Ultrastructure of HepG2 and HK-2 cells cultured for 144 h on F127 membrane.

<p>nuclear (N), mitochondria (M), lipid droplet (L), glycogen particle (Gly), bile duct (BD), microvillus (Mic).</p

Cell attachment 4 h after seeding.

<p>A: in 10% FBS medium; B: in protein-free medium. Well bottom surfaces (WBS) were used as controls.</p

Renal tubular-cell specific functions of HK-2 and MDCK renal tubular cells cultured on various membranes.

<p>γ-glutamyltransferase activity (A), alkaline phosphatase activity (B), and Mrp2 activity (C) are presented as means ± SD of three measurements. # and * represent significant differences (p<0.05) compared to the respective control on well bottom surfaces (WBS).</p

Cell proliferation on various membranes.

<p>Well bottom surfaces (WBS) were used as controls.</p

Morphology of HK-2, MDCK, and HepG2 cell lines and rat hepatocytes cultured for 144 h on various membranes.

<p>Cell images were detected by scanning electron microscope. Scale bar represents 50 µm.</p

RT-PCR analysis for cell expression of genes coding for integrin β1 (<i>ITGB1</i>) and E-cadherin (<i>CDH1</i>) on various membranes and well bottom surfaces (WBS).

<p><i>GAPDH</i> was used as housekeeping gene, and its expression served as control.</p

Liver-specific functions of rat hepatocytes and HepG2 cultured on various membranes.

<p>Urea production (A), albumin secretion (B), cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2 activity (C), and CYP 3A activity (D) are presented as means ± SD of three measurements. # and * represent significant differences (p<0.05) compared to the respective control on well bottom surfaces (WBS).</p

Formation of casting solutions of membranes.

<p>Formation of casting solutions of membranes.</p

Hyperuricemia as an Independent Predictor of Vascular Complications and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes Patients: A Meta-Analysis

<div><p>Background</p><p>Recent data have suggested that serum uric acid (SUA) level is positively associated with the development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Whether SUA is also independently associated with the development of vascular complications and mortality in T2DM is controversial.</p> <p>Methods</p><p>A computerized literature search of MEDLINE, Embase and PubMed database was conducted and the odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio (HR) for per 0.1mmol/l increase in SUA in each study was calculated. Cochrane’s Q and I² statistics were used to evaluate heterogeneity among studies and pooling OR and HR with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects models and fixed-effects models. The pooled analysis was performed using Stata 10.0.</p> <p>Results</p><p>Our search yielded 9 eligible articles (16 ORs and HRs) including 20,891 T2DM patients. Pooled estimates for the relationship suggested that each 0.1 mmol/l increase in SUA resulted in a 28% increase in the risk of diabetic vascular complications and a 9% increase in the risk of diabetic mortality. In stratification-analysis, the positive relationship between SUA and vascular complications remained significant irrespective of mean age, adjustment for metabolic variables and medications. However, it was inconsistent in different populations (significantly positive in the Asian but not in Australian and Italian population) and sample sizes (significantly positive in the relatively large sample size [≥1000] but non-significant in the small sample size [<1000]).</p> <p>Conclusions</p><p>Results of this meta-analysis supported elevated SUA as an independent predictor of vascular complications and mortality in T2DM patients. SUA-lowering therapies might be helpful for prevention and treatment of vascular complications in this population.</p> </div

Viscosity and Density Measurements for Six Binary Mixtures of Water (Methanol or Ethanol) with an Ionic Liquid ([BMIM][DMP] or [EMIM][DMP]) at Atmospheric Pressure in the Temperature Range of (293.15 to 333.15) K

The experimental data of viscosity and density for six binary mixtures of water (methanol or ethanol) with an ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate ([BMIM][DMP]) or 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate ([EMIM][DMP]), were measured in the temperature range of (293.15 to 333.15) K at atmospheric pressure using a viscometer and densimeter. The solution behavior of the mixtures is discussed in terms of the variation of the excess viscosity and excess volume with temperatures and compositions. It is found that both excess volume and viscosity of the mixtures studied show a negative deviation from the ideal solution behavior, and the viscosity of the mixtures decreases drastically with the increase of temperatures and mole fractions of solvents. The excess volume of the binary mixtures is quite low, in the range of (1.0 to 1.9) cm³·mol^–1; moreover, it shows a monotonic decrease with increasing temperature for the aqueous solution of ILs and a reverse trend for the IL solutions of methanol or ethanol at any concentrations