Study of a fractional-order model of chronic wasting disease

This paper studies a fractional-order modelling chronic wasting disease (CWD). The basic results on existence, uniqueness, non-negativity, and boundedness of the solutions are investigated for the considered model. The criterion for local as well as global stability of the equilibrium points is derived. A numerical analysis for Hopf-type bifurcation is presented. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to justify the results obtained.     

Highly sensitive simultaneous quantification of indoxyl sulfate and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid in human plasma using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

Indoxyl sulfate and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid are uremic toxins that accumulate in renal failure and have been reported to decrease the activities of the drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 3A and the drug transporter organic anion transporting polypeptides 1B, respectively. In this study, we established and validated an assay for simultaneous quantification of indoxyl sulfate and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid in human plasma. The samples were pretreated by solid-phase extraction, and measured by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The validation results for this assay were within the acceptable limits recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration, with a lower limit of quantitation of 0.05 μg/mL for both indoxyl sulfate and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid. Recovery rates of indoxyl sulfate and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid corrected by internal standard were 100.7–101.9 and 100.2–101.3%, respectively. Matrix effects of indoxyl sulfate and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid corrected by internal standard were 101.1–105.5 and 97.0–103.8%, respectively. The validated assay was used to analyze indoxyl sulfate and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid concentrations in the plasma samples of healthy volunteers and patients with chronic kidney disease. All the measured plasma indoxyl sulfate and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid concentrations were within the calibration ranges. This novel method may contribute to predicting the activities of drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters in individual patients.     

Characterization of cryoinjury-induced infarction with manganese-and gadolinium-enhanced MRI and optical spectroscopy in pig hearts

Purpose

To investigate progression of cryoinjury in pigs using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as well as optical spectroscopy and imaging.

Methods

Cryoinjury was produced in 16 pigs in vivo and investigated using Gd-and Mn-enhanced MRI, optical imaging/spectroscopy and histology in acute and chronic setting up to 4 weeks after the injury.

Results

(1) Acute cryoinjury resulted in formation of a lesion with a severely reduced rate of sub-epicardial indocyanine green (intravascular optical flow tracer) passage. In vivo late Gd-enhanced MRI showed a ∼10 mm deep hypointense area that was surrounded by a hyperintense rim while ex vivo Mn-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) detected a homogenous hypointense zone. Histological and spectroscopic examination revealed embolic erythrocytes blockages within the cryolesion with a thin necrotic rim neighboring the normal myocardium. (2) Chronic 4-week cryoinjury was characterized by uniform Gd-enhancement, whereas MEMRI revealed reduced Mn²⁺enhancement. Histological examination showed replacement of the cryoinjured myocardium by scar tissue.

Conclusions

Acute cryoinjury resulted in formation of a no-reflow core embolized by erythrocytes and surrounded by a rim of necrotic tissue. Upon injury progression, the no-reflow zone shrunk and was completely replaced with scar tissue by 4 weeks after injury.     

Differential proteome analysis of tonsils from children with chronic tonsillitis or with hyperplasia reveals disease-associated protein expression differences

A proteomic approach has been used to establish a proteome map and differentiate between the protein composition of tonsils from patients with chronic tonsillitis (CT) and that of tonsils with hyperplasia (HPL). Two-dimensional gel analysis was performed with material from four patients with HPL and five patients with CT. An average of approximately 600 spots were detected in each gel. A total of 127 different proteins were identified in 158 spots analyzed by mass spectrometry. Our study revealed disease-associated differences between protein abundance for two protein spots, an HSP27 isoform and UMP-CMP kinase. Both protein spots were more abundant in the CT group. HSP27 ELISA was performed for 32 patients, 12 belonging to the HPL group and 20 to the CT group. ELISA could not be used to differentiate HSP27 isoforms nor to distinguish CT from HPL. HSP27 was found to migrate to two further protein spots in the 2D gels. The differently expressed HSP27 isoform migrated as the most acidic of all the HSP27 isoforms detected, indicating the highest degree of phosphorylation. The sum of all three HSP27 abundances in the gels from the CT group was not different from that of the HPL group, consistent with the ELISA results. Our results suggest that phosphorylation differences caused the observed migration differences of HSP27. Together with the UMP-CMP kinase abundance differences, we conclude that kinase and/or phosphatase activity are different in CT and HPL. This paper was presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Mass Spectrometry (DGMS) held in March 2005 in Rostock, Germany.     

Recent advancement and development of chitin and chitosan-based nanocomposite for drug delivery: Critical approach to clinical research

This review depicts the exposure of chitin and chitosan base multifunctional nanomaterial composites for promising applications in field of biomedical science structure, synthesis as well as potential application from a colossal angle. We elaborated critically each of the chitin and chitosan base nanomaterial with its potential application toward biomedical science. For different biomedical applications it use in form of hydrogels, microsphere, nanoparticles, aerogels, microsphere and in form of scaffold. Due to this it had been blended with different polymer such as starch, cellulose, alginate, lipid, hyaluronic acid, polyvinyl alcohol and caboxymethyl cellulose. In this review article, a comprehensive overview of combination of chitin and chitosan base nanomaterial with natural as well as synthetic polymers and their biomedical applications in biomedical field involving drug delivery system all the technical scientific issues have been addressed; highlighting the recent advancements.     

老年慢性支气管炎急性发作期病人头发微量元素的测定与分析

为观察老年慢性支气管炎急性发作期头发中微量元素的变化,测定了50例老年慢性支气管炎急性发作期患者和40例正常对照组头发中锌、铁、铜、钙、锰、铅6种元素含量。结果表明,慢性支气管炎急性发作期患者发中锌、铁、铜、钙含量明显低正常对照组（P＜0．01）。提示头发中微量元素减少与慢性支气管炎易反复感染有一定的关系。     

Cytotoxicity of tantalum(V) and niobium(V) small carborane complexes and mode of action in P388 lymphocytic leukemia cells

The metallacarboranes (Et₂C₂B₄H₄)‐­TaCl₂(C₅H₅) ( 1 ), (Et₂C₂B₄H₄)NbCl₂(C₅H₅) ( 2 ), (Et₂C₂B₄H₄)TaCl₂(C₅Me₅) ( 3 ), [(Me₃Si)₂­C₂B₄H₄]TaCl₂(C₅H₅) ( 4 ) and (Me₂C₂B₄H₄)‐­TaCl₂(C₅H₅) ( 5 ) are potent cytotoxic agents against suspended tumors, producing cell death in several tissue culture lines; for example, all were effective against murine L1210 lymphoid leukemia, and all except 5 against murine P388 lymphocytic growth. Human leukemic growth is also retarded since 1–4 were effective against Tmolt₃ cell leukemia, all except 4 against Tmolt₄ leukemia, and 1, 2 , and 5 against HI‐60 leukemia. Cytotoxicity was found towards HuT‐8 lymphoma, THP‐1 acute monocytic leukemia and suspended HeLa‐S³ uterine carcinoma. Some but not all of the complexes were active against Sk‐2 melanoma and Mcf‐7 breast effusion growth. Mode‐of‐action studies in P388 lymphocytic leukemia cells showed that de novo purine synthesis was inhibited; this inhibition reduces DNA and RNA syntheses. Purine synthesis was reduced by compounds 3 and 4 at the regulatory enzymes, i.e. phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) amidotransferase and dihydrofolate reductase. The agents lowered d[ATP] and d[CTP] pools, further reducing DNA synthesis. The complexes afforded DNA fragmentation leading to apoptosis, but this was not by a mechanism of nucleoside alkylation, intercalation between base‐pairs or cross‐linking of the DNA strands. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

人胚胎干细胞与急性早幼粒细胞白血病细胞的拉曼光谱特征研究

急性早幼粒细胞白血病(APL)属于急性髓系白血病(AML),是FAB分型中的M3亚型。部分APL患者形成早幼粒细胞白血病/维甲酸受体融合基因,即PML-RARα融合基因。在内外界多种因素的共同作用下,早幼粒细胞白血病发病。胚胎干细胞(ESCs)具有多向分化的能力,在一定诱导条件下, ESCs可以向造血系统分化。早幼粒细胞位于ESCs分化下游,为粒系分化阶段的一种细胞。探索一种非标记的技术方法鉴别不同分化阶段造血细胞具有重要的科研和实践意义。拉曼光谱技术可用于多种类型疾病的鉴别诊断研究,近年来应用前景愈加广阔。实验研究人胚胎干细胞系(ES)、急性早幼粒细胞白血病细胞系(NB4)和急性早幼粒细胞白血病患者(M3)白血病细胞的拉曼光谱特征,建立拉曼光谱非标记鉴别不同分化阶段白血病的方法,为临床实验研究提供基础。分别收集胚胎干细胞系(ES)、急性早幼粒细胞白血病细胞系(NB4)和4例M3患者白血病细胞,使用Horiba Xplora拉曼光谱仪获取拉曼光谱,每组或每例患者采集25~30个白血病细胞光谱。结合应用主成分分析法(PCA)、判别函数分析(DFA)、系统聚类分析和偏最小二乘判别分析(PLS-DA),对三类细胞的光谱进行分析并建立模型,进而对三类细胞进行鉴别,应用交互验证法对模型进行验证。同时结合细胞超微结构分析三种细胞的拉曼光谱特征。M3, NB4和ES细胞的拉曼光谱差别显著,主要表现为M3和NB4细胞光谱中对应核酸、蛋白质及脂类物质的谱峰明显高于ES细胞,其生物学机制包含了APL与PI3K/Akt/mTOR通路的密切关系。PI3K/Akt/mTOR通路在急性早幼粒细胞白血病细胞中存在异常激活,影响白血病细胞的生物大分子代谢;鉴别建模的总体分类准确率达100%(181/181),交互验证的分类准确率达98.9%(179/181),表明鉴别模型预测能力良好。拉曼光谱分析显示M3细胞和NB4细胞增殖代谢明显高于ES细胞,根据PCA-DFA、聚类分析及PLS-DA建立的拉曼光谱鉴别模型能够准确区分3种不同分化阶段白血病相关细胞,其结果与电镜结果相符。