Objective To study the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) gene family in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and its relationship to the pathogenesis of PTC. Methods The thyroid tissues of patients were collected in surgical operation, including 8 cases with papillary thyroid carcinoma, 7 cases with Hashimoto′s thyroiditis, 8 cases with adenoma and 8 normal tissues. The total RNA of these samples were extracted and purified by the method of acidic phenol. The gene expressions of MMP-2, MMP-9, MMP-14, MMP-25 and MMP-26 were assayed by RT-PCR and 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. The fluorescent degree of electrophoretic bands was detected by automatic gel scanner and analyzed statistically in order to compare the levels of gene expressions among 4 groups. Results The positive rates and the levels of MMP-2, MMP-9 and MMP-14 gene expressions in PTC group were significantly higher than those in other 3 groups (all P

Mitochondria are the energy factory of all the cells, the center of aerobic metabolism, and essential for the me-tabolism of cells. Mitochondrial cardiomyopathy refers to myocardial damage caused by mitochondrial dysfunction and is char-acterized by cardiac structural and (or) functional abnormalities. The typical clinical feature of mitochondrial cardiomyopathy is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, noncompaction of left ventricular and heart failure. This article focuses on the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and possible treatments of mitochondrial cardiomyopathy.

The 5 foods, apple, bran, cabbage, carrot and pear, were fed to rats as part of 5 diets each containing 2.5% neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and the effect on increasing dry stool weight (DSW) and the digestibility of dietary fiber (DF) components of the foods were studied. The results showed that DSW increased with increased NDF intake, cabbage being the most effective. The mean DSW of the test food groups was 2.27 times compared with non-fiberous controls. The SDW was correlated with intake of NDF and cellulose from analysis of individual variation. The regression equation was y =- 1.9040 + 3.5644X1 (NDF) + 3.5644X2 (cellulose).The digestion of DF components from carrot was the most complete, while hemice-llulose was 1.3 times as digestible as cellulose. Lignin was found to have an influence on DF breakdown. Increasing hemicellulose level might decrease the digestibility of cellulose. The variation of DF digestibility of di- fferent food may also be ascribed to the physical and biological properties of the food.

Extraction-spectrophotometric method for determination of lomefloxacin is proposed.The ion pairs complex of lomefloxacin with brornocresol green (BMG) can be extracted into CHCI3 at pH 3.6 and has absorption maximum at 415nm.The calibrationgraphs generated was linear over the range of 1～15mg/L drug in solution (r=0.9997).ε=2.5×104L·mol-1·cm-1.The detection limit is 0.014mg/L.The recovery of method is 98.9%～101.6%.The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of lomefloxacin in pharmaceutical formulations.

The effect of riboflavin deficiency on the fluidity of erythrocyte (RBC) membrane, the level of membrane MDA, the activity of RBC SOD and lipid peroxidation were studied. Growing male rats were fed with an experimental (riboflavin-deficient, RD) or a control (riboflavin-supplemented, RS, 22mg/ kg) diet for 7 weeks.The RBC membrane of RD rats contained higher level of MDA (0.6868?0.1732 nmol/mg protein) compared with the control (0.5548?0.0980 nmol/mg protein), while the activity of RBC SOD (7.745210.6101 nU/mg protein) of RD rats were significantly decreared compared with the control (8.2685?0.3010 nU/mg protein), which indicated the lipid peroxidation was elevated.Membrane fluidity was studied with fluorescence polarization (P) and mean microviscosity (?) using DPH as probe. The value of P and? of RD rats (0.2976 ? 0.0198, 3.9483? 0.3680, respectively) were significantly higher than the RS rats (0.2760 ? 0.0207, 2.875310.4634, respectively), which showed the membrane fluidity in RD rats was decreased according with the increase in lipid peroxidation. This study demonstrated that the RBC membrane fluidity was dicrcased in riboflovin deficient rats. It was relative to the increasing lipid peroxidation and decreasing RBC SOD activity.

Objective To study the mechanism of liver-qi stagnation syndrome of rat models. Methods The binding method was used to make rat models of liver-qi stagnation syndrome and the quantitative changes of hypothalamus norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), dopamine (DA), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) before and after modeling were determined with reversed phase ion pair (RP-IP)-HPLC. Results The level of E, DA and 5-HT was remarkably increased (P

Objective To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine pretreatment on the expression of caspase-12 in lung tissues undergoing one-lung ventilation (OLV) in rats.Methods Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 6-8 weeks, weighing 180-220 g, were randomly allocated into 3 groups (n=10 each) using a random number table: two-lung ventilation (TLV) group, OLV group and dexmedetomidine group (Dex group).Bilateral lungs were ventilated for 2 h in group TLV.In OLV and Dex groups, unilateral lung was ventilated for 1.5 h followed by 0.5 h TLV.In group Dex, dexmedetomidine was infused intravenously at a rate of 3.0 μ g · kg-1 · h-1 over 60 min starting from 60 min prior to OLV.The equal volume of normal saline was given instead of dexmedetomidine in OLV and TLV groups.Peak airway pressure (Ppeak) and mean airway pressure (Paw) were recorded at 45 min of OLV and 15 min of TLV in OLV and Dex groups, and at 15 min of TLV in group TLV.The rats were then sacrificed, and left lungs were removed for microscopic examination of the pathologic changes (using HE staining) and the ultrastructure of lung tissues (with transmission electron microscope) and for determination of wet to dry lung weight ratio (W/D ratio), cell apoptosis in lung tissues (by TUNEL), caspase-12 mRNA expression (using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction), and caspase-12 expression (by Western blot).Results Ppeak and Paw were significantly lower at 15 min of TLV than at 45 min of OLV in OLV and Dex groups (P＜0.05).Compared to group TLV, W/D ratio and AI were significantly increased, and the expression of caspase-12 protein and mRNA was up-regulated in OLV and Dex groups (P＜0.01).Compared to group OLV, W/D ratio and AI were significantly decreased, and the expression of caspase-12 protein and mRNA was down-regulated in group Dex (P ＜ 0.01).The pathologic changes of lung tissues were significantly alleviated in group Dex as compared with group OLV.Conclusion The mechanism by which dexmedetomidine pretreatment alleviates acute lung injury caused by OLV is associated with down-regulated expression of caspase-12 and inhibited cell apoptosis in rats.

Objective To investigate the expression of osteopontin in colorectal cancer and hepatic metastatic cancer and its clinical significance.Methods The expression of osteopontin in 76 cases of colorectal cancer tissues,30 para carcinoma normal mucosa,liver metastatic tumor tissues in 16 patients was examined by immunohistochemical SP staining method.Results The expression rates of osteopontin in normal mucosa,colorectal cancer tissues and liver metastatic cancer tissues were 6.7％ (2/30),69.7％ (53/76),75.0％ (12/16) respectively.The expression rates of osteopontinin colorectal cancer and liver metastatic cancer was significantly higher than those in the normal mucosa (respectively x2 =34.273,23.014,all P ＜ 0.001).The expression of osteopontin was related to infiltration depth,lymph node metastasis,and distant metastasis (respectively x2 =14.347,6.577,7.278,5.537,all P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in the sex and age.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients with osteopontin positive had poor prognosis compared with osteopontin negative patients (P ＜ 0.001).Conclusions The expression of osteopontin is closely related to the invasion and metastasis of colorectal carcinoma,a hopeful indicator for the prognosis of colorectal cancer.

Objective To investigate the clinical features of primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS). Methods The clinical data of 27 patients with PACNS were analyzed. Results PACNS commonly occured in young and middli-aged adult and with acute or subacute onset. The clinical manifestations were mainly including headache,decrudescence of cortical functions,focal neurological deficits and seizures. The hypointensity signals on T1WI and T2WI were showed and could be enhanced at lesions by skull MRI. The pia vessels inflammatory lesions were revealed in brain by pathological examination. The treated with glucocorticoid and combined therapy such as anti platelet aggregation,scavenging free radicals,reducing intracranial pressure,improving microcirculation and promoting neuronic metabolism,the condition get better.Conclusions The clinical manifestation of PACNS is various. The diagnosis can be make by combining the data of clinical features,imaging and brain biopsy.The treatment with glucocorticoid can obtain better efficacy.

Objective To investigate the expression of apoptosis-related neuclosome assembly protein-1(NAP-1) gene in related brain region of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine(MPTP) treated mice and beta-amyloid treated rats. Methods The animal models with central nervous system degeneration were established by consecutive administration of MPTP to C57BL mice and injection of beta-amyloid to brain ventricular of SD rats. The RNA in striatum and substantia nigra of mice and the RNA in cortex and hippocampus of rats were extracted. The levels of NAP-1 mRNA in these samples were estimated by RT-PCR. Results For mice, the expression of NAP-1 were decreased after MPTP treatment in substantia nigra, while its expression showed no significant change in striatum. In contrast, no effect on NAP-1 gene expression by beta-amyloid injection can be detected in cortex and hippocampus of rats. Conclusions The apoptosis of dopaminergic neurons in nigrostriatal pathway after MPTP treatment may be related to the expression of NAP-1 gene. But the mechanism of neurodegeneration after beta-amyloid injection in rats may be different.