Aim To investigate the influence and molecular mechanism of C-phycocyanin(CPC) from Spirulina platensis on apoptosis of HeLa cells in vitro.Methods Firstly,the effect of purified CPC on proliferation of HeLa cells in vitro was determined by MTT assay,and then electron microscope was exploited to observe the characteristic apoptotic features of cells treated with CPC.Subsequently,genomic DNA changes of HeLa cells were observed by agarose electrophoresis.Flow cytometric analysis revealed the influence of different concentrations of CPC on cell cycle of HeLa cells.The expressions of apoptosis related genes of CPC treated HeLa cells were determined by immunohistochemistry analysis.In addition,the activities of caspases and the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol were detected.Results Compared with control cells untreated with CPC,a significant decreased in the numbers of HeLa cells in survival treated with CPC and concentration dose effects existed.CPC could induce characteristic apoptotic features including cell shrinkage,membrane blebbing,microvilli loss,chromatin margination and condensation into dense granules or blocks.DNA of HeLa cells treated with CPC showed fragmentation pattern(DNA ladder of oligomers of 180~200 bp) typical for apoptotic cells.HeLa cells treated with different concentrations of CPC demonstrated an increasing percentage of cells in sub-G0/G1 phase.In addition,CPC could promote the expression of pro-apoptotic gene(Fas and ICAM-1);meanwhile,held back the anti-apoptotic gene(Bcl-2) expression,and then facilitated the transduction of tumoral apoptosis signals that resulted in the apoptosis of HeLa cells in vitro.In CPC treated HeLa cells,CPC treatment of HeLa cells also resulted in activation of caspases and release of cytochrome C from mitochondria into the cytosol.Conclusion C-phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis can induce the apoptosis of HeLa cells in vitro.By virtue of the promotion of the apoptosis signals transduction in HeLa,CPC realizes its antitumor activities.

Objective To investigate the electromyngraphy eharacteristies of Parkinsen's disease (PD) by studying tremor frequency, intensity and drug response. Methods Sixty-six patients with PD hospitalized during March 2005 to May 2006 were re-evaluated and recruited into the study. A ten-channel electromyography recorded the frequency and intensity of the rest tremor and postural tremor. Tremor analysis soft was used to statistically analyze differences between the two types of tremor, correlation between the frequency and intensity, and changes after regular administration of dopaminergic medication. Results The frequencies of rest tremor ((4. 79±0.69 ) Hz) and postural tremor ( (5.54±1.18) Hz ) showed statistical differences (F = 33.5, P<0. 01), but the intensity of rest tremor (0.016-421.700 (rag)2) and postural tremor (0.062-217.900 (mg)2) didn't show statistical differences (F=1.917, P>0.05 ). No regression relation was revealed between the frequency and intensity of tremor (r=0.09, P>0.05). After dopaminergic medication treatment, the intensity declined significantly from 0.016-421.700 (mg)2 to 0.027-82.200 (mg)2(F=5.179,P <0.05), but the difference of frequencies of tremor between before ( (5.09±0.85) Hz) and after treatment ( (5.20 ± 1.08 )Hz) was not significant (F = 0.474, P > 0.05). Conclusions There may be different mechanisms for the rest tremor and postural tremor in PD. There is no correlation identified between the frequency and intensity in PD and this is may be resulted from variability of tremor intensity. Dopaminergic can relieve the symptom of tremor, but it doesn't reduce the frequency of tremor.

The change in serum laminin (LN) level and its clinical significance in epithelial ovarian tumor were investigated. The LN levels in serum and ascites samples from 69 patients with epithelial ovarian tumor and 42 cases as control group before and after operation were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. The results showed that the serum LN levels in the patients with malignant tumors (157.85 +/- 14.37 ng/ml) were significantly higher than that in the control group (125.14 +/- 7.03 ng/ml) and in the patients with benign tumors (128.36 +/- 8.75 ng/ml) (both P < 0.01) before operation. The serum LN levels in the malignant group were decreased significantly after operation as compared with those before operation (P < 0.05). The serum LN levels in low-differentiated tumors was higher than those in moderate-differentiated tumors and high-differentiated tumors (P < 0.05). The LN levels in ascites (172.94 +/- 15.26 ng/ml) was significantly higher than in serum (161.34 +/- 6.59 ng/ml) (P < 0.05) in malignant tumors. The serum LN levels in the patients with lymph node metastasis (165.41 +/- 19.91 ng/ml) was obviously higher than those without lymph node metastasis (152.35 +/- 10.34 ng/ml) (P < 0.05). It was concluded that LN levels in serum and acistis were remarkably increased in malignant epithelial ovarian tumors, suggesting that LN might be one of important diameters reflecting tumor biological characteristics.
Ascitic Fluid/*metabolism ; Carcinoma/blood ; Carcinoma/metabolism ; Laminin/*blood ; Laminin/metabolism ; Ovarian Neoplasms/*metabolism ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*blood ; Tumor Markers, Biological/metabolism

Objective To investigate muscle MRI characteristics of lower limbs in Chinese patients with dysferlinopathy. Methods Detailed clinical information of 42 patients with dysferlinopathy confirmed by Western blot or DYSF genetic test were studied retrospectively, including age, course, serum creatinine kinase (CK) and modified Gardner?Medwin and Walto score, and T1WI, STIR image. Each muscle was scored according to its fatty degeneration evaluated on T1WI (fat replacement score). The patients were divided into 3 groups:Miyoshi myopathy (MM), limb girdle muscle dystrophy 2B (LGMD 2B) and preclinical stage (asymptomatic hyperCKemia or exercise intolerance). The data including the scores of each muscle between MM and LGMD 2B were compared by ANOVA analysis and Chi square test. The relationship of fatty replacement score with course and GM?W score was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation analysis. Results Thirty nine patients underwent thigh MR scanning and 36 patients underwent leg MR scanning. At the thigh level, there is no specificity that the fatty replacement was found in both the anterior and posterior parts while the rectus femoris, sartorius and gracilis were rarely involved. At the leg level, the most severely involved muscle was the soleus, followed by gastrocnemius. It formed a sandwich?like pattern that the anterior part (anterior and posterior tibial muscle and peroneus longus muscle) and the posterior part (medial and lateral gastrocnemius) were less involved than the middle part (soleus). Of 42 patients, 14 cases were MM, and 24 were LGMD 2B. The fat replacement score of each muscle between two groups showed no significant differences (F=0.066 to 3.907,P all>0.05) except for the adductor muscle (F=5.239, P=0.028), semimembranosus (F=6.703, P=0.014) and semitendinosus (F=7.689, P=0.009). Of 4 pre?symptomatic cases, 3 showed edema of posterior part of leg on STIR, especially soleus. In all patients, the fat replacement score correlated positively with course (rs=0.732, P=0.000) and GM-W score (rs=0.485, P=0.001). Conclusions The MRI of Chinese patient with dysferlinopathy was characterized by the milder involvement of rectus femoris, sartorius and gracilis muscle in the thigh and a sandwich?like pattern in the leg, which is helpful for differential diagnosis of inflammatory Myopathy versus other types of muscular dystrophy.

Objective To study the effect of ratanasampil (RNSP) which is Traditional Tibetan Medicine on the levels of serum β-amyloid protein, interleukin and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods One hundred AD patients were divided into two groups in randomized controlled study, including treatment group (RNSP 1 g/d) and control group (piracetam 2.4 g/d). The treatment lasted 12 weeks. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Alzheimer' s disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADLs) were taken to evaluate the efficacy. Serum levels of amyloid peptides (Aβ40 and Aβ42 ) were measured by ELISA assay. The radioimmunologic assay was used to determine the serum levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α. Results The scores of MMSE, ADAS-cog and ADL significantly improved at 12 weeks after RNSP treatment (P＜0.01, 0.01, 0.05, respectively), while had no significant changes in piracetam group (P＜0.05).The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and Aβ42 were significantly lower in RNSP group than in Piracetam group (P＜0.01). There was a decrease trend of the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio at 12 weeks after RNSP treatment (P＜0. 05, P＜0.01 ). The serum Aβ42 level had strong correlations with TNF-α, IL-1 β and IL-6. There were no significant differences in Aβ40 and IL-8 between RNSP group and piracetam group. No obvious drug side effect happened on the groups. Conclusions The reductions of serum TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels after RNSP treatment may lead to decrease of Aβ42 production in AD patients. RNSP may decrease the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio and slow down the progress of AD. It may improve the learning and memory ability in treating patients with mild to moderate AD and is well tolerated and safe.

The change in serum laminin (LN) level and its clinical significance in epithelial ovarian tumor were investigated. The LN levels in serum and ascites samples from 69 patients with epithelial ovarian tumor and 42 cases as control group before and after operation were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. The results showed that the serum LN levels in the patients with malignant tumors (157.85 +/- 14.37 ng/ml) were significantly higher than that in the control group (125.14 +/- 7.03 ng/ml) and in the patients with benign tumors (128.36 +/- 8.75 ng/ml) (both P < 0.01) before operation. The serum LN levels in the malignant group were decreased significantly after operation as compared with those before operation (P < 0.05). The serum LN levels in low-differentiated tumors was higher than those in moderate-differentiated tumors and high-differentiated tumors (P < 0.05). The LN levels in ascites (172.94 +/- 15.26 ng/ml) was significantly higher than in serum (161.34 +/- 6.59 ng/ml) (P < 0.05) in malignant tumors. The serum LN levels in the patients with lymph node metastasis (165.41 +/- 19.91 ng/ml) was obviously higher than those without lymph node metastasis (152.35 +/- 10.34 ng/ml) (P < 0.05). It was concluded that LN levels in serum and acistis were remarkably increased in malignant epithelial ovarian tumors, suggesting that LN might be one of important diameters reflecting tumor biological characteristics.
Ascitic Fluid ; metabolism ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; blood ; metabolism ; Carcinoma ; blood ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Laminin ; blood ; metabolism ; Male ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; metabolism

Objective To measure the number of lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, CD5+B lymphocytes and level of IL-10 in peripheral blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and analyze their effects in the disease. Methods In this study, 84 cases of patients with SLE were randomly selected and evaluated according to the activity index (SLEDAI). These cases were divided into low activity group (SLEDAI<9) and high activity group (SLEDAI≥9). Ten healthy individuals were selected as the control group at the same time. The number of peripheral blood lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, CD5 + B lymphocytes, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C3, C4 and interleukin (IL)-10 levels in serum were measured respectively and the correlation between the above indexes and SLEDAI and complement levels were analyzed. Pair-wise comparison of means of groups was conducted with one-way ANOVA. Comparison between the two groups was conducted by LSD-t test. Correlations between variables were carried out using Spearman's rank correlation test. Results The total number of lymphocytes in SLE group was lower than that in normal control group ( F=7.216, P<0.001); The number of CD19+ B lymphocytes in SLE group was higher than that in normal control group (F=3.589, P=0.036). The number of CD5+B lymphocytes of peripheral blood [(2.5±0.6)%] in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was significantly lower than that in the normal control group [(3.2 ±0.8)%], but the difference was not statistically significant (t=3.412, P=0.698). The number of CD5+B lymphocytes in the high activity group was significantly lower than that in the low activity group (t=7.365, P=0.027)and the normal control group (t=5.649, P=0.002). The number of CD5+ B lymphocytes was negatively correlated with SLEDAI score (r=-0.692, P=0.001) and positively associated with the level of complement 3 (r=0.305, P=0.038), but not with complement 4 and ESR (P>0.05). In addition, the level of serum IL-10 in whether the low activity group (t=1.935, P=0.031) or the high activity group (t=3.048, P=0.012) was all higher than the normal control group. The level of serum IL-10 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was positively associated with SLEDAI score (r=0.425, P=0.024) and ESR (r=0.479, P=0.008), but was negatively correlated with complement 4 (r=-0.359, P=0.031). Conclusion The total number of lymphocytes in patients with SLE decreases significantly, while B lymphocytes increases significantly. The number of CD5+ B lymphocytes and the serum IL-10 level are also changed. It maybe related to the patient's inflammatory environment, and the number of CD5+B lymphocytes and the serum IL-10 level may be associated with disease activity.

We analyzed parasitic diseases diagnosed by tissue biopsy specimens at KyungHee Medical Center (KMC) from 1984 to 2005. The total number of parasite infection cases was 150 (0.07%) out of the total 211,859 biopsy specimens submitted for histopathological examinations. They consisted of 62 cysticercosis, 23 sparganosis, 16 paragonimiasis, 15 amebiasis, 11 anisakiasis, 11 clonorchiasis, 3 ascariasis, 2 scabies, 2 enterobiasis, 2 trichuriasis, 1 leishmaniasis, 1 taeniasis, and 1 thelaziasis. Out of 62 cysticercosis cases, 55 were detected in subcutaneous tissues or the central nerve system. Eighteen out of 23 sparganosis cases were involved in muscular and subcutaneous tissues. In most anisakiasis cases, the involved organ was the stomach. The lung and the pleura were the most common site of paragonimiasis. The incidence of parasitic diseases during the first 5 years (1984-1988) was the highest of all observed periods. After 1989, similar incidences were shown throughout the period. Whereas cysticercosis was diagnosed in 34 cases during 1984-1988, no case has been diagnosed since 2000. In the case of sparganosis, the chronological incidence was almost uniform throughout the period 1984-2005. Paragonimiasis showed a similar tendency to cysticercosis. In gender and age distribution of parasitic diseases, men showed higher incidence rates than females, and the age groups of the 40s or older indicated higher infection frequencies than other age groups. Therefore, these results are a significant report to appear the tendency of human parasitic disease diagnosed by tissue biopsy in association with parasitosis at KMC in Seoul.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Biopsy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parasitic Diseases/*diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Sex Factors ; Young Adult