Eighty patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)complicated by pulmonary artery hypertention(PAH)were recruited in the study. All patients took conventional western medicine, among them 40 also received injection of Chinese herb medicine Shenxiong(study group)for 14 days. Mean pulmonary artery pressure(mPAP), plasma platelet alphagranule membrane protein(GMP-140), thromboxane B2(TXB2)and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α(6-K-PGF1α)were measured before and after treatment in both groups. Compared with pretreatment levels and levels in control group mPAP, GMP-140 and TXB2 levels in study group were significantly decreased, while the levels of 6-K-PGF1α were significantly increased. The results indicate that Shenxiong injection may inhibit platelet activation and reduce mPAP.

Humans ; Metabolic Syndrome

Bone Diseases ; chemically induced ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Chronic Disease ; Fluoride Poisoning ; epidemiology ; etiology ; genetics ; Fluorosis, Dental ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Humans ; Prevalence

The celiac ganglia from 9 mature guinea pigs of both sexes were fixed in a mixture of 2％ glutaraldehyde and 2.5％ depolymerized paraformaldehyde. The SIF cells in cryostat sections were discerned out through their eatecholamine fluorescence induced by the fixative. These cells were processed through routine procedures for electron microscopy after or without incubation for acid phosphatase (AcP). The ultrastructure and AcP activity of these cells were observed under an H-600 electron microscope.The SIF cells were found to be present in clusters adjecent to fenestrated capillaries. The exocytosis of vesicular granules of SIF cells were seen on the surface of their cell membrane facing the capillaries. In addition, some dark SIF cells which were more osmiophilic and rich in mitochondria were discovered in this ganglion. These ultrastructural features of the SIF cells indicate that they may perform functions of an endocrine and/or paracrine nature.After one. hour incubation in a Gomori-typed medium at 37℃, some granules. besides the typical lysosomes display the AcP activity. Although the nature of the AcP-positive granules hasn't been elucidated a speculation is laid on that the presence of the enzyme on these granules may play a role of regulation in replacing the intragranular contents.

Monoamine oxidase and thiamine pyrophosphatase activities were demonstrated ultracytochemically in the celiac ganglion and adrenal medulla of the guinea pig by Shannon's and Novikoff's method respectively. Monoamine oxidase activity was found frequently on the nuclear evelope, and ocassionally in mitochondrial outer compartment and cell membrane of the small intensely fluorescent (SIF) cells of the ganglion. Similar Iocalizations were also observed in chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla. In pricipal neurons of the ganglion, a large amount of products of the monoamine oxidase reaction were found on the endoplasmic reticulium in addition to the nuclear envelope and mitochondrial membranes. Abundant thiaminepyrophosphatase activity was seen at the tran-face of the Golgi complex in the pricipal neurons, in contrast to which, both SIF cells and chromaffin cells exhibited little thiamine pyrophosphatase activity. The results suggested that catecholamine metabolism and the mode of functional activity in the SIF cells were different from those in the pricipal neurons but similar to those in the chromaffin cells of adrenal medulla.

Serial cryostat sections of the celiac ganglion were prepared from 30 guinea pigs.The process of De Da Torre's glyoxylic acid method and different histochmical rea-ctions were performed consecutively on the same section.Under the conditions employ-ed in this experiment,it was shown that the SIF cells,in contrast to the principalneurons,exhibited a more intense reation of adenosine triphosphatase,and a lessintense reaction of monoamine oxidase,lactic dehydrogenase and nonspecific esterase,and a negative reaction of alkaline phosphatase and acetylcholinesterase.The acidphosphatase reaction of most of SIF cells was weak as demonstrated with both theGomori's lead method and the simultaneously coupling method.The SIF cells showedless lipids,nucleic acids and about the same content in tyrosin as compared with theprincipal neurons.These histochemical properties of SIF cells,as well as their morphological charac-teristics of grouping in clusters and surrounding blood vessels,implicated that theyfunction in a different way from that of principal neurons,and probably as endocrineand/or paracrine cells in modulating nervous transmission in the celiac ganglion.

Stereological methods were applied in the qantitative ultrastructural analysis of the chromaffin cells in adrenal medulla of normal adult guinea pigs.The main result includes:(1)The average volume(V)of each cell(714?m~3)and its nucleus (167?m~3);(2)volume density(Vv)of mitochondria(0.082?m~3/?m~3),lysosomes (0.0045?m~3/?m~3),rough-endoplasmic reticulium(0.013?m~3/?m~3),smooth-endopas- mic reticulium including Golgi apparatus(0.024?m~3/?m~3)and granule vesicles (0.23?m~3/?m~3);(3)surface density(Sv)of cell membrane(0.87/?m~2/?m~3)and mitochondrial outer membrane(0.90?m~2/?m~3);(4)numerical density(Nv)of mitochondria(0.89/?m~3),lysosomes(0.11/?m~3)and granule vesicles(59.98/?m~3); (5)the mean diameter of granule vesicles(144 nm),In addition,several small- granule chromaffin cells were quantified separately from the general chromaffin cells.They contain granule vesicles with an average diameter of 97 nm and show a significant difference in surface density of cell membrane(1.54?m~2/?m~3)from that relevant value of general chromaffin cells(P

Objective To determine the levels of radiation-induced expressions of HIF-1α and Survivin in three human lymphoma cell lines with or without HIF-1a specific antagonist or HIF-1a siRNA transfection and to explore the possible mechanism of cell radioresistance.Methods Namalwa,Ramos,Raji cells were irradiated with X-rays with or without the combination of echinomycin (EC),a HIF-1α specific inhibitor,or transfection of HIF-1α siRNA.Then the expression levels of HIF-1α and Survivin proteins and mRNAs were determined by Western blot and real-time PCR,respectively.Results After irradiation,the expression level of HIF-1α protein was up-regulated at 10-20 h followed by up-regulation of survivin protein at 24 h (t =7.53-31.31,P ＜ 0.01 ) in three lymphoma cell lines.Radiation-induced up-expression of survivin protein was significantly reduced by either HIF-1α inhibition or EC treatment (t =7.21-32.81,P ＜0.01 ).However,radiation failed to induce up-erpression of survivin at both mRNA and protein levels after transfection with HIF-1α siRNA.Conclusion HIF-1α-Survivin pathway is activated in human lymphoma cells after radiation,which might be involved in the cell radioresistance.

Plasma levels of homocysteine (Hcy),folic acid (FA) and Vitamin B12 (VB12) were measured in 120 patients of colon adenomatous polyps and 40 healthy subjects.Plasma Hcy levels in colon adenomatous polyps patients were significantly higher than those in controls[(14.24 ± 0.52) μmol/L vs.(10.93 ± 0.81) μmol/L,P =0.0014)],while plasma FA levels in polyps patients were lower than those in controls [(6.26 ± 0.27) μg/L vs.(10.74 ± 0.85) μg/L,P ＜ 0.0001].There was no difference in plasma VB12 levels between two groups(P =0.7100).The plasma Hcy levels in patients with multiple colon polyps were higher than those with single colon polyps (P =0.0092),while the plasma FA levels demonstrated contrary results (P =0.0047).With the pathological type progression,the plasma Hcy levels were gradually raised,and FA levels gradually decreased.Plasma levels of FA,Hcy and VB12 were not correlated with the location and distribution of polyps.These results suggest that plasma FA and Hcy levels may be related to disease progress in patients with colon adenomatous polyps.

Objective To explore the effect of oxidative stress on intermittent hypoxia induced-hip-pocampal injury in rats. Methods 30 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were random divided into three groups ( 10 rats in each group), control group( CON group), intermittent group( IH group), and melatonin group( MEL group). The levels of MDA and SOD were detected by colorimetric method, and RT-PCR was used to examine the mRNA levels of the Cu/ZnSOD, GPx, CAT in hippocampal tissues. Results The level of MDA in IH group was ( 1. 68 ±0. 23) μmol/g, and it was obviously higher than that in control group (1.25±0.14)μmol/g and MEL group(1.35 ±0.18) μmoL/g ( P ＜0.05, P ＜0.01). In IH group, the activity of SOD and the mRNA levels of the Cu/ZnSOD,GPx and CAT were 43.01 ±4. 96 103NU/g, 0.25±0. 02,0. 34 ±0. 09,0. 38 ±0. 03 respectively, which were significantly lower than those in control group(61.12 ±5.68 103NU/g protein,0. 48 ±0.06,0. 55±0.07,0.57 ±0.04) and MEL group (55.98 ±4.65 103 NU/g,0.43 ± 0.08,0.54 ± 0.05,0.53 ± 0.07 ) ( P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0. 01 ). Conclusion Intermittent hypoxia can induce hippocampal injury in rats by oxidative stress, and melatonin can inhibit intermittent hypoxia induced-oxidant stress, so it can protect intermittent hypoxia induced-hippocampal injury in rats.