Inhibition of bacterial adhesion to HT-29 cells by lipoteichoic acid extracted from Clostridium butyricum

The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of the lipoteichoic acid (LTA) extracted from Clostridium butyricum on the adhesion of C. butyricum and Escherichia coli to HT-29 human intestinal cells. The method of extraction of lipoteichoic acid form C. butyricum by TX114 was evaluated. The purification of the LTA by DEAE-cellulose 52 anion exchange chromatography was also investigated. In addition, the LTA was assayed for its inhibition of the adhesion of C. butyricum and E. coli to HT-29 cells and antimicrobial activity. Our results showed that LTA could be extracted by TX114 and purified by DEAE-cellulose 52 anion exchange chromatography and could inhibit the adhesion of C. butyricum and E. coli to HT-29 cells. This result also revealed that the LTA from C. butyricum could inhibit the adhesion of C. butyricum and E. coli to intestinal cells.Key words: Lipoteichoic acid, Clostridium butyricum, HT-29 cells, adhesion, Escherichia col

Full Length Research Paper Curcumin induces cleavage of -catenin by activation of capases and downregulates the &#946-catenin/Tcf signaling pathway in HT-29 cells

β-Catenin/Tcf-4 signaling pathway plays important roles in colorectal tumorigenesis. RT-PCR, western blotting and immunoprecipitation were used to study the effects of curcumin on β-catenin/Tcf-4 signaling pathway in HT-29 cells. Treatment of curcumin could induce cleavage of β-catenin and the cleavage could be inhibited by caspase inhibitors. The association of β-catenin with Tcf-4 in nucleus could be inhibited by curcumin. The expression of c-myc and cyclinD1 was downregulated by curcumin, which could not be blocked by Z-DEVD-FMK. The results showed curcumin could induce thecleavage of β-catenin by activition of caspases and downregulate the activity of β-catenin/Tcf signaling pathway independent of the caspases in HT-29 cells

Dynamic breakage and fragmentation of brittle single particle of various sizes and strength

2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Schizophrenia trials in China: a survey

OBJECTIVE: China's biomedical research activity is increasing and this literature is becoming more accessible online. Our aim was to survey all randomized control schizophrenia trials (RCTs) in one Chinese bibliographic database. METHOD: Chinese Academic Journals was electronically searched for RCTs and all relevant citations were also sought on PubMed to ascertain global accessibility. RESULTS: The search identified 3275 records, of which 982 were RCTs relevant to schizophrenia. A total of 71% (699) could be found by using English phrases. All the main body of text of the 982 papers was in Mandarin. On average, these trials involved about 100 people, with interventions and outcome measures familiar to schizophrenia trialists worldwide. Four of the 982 records (<1%) were identified on PubMed. CONCLUSION: Those undertaking systematic reviews should search the Chinese literature for relevant material. Failing to do this will leave the results of systematic reviews prone to random error or bias, or both

Comparative analyses of the scaling diversity index and its applicability

As well as the newly developed scaling diversity index, there are also eleven traditional diversity indices to be found in the literature. Analyses show that these eleven traditional indices are unable to formulate the richness component of diversity. In particular, the most widely used index, the Shannon-Weiner index, cannot express the evenness component. On the contrary, the scaling diversity index is able to formulate both the richness aspect and the evenness aspect of diversity. The scaling diversity index has been applied to developing scenarios of ecological diversity at different spatial resolutions and spatial scales. A case study in Fukang in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China shows that the scaling diversity index is sensitive to spatial resolution and is easy to understand. It is scientifically sound and could be operated at affordable cost

Preparation and thermal conductivity of CuO nanofluid via a wet chemical method

In this article, a wet chemical method was developed to prepare stable CuO nanofluids. The influences of synthesis parameters, such as kinds and amounts of copper salts, reaction time, were studied. The thermal conductivities of CuO nanofluids were also investigated. The results showed that different copper salts resulted in different particle morphology. The concentration of copper acetate and reaction time affected the size and shape of clusters of primary nanoparticles. Nanofluids with different microstructures could be obtained by changing the synthesis parameters. The thermal conductivities of CuO nanofluids increased with the increase of particle loading

Comparison of single versus fractionated dose of stereotactic radiotherapy for salvaging local failures of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a matched-cohort analysis

BACKGROUND: Local failure is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Although surgery or brachytherapy may be feasible in selected cases, most patients with local failure require external beam re-irradiation. Stereotactic radiation using single or multiple fractions have been employed in re-irradiation of NPC, but the optimal fractionation scheme and dose are not clear. METHODS: Records of 125 NPC patients who received salvage stereotactic radiation were reviewed. A matched-pair design was used to select patients with similar prognostic factors who received stereotactic re-irradiation using single fraction (SRS) or multiple fractions (SRM). Eighty-six patients were selected with equal number in SRS and SRM groups. All patients were individually matched for failure type (persistent or recurrent), rT stage (rT1-2 or rT3-4), and tumor volume (5-10 cc, or >10 cc). Median dose was 12.5 Gy in single fraction by SRS, and 34 Gy in 2-6 fractions by SRM. RESULTS: Local control rate was better in SRM group although overall survival rates were similar. One- and 3-year local failure-free rates were 70% and 51% in SRS group compared with 91% and 83% in SRM group (p = 0.003). One- and 3-year overall survival rates were 98% and 66% in SRS group compared with 78% and 61% in SRM group (p = 0.31). The differences in local control were mainly observed in recurrent or rT2-4 disease. Incidence of severe late complications was 33% in SRS group vs. 21% in SRM group, including brain necrosis (16% vs. 12%) and hemorrhage (5% vs. 2%). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that SRM was superior to SRS in salvaging local failures of NPC, especially in the treatment of recurrent and rT2-4 disease. In patient with local failure of NPC suitable for stereotactic re-irradiation, use of fractionated treatment is preferred.link_to_subscribed_fulltex