Objective To evaluate the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic cystic echinococcosis with biliary complications. Methods 284 patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis (CE) with biliary complications were surgically treated from January 2002 to January 2009 in our hospital. A summary of the surgical procedures was categorized and compared in the current study. Results (1) Intrabiliary rupture of CE with obstructive jaundice and (or) inflammation of bile duct (51 patients). The diagnosis of biliary complications of hepatic hydatid cyst was difficult on ultrasound and CT, with sensitivity rates of 78.4% and 85.7%, respectively. MRCP was an effective, noninvasive and useful diagnostic tool in difficult cases; ERCP was used as the gold standard in confirmation. Biliary fistulae were seen in 3 patients (10.7%) treated by suturing the rupture site. In the non-sutured group, 17 patients (74%) developed biliary fistulae after surgery (P＜0.01). In three patients the fistula was a high-output type (the fistula output was greater than 250 ml/d). (2) CE communicated with the bile duct and (or) infection (210 patients): The cavity-related problems and draining time in group C (no bile duct exploration and decompression) were significantly higher than group A (biliary system explored and decompressed through the cystic duct) and group B (biliary system explored and decompressed through the common bile duct), while cavity-related problems and draining time between the A and B groups showed no significant difference. Biliary tract-related problems in group A was significantly lower than group B (P＜0. 05). Conclusions (1) MRCP was an effective, noninvasive and useful diagnostic tool; ERCP was used only as the gold standard in confirming intrabiliary rupture of liver cystic hydatid disease, and also as an effective technique for treating extended postoperative external biliary fistula. (2) This study indicated that suturing the communication at the rupture site and biliary decompression were effective with low morbidity and mortality rates. (3) Cholangiography and common bile duct exploration through the cystic duct could solve the cavity-related problems while avoiding the T-tube related problems.

The rapid development of stomatology is improving the standard of talent quality and skills gradually,so the innovation of cultivation patterns of the stomatology students is imperative.West China College of Stomatology in Sichuan University is practicing the innovation of cultivation system of stomatological talents by establishing the new teaching and learning plan,adjusting the course system,strengthening the teaching materials construction,and adjusting the evaluation index and so on.The goal of the innovation of cultivation patterns is to foster the stomatological talents which have profound cultural atmosphere,the solid professional knowledge,strong innovative consciousness,and broad international vision.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of AEG-1 gene silencing on the chemoresistance of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7/ADM and its possible mechanism. MCF-7/ADM cells were incubated in the medium containing adriamycin (ADM). The recombinant pLKO.1-shAEG-1 plasmid was constructed to silence AEG-1 expression in human breast cancer MCF-7/ADM cells. MTT assay was employed to detect the anti-tumor effect of ADM on MCF-7/ADM cells, and IC50 value of ADM was calculated according to MTT. Flow cytometry was used to determine the apoptosis. Western blot was used to analyze the expression levels of AEG-1, p-Akt, p-MDM2, p-Bad, p53 and MDR1. The result showed MCF-7/ADM had a significantly higher expression level of AEG-1 compared with that of MCF-7 (P < 0.05), however, the expression of AEG-1 was decreased after AEG-1 gene silencing. The IC50 value of ADM in shAEG-1 group was significantly lower than that in shcontrol group. AEG-1 gene silencing induced cell apoptosis and enhanced the pro-apoptotic effect of ADM on MCF-7/ADM cells. After AEG-1 gene silencing, the phosphorylation of Akt, MDM2 and Bad was inhibited (P < 0.05), the protein levels of p53 and MDR1 were up-regulated (P < 0.05) and down-regulated (P < 0.05) respectively, compared with control. In conclusion, the results suggest that AEG-1 gene silencing can reverse the ADM resistance in human breast cancer cell line MCF-7/ADM by means of inducing apoptosis and down-regulating the protein level of MDR1.
Apoptosis ; Breast Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; genetics ; metabolism ; Doxorubicin ; pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Gene Silencing ; Humans ; MCF-7 Cells

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Xinnao Shutong capsule (XNST) on energy metabolism dysfunction, free radical injury and inflammatic factors in the course of acute cerebral ischemic damage, and try to reveal the mechanism of the protection against ischemia.

METHOD60 male Wistar rats weighing 280 - 320 g were randomly divided into five groups: normal, sham operation, model, XNST treatment( XNST-T) , and Western medicine treatment (WM-T) group. Acute multi-infarct model in rats was induced by injecting the embolus of blood powder through the right external carotid artery (ECA) into the internal carotid artery (ICA). At 72 hours after ischemia, morphologic change and the express of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin -1beta ( IL-1beta) in hippocampus CAl section and cortex were observed, biochemical criterions including the activity of Na+ -K+ -ATPase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in hippocampus were examined.

RESULTThe morphologic change of hippocampus and cortex in both XNST-T and WM-T groups was milder than that in model group. The activity of Na+ -K+ -ATPase, LDH and SOD in hippocampus were all significantly decreased in model group (P <0. 01), and elevated in XNST group (P <0. 01) as well as in WM-T group (P <0. 01). The content of MDA in hippocampus was significantly increased in model group (P <0. 05), and was reduced in XNST group (P <0. 05) as well as in WM-T group (P <0. 01).

CONCLUSIONThe results reveal that XNST has the protective effect against cerebral ischemic injury. And its possible mechanism is that XNST can prevent the upper pathological process.

Animals ; Brain Infarction ; complications ; Brain Ischemia ; etiology ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Capsules ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Neuroprotective Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Saponins ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Tribulus ; chemistry

To report a case of cutaneous and subcutaneous coinfection caused by Lichtheimia corymbifera and Candida parapsilosis.A 67-year-old female peasant consulted about proliferative granuloma developing on her left forearm after topical application of a Chinese herbal drug and splint fixation for the treatment of suspected fracture of the wrist.Direct microscopic examination showed gram positive budding yeast cells in lesion secretions.Pathological study with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and gormori methenamine silver (GMS) staining revealed broad non-separate hyphae in the corneum and dermis.Fungal culture of lesional tissue at 35℃ grew both mould and yeast.The mould was identified as Lichtheimia corymbifera based on morphological findings and sequences of the internal transcribed space (ITS) 1-4 regions.Thermal tolerance study revealed that the isolate grew fast at 37℃ but slowly at 40℃.Under a scanning electron microscope,the acrogenous sporangia were pear-shaped with conical sporangiophores originating from the top of stolon,which were among but not opposite to the rhizoids.The yeast was identified as Candida parapsilosis by Chromagar test and D1/D2 region sequencing.As antimicrobial susceptibility test indicated,the Lichtheimia corymbifera isolate was most sensitive to terbinafine and itraconazole.The proteolytic activity of Lichtheimia corymbifera was higher than that of Candida parapsilosis.The granuloma completely subsided after surgical resection and 6-week treatment with oral itraconazole 200 mg twice a day.No recurrence was observed during a 4-year follow-up.

Neuronal apoptosis induced by amyloid beta-peptide (A beta) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the molecular mechanism underlying A beta-induced apoptosis remains undetermined. The disialoganglioside GD3 involves ceramide-, Fas- and TNF-alpha-mediated apoptosis in lymphoid cells and hepatocytes. Although the implication of GD3 has been suggested, the precise role of GD3 in A beta-induced apoptosis is still unclear. Here, we investsigated the changes of GD3 metabolism and characterized the distribution and trafficking of GD3 during A beta-induced apoptosis using human brain-derived TE671 cells. Extracellular A beta induced apoptosis in a mitochondrial-dependent manner. GD3 level was negligible in the basal condition. However, in response to extracellular A beta, both the expression of GD3 synthase mRNA and the intracellular GD3 level were dramatically increased. Neosynthesized GD3 rapidly accumulated in cell surface lipid microdomains, and was then translocated to mitochondria to execute the apoptosis. Disruption of membrane lipid microdomains with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin significantly prevented both GD3 accumulation in cell surface and A beta-induced apoptosis. Our data suggest that rapidly accumulated GD3 in plasma membrane lipid microdomains prior to mitochondrial translocation is one of the key events in A beta-induced apoptosis.
Amyloid beta-Peptides/*pharmacology ; *Apoptosis ; Cell Line ; Gangliosides/*metabolism/physiology ; Humans ; Membrane Microdomains/*metabolism ; Mitochondria/*metabolism ; Sialyltransferases/genetics/metabolism ; beta-Cyclodextrins/pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of Mcl-1 gene in resistance of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) of leukemia cells.

METHODSLong-term, intermittent and repetitive exposure of HL-60 cells to ATRA was used to establish a multidrug-resistance cell line (HL-60/ATRA). HL-60/ATRA cells were transfected with Mcl-1 small interference RNA (siRNA) by Lipofectamine 2000. Western blot was used to detect the expression of Mcl-1. The proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation were evaluated by MTT assay, in situ nick end-labeling (TUNEL) and NBT assay, respectively.

RESULTSThe HL-60/ATRA could keep its undifferentiated and proliferative status to a high concentration of ATRA (100 nmol/L) with highly expressed Mcl-1 protein (relative grey scale 0.624 +/- 0.127). Mcl-1 gene knockdown by siRNA (relative grey scale 0.267 +/- 0.086) could reverse the resistance of ATRA of HL-60/ATRA by inhibiting proliferation, and inducing differentiation and apoptosis [apoptosis rate (18.5 +/- 4.5)%].

CONCLUSIONMcl-1 gene might be involved in ATRA resistance in HL-60 cells and inhibiting its expression could be a new approach to ATRA resistance reversion.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; genetics ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; genetics ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; genetics ; HL-60 Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Tretinoin ; pharmacology

Aim To determine the effect of exosomes from lipopolysaccharide-treated human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on proportion of Ly6Chigh and Ly6Clow monocytes/macrophages in inflammatory micro- environment. Methods BMSCs were obtained by gra-dient centrifugation, identified and then treated with li-popolysaccharide for 48 h. The exosomes were purified from conditional medium with or without LPS treatment and identified by CD63 protein using Western blot and transmission electron microscope. The diameters and concentration were detected by Nanoparticle Trafficking Analysis ( NTA ) . The monocytes/macrophages were sorted from bone marrow of the mice by magnetic beads. Cells were co-cultured with exosomes for 24 hours, and then treated with LPS for 48 hours. The proportion of Ly6C monocytes/macrophages was detec-ted by flow cytometry. Inflammatory cytokines in cell supernatant were investigated using ELISA. Results BMSCs surface markers CD44, CD90 were positively detected, but CD34, CD45 were not expressed. BM-SCs presented adipogenic differentiation ability. Exo-somes were positively expressing CD63 protein, and NTA showed that the diameters of exosomes were up to (82.4 ± 3.7 ) nm. BMSCs stimulated by LPS pro- duced more exosomes ( P < 0.01 ) . Exosomes from BMSCs with or without LPS treatment could increase the ratio of Ly6Chigh monocytes (P<0.01) and down-regulate the ratio of Ly6Chigh macrophages (P<0.05), and the effect of LPS treated-exosomes was more signif-icant than untreated-exosomes (P<0.05). Moreover, the concentration of IL-6 was also elevated under exo-somes treatment ( P <0.05 ) . Conclusions Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes contribute to the regulation of Ly6Chigh monocytes/mac-rophages, indicating that they could be involved in the therapeutic treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Objective To assess the current status and factors associated with the mental health condition of older adults. Methods A convenience sampling survey was conducted using symptom check list 90 (SCL-90) among the Chinese older adults aged 60 or above from January to March, 2018. The older adults aged 80 or above were selected for this study. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression model were used to analyze the influencing factors. Results The total participants were 485. The SCL-90 positive detection rate was 20.21%. The symptoms of the four highest detection rates were somatization (39.38%), others (25.15%), obsessive-compulsive symptoms (24.33%) and depression (22.68%). The older adults with normal BMI (OR=0.537, 95% CI: 0.250-0.857, P=0.027) and lived in county town (OR=0.224, 95% CI:0.075-0.667, P=0.007) showed lower SCL-90 positive detection rate. These who had been educated for 1-5 years (OR=11.092, 95% CI: 4.446-27.671, P<0.001), 6-8 years (OR=9.800, 95% CI: 3.464-27.721, P<0.001), 9~11 years (OR=19.279, 95% CI : 6.722-55.297, P<0.001), 12 years and above (OR=24.321, 95% CI: 7.894-74.929, P<0.001) had higher SCL-90 positive detection rate compared with those who were uneducated. Conclusion The mental health condition of Chinese older adults is mainly influenced by residence place, education level, family income self-evaluation and BMI status.

Objective: To explore the effect of Sirt1 on the function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: A rat COPD model was established via smoking and endotoxin administration for three months. The peripheral circulating EPCs were isolated by gradient centrifugation, and their functions, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, and Sirt1 expression were examined. The function changes of EPCs in the presence or absence of Sirt1 agonist and inhibitor were estimated; meanwhile, the expressions of Sirt1, FOXO3a, NF-κB, and p53 were also evaluated. Results: The proliferation, adhesion, and migration of EPCs decreased while the apoptosis rate was increased in the COPD rats. The expression of Sirt1 protein in EPCs of the COPD group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). The overexpression of the Sirt1 gene using a gene transfection technique or Sirt1 agonists (SRT1720) improved the proliferation, migration, and adhesion, and decreased the apoptosis of EPC. However, Sirt1 inhibitor (EX527) decreased EPC functions in the COPD group. The effect of Sirt1 expression on EPC function may be related to reduction of FOXO3a and increase of NF-κB and p53 activity. Conclusions: Increased expression of Sirt1 can improve the proliferation and migration of EPCs and reduce their apoptosis in COPD rats. This change may be related to FOXO3a, NF-κB, and p53 signaling pathways.