Various column chromatography, such as silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, ODS, and semi-preparative HPLC was used to isolate and purify the chemical constituents from Cinnamomum cassia. The structures were determined on the basis of NMR and MS spectral data analysis, together with the comparison with literature data. Fifteen compounds were isolated from the 85% aqueous ethanol extract of C. cassia, and their structures were identified as (2R, 3R)-5,7,3',4'-tetramethoxyflavan-3-ol( 1), (2R, 3R)-5,7-dimethoxy-3',4'-methylenedioxyflavan-3-ol (2), coumarin (3), cinnamic acid (4), (E)-2-hydroxy-phenylpropionic acid cinnamoyl ester (5), 3, 3', 4, 4'-tetrahydroxy biphenyl (6), methylstictic acid (7), epi-boscialin (8), (1R,2S,3S,4S)-2,3-epoxy-1, 4-dihydroxy-5-methyl-5-cyelohexene (9), 4,5-dihydroxy-3-methyl cyclohex-2-enone (10), cis-4-hydroxymellein (11), and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxyl-cinnamaldehyde (12). Compounds 5-11 were obtained from this genus plants for the first time.
Cinnamomum aromaticum ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Mass Spectrometry ; Molecular Structure

According to the sequence of P450 cDNA of Eleutherococcus senticosus, specific primers were designed. Frokaryotic ex pression vector pET30a-P450 was constructed and the prokaryotic expression conditions were optimized. Results showed that the BL21 after being transformed with the recombinant expression vector accumulated the high amount of recombinant protein. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the recombinant protein was about 53 kDa. The recombinant accumulated the highest amount of recombinant protein af ter IPTG (1 mmol x L(-1)) at 27-37 degrees C for 24 h. Consequently P450 gene of E. senticosus could be expressed successfully by prokaryotic expression vector pET30a-P450. Induction temperature, IPTG concentration, medium type and amount of induction time could all influence the expression of target protein, but the impact strength was different.
Cloning, Molecular ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; genetics ; metabolism ; Eleutherococcus ; enzymology ; genetics ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plasmids ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To study the effects of ibuprofen on the growth and development of oligodendrocytes. Methods A total of 6 clean and healthy adult female SD (Sprague Dawley) rats were used for extracting and culturing of oligodendrocytes(OLs).Lysophosphatidic acid(LPA)was then added,and the morphological changes of OLs pre-treatment and post-treatment were observed. Then 6 newborn rats (born 24-48 h) were used for mixed glial cell extraction from the cortex, then the OPCs were inoculated into the culture plates and randomly divided into control group, ibuprofen group, lysophosphatidic acid(LPA)group and LPA+ibuprofen group.After the adhering of the cells in each group for three days, cell morphology was observed,and the drugs were added as interventions.The control group was treated with normal saline, and the other 3 groups were added with saline solution of ibuprofen(100 μmol/L),LPA(1.0 μmol/L)and the mixture of them. The cell morphological changes were observed after 7-day intervention.The morphology of OPCs and OLs were observed by immunofluorescence staining through OPCs'specific immune markers (platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha, PDGFR-α)and OLs'specific immune markers(myelin basic protein,MBP)along with cell count of mature OLs.Western blot assay was used to detect the relative expression level of MBP in each group. Results After the treatment with LPA to the mature OLs,protrusions were shrinking and became very sparse.The morphology of cells developed well in each group after cell adhering for 3 days. After drug intervention for 7 days, more cell protrusions and branches were observed in ibuprofen group and LPA+ibuprofen group than those of the control group and LPA group.The results of cell count showed that the number of MBP positive cells was significantly higher in the ibuprofen group and LPA+ibuprofen group than that in the control group and LPA group(P<0.01).The results of Western blot assay showed that the MBP protein expression was significantly less in LPA group than the other three groups (P<0.01), and the expression was significantly higher in the ibuprofen group than that of LPA+ibuprofen group (P<0.01). Conclusion LPA has a toxic effect on the growth and development of OPCs, and it has an inhibitory effect on the normal growth of mature OLs. A certain concentration of ibuprofen can significantly inhibit the cytotoxicity of LPA on OPCs and OLs,and promote the formation and maintenance of mature OLs.

Objective To summarize the method and effects of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (EC-MO) for eight patients with sever heart or(and) lung diseases,and to get some reliable advises by analysis of retro-spoctive indications,timing and result in ECMO therapy. Methods Eight patients,aging from 26 to 82 and weighted from 57-87 kg were observed. Vein-artery ECMO was used in all patients,with the flow in 40-70 ml/(kg·min) and the activated clotting time(ACT) kept at 160-200 s. Results The time of ECMO support varied from 9.5 h to 84.1 h;Among the eight patients,one didn't weaned from ECMO and died,two who were weaned died 38 h ,6 h af-ter ECMO;five patients weanned succsesefully from ECMO and discharged. Conclusions ECMO do well in treat-ment of severe cardiopulmonary failure, resuscitation and support post cardiosurgery,and the indication and timing performance are important to the final result.

Objective To investigate the hemodynamics of increasing portal venous pressure(PVP) in hepatocellular carcinoma patients complicated with hepatic arterioportal vein fistulas (HAPVF)and the diagnosis and therapy of intractable upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage caused by HAPVF.Methods One hundred and fifteen cases of hepatocellular carcinoma with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage were checked by hepatic arteriography and were treated through orifices embolization in cases with severe HAPCF by coils and/or ethanol. Results Twenty-six out of 31 patients suffering intractable upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage have severe HAPVF(the main stem of portal veins are visible).However,there are only 15 patients with light HAPVF among the 84 patients who have mild upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (the main stem of portal veins are invisible).After the embolization,all of the 26 patients who have severe HAPVF stopped bleeding.Among them,the main stem of hepatic arteries are occluded in 2 patients. Conclusion The existence of severe HAPVF should be taken into consideration when intractable upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage occurs in hepatocellular carcinoma patients,and it can be diagnosed through hepatic artery DSA.Orifice embolization is the most effective method for such kind of hemorrhage.

In order to study the contraindications of the compatibility of Flos Genkwa-Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae, in this study, the solubilizing and poisoning essence were explored. In this experiment, chromatographic assay, field emission scanning electron microscopy, MTT cytotoxicity evaluation, and other methods were used to study the main chemical components, morphology and toxicity of the ethyl acetate part of Flos Genkwa and its co-decoction with glycyrrhizic acid, in order to clarify Flos Genkwa-Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae incompatibility provides a new idea for the research on incompatibility of Flos Genkwa-Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae. The results showed that after co-decoction of the ethyl acetate part of Flos Genkwa with glycyrrhizic acid, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detected the dissolution of the toxic component yuanhuacine of 54.8%, while yuanhuacine chromatographic peak was not detected in the Flos Genkwa ethyl acetate part of the single decoction. The increase of co-decoction dissolution rate was observed by scanning electron microscopy, and it was found that glycyrrhizic acid uniformly dispersed the fat-soluble components of Flos Genkwa into nano-scale particles, which improved the solubility and stability in the solution. Furthermore, the results of cytotoxicity evaluation showed that the survival rate of cells decreased after co-decoction, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining also gave the same results. In summary, the co-decoction of the ethyl acetate part of Flos Genkwa with glycyrrhizic acid promotes the dissolution of the toxic component yuanhuacine, and makes the part form uniformly distributed nanoparticles, which is conducive to the absorption of the ingredient and increases the toxicity.

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathological characteristics of synchronous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the renal pelvis and SCC of the ureter.

METHODSThe clinical data of two cases of synchronous SCC of the renal pelvis and SCC of the ureter were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. In case 1, a 68-year-old man with hematuria for a month, imaging modalities revealed a right renal pelvis tumor and a right distal ureter tumor. The patient underwent nephroureterectomy and excision of the bladder cuff. Case 2, a 60-year-old man with the complaint of lower abdominal pain and left flank pain for a month, was diagnosed as left distal ureteral stone in another hospital. Ureterolithotomy was performed and a ureteral tumor was found at the lower site of the stone intraoperatively. The pathological report demonstrated SCC, and the patient was transferred to our hospital for further treatment. We found a left renal mass invading the left hemicolon during surgery, and nephroureterectomy was performed with a bladder cuff excision, left hemicolon resection, and also complete lymph node dissection. Neither of patients received adjuvant radiotherapy/chemotherapy.

RESULTSModerately differentiated SCC was reported in both of renal pelvis and ureter in case 1 and the tumor invaded the subepithelial connective tissue in the renal pelvis and superficial muscle in the ureter. In case 2, moderately differentiated SCC of the left renal pelvis with colon metastasis and poorly differentiated SCC of the ureter was reported with two retroperitoneal lymph node metastases. The two patients died from tumor recurrence and metastasis 5 and 6 months after the surgery, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSynchronous SCC of the renal pelvis and SCC of the ureter are rare and has high likeliness of early recurrence and metastasis, often with poor prognosis.

Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; complications ; pathology ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; complications ; pathology ; Kidney Pelvis ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ureteral Neoplasms ; complications ; pathology

Previous studies proposed that the synergistic effect of fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) and insulin may be due to the improvement of insulin sensitivity by FGF-21. However, there is no experimental evidence to support this. This study was designed to elucidate the mechanism of synergistic effect of FGF-21 and insulin in the regulation of glucose metabolism. The synergistic effect of FGF-21 and insulin on regulating glucose metabolism was demonstrated by investigating the glucose absorption rate by insulin resistance HepG2 cell model and the blood glucose chances in type 2 diabetic db/db mice after treatments with different concentrations of FGF-21 or/and insulin; The synergistic metabolism was revealed through detecting GLUT1 and GLUT4 transcription levels in the liver by real-time PCR method. The experimental results showed that FGF-21 and insulin have a synergistic effect on the regulation of glucose metabolism. The results of real-time PCR showed that the effective dose of FGF-21 could up-regulate the transcription level of GLUT1 in a dose-dependent manner, but had no effect on the transcription level of GLUT4. Insulin (4 u) alone could up-regulate the transcription level of GLUT4, yet had no effect on that of GLUT1. Ineffective dose 0.1 mg kg(-1) FGF-21 alone could not change the transcription level of GLUT1 or GLUT4. However, when the ineffective dose 0.1 mg x kg(-1) FGF-21 was used in combination with insulin (4 u) significantly increased the transcription levels of both GLUT1 and GLUT4, the transcription level of GLUT1 was similar to that treated with 5 time concentration of FGF-21 alone; the transcription level of GLUT4 is higher than that treated with insulin (4 u) alone. In summary, in the presence of FGF-21, insulin increases the sensitivity of FGF-21 through enhancing GLUT1 transcription. Vice versa, FGF-21 increases the sensitivity of insulin by stimulating GLUT4 transcription in the presence of insulin. FGF-21 and insulin exert a synergistic effect on glucose metabolism through mutual sensitization.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; metabolism ; Drug Synergism ; Fibroblast Growth Factors ; pharmacology ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Glucose Transporter Type 1 ; metabolism ; Glucose Transporter Type 4 ; metabolism ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Insulin ; pharmacology ; Insulin Resistance ; Liver ; metabolism ; Mice

OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation of vasectomy with the risk of prostate cancer in Chinese men.

METHODSWe systematically searched the databases CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for the literature relating the relationship between vasectomy and the risk of prostate cancer in Chinese males up to December 2014. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two investigators independently selected the eligible publications, evaluated their quality, and extracted relevant information, followed by a meta-analysis with the software STATA 12.0.

RESULTSNine studies were included in the analysis involving 1 202 cases of prostate cancer and 4,496 controls. Random-effect model analysis revealed no statistically significant correlation between vasectomy and the risk of prostate cancer (OR = 1.05; 95% CI 0.62-1.79), with an obvious heterogeneity (P < 0.001, I2 = 85.7%). No significant publication bias was found among the included studies (Egger, P = 0.824; Begg, P = 0.348).

CONCLUSIONThe results of our meta-analysis do not support the association of vasectomy with the increased risk of prostate cancer in Chinese population.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; China ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; ethnology ; etiology ; Risk Assessment ; Vasectomy ; adverse effects

Objective To explore the clinical features,genetic causes and prognosis of intellectual disability with epilepsy(ID-E)in children.Methods The data of unknown causes of ID-E children(n=40)who were identified in Department of Pediatrics,Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from March 2015 to March 2016 were respectively analyzed,and follow-up studies were performed to investigate the epilepsy control and intellectual deve-lopment.Results Forty unexplained ID-E included 25(62.5％)male,and 34(85.0％)cases were severe intellectual disability patients.The onset age of epilepsy was 0.16 to 8.00 years old,median age was 1.5 years old.Twenty cases(50.0％)had slow electroencephalogram background,and 22 cases(55.0％)had focal spikes.Ten cases(25.0％)had abnormal cranial images,with brain dysplasia or atrophy.Follow-up lasted from 0.58 to 1.58 years,and 19 cases(47.5％)had seizure control.Twenty-five cases(62.5％)had used at least 2 anti-epilepsy drugs during follow-up,and 19 cases(47.5％)had drug refractory epilepsy.Improvement of mental or motor development in epilepsy controlled group and the uncontrolled group were 12 cases(63.2％)and 2 cases(9.5％).There were separately 8 cases(8/40 cases,20.0％)and 3 cases(3/16 cases,18.8％)diagnosed respectively by whole genome-wide analysis of copy number variants(CNVs)and gene-panel whose CNVs test findings were negative.Conclusions ID-E patients of unknown causes have the following clinical features:they were mostly found in male patients with severe intellectual disability,and drug refractory epilepsy patients have rather high percentage;well controlling of epilepsy is useful for improvement of mental and motor development.Genetic analysis is significant for control and prognosis of ID-E patients,and genome-wide CNVs have high positive rates which can be used as first-tier test to detect genetic etiology of ID-E of unknown cause.