardiographic variables, LV dimensions (LVEDD index, OR 0.70, CI 0.52-0.97, p<0.05; LVESD index, OR 0.57, CI 0.40-0.85, p=0.005) were the two independent predictors of post-operative LV functional recovery on multivariate analysis. A cut off value of pre-operative LVESD index=or<27.5 mm/m(2) was 85% sensitive and 72% specific in predicting intermediate-term recovery of LV function after AVR (AUC, 0.72, p=0.002).CONCLUSION: LV functional recovery was evident in majority of aortic stenotic patients with LV dysfunction after aortic valve replacement. A lower prevalence of LV functional recovery in patients with large pre-operative LV end systolic dimension index might signify the loss of contractile reserve and thus predict post-operative functional recovery.
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| 10. |
- Ding, Wen-Hong, et al.
(författare)
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Predictors of survival after aortic valve replacement in patients with low-flow and high-gradient aortic stenosis
- 2009
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Ingår i: European Journal of Heart Failure. - : Oxford University Press. - 1388-9842 .- 1879-0844. ; 11:9, s. 897-902
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIMS: To identify predictors of survival following aortic valve replacement (AVR) in patients with low-flow and high-gradient aortic stenosis (AS).METHODS AND RESULTS: Eighty-six patients (aged 71 +/- 10 years) with severe AS [aortic valve mean pressure gradient >40 mmHg or valve area <1.0 cm(2)] and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction [ejection fraction (EF) <50%] underwent AVR. Cox proportional hazards were used to identify independent clinical and echocardiographic predictors of mortality. Operative (30-day) mortality was 10%. Peri-operative mortality was associated with lower mean LVEF, higher mitral E:A ratio, peak systolic pulmonary artery pressure (PSPAP), and serum creatinine (by 12%, 2.3, 28 mmHg, and 74 mmol/L, respectively, all P < 0.001), NYHA class III-IV (100 vs. 65%), concomitant CABG (89 vs. 55%), urgent surgery (78 vs. 35%), and longer bypass-time (by 28 min, all P < 0.05). Mortality at 4 years was 17%. Univariate predictors [hazard ratio (HR)] of 4-year mortality were: lower EF (HR 0.68 per % increase, P < 0.001), presence of restrictive LV filling (HR: 3.52, P < 0.001), raised PSPAP (HR: 1.07, P < 0.001), and CABG (HR: 4.93, P = 0.037). However, only low EF (<40%, HR 0.74, P = 0.030), the presence of restrictive filling (HR 1.77, P = 0.033), and raised PSPAP (>45 mmHg, HR 2.71, P = 0.010) remained as independent predictors after multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The severity of pre-operative systolic and diastolic LV dysfunction is the major predictor of mortality following AVR for low-flow and high-gradient AS.
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| 11. |
- Du, CW, et al.
(författare)
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Arsenic trioxide reduces the invasive and metastatic properties of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in vitro
- 2006
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Ingår i: Brazilian journal of medical and biological research. - 0100-879X .- 1414-431X. ; 39:5, s. 677-685
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is notorious for the metastases, which are in close association with Epstein-Barr virus-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1). Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) has been shown to induce apoptosis and differentiation in NPC xenografts. Then, can it repress the cancer cells' metastasis potential? To elucidate this issue, the present study was performed. LMP1-negative cell line HNE1 and LMP1-positive cell line HNE1-LMP1 were used as in vitro model. Cells (1 × 105/mL) were cultured with or without 3 μM As2O3 for 48 h. Then the survival cells were collected to investigate their potential of colony formation, attachment, invasion, and migration. Both confocal immunofluorescence staining and Western blot were used to detect the changes of LMP1 expression. The changes of MMP-9 were examined by RT-PCR assay and Western blot. The results were as follow: i) the colony formation inhibition rate (75.41 ± 3.9% in HNE1-LMP1 cells vs 37.89 ± 4.9% in HNE1 cells), the rate of attachment (HNE1-LMP1 vs HNE1: 56.40 ± 3.5 vs 65.87 ± 5.9%), the invasion inhibitory rate (HNE1-LMP1 vs HNE1: 56.50 ± 3.7 and 27.91 ± 2.1%), and the migration inhibitory rate (HNE1-LMP1 vs HNE1: 48.70 ± 3.9 vs 29.19 ± 6.27%) were all significantly different between the two cell lines (P < 0.01). ii) LMP1 was down-regulated in As2O3-treated HNE1-LMP1 cells. iii) The reduction of MMP-9 was found in As2O3-treated groups, more evident in HNE1-LMP1 cells. Thus, we conclude that As2O3 can reduce metastasis potential of NPC cells, involving inhibition of MMP-9 expression. LMP1 were also reduced in this process and seemed to enhance anti-metastasis activity of As2O3. © 2006 Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Gebe, John A, et al.
(författare)
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Age-dependent loss of tolerance to an immunodominant epitope of glutamic acid decarboxylase in diabetic-prone RIP-B7/DR4 mice.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Clinical Immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1521-6616. ; 121:3, s. 294-304
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have identified for the first time an age-dependent spontaneous loss of tolerance to two self-antigenic epitopes derived from putative diabetes-associated antigens glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in RIP-B7/DRB1*0404 HLA transgenic mice. Diabetic and older non-diabetic mice exhibited a proliferative response to an immunodominant epitope from GAD65 (555-567) and also from GFAP (240-252) but not from an immunogenic epitope from diabetes-associated islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit-related protein. The response to both of these self-antigens is not observed in young mice but is observed in older non-diabetic mice and is accompanied by histological evidence of insulitis in the absence of overt diabetes. Islet infiltrates in older non-diabetic mice and diabetic mice contain CD4(+)/FoxP3(+) cells and suggest the presence of a regulatory mechanism prior and during diabetic disease. Diabetes penetrance in RIP-B7/DR0404 mice
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| 15. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(författare)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy in higher eukaryotes
- 2008
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Ingår i: Autophagy. - : Landes Bioscience. - 1554-8627 .- 1554-8635. ; 4:2, s. 151-175
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research in autophagy continues to accelerate,1 and as a result many new scientists are entering the field. Accordingly, it is important to establish a standard set of criteria for monitoring macroautophagy in different organisms. Recent reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose.2,3 There are many useful and convenient methods that can be used to monitor macroautophagy in yeast, but relatively few in other model systems, and there is much confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure macroautophagy in higher eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers of autophagosomes versus those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway; thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from fully functional autophagy that includes delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of the methods that can be used by investigators who are attempting to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as by reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that investigate these processes. This set of guidelines is not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to verify an autophagic response.
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| 16. |
- Li, Wen, et al.
(författare)
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Recognition of aminoacyl-tRNA : a common molecular mechanism revealed by cryo-EM
- 2008
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Ingår i: EMBO Journal. - : Wiley. - 0261-4189 .- 1460-2075. ; 27:24, s. 3322-3331
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The accuracy of ribosomal translation is achieved by an initial selection and a proofreading step, mediated by EF-Tu, which forms a ternary complex with aminoacyl(aa)-tRNA. To study the binding modes of different aa-tRNAs, we compared cryo-EM maps of the kirromycin-stalled ribosome bound with ternary complexes containing Phe-tRNA(Phe), Trp-tRNA(Trp), or Leu-tRNA(LeuI). The three maps suggest a common binding manner of cognate aa-tRNAs in their specific binding with both the ribosome and EF-Tu. All three aa-tRNAs have the same 'loaded spring' conformation with a kink and twist between the D-stem and anticodon stem. The three complexes are similarly integrated in an interaction network, extending from the anticodon loop through h44 and protein S12 to the EF-Tu-binding CCA end of aa-tRNA, proposed to signal cognate codon-anticodon interaction to the GTPase centre and tune the accuracy of aa-tRNA selection.
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| 17. |
- Liao, Yu-feng, et al.
(författare)
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Synthesis of CdSe quantum dots via paraffin liquid and oleic acid
- 2008
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Ingår i: J ZHEJIANG UNIV-SCI A. - 1673-565X. ; 9:1, s. 133-136
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper reported an efficient and rapid method to produce highly monodispersed CdSe quantum dots (QDs), in which the traditional trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) was replaced by paraffin liquid as solvent and oleic acid as the reacting media. The experimental conditions and the properties of QDs had been studied in detail. The resulting samples were confirmed of uniform size distribution with transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), while UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra clearly indicated that such synthesized QDs had good fluorescence properties.
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| 18. |
- Lin, Yuan-Hua, et al.
(författare)
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Electrical transport properties of La2CuO4 ceramics processed by the spark plasma sintering
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of The American Ceramic Society. - : Wiley. - 0002-7820 .- 1551-2916. ; 90:12, s. 4005-4008
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Highly dense La2CuO4 ceramics have been prepared by the spark plasma sintering technique. Temperature dependence of electrical conductivity indicates that La2CuO4 ceramics sintered at over 875 degrees C exhibit a metal-like behavior, which should be ascribed to the special La2CuO4 crystal structure and its correlation splitting of the half-filled d(x2-y2) band. Our experimental data indicate that all of the La2CuO4 samples exhibit positive thermoelectric power in the whole measuring temperature range, indicating that the majority of charge carriers are holes. It is desirable to obtain good thermoelectric performance for this system by optimizing the electrical properties and reducing the thermal conductivity.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Liu, Wen-Chun, et al.
(författare)
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Genotyping of Hepatitis B Virus - Genotypes A to G by Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
- 2008
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Ingår i: Intervirology. - : S. Karger AG. - 0300-5526 .- 1423-0100. ; 51:4, s. 247-252
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- <i>Objectives:</i> Eight genotypes (A–H) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) are known with variations in nucleotide sequences greater than 8%. Several recent publications found that the clinical course and outcome of antiviral therapy depended on the genotype of the infecting HBV strain. Large epidemiological studies will require the availability of a system which is rapid, reliable and can be performed on a large number of samples. <i>Methods:</i> To establish a simple and accurate genotyping method, the study collected 369 HBV complete genomic sequences from the GenBank database. Type-specific primers were also designed that separated HBV genotypes A to G by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. <i>Results:</i> By comparison with the traditional restriction fragment length polymorphism method, over 93% of 441 samples were accurately genotyped by current assay, with a higher detection rate and sensitivity to detect mixed HBV infections. <i>Conclusions:</i> This methodology can be applied only to areas prevalent with HBV genotypes A to G. However, it provides an efficient alternative for clinical diagnosis and large-scale studies.
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| 21. |
- Liu, Wen-Chun, et al.
(författare)
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Simultaneous quantification and genotyping of hepatitis B virus for genotypes A to G by real-time PCR and two-step melting curve analysis.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of clinical microbiology. - 0095-1137. ; 44:12, s. 4491-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Both the viral titer and the genotype significantly determine clinical outcomes and responses to antiviral treatment in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. A method was developed for large-scale A-to-G genotyping with simultaneous viral quantification. The assay was run on a LightCycler instrument using hybridization probes. The genotype was determined from the melting points of the probes in a two-step manner. Set 1 amplicons differentiated genotypes B, E, and F from A, C, D, and G and simultaneously quantified viremia by real-time PCR. Melting curve analysis using the set 2-1 amplicon or the set 2-2 amplicon reaction mixture was then used to differentiate these genotype groups into single genotypes. HBV DNA quantification was consistent with that of the Amplicor assay and linear in a range from 10(2) to 10(13) copies/ml. By comparison with the restriction fragment length polymorphism method, 92.3% of 441 samples were accurately genotyped by the current assay. The method should be useful for genotyping and quantification of HBV DNA in areas where all genotypes exist.
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| 22. |
- Meng, Wen-Jian, et al.
(författare)
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Microsatellite instability did not predict individual survival in sporadic stage II and III rectal cancer patients
- 2007
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Ingår i: Oncology. - : S. Karger AG. - 0890-9091 .- 0030-2414 .- 1423-0232. ; 72:1-2, s. 82-88
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Tumors with high-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI-H) have unique biological behavior and the predictive role of microsatellite instability (MSI) status on survival of colorectal cancer is still debated. The prognostic significance of MSI status in sporadic stage II and III rectal cancer patients needs to be more precisely defined. So we investigated the relationship between MSI status and clinicopathological features and prognosis in these patients. Methods: DNAs from fresh-frozen paired samples of tumors and corresponding normal tissue from 128 stage II and III rectal cancer patients were analyzed for MSI by PCR amplification using markers recommended by a National Cancer Institute workshop on MSI. To assess prognostic significance, Cox proportional hazards modeling was used. Results: Twelve (9.3%) tumors in our study were MSI-H, 28 (21.9%) were low-frequency MSI (MSI-L) and 88 (68.8%) were microsatellite stable (MSS). Most of the MSI-H tumors compared with MSI-L and MSS tumors were found in female patients (p = 0.031), had mucinous histology (p = 0.023), high grade of differentiation (p = 0.002) and high level of preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen (p = 0.005). Rectal cancer patients with MSI-H did not show a better clinical outcome than those with MSI-L/MSS, neither in all cases (p = 0.986) nor in stage II and stage III disease analyzed separately (p = 0.705 and p = 0.664, respectively). Conclusions: Data provided here demonstrated there was high incidence of MSI-H and MSI was not a prognostic factor in sporadic stage II and III rectal cancers from the Chinese Han population included in this study. Tumor stage is more suitable than MSI status for prediction of individual survival in sporadic stage II and III rectal cancer patients. Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG.
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| 23. |
- Meng, Wen-Jian, et al.
(författare)
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Novel mutations and sequence variants in exons 3-9 of human T Cell Factor-4 gene in sporadic rectal cancer patients stratified by microsatellite instability
- 2007
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Ingår i: World Journal of Gastroenterology. - 1007-9327 .- 2219-2840. ; 13:27, s. 3747-3751
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To establish the role of human T Cell Factor-4 (hTCF-4) gene exons 3-9 mutation status in association with sporadic rectal cancer with microsatellite instability (MSI). Methods: Microsatellite markers were genotyped in 93 sporadic rectal cancer patients. Eleven cases were found to be high-frequency MSI (MSI-H). Sequence analysis of the coding region of the exons 3-9 of hTCF-4 gene was carried out for the 11 MSI-H cases and 10 controls (5 microsatellite stability (MSS) cases and 5 cases with normal mucosa). The sequencing and MSI identification were used. Results: Several novel mutations and variants were revealed. In exon 4, one is a 4-position continuous alteration which caused amino acid change from Q131T and S132I (391insA, 392 G > A, 393 A > G and 395delC) and another nucleotide deletion (395delC) is present in MSI-H cases (5/10 and 4/10, respectively) but completely absent in the controls. Conclusion: Novel mutations in exon 4 of hTCF-4 gene were revealed in this study, which might be of importance in the pathogenesis of sporadic rectal cancer patients with MSI-H. © 2007 WJG. All rights reserved.
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| 24. |
- Reetz, Manfred T., et al.
(författare)
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Directed Evolution of an Enantioselective Epoxide Hydrolase : Uncovering the Source of Enantioselectivity at Each Evolutionary Stage
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : ACS. - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 131:21, s. 7334-7343
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Directed evolution of enzymes as enantioselective catalysts in organic chemistry is an alternative to traditional asymmetric catalysis using chiral transition-metal complexes or organocatalysts, the different approaches often being complementary. Moreover, directed evolution studies allow us to learn more about how enzymes perform mechanistically. The present study concerns a previously evolved highly enantioselective mutant of the epoxide hydrolase from Aspergillus niger in the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of racemic glycidyl phenyl ether. Kinetic data, molecular dynamics calculations, molecular modeling, inhibition experiments, and X-ray structural work for the wild-type (WT) enzyme and the best mutant reveal the basis of the large increase in enantioselectivity (E = 4.6 versus E = 115). The overall structures of the WT and the mutant are essentially identical, but dramatic differences are observed in the active site as revealed by the X-ray structures. All of the experimental and computational results support a model in which productive positioning of the preferred (S)-glycidyl phenyl ether, but not the (R)-enantiomer, forms the basis of enhanced enantioselectivity. Predictions regarding substrate scope and enantioselectivity of the best mutant are shown to be possible.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- Wen, Xiaogang, et al.
(författare)
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Dendritic nanostructures of silver : Facile synthesis, structural characterizations, and sensing applications
- 2006
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Ingår i: Langmuir. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0743-7463 .- 1520-5827. ; 22:10, s. 4836-4842
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Silver nanodendrites are synthesized by a simple surfactant-free method using a suspension of zinc microparticles as a heterogeneous reducing agent. Structural characterizations suggest the preferential growth along <100> and <111> directions by oriented attachment of silver nanocrystals in the diffusion limit, leading to the formation of silver nanodendrites 20−30 nm in stem and branch diameter and 5−50 μm in length. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering studies show that the silver nanodentrites give an intensive and enhanced Raman scattering when pyridine was used as a probing molecule. We have also demonstrated that the silver nanodendrites increase the sensitivity of an electrochemical glucose biosensor by as much as 1−2 orders of magnitude.
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| 27. |
- Yu, Ling-Zhu, et al.
(författare)
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MEK1/2 regulates microtubule organization, spindle pole tethering and asymmetric division during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.). - 1551-4005. ; 6:3, s. 330-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is well known that MAPK plays pivotal roles in oocyte maturation, but the function of MEK (MAPK kinase) remains unknown. We have studied the expression, subcellular localization and functional roles of MEK during meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes. Firstly, we found that MEK1/2 phoshorylation (p-MEK1/2, indicative of MEK activation) was low in GV (germinal vesicle) stage, increased 2h after GVBD (germinal vesicle breakdown), and reached the maximum at metaphase II. Secondly, we found that P-MEK1/2 was restricted in the GV prior to GVBD. In prometaphase I and metaphase I, P-MEK1/2 was mainly associated with the spindle, especially with the spindle poles. At anaphase I and telophase I, p-MEK1/2 became diffusely distributed in the region between the separating chromosomes, and then became associated with the midbody. The association of p-MEK1/2 with spindle poles was further confirmed by its colocalization with the centrosomal proteins, gamma-tubulin and NuMA. Thirdly, we have investigated the possible functional role of MEK1/2 activation by intravenous administration and intrabursal injection of a specific MEK inhibitor, U0126, and by microinjection of MEK siRNA into oocytes. All these manipulations cause disorganized spindle poles and spindle structure, misaligned chromosomes and larger than normal polar bodies. Our results suggest that MEK1/2 may function as a centrosomal protein and may have roles in microtubule organization, spindle pole tethering and asymmetric division during mouse oocyte maturation.
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| 28. |
- Zhang, Wen-Chao, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical and pathological analysis of malignant carotid body tumour : a report of nine cases
- 2009
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Ingår i: Acta Oto-Laryngologica. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0001-6489 .- 1651-2251. ; 129:11, s. 1320-1325
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conclusions. Malignant carotid body tumour (MCBT) is a clinically rare disease that often invades the carotid artery and cranial nerves. Diagnosis of malignant tumour should be based on extensive invasion of neighbouring organs and distant metastasis. Extensive resection should be undertaken early. Radiotherapy is effective, whereas chemotherapy is uncertain. Objective. To summarize the clinical pathological and prognostic characteristics of MCBT and explore methods for diagnosis and treatment. Materials and methods. The study material comprised clinical, pathological, therapeutic and follow-up data concerning nine patients (four males, five females) with MCBT, treated at Tianjin Cancer Hospital between January 1956 and June 2006. The material was analysed retrospectively. Disease duration averaged 6.4 years. Shamblin classification was: one case, type ?; 8 cases, type ?. All nine patients underwent ultrasound examination, four underwent digital subtraction arteriography (DSA) and three had magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Five patients underwent preoperative training of compression of the carotid (Matas test). Extensive resection was performed in all nine cases. Results. The carotid artery was blocked in three patients. In one of these the artery was reconstructed with a vascular prosthesis, while two underwent carotid ligation. Eight patients suffered from a cranial nerve dysfunction (defect) and two suffered postoperatively from a hoarse voice, four had a glossal deviation, five had Horner's syndrome and one had a deviation of the lip angle. One patient had a congestive cough. The histopathological diagnosis in all nine cases was MCBT. One patient had metastases to a cervical lymph node and lung and another had liver metastasis. The median follow-up period was 3 years (range 6 months to 14 years). Six patients survived surgery, of whom two underwent radiotherapy. Two patients died and one could not be traced.
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| 29. |
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