Hydroxyapatite has already been considered as an excellent medical biomaterial.and nanometer hydroxyapatite possesses special characteristics.Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles can inhibit the growth of a wide range of cancer cells.but have no effect on normal cells.thus it has a better selectivity in the treatment of cancer.The anti-tumor mechanism of nano-hydroxyapatite is relevant on the following factors:role in the cell membrane,affecting DNA synthesis,inducing cell cycle blockage and apoptosis,impacting the activity of telomerase.This study is designed to introduce the specific structure and characterjstics of nano-hydroxyapatite,analyze the research progress of nano-hydroxyapatite in tumor field.and discuss the possibility of nano-hydroxyapatite as a new anti-cancer drug in clinical application.

DNA Replication ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; physiology ; Virus Replication

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of rhodiola on expression of vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) and angiogenesis in aortic atherosclerotic plaque of rabbits.

METHODSThirty male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups equally, i. e. the control group (A) fed with common diet and treated with distilled water, the high fat diet group (B) and the rhodiola group (C) fed with diet containing 1.5% cholesterol and treated respectively with distilled water and rhodiola (1 mL/kg per day), all the treatments were administered via gastrogavage once a day for 9 successive weeks. Level of blood lipids in various groups was determined and compared at the end of the experiment. Meanwhile, the tissue sample of aorta was taken for observation through HE and Sudan red staining, for detecting the CD34 positive response intensity by immunohistochemical staining and the VEGF expression by Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and Western blot.

RESULTSDetermination of blood lipids showed that in Group C, TC was 42.01 +/- 1.99 mmol/L, TG 4.83 +/- 0.75 mmol/L and LDL-C 38.40 +/- 0.74 mmol/L, all lower than those in Group B (70.74 +/- 2.66 mmol/L, 8.75 +/- 0.78 mmol/L and 51.05 +/- 0.34 mmol/L, respectively), showing statistical difference between groups (P < 0.05). The intima/media tunica thickness ratio and the CD34 positive area of plaque in Group C were all lower than those in Group B (0.35 +/- 0.03 vs 0.43 +/- 0.03 and 29.12 +/- 2.56% vs 39.28 +/- 3.48%, P <0.05). Besides, the VEGF expression in atherosclerotic plaque was also lower in Group C than that in Group B.

CONCLUSIONRhodiola has the effects of inhibiting atherosclerosis formation, decreasing the VEGF expression and suppressing the angiogenesis in the plaque.

Animals ; Aorta ; drug effects ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Atherosclerosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; drug effects ; Plant Extracts ; administration & dosage ; Random Allocation ; Rhodiola ; chemistry ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Shexiang Baoxin Pill (SBP) in intervening atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction (AS-MI) in experimental animals, and inspect its influences on angiogenesis.

METHODSTwenty male New-Zealand rabbits were made into AS-MI model, and randomly divided into 2 groups equally. Group A was fed with high-fat diet for control; Group B was fed with high-fat diet but intervened with SBP. The cardiac function and the positive area of plaque were determined. The CD34 positive response intensity at infarcted marginal zone and aorta vessel wall, and the capillary density of myocardium were measured by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, the protein expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) were detected by Western blot.

RESULTSCompared to Group A, the cardiac function was obviously improved (P<0.05) and the plaque positive area (%) was significantly decreased in Group B (45.82 +/- 3.68 vs 82.56 +/- 4.97, P<0.01). The CD34 positive response intensity and the capillary density as well as VEGF and VEGFR-2 expressions in infarcted marginal zone in Group A were higher than those in Group B (P<0.01); but these parameters at aorta vessel walls were lower in Group A than in Group B (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSBP could advance the angiogenesis in the marginal zone of infarction, improve heart function, and embarrass angiogenesis in atherosclerotic plaque.

Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; physiopathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; physiopathology ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; drug effects ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 ; metabolism

Liver failure is a threat to human health. The survival of patients has been increased with the improvement in both diagnosis and treatment. Several major advances in the diagnosis and treatment of liver failure have been made in recent years, as follows: the EASL-defined diagnostic criteria for acute-on-chronic liver failure have been validated in the Eastern population, defining more accurately those who need liver transplantation; the diagnostic criteria for acute kidney injury in patients with liver dysfunction have been updated, and the new criteria are able to discover patients with kidney injury earlier; the neurohumoral regulation mechanism and factors predicting the efficacy of vasoactive agents in hepatorenal syndrome have been gradually determined; the concepts of use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and β-receptor blocker in liver failure are undergoing fundamental changes.

Interleukin 23 (IL-23) is a recently discovered cytokine, and growing evidence suggests that IL-23 plays an important role in the development and progression of autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases. In recent years, certain research advances in association between IL-23 and liver diseases have been achieved at home and abroad. General features and biological characteristics of IL-23 are described, and its role in the development and progression of diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hepatocellular carcinoma is reviewed here, so that clinicians will have a deeper understanding of the effect of IL-23 in liver diseases and provide optimized therapies for patients with liver diseases.

Objective    To assess the correlation of WHO pathological classification and Masaoka stage of thymomas with its prognosis. Methods    A total of 468 patients with thymomas who received surgeries during 2009-2019 in Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, were collected. There were 234 males and 234 females with an average age of 21-83 (49.6±18.7) years. A total of 132 patients underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and 336 patients underwent thymectomy with median sternal incision. The follow-up time was 5.7±2.8 years. The clinical data of the patients were analyzed. Results    The amount of intraoperative bleeding was 178.3±133.5 mL in the median sternal incision group, and 164.8±184.1 mL in the VATS group (P=0.537). The operative time was 3.3±0.7 h in the median sternal incision group and 3.4±1.2 h in the VATS group (P=0.376). Postoperative active bleeding, phrenic nerve injury and chylothorax complications occurred in 8 patients, 9 patients and 1 patient in the VATS group, respectively, and 37 patients, 31 patients and 7 patients in the median sternal incision group, respectively. There was no statistical difference between the two groups (P=0.102, 0.402, 0.320). The 5-year cumulative progression free survival (PFS) rates of patients with WHO type A, AB, B1, B2, B3 and C thymomas were 100.0%, 100.0%, 95.7%, 81.4%, 67.5% and 50.0%, respectively (P<0.001). The 5-year PFS rates of patients with Masaoka stageⅠ-Ⅳ thymomas were 96.1%, 89.2%, 68.6% and 19.3%,  respectively (P<0.001). The 5-year PFS rate was 87.3% in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and 78.2% in patients without MG (P<0.001). The 5-year PFS rates of patients with different surgeries were 82.4% and 83.8%, respectively (P=0.904). Conclusion    WHO pathological classification and Masaoka stage have significant clinical prognosis suggestive effect. Thymoma patients combined with MG have better prognosis, which suggests early diagnosis and treatment of thymoma are important.

OBJECTIVETo systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of diammonium glycyrrhizinate enteric-coated capsules versus diammonium glycyrrihizinate in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.

METHODSThe Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM on CD-ROM) and the China Academic Journals Full-Text Database (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, CNKI) were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the efficacy and safety of diammonium glycyrrhizinate entetic-coated capsules versus diammonium glycyrrihizinate in treatment (less than 2 months) of chronic viral hepatitis published between 2005 and 2012. A meta-analysis was performed on the selected RCTs to determine the effects on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization, serum levels of ALT, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBil) and albumin, as well as rates of adverse reactions.

RESULTSNine RCTs, involving 687 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. Compared to the patients treated with diammonium glycyrrihizinate, the patient treated with diammonium glycyrrhizinate enteric-coated capsules had a significantly better recovery rate of ALT (relative risk (RR) =4.15, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.55 to 11.15, P less than 0.01) and significantly more robust decreases in ALT (weighted mean difference (WMD) = -32.75, 95% CI:-46.67 to-18.83, P less than 0.01) and AST (WMD = -12.70, 95% CI:-21.13 to-4.27, P less than 0.01). In contrast, the patients treated with diammonium glycyrrihizinate showed more robust improvements in the TBil level (WMD = -0.74, 95% CI:3.98 to 2.49, P =0.653) and albumin (WMD =1.03, 95% CI:-1.03 to 3.09, P =0.326), but the differences did not reach the threshold for statistical significance (P less than 0.05). Only four adverse reactions were reported, all of which were related to the lipid complex nature of the diammonium glycyrrhizin enteric-coated capsules and were mild, including dry mouth, dizziness and mild gastrointestinal discomfort and reactions.

CONCLUSIONDiammonium glycyrrhizinate enteric-coated capsules elicited superior anti-inflammatory and liver protection effects than diammonium glycyrrihizinate, and produced only mild side effects that are tolerable to the patients.

Capsules ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic