By using replica cast SEM method, the vascular architecture of the dental pulp of rat incisors was studied. The characteristics of the vascular architecture are as follows:1. The axis of the dental pulp is occupied by the central vascular bundle, which consists of 10 to 20 arterioles and 8 to 12 venules.2. The arterioles (30-50?m in diameter) and the venules (50-80?m in diameter) located in the central bundles are arranged parallely in a relatively long distance as a countercurrent system. The longest distance is about 12 mm.3. Each arteriole of the central vascular bundle supplies an independent area of the dentin of the tooth. The territory of an arteriole is about 700 to 1400 ?m in length.4. The arteriole of the central bundle breaks up into capillaries (4～6?m in diameter) which are mainly distributed over the odontblast area and form a complex 3-dimensional plexus.

To investigate the effects of Yiguanjian Decoction, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on rats with cirrhosis based on the method of differential proteomics.

Objective To observe the effect of shock lymph drainage on multiple organ injury of rats with traumatic hemorrhagic shock (THS) and discuss the relating mechanism. Methods Male Wistar rats were divided into control group, lymph drainage group and lymph return group. The THS model was established in lymph drainage group and lymph return group, when the shock mesenteric lymph was drained in lymph drainage group. The change of the mean arterial pressure ( MAP), the biochemical indices of liver, kidney, myocardium and acid-base, the morphology, ATP contents and ATPase activities of lung, kidney, liver and myocardium were observed. Results The MAP at multiple time points after 80 minutes of infusion, the ATP contents and ATPase activities of multiple organs in lymph drainage group were higher than those in lymph return group. Multiple biochemical indices in lymph drainage group were superior to those in lymph return group, with statistical difference. The inflammation, congestion, degeneration and necrosis were found in organs of lymph return group, but only mild lesions could be seen in lymph drainage group. Conclusions The shock lymph drainage can alleviate multiple organ injury of THS rats, mechanism of which is correlated with improvement of the energy metabolism and maintenance of MAP and acid-base status.

To evaluate the effects of Xiayuxue Decoction, a compound traditional Chinese medicine, on liver angiogenesis in rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced liver fibrosis.

Lysozyme hydrolyses bacterial cell walls and acts as a nonspecific innate immunity molecule against the invasion of bacterial pathogens. We cloned the cDNA of lysozyme from Fenneropenaeus chinensis and named Fc-lysozyme (FcLyz in short). The full length of the gene was of 709 bp, and the open reading frame (477 bp) encoded 158 amino acids. The predicted protein had a signal peptide (-1--18 residue) and molecular weight of the mature protein (residue 1-140) was of 16.2 kD. A Lyz 1 domain (residue 1-130) in the lysozyme was found by SMART analysis. The results of semiquantity RT-PCR showed that FcLyz was constitutively expressed in tested tissues in a low level in normal shrimp, and up-regulated in hemocytes, heart, hepatopancreas and gill of bacterial challenged shrimp. The DNA fragment of mature Fc-Lys was subcloned to pET-30a (+) expression vector, the recombinant plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and then induced by isopropylthio-beta-D-galactoside (IPTG). The antibacterial activity of the purified recombinant FcLys was analyzed and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was assayed. The recombinant protein showed high antibacterial activity against some Gram-positive bacteria, and MIC reached 3.43 micromol/L, and relatively low activity against Gram-negative bacteria. All together, the Fc-Lys was regulated by pathogen infection and had antibacterial activity. This suggested that the FcLyz may be one of the important molecules against pathogens in innate immunity of the shrimp.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; biosynthesis ; Base Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Muramidase ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Penaeidae ; enzymology ; genetics ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; pharmacology