Rat primers used for RT-PCR analysis.

<p><i>Bcl2</i>, B-cell lymphoma 2;</p><p><i>Bcl-xl</i>, B-cell lymphoma-extra large;</p><p><i>MCP1</i>, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1;</p><p><i>HIF1a</i>, hypoxia induced factor 1a.</p><p>Rat primers used for RT-PCR analysis.</p

Effects of VPA on proliferation and inflammation.

<p>(A) PCNA, (B) SMA, and (C) ED1 immunohistochemical staining quantitative analysis of (D) the index of proliferation (the number of PCNA-positive cells per pulmonary vessel) and (E) the index of inflammation (the number of ED1-positive cells per pulmonary vessel) were used to show the regulation of proliferation and inflammation by VPA in the peripheral pulmonary vessels. Scale bar, 50 μm. * p < 0.05; *** p < 0.001.</p

Therapeutic effects of valproic acid (VPA) on severe PH.

<p>(A) Schematic of therapeutic protocols used in the control, prevention, and reversal studies. The comparison of (B) body weight change ratio, (C) systemic blood pressure (SBP), (D) right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), (E) Fulton index, (F) the ratio of right ventricular weight to body weight (RV/BW), (G) medial wall thickness, (H) muscularization ratio and (I) the vascular occlusion score (VOS) of small PAs between the Vehicle-treated group and the VPA-treated group (n = 6 per group). * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001.</p

Effects of VPA on gene transcription.

<p>(A) <i>HIF1a</i>, (B) <i>P21</i>, (C) <i>MCP1</i>, (D) <i>Casp3</i>, (E) <i>Bcl2</i>, (F) <i>Bcl-xl</i> mRNA levels were assessed using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and are shown as fold change relative to the expression level of the control group. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001. <i>Bcl2</i>, B-cell lymphoma 2; <i>Bcl-xl</i>, B-cell lymphoma-extra large; <i>MCP1</i>, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1; <i>HIF1a</i>, hypoxia induced factor 1a.</p

Morphological and immunohistochemical analysis of pulmonary arteries (PAs) in severe PH rats.

<p>MCT/CH resulted in vascular occlusive neointimal lesions. (A) Victoria blue staining and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) immunohistochemical staining were used to delineate the elastic membrane and media of PAs in control and MCT/CH rats at 3 weeks (MCT/CH 3w), 4 weeks (MCT/CH 4w), and 5 weeks (MCT/CH 5w). (B) Immunohistochemical staining for (a) fetal liver kinase 1 (FLK1), (b) ED1, (c) proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and (d) cleaved caspase-3 in lung tissue sections (arrows) from rats with severe PH (sections from control rats are not shown). Scale bar, 50 μm. (C) Occlusive neointimal lesions occurred distal to the branch points of small muscularized PAs, and showed positive ED1 and PCNA staining. Scale bar, 50 μm.</p

A combination method increased severity of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in rats.

<p>(A) Schematic PH model protocols for control, chronic hypoxia (CH), monocrotaline (MCT), and combination (MCT/CH) groups. Comparison of (B) body weight change ratio, (C) systemic blood pressure (SBP), (D) right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), (E) Fulton index, (F) the ratio of right ventricle weight to body weight (RV/BW), (G) medial wall thickness and (H) muscularization ratio of small pulmonary arteries among different treatment groups (n = 6 per group). + p < 0.05 vs. control group; # p < 0.05 vs. MCT/CH group.</p

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity inhibition by VPA.

<p>(A) HDAC1, HDAC2, and HDAC3 expression levels in PH models were determined by western blot analysis. (B) Representative immunohistochemical staining of HDAC1 in MCT/CH rats. (C) Quantification of HDAC1, HDAC2 and HDAC3 expression in different PH model groups. Comparisons of HDAC1, HDAC2 and HDAC3 expression (D) in the prevention study and (E) the reversal study. (F) Acetylated-histone 3 expression in nuclear protein extracts. All western blots were quantified with a lumino-analyzer, and expression is shown as fold increases normalized to the expression of β-actin or lamin A/C. + p < 0.05 vs. control; # p < 0.05 vs. MCT/CH.</p

Additional file 1: of Silibinin efficacy in a rat model of pulmonary arterial hypertension using monocrotaline and chronic hypoxia

Table S1. Primers used for RT-qPCR. Table S2. The p value of two-way ANOVA analysis. Figure S1. Measurement of RVSP in different groups. Figure S2. The results of two-way ANOVA analysis. Figure S3. Hemodynamic studies, immunohistochemical evaluation, and gene expression of PAH-5w and Sil-5w groups. (ZIP 6575 kb

Effects of Machine Washing on the Chromatography Parameters of Polyester Fiber Gel Permeation

Fiber examination is frequently performed in forensics, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) is one candidate method for discriminating polyester fibers. Here, the effects of machine washing on weight-average molecular weight (Mw), polydispersity index (PDI), and the percentage peak area of cyclic ethylene terephthalate trimer (PPAL) of commercial polyester shirts and manufactured poly­(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) yarns were investigated using GPC. GPC was performed using a 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-propan-2-ol polymer solubilizer, styrene–divinylbenzene copolymer GPC columns, a chloroform mobile phase, and a 254 nm absorbance monitor. The statistical change in the polyester fibers during machine washing was evaluated by comparing three GPC parameters of the same fiber samples before and after machine washing. Among the commercial polyester shirts examined, the GPC parameters changed significantly after machine washing with a considerable PPAL decrease. In contrast, the GPC parameters of manufactured PET yarns changed significantly with a moderate increase in Mw. This work elucidates the change on GPC parameters of polyester fibers by machine washing

Forensic Discrimination of Drug Powder Based on Drug Mixing Condition Determined Using Micro Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

The quantitative evaluation of the drug mixing condition was conducted for application in the forensic discrimination of drug powders using micro Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Bromhexine hydrochloride (BHCl) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA) were used as the simulated drug and additive, respectively. Equal masses of two chemicals were (1) simply mixed, (2) homogenized using agate mortar, or (3) dissolved in methanol and dried, and then (4) homogenized using agate mortar. The mixed powders dispersed on BaF2 plates were subjected to mapping analysis of micro FT-IR spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation (SR) or globar light in transmission mode with aperture sizes of 2.5 x 2.5 and 10 x 10μm2, and x–y scanning steps of 2.5 and 10 μm, respectively. The areas of the vibration bands specific to BHCl (C–N bending) and PHBA (CO stretching) were converted to the molar contents (CBHCl, CPHBA), and the relative content ratio (RCR: CPHBA/[CBHCl + CPHBA]) was used as one mixing parameter. The resulting two-dimensional distribution map provided the relative spatial localizations of the two species, and frequency histograms with a horizontal axis of RCR were plotted to evaluate the RCR distribution. The percentage frequency of the extreme value in which RCR was 0 or 1 (%EV) was used as one mixing index. After excluding the extreme values, the coefficient of variation (CV) of the RCR distribution was used as another mixing index. The differentiation among four mixing modes could be evaluated from the standpoint of %EV and CV, and the discrimination capacity by SR instrument was superior to that by globe light instrument