Effects of Ixeris Chinensis (Thunb.) Nakai boiling water extract on hepatitis B viral activity and hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and hepatocellular carcinoma are major diseases that affect the Taiwanese population. Therefore, the development of an alternative herbal medicine that can effectively treat these diseases is a research target. In this study, we tested Ixeris Chinensis (Thunb.) Nakai boiling water extract (ICTN BWE) in vitro and analysed its effects on the HBV and liver cancer.Materials and Methods: We used a human liver cancer cell line (Hep3B, a cell line that continuously secretes HBV particles into a medium) as an experimental model for the screening of various ICTN BWE concentrations and their effects on the HBV in vitro.Results: Our results showed that 75 μg/mL ICTN BWE downregulated the relative expression of the hepatitis B virus surface antigens (HBsAg) to 77.1%. Using the human liver cancer cell lines HuH-7 and HepG2, and 3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol-zyl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and tumour clonogenic assays, we then showed that ICTN BWE inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth.Conclusion: Fluorescent microscopy of DAPI(4',6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole)-stained nuclei and DNA fragmentation assays confirmed the inhibitory effects of ICTN BWE on liver tumour cell growth through induction of apoptosis.Keywords: herbal medicine, Ixeris Chinensis (Thunb.) Nakai, antihepatocellular carcinoma, apoptosis, antihepatitis B viru

Association Patterns of Ontological Features Signify Electronic Health Records in Liver Cancer

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Through-Transmission Impedance Measurements on Moving Metallic Sheets

Eddy current measurement of electrical resistivity provides a method of sensing temperature during metals processing, thus offering a method of feedback control [1,2]. This method assumes a known resistivity-temperature relation for the alloy being processed. However, in many common processing configurations a measurement of the impedance of the coil system can depend on the velocity of the product being tested. In the through-transmission (abbreviated thru-trans) configuration for monitoring moving metallic sheets, the component of the exciting magnetic field normal to the sheet induces an electric field in the sheet transverse to the direction of the velocity. This modifies the induced current distribution and thus changes the shielding of the field at the receiver coil relative to the condition for the static case. This effect is significant even in the case of extruded aluminum moving at 150 ft/min. In high speed rolling, at 1000 ft/min or greater, the effect of velocity is even more significant

Effects of serum proteins on corrosion behavior of ISO 5832–9 alloy modified by titania coatings

Stainless steel ISO 5832–9 type is often used to perform implants which operate in protein-containing physiological environments. The interaction between proteins and surface of the implant may affect its corrosive properties. The aim of this work was to study the effect of selected serum proteins (albumin and γ-globulins) on the corrosion of ISO 5832–9 alloy (trade name M30NW) which surface was modified by titania coatings. These coatings were obtained by sol– gel method and heated at temperatures of 400 and 800 °C. To evaluate the effect of the proteins, the corrosion tests were performed with and without the addition of proteins with concentration of 1 g L−1 to the physiological saline solution (0.9 % NaCl, pH 7.4) at 37 °C. The tests were carried out within 7 days. The following electrochemical methods were used: open circuit potential, linear polarization resistance, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. In addition, surface analysis by optical microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) method was done at the end of weekly corrosion tests. The results of corrosion tests showed that M30NW alloy both uncoated and modified with titania coatings exhibits a very good corrosion resistance during weekly exposition to corrosion medium. The best corrosion resistance in 0.9 % NaCl solution is shown by alloy samples modified by titania coating annealed at 400 °C. The serumproteins have no significant effect onto corrosion of investigated biomedical steel. The XPS results confirmed the presence of proteins on the alloy surface after 7 days of immersion in proteincontaining solutions.The investigations were supported by the National Science Centre project No. N N507 501339. The authors gratefully acknowledge Dr. Janusz Sobczak and Dr. hab. Wojciech Lisowski from Institute of Physical Chemistry of PAS for XPS surface analyses

Improving Australian rainfall prediction using sea surface salinity

This study uses sea surface salinity (SSS) as an additional precursor for improving the prediction of summer (December-February, DJF) rainfall over northeast Australia. From a singular value decomposition between SSS of prior seasons and DJF rainfall, we note that SSS of the Indo-Pacific warm pool region [SSSP (150oE-165oW and 10oS-10oN), and SSSI (50oE-95oE and 10oS-10oN)] co-vary with Australian rainfall, particularly over the Northeast. Composite analysis based on high (low) SSS events in SSSP and SSSI region is performed to understand the physical links between the SSS and the atmospheric moisture originating from the regions of anomalously high (low) SSS and precipitation over Australia. The composites show the signature of co-occurring La Niña and negative Indian Ocean dipole (co-occurring El Niño and positive Indian Ocean dipole) with anomalously wet (dry) conditions over Australia. During the high (low) SSS events of SSSP and SSSI regions, the convergence (divergence) of incoming moisture flux results in anomalously wet (dry) conditions over Australia with a positive (negative) soil moisture anomaly. Furthermore, we show from the random forest regression analysis that the El Niño Southern Oscillation is the most important precursor for the Australian rainfall, followed by the SSS of the western Pacific warm pool (SSSP). The random forest regression also predicts Australian rainfall, and this prediction is improved by including SSS from the prior season. This evidence suggests that sustained observations of SSS can improve the monitoring of the Australian regional hydrological cycle

Development of Low-Alkali, Fly Ash/Slag Geopolymers: Predictive Strength Modelling and Analyses of Impact of Curing Temperatures

The present work analyses the effects of curing temperature (25, 40, 60 °C for 24 h), silicate modulus Ms value (1.5, 1.7, 2.0), and slag content (10, 20, 30, 40 wt%) on the compressive strength development (1, 7, 14, 28 days) of low-alkali geopolymer mortars with matrices from fly ash and blast furnace slag. These data were used to generate predictive models for 28-day compressive strength as a function of curing temperature and slag content. While the dominant variable for the 1-day compressive strength was the curing temperature, the slag content was dominant for the 28-day compressive strength. The ratio of the 1-day and 28-day compressive strengths as a function of curing temperature, Ms value, and slag content allows prediction of the maximal possible curing temperature and shows cold-weather casting to present an obstacle to setting. These data also allow prediction of the 28-day compressive strength using only the 1-day compressive strength

Instability in a marginal coral reef: the shift from natural variability to a human-dominated seascape

As global climate change drives the demise of tropical reef ecosystems, attention is turning to the suitability o refuge habitat. For the Great Barrier Reef, are there historically stable southern refugia where corals from th north might migrate as climate changes? To address this question, we present a precise chronology of margina coral reef development from Moreton Bay, southeast Queensland, Australia. Our chronology shows that ree growth was episodic, responding to natural environmental variation throughout the Holocene, and tha Moreton Bay was inhospitable to corals for about half of the past 7000 years. The only significant change ii coral species composition occurred between similar to 200 and similar to 50 years ago, following anthropogenic alterations of th, bay and its catchments. Natural historical instability of reefs, coupled with environmental degradation sinc, European colonization, suggests that Moreton Bay offers limited potential as refuge habitat for reef species or human time scales

Correcting atmospheric effects on InSAR with MERIS water vapour data and elevation-dependent interpolation model

Author name used in this publication: X. L. Ding2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Cardiac Potassium Channels: Physiological Insights for Targeted Therapy.

The development of novel drugs specifically directed at the ion channels underlying particular features of cardiac action potential (AP) initiation, recovery, and refractoriness would contribute to an optimized approach to antiarrhythmic therapy that minimizes potential cardiac and extracardiac toxicity. Of these, K(+) channels contribute numerous and diverse currents with specific actions on different phases in the time course of AP repolarization. These features and their site-specific distribution make particular K(+) channel types attractive therapeutic targets for the development of pharmacological agents attempting antiarrhythmic therapy in conditions such as atrial fibrillation. However, progress in the development of such temporally and spatially selective antiarrhythmic drugs against particular ion channels has been relatively limited, particularly in view of our incomplete understanding of the complex physiological roles and interactions of the various ionic currents. This review summarizes the physiological properties of the main cardiac potassium channels and the way in which they modulate cardiac electrical activity and then critiques a number of available potential antiarrhythmic drugs directed at them