Objective To study the effect of NS398, an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), on the growth and apoptosis of human squamous cell carcinoma cell line Tca8113. Methods Cultured Tca8113 cells were incubated with NS398 (0, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100 μmol/L) for 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively. Thereafter, MTT method, flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy were applied to detect the proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of Tca8113 cells, respectively. Results The proliferation of Tca8113 cells was inhibited by NS398 in a dose- and time-dependent manner (both P<0.05). FCM analysis showed the appearance of a typical hypodiploid apoptotic (Sub-G1) peak, an increase in the percentage of cells at G0/G1 phase and a decrease in that at S and G2/M phases in NS398 ( 100 μmol/L) -treated Tca8113 cells. Moreover, the cell proliferation index was significantly downregulated by NS398 of 100 μmol/L from 41.03 to 24.33 (P<0.05). Under an electron microscope, morphological changes characteristic of apoptosis were observed in NS398-treated Tca8113 cells. Conclusion NS398, an inhibitor of COX2, could effectively inhibit the growth of Tca8113 cells in vitro by induction of apoptosis.

BACKGROUND:Human amniotic epithelial cells have some properties of stem cells, which can be induced to differentiate into corneal epithelial cells, but cannot be tracedin vitro. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the feasibility and infection efficiency of adenovirus vector carrying enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) into the human amniotic epithelial cells. METHODS:The adenovirus vectors carrying EGFP was transferred into human amniotic epithelial cells culturedin vitro. After cultured and amplified, the morphology difference between transfected and non-transfected human amniotic epithelial cels was observed. The transfected human amniotic epithelial cells were observed under fluorescence microscope, and the cell cycle and the expression rate of EGFP in transfected human amniotic epithelial cells were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:No obvious difference in the cell morphology was found between transfected human amniotic epithelial cells and normal human amniotic epithelial cells cultured in vitro. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the EGFP positive rate was highest and reached up to 99.01% at 48 hours after transient transfection. The cell cycle of human amniotic epithelial cells transfected by the adenovirus vector was slowed a bit. To conclude, the adenovirus vector is a good medium of transfecting EGFP into human amniotic epithelial cells, and makes it more convenient to observe the further transformation of human amniotic epithelial celsin vitro.

Objective To investigate the effects of acitretin on T helper cell (Th) 1/Th2 balance and Th17 cells in psoriasis vulgaris (PV) patients. Methods A total of 13 men and 17 women with PV were investigated. 10 mg of acitretin was administered twice a day for 8 weeks for intervention therapy. Serum levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-17 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. T, Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells in skin biopsies were counted with double-labeled immunofluorescence. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score was calculated before and 8 weeks after treatment. Results Before treatment PV patients had higher serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-17, and increased T, Th1 and Th17 cells in skin biopsies. After treatment, both serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-17, and T, Th1 and Th17 cells infiltrating in PV skin decreased significantly. Th1/Th2 balance was restored to normal. However, their IL-4 and Th2 cells showed no significant change throughout the therapy. Conclusion Acitretin exerts influence on dermal Th1/Th2 balance and Th17 cell infiltration, so does it on production of systematic inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and IL-17 in PV patients. However, Th2 cells and its derivative cytokine-IL-4 are not affected.

This paper is a follow-up study of 329 children in factory-run nurseries in urban Shanghai. The investigation lasted for a period of one year for each index-child, focusing on the conditions of nutrition, development and diseases of the children of various ages.Comparison between nutritionl findings and RDA of China disclosed that calorie intake of most of the index-child groups were 80-85% of RDA, the only exception being the 6-12 months group where the average calorie intake showed 90%. Protein intake of all groups was over 80% of RDA. Fe intake was lower than RDA, except for 18-month-old and over.Weight and height of the children were compared with the anthropo-metric data established in 1985 (1985 data) for Shanghai children under six years of age. It was found that the average weight and height appeared differently according to their age. Average weight of children under one year old was slightly higher than 1985 data, while average height was lower than 1985 data once the children reached 10 months old. Average weight, however, became lower than the 1985 data after the children were two years old. Over 60% of the index between 6-18 months old suffered from anemia (IDA).Accordingly, it is requested that calorie and iron intake should be supplemented.

Osteoporosis （OP） is a skeletal metabolic disease characterized by bone loss and destruction of bone microstructure. Changes in estrogen levels are not the only pathogenic factors for the occurrence and development of OP. MicroRNA （miRNA） plays an important regulatory role in cells. The complementary sequences of miRNA and targeted mRNA combine to inhibit the expression of targeted mRNA through post-transcriptional regulation， forming a complex regulatory network. Research suggests that miRNA is closely related to the occurrence and development of various diseases， including inflammatory diseases， metabolic diseases， and cancer. Targeted mRNA participates in post-transcriptional gene expression regulation in OP， mainly regulating the balance among bone construction， bone resorption， and osteoblast differentiation. Therefore， miRNA-based gene therapy is a rapidly developing disease treatment strategy. Traditional Chinese medicine can improve bone metabolism by intervening in miRNA differential expression to target and regulate osteogenic/osteoclast differentiation. This article summarized the targeting effects of miRNAs in physiological and developmental processes such as bone cell proliferation， differentiation， survival， and apoptosis， reviewed and classified their mechanisms of action and targets， and sorted out the current treatment methods of traditional Chinese medicine for preventing and treating OP and drugs that exert bone protective functions through miRNAs. This review is expected to provide theoretical reference and research guidance for future research on OP treatment by regulating miRNA.

Lager yeast is the most popular yeast strain used for beer production in China. The flocculation of yeast plays an important role in cell separation at the end of fermentation. Therefore, appropriately enhancing the flocculation capability of the lager yeast without affecting its fermentation performance would be desirable for beer industry. Our previous study showed that the defect of gene RIM21 might contribute to the enhanced flocculation capability of a lager yeast G03. To further investigate the role of the RIM21 gene in flocculation of strain G03, this study constructed a RIM21-deleted mutant strain G03-RIM21Δ through homologous recombination. Deletion of RIM21 improved the flocculation capability of strain G03 during wort fermentation at 11 °C without changing its fermentation performance significantly. The expression of FLO5, Lg-FLO1 and some other genes involved in cell wall integrity pathway were up-regulated in strain G03-RIM21Δ. In addition, the disruption of RIM21 enhanced resistance of yeast cells to cell wall inhibitors. These results provide a basis for elucidating the flocculation mechanism of lager yeast under low-temperature fermentation conditions.
Beer ; Fermentation ; Flocculation ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; Saccharomyces/metabolism* ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism* ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/metabolism*