Pervasive application of benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers (BUVSs) in consumer products has raised concerns, as evidenced by their frequent detection in environmental and human matrices. Their presence in pregnant women's blood and potential impact on fetal health remains unexplored. This study analyzed 15 types of BUVSs in paired maternal and cord serum samples from 155 Chinese pregnant women, aiming to investigate the transplacental transfer of BUVSs and assess their potential impact on fetal development. Our results revealed, for the first time, the occurrence of many BUVSs in both maternal and cord serum. UV-P (2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-p-cresol; mean 9.40 ng/mL) was the most abundant BUVS in maternal serum. UV-P (mean 1.95 ng/mL), UV-326 (2-(3-tert-butyl-2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)-5-chloro-2H-benzotriazole; 1.76 ng/mL), and 2-(3-allyl-2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)-2H-benzotriazole (1.67 ng/mL) were the major BUVSs in cord serum. Calculated mean transplacental transfer efficiencies (TTEs) of BUVSs were in the range of 0.21-0.51, and were positively (p < 0.01) correlated with compound lipophilicity. Furthermore, cord serum UV-P and UV-326 levels were inversely (p < 0.05) associated with birth length and head circumference of fetus. This study offers novel insights into prenatal exposure to BUVSs, highlights the role of the placental barrier in modulating fetal exposure, and underscores the need for further research on the developmental toxicity of these widespread environmental contaminants.

This study systematically evaluated the continuous supercritical CO2 fluid extraction (SFE-CO2) process, chemical composition, and biological activities of low and high-polar bioactive components extracted from Torreya grandis cv. Merrilli arils. The optimal SFE-CO2 conditions for the extraction of essential oil (EO) and total flavonoids (TFs) were determined as follows: 28.84 MPa pressure, 40.65°C temperature, 4.99 h extraction time, and a predicted inhibitory zone diameter (IZD) of 31.49 cm for EO; and 32 MPa pressure, 45.83℃ temperature, 3.16 h extraction time, 41.23% co-solvent ratio (ethanol/methanol, v/v), and a predicted antioxidant activity of 79.67% for TFs. Comprehensive GC-MS analysis identified a total of 195 components in EO, among which terpenoids comprising the highest relative content at 58.18%. Monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids accounted for 52.67% (57 compounds) and 46.43% (44 compounds), respectively. Notably, δ-3-carene, (+)-δ-cadinene, and β-pinene displayed relative abundances of 15.20%, 9.97%, and 9.86%. EO demonstrated pronounced inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus, with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.32 mg/mL. Mechanism studies indicated that EO disrupted cell wall and membrane integrity, as evidenced by the leakage of intracellular nucleic acids, proteins, electrolytes and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) from S. aureus cells. TFs exhibited notable radical-scavenging capacity and phytotoxicity on seeds germination and seedlings growth of Digitaria sanguinalis, Poa annua and Avena fatua, which were positively correlated with reduced antioxidant enzymes activities and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. These findings highlight the potential application of bioactive components derived from T. grandis cv. Merrilli arils across multiple fields. Furthermore, this approach supports the efficient utilization of agricultural waste, mitigates ecological and environmental pollution, and enhances the economic and practical value of T. grandis cv. Merrilli.

4,8-Dihydroxy-1-tetrahydronaphthone (4,8-DHT), an allelochemical, was isolated from the Carya cathayensis epicarp and was discovered to have phytotoxicity in laboratory tests. In this study, field experiments were designed to assess the phytotoxicity of 4,8-DHT on weeds in Cerasus yedoensis and Lagerstroemia indica forestlands after pre- and post-emergence application, in addition to physiological effect on Lindernia procumbens were also measured. The phytotoxic results of 4,8-DHT demonstrated that the total inhibition rate of weeds was 81.3% and 68.2% in C. yedoensis forestland and L. indica forestland after pre-emergence applied for 24 days in 2021, and enhanced by 9.9% and 27.8% compared with post-emergence treatment. Especially, in C. yedoensis forestland, a high concentration of 4,8-DHT sprayed at the pre-emergence stage after 8 days had a significant inhibition rate on all weeds except Cyperus rotundus, and was still above 80.0% after 24 days of exposure. Comprehensive control efficacy of 4,8-DHT indicates that pre-emergence application is more favorable for weeds control. Physiological analysis showed that 4,8-DHT stimulated the contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and proline and declined in the activities of antioxidant enzymes, meanwhile, accompanied by a decrease in the root vitality and chlorophyll content in L. procumbens. These results warrant further investigations of 4,8-DHT applied in early pre-emergence as a potential source of weed control agent.

(1) Background: Methyl jasmonate-treated D. morbifera adventitious root extract (MeJA-DMARE), enriched with phenolics, has enhanced bioactivities. However, phenolics possess low stability and bioavailability. Substantial evidence indicates that plant extract–phospholipid complex assemblies, known as phytosomes, represent an innovative drug delivery system. (2) Methods: The phytosome complex was created by combining MeJA-DMARE with Soy-L-α-phosphatidylcholine (PC) using three different ratios through two distinct methods (co-solvency method: A1, A2, and A3; thin-layer film method: B1, B2, and B3). (3) Results: Initial evaluation based on UV-Vis, entrapment efficiency (EE%), and loading content (LC%) indicated that B2 exhibited the highest EE% (79.98 ± 1.45) and LC% (69.17 ± 0.14). The phytosome displayed a spherical morphology with a particle size of 210 nm, a notably low polydispersity index of 0.16, and a superior zeta potential value at −25.19 mV. The synthesized phytosome exhibited superior anti-inflammatory activities by inhibiting NO and ROS production (reduced to 8.9% and 55.1% at 250 μg/mL) in RAW cells and adjusting the expression of related inflammatory cytokines; they also slowed lung tumor cell migration (only 2.3% of A549 cells migrated after treatment with phytosomes at 250 μg/mL), promoting ROS generation in A549 cell lines (123.7% compared to control) and stimulating apoptosis of lung cancer-related genes. (4) Conclusions: In conclusion, the MeJA-DMARE phytosome offers stable, economically efficient, and environmentally friendly nanoparticles with superior inflammation and lung tumor inhibition properties. Thus, the MeJA-DMARE phytosome holds promise as an applicable and favorable creation for drug delivery and lung cancer treatment.

The interfacial, micellar, and foam properties of unitary, binary, and ternary aqueous solutions containing a non-ionic fluorocarbon surfactant (FC-170C), an ionic hydrocarbon surfactant (CAB), and Gleditsia sapo-nin (GS) were comprehensively investigated. FC-170C showed the highest surface activity and micelliza-tion ability, CAB and GS showed the strongest foaming ability and foam stability, respectively. For binary mixtures, the interaction in each pair of mixtures synergistically enhanced the ability of surface tension reduction, but had little synergistic effect on the efficiency of surface tension reduction. For the ternary mixtures, at an optimal formulation of 7.43 x 10-6 mol/L FC-170C, 5.26 x 10-3 mol/L CAB, and 1.60 x 10-4 mol/L GS, the values of c, h0, R5min, and bubble size were 17.3 mN/m, 117 mm, 98%, and 115-116 lm, respectively. In particular, the required amount of fluorocarbon was reduced to 6.78 mg/kg, which is significantly<50 mg/kg limit set by international conventions for fire extinguishing agents. CO 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fritillaria is a perennial herb with medicinal properties. There are 158 Fritillaria species worldwide, 33 of which have reported therapeutic efficacy. Alkaloids are the principal constituents in Fritillaria. Fritillaria species growing at 2700–4000 m are the sources of extract namely Chuan Beimu (the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, 2020 Edition), with low biomass, mainly containing more 5α-cevanine isosteroidal alkaloids with cis-configuration. In contrast, species growing below 1500 m are usually taller than 50 cm, and they mainly contain more trans-configuration isosteroidal alkaloids. There are two schemes of the biosynthetic pathways of steroidal alkaloids with different frameworks and catalytic reactions and combined high-throughput omics data. Based on the distributed elevations, Fritillaria species were divided into three major categories, which met classification features based on phylogenetic analysis or morphological features. Artificial or in vitro cultivations are effective strategies for balancing economical requirements and ecological protection. Fritillaria species growing at lower altitudes can be cultivated by bulb reproduction, but species growing at higher altitudes still rely mainly on gathering a large number of wild resources. Integration of asexual tissue culture and bulb reproduction with sexual artificial or imitated wild cultivation may create a very promising and effective way to maintain sustainable industrial development of Fritillaria.

Environmental conditions contribute to plant growth and metabolism. This study aimed to determine a suitable environment and climate for large-scale artificial cultivation of an endangered plant, Tetrastigma hemsleyanum, by investigating the seasonal variations influencing the flavonoid biosynthetic selectivity and antioxidant activity of its major metabolites. Under conditions of precipitation (2.0~6.6 mm), temperature (17.5~24.1°C), humidity (67.3~80.2%), and sunshine duration (3.4~5.8 h) from April to May, the total flavonoid content in T. hemsleyanum reached higher levels between 281.3 and 392.8 μg/g. In the second half of April, the production selectivity (PS) of isoorientin (IsoO), orientin (Or), rutin (Rut), isoquercitin (IsoQ), kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (Km3rut), astragalin (Ast), quercetin (Qu), apigenin (Ap), and kaempferol (Km) were 0.30, 0.06, 0.07, 0.07, 0.00, 0.04, 0.38, 0.05, and 0.03, respectively. Naringenin was dehydrogenated or hydroxylated to initiate two parallel reaction pathways for flavonoid biosynthesis in T. hemsleyanum: path I subsequently generated flavone derivatives including apigenin, luteolin, orientin, and isoorientin, and path II subsequently generated flavonol derivatives including Km, Qu, IsoQ, Rut, Ast, and Km3rut. The reaction selectivity of path II (RPSII) from January 1 to September 30 was considerably higher than that of path I (RPSI), except for March 16–31. In addition, either the content or antioxidant activity of three major metabolites in T. hemsleyanum followed the order of phenolic compounds > polysaccharides > sterols, and exhibited dynamic correlations with environmental factors. Naringenin favored hydroxylation and derived six flavonol compounds from January to September, and favored dehydrogenation and derived three flavone compounds from October to December. In most months of a year, Km preferentially favored hydroxylation rather than glucosylation.

As a medicinal and edible plant, basil (Ocimum basilicum Linn. var. pilosum (Willd.) Benth.) has rich nutrition and significant economic value. The increase in heat stress caused by global warming adversely affects the growth and yield of plants. However, the response mechanism of basil to heat stress is poorly understood. This work investigated the changes in phenotype, metabolome, and transcriptome in basil under heat stress. The results showed that heat stress triggered severe oxidative damage and photosynthesis inhibition in basil. Metabonomic analysis showed that, compared to the control group, 29 significantly differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were identified after 1 d of heat treatment, and 37 DAMs after the treatment of 3 d. The DAMs were significantly enriched by several pathways such as glycolysis or gluconeogenesis; aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism. In addition, transcriptomic analysis revealed that 15,066 and 15,445 genes were differentially expressed after 1 d and 3 d of heat treatment, respectively. Among them, 11,183 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were common response genes under 1 d and 3 d heat treatment, including 5437 down-regulated DEGs and 6746 up-regulated DEGs. All DEGs were significantly enriched in various KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathways, most dominated by glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, followed by starch and sucrose metabolism, and by the biosynthesis and metabolism of other secondary metabolites. Overall, all the above results provided some valuable insights into the molecular mechanism of basil in response to heat stress.

By designing and conducting a series of temperature-controllable experiments in greenhouse, this work emphatically investigated how the positive or negative allelochemical effects of a key metabolic compound 3,4dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP) from the needles of Picea schrenkiana would vary with environmental temperature. It was found that the alleochemical effect of DHAP on the germination, seedling growth, root development, endogenous plant hormone content and antioxidant enzyme activity of P. schrenkiana demonstrated an orientation duality identified by the existence of a compensation concentration at a certain temperature, which set up a boundary between promotional and inhibitory effect. As temperature increased from 10/2 degrees C up to 12/4, 14/6, 16/8, and 18/10 degrees C in turn, the compensation point of DHAP concentration would correspondingly shift from 0.32mM down to 0.28, 0.24, 0.21 and 0.19mM, respectively. Overall, this work will deepen and enrich the understandings to the uncertainty of allelochemical effects on P. schrenkiana regeneration due to climate warming, and provide some helpful suggestions to develop a scientific management strategy for boreal forest.

The edible herbs Puerariae lobatae root, Pinus massoniana needle, Citrus reticulata peel and their mixture "SGLUAP" were extracted by supercritical CO2 fluid replacing usual ethanol solution. Optimal conditions of the extraction were determined by conducting series of experiments with Box-Benhnken Design of three-variables and three-levels, data fitting and modeling, and analyzing the visual 3D response surface plots. Scavenging free radical rate (DPPH%) and inhibiting xanthine oxidase rate (XO%) of 14 major ingredients in herbs and total phenolic compounds in SGLUAP were assessed. Among them, gallic acid gave DPPH (%) of 94.5 % to be higher than the reference Vitamin C, and daidzein possessed XO (%) of 97.8 % to be much higher than the reference allopurinol. This work has demonstrated a reliable and efficient methodology for extraction optimization, antioxidant activity evaluation and quality assessment of natural products from herbs or plants.

4,8-二羟基-1-四氢萘酮(4,8-DHT)为山核桃Carya cathayensis外果皮化感物质,室内试验证实4,8-DHT具有除草活性,但在林地中尚未得到验证.为明确4,8-DHT对林地杂草的防除效果,依据《农药田间药效试验准则(一)中除草剂防除林地杂草》(GB/T 17980.48-2000)设置试验处理,对比分析不同浓度4,8-DHT对杂草株数、覆盖率及株防效的影响.结果表明,36 mmol·L-14,8-DHT药后8 d对东京樱花Cerasus yedoensis林地内的陌上菜Lindernia procumbens,拟鼠麴草Pseudognaphalium affine,车前Plantago asiatica,碎米荠Cardamine hirsuta,匙叶合冠鼠麴草Gnaphaliumpens ylvanicum和紫薇Lagerstroemia indica林地内的耳草Hedyotis auricularia的株防效均达100％;不同施药方法对杂草的防除效果分析表明,4,8-DHT对杂草种子萌发期的抑制作用强于幼苗期;对林地间杂草防除效果比较发现,36 mmol·L-14,8-DHT对东京樱花和紫薇林地药后20 d的杂草防除效果存在差异,这可能与林地环境因素和生物因素等有关.

Global warming in conjunction with various biotic or abiotic interferences has been jeopardizing the ecosystem of boreal forests. By integrating field inspection with experimental simulation, this work comprehensively investigated the allelopathic effects of a key allelochemical 3,4-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP) in the exudates of P. schrenkiana needles on its seed and seedling growth, endogenous hormone metabolism and antioxidant enzyme activity, identified the existence of DHAP allelopathy duality at a certain temperature with an inflection concentration point (e.g. about 0.25 mM at dark/light temperature of 4/12 °C) as the boundary between promotional and inhibitory effect, and verified that the inflection point of DHAP concentration would inevitably shift to a lower level as temperature increased. Consequently, this paper gives a scientific explanation into the intrinsic mechanism of P. schrenkiana degradation due to allelopathy, but also presents a new approach to explore the relationship between forest evolution and global warming. Highlight A quantitative description on the duality of 3, 4-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP) as a promoter or an inhibitor to affect the seed germination, seedling growth and root development of P. schrenkiana , as well as the antioxidant enzyme activities and hormone contents. The new findings of DHAP inflection concentration as boundary to divide the promotional and inhibitory effect of allelopathy which would decrease as environment temperatures rise. An explanation into the intrinsic mechanism of P. schrenkiana degradation due to allelopathy, and a new approach to explore the relationship between forest evolution and global warming. Abbreviations : DHAP : 3, 4-dihydroxyacetophenone FDA : fluorescein diacetate PI : propidium iodide ZT : Zeatin GA3 : Gibberellin IAA : Indoleacetic acid ABA : Abscisic acid SOD : Speroxide dismutase POD : Peroxidase CAT : Catalase GR : Glutathione reductase

The chemosynthesis and potential as green herbicides of 4,8-dihydroxy-1-tetralone (4, 8-DHT) and its derivates were emphatically addressed in this study. Firstly, the synthesis of 4, 8-DHT from commercially available material 1, 5-dihydroxynaphthalene was carried out through a novel route of five reaction steps. Then, its five derivates including 4-benzoyl-8-hydroxy-1-tetralone, 4-(3-hydroxypropoxy)- 8-hydroxy-1- tetralone, 4-(2,3-dihydroxypropoxy)-8-hydroxy-1-tetralone, 4-hydroxy-8-(3-hydroxy propoxy) −1-tetralone and 4-hydroxy-8-(2,3-dihydroxypropoxy)-1- tetralone were prepared by modifying alcoholic and phenolic hydroxyl in C-4 and C-8 position of 4,8-DHT molecular structure. After that, these synthesized compounds were examined for their toxicity against six kinds of weeds (Lolium perenne, Phalaris arundinacea, Elymus dahuricus, Cichorium intybus, Sorghum sudanense, and Trifolium repens) in vitro. In general, high concentration could generally inhibit while low concentration might promote the growth of weeds. Among these compounds, 4-(3-hydroxypropoxy)-8 −hydroxy-1-tetralone and 4-hydroxy-8- (3-hydroxypropoxy) −1-tetralone showed significant phytotoxic activities against the six tested weeds, while 4-hydroxy-8-(2,3-dihydroxypropoxy) −1-tetralone was less toxic. For all the six tested weeds, E. dahuricus appeared the most sensitive to the treatments of 4, 8-DHT compounds. Hence, it has been suggested that variables including compound type and concentration as well as weed species should be seriously considered in order to develop and utilize the group of 4, 8-DHT compounds as herbicide in future.

This study for the first time designed to use supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) to extract total alkaloids, peimine and peiminine from the flower of Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. 2,20-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline- 6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt radical cation scavenging activity (ABTS-RSA) and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay were selected to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the extracts. A central composite design (CCD) with four variables (extract time (1.5-3.5) h, temperature (5070) degrees C, pressure (15-35) MPa and co-solvent (ethanol: water) ratio (80-100, v/v) % was employed for optimization of process parameters, and response surface plots were constructed in accordance with a second order polynomial model. The highest yields of total alkaloids (2.9 mg/g), peimine (0.7 mg/g) and peiminine (0.07 mg/g) were predicted at optimal conditions of 2.9 h, 61.3 degrees C, 30.6 MPa and 90.3% ethanol and the antioxidant activity of the extracts was estimated to be comparable to that of a-tocopherol with ABTS value of 0.5 mg/mL and FRAP value of 658 mg AAE/100 g, respectively. These results suggest that optimization of the extraction conditions is critical for accurate quantification of total alkaloids, peimine and peiminine, and antioxidants in F. thunbergii Miq flower, which may further be used for industrial extraction procedure. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was used to extract total alkaloids, peimisine, peimine and peiminine from the bulb of Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. The antioxidant capacity of the extracts was evaluated by DPPH radical scavenging activity (DPPH-RSA), ABTS radical scavenging activity (ABTS-RSA) and ferric reducing capacity (FRAP) assay. A central composite design (CCD) with four variables and five levels was employed for optimization of process parameters, and response surface plots were constructed in accordance with a second order polynomial model. Under optimal conditions of 3.0 h, 60.4 °C, 26.5 MPa and 89.3% ethanol, the highest yields were predicted to be 3.8 mg/g for total alkaloids, 0.5 mg/g for peimisine, 1.3 mg/g for peimine and 1.3 mg/g for peiminine, and the antioxidant capacity of extracts displayed EC50, DPPH value of 5.5 mg/mL, EC50, ABTS value of 0.3 mg/mL and FRAP value of 118.2 mg ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/100 g.

Background: Recently a considerable number of promising clinical trials have been designed to perform infusion of stem cells by pancreatic arterial intervention to improve the endocrine function of the pancreas for better diabetes control. It is necessary to investigate the pancreatic body and tail (PBT) arterial system for human islets located mostly in the PBT and identify the predominant artery or arteries. However, the arterial system in the PBT is complicated and variable. In this study we comprehensively investigated the anatomical characteristics of arteries feeding the PBT. Research Design and Methods: One hundred two patients with diabetes underwent 64-slice computed tomography angiography (CTA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The target artery was catheterized, and DSA was performed to show the PBT. All images were documented for later analysis. Results: DSA demonstrated that the feeding arteries for the PBT included the dorsal pancreatic artery (DPA) alone (n = 51 [50%]), combined DPA and great pancreatic artery (GPA) (n = 22 [21.6%]), GPA alone (n = 16 [15.7%]), and transverse pancreatic artery (TPA) (n = 11 [10.8%]). DPA was observed to originate from the initial segment of the splenic artery (n = 34 [46.6%]), common hepatic artery (n = 17 [23.3%]), or superior mesenteric artery (n = 14 [19.2%]). The GPA was mostly from the middle (n = 36 [94.7%]), and only two were found to originate from the initial segment of the splenic artery. The TPA (n = 11) was from either the pancreatoduodenal artery (n = 5 [54.5%]) or the gastroduodenal artery (n = 4 [36.4%]). In most case, the predominant artery of the PBT (95.1%, 97 of 102) could be revealed by 64-slice CTA. Conclusions: The origins and identities of the predominant artery in the PBT are variable. DSA is superior to CTA for preoperative imaging in arterial intervention therapy.

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 5 (TRAF5) is an adaptor protein of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily and the interleukin-1 receptor/Toll-like receptor superfamily and plays important roles in regulating multiple signaling pathways. This study was conducted to investigate the role of TRAF5 in the context of brain ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery was performed on TRAF5 knockout mice (KO), neuron-specific TRAF5 transgene (TG), and the appropriate controls. Compared with the WT mice, the TRAF5 KO mice showed lower infarct volumes and better outcomes in the neurological tests. A low neuronal apoptosis level, an attenuated blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and an inhibited inflammatory response were exhibited in TRAF5 KO mice. TRAF5 TG mice exhibited an opposite phenotype. Moreover, the Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway was enhanced in the ischemic brains of the TRAF5 KO mice. These results provide the first demonstration that TRAF5 is a critical mediator of I/R injury in an experimental stroke model. The Akt /FoxO1 signaling pathway probably plays an important role in the biological function of TRAF5 in this model.

INTRODUCTION:The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of multidetector CT angiography (CTA) in depicting bronchial and non-bronchial systemic arteries in patients with haemoptysis and to assess whether this modality helps determine the feasibility of angiographic embolisation.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Fifty-two patients with haemoptysis between January 2010 and July 2011 underwent both preoperative multidetector CTA and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) imaging. Diagnostic performance of CTA in depicting arteries causing haemoptysis was assessed on a per-patient and a per-artery basis. The feasibility of the endovascular treatment evaluated by CTA was analysed. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for those analyses were determined.RESULTS:Fifty patients were included in the artery-presence-number analysis. In the per-patient analysis, neither CTA (P = 0.25) nor DSA (P = 1.00) showed statistical difference in the detection of arteries causing haemoptysis. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 94%, 100%, 100%, and 40%, respectively, for the presence of pathologic arteries evaluated by CTA, and 98%, 100%, 100%, and 67%, respectively, for DSA. On the per-artery basis, CTA correctly identified 97% (107/110). Fifty-two patients were included in the feasibility analysis. The performance of CTA in predicting the feasibility of angiographic embolisation was not statistically different from the treatment performed (P = 1.00). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 96%, 80%, 98% and 67%, respectively, for CTA.CONCLUSIONS:Multidetector CTA is an accurate imaging method in depicting the presence and number of arteries causing haemoptysis. This modality is also useful for determining the feasibility of angiographic embolisation for haemoptysis.

PURPOSE:To investigate the diagnostic performance of 64-section CTA in the detection of dorsal pancreatic artery before interventional therapy for patients with diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS:The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee; written informed consent was obtained. Forty-two consecutive patients with diabetes received an experimental treatment of autologous bone marrow-derived stem cell transplantation by means of infusion into the dorsal pancreatic artery. All cases underwent abdominal CTA before angiography of pancreatic arteries in order to locate the origin and course of dorsal pancreatic artery. Angiography of coeliac artery, splenic artery, common hepatic artery and superior mesenteric artery were performed both in CTA and DSA. Superselective catheterization of dorsal pancreatic artery was carried out for the infusion of stem cell. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for the detection of dorsal pancreatic artery with CTA were calculated using DSA images as the reference standard. RESULTS:Thirty-five and thirty-six dorsal pancreatic arteries were detected by CTA and DSA respectively. Dorsal pancreatic artery was not visualized in either CTA or DSA in 5 patients. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for CTA were 94.4%, 83.3% and 92.9%. CONCLUSION:64-section CTA is accurate for the detection of dorsal pancreatic artery. It may be useful for the facilitation of superselective arterial infusion of stem cells to pancreas.

Molecular hydrogen, which reacts with the hydroxyl radical, has been considered as a novel antioxidant. Here, we evaluated the protective effects of hydrogen-rich saline on the l-arginine (l-Arg)-induced acute pancreatitis (AP). AP was induced in Sprague–Dawley rats by giving two intraperitoneal injections of l-Arg, each at concentrations of 250mg/100g body weight, with an interval of 1h. Hydrogen-rich saline (>0.6mM, 6ml/kg) or saline (6ml/kg) was administered, respectively, via tail vein 15min after each l-Arg administration. Severity of AP was assessed by analysis of serum amylase activity, pancreatic water content and histology. Samples of pancreas were taken for measuring malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase. Apoptosis in pancreatic acinar cell was determined with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling technique (TUNEL). Expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) were detected with immunohistochemistry. Hydrogen-rich saline treatment significantly attenuated the severity of l-Arg-induced AP by ameliorating the increased serum amylase activity, inhibiting neutrophil infiltration, lipid oxidation and pancreatic tissue edema. Moreover, hydrogen-rich saline treatment could promote acinar cell proliferation, inhibit apoptosis and NF-κB activation. These results indicate that hydrogen treatment has a protective effect against AP, and the effect is possibly due to its ability to inhibit oxidative stress, apoptosis, NF-κB activation and to promote acinar cell proliferation.