Pathology and pathophysiology are sciences studying the laws and mechanisms of the occurrence and development of diseases, linking up the preclinical and clinical medicine. Owing to the different perspectives and ways of thinking, the western medicine and the traditional Chinese medicine developed respectively their independent theoretical, diagnostic and therapeutic systems. Integrative medicine, combining the theories and treatments of both western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, has become the developing trend of medicine along with the social development. For this reason, pathological and pathophysiological research in integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine is highly significant for revealing the internal relations between the clinical manifestation and the pathological changes, for expounding the causes, conditions, mechanisms and laws of the occurrence and development of diseases. In doing related research, we should combine the disease and the syndrome, combine the macro-level and the micro-level, combine the part and the whole. We should manage to systematize the clinical research, to establish animal models of the syndromes, and to integrate the animal models of syndromes with the clinical characteristics of diseases. We should apply the theories of traditional Chinese medicine to the pathological and pathophysiological research of modern medicine.

Apoptosis, a common and evolutionarily conserved property of all metazoan,is an essential part of life. The loss of cellular homeostasis balance is a character of tumor. The mitochondria (the intrinsic pathway) and the death receptors (the extrinsic pathway) are two major signal transduction pathways. With elucidation of the apoptotic molecular mechanism, some key proteins and genes related with apoptosis had been as the molecular targets for anticancer new drugs. There is the fundamental signficance to research further both apoptotic molecular mechanism and tumor therapy. [

Experimental membranous glomerulonephritis(MGN) in Japanese white rabbits was induced by administration of C-BSA according to Border's method. The results showed that the lipid peroxides(LPO) content in plasma and renal cortex were significantly increased compared with that in the controls. On the other hand, the activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-px) in whole blood and renal cortex were significantly reduced compared with that in the controls. The results suggested that experimental MGN existed a mechanism of cellular injury manifested as lipid peroxidation in biomembrane, and such injury might be related to toxic effects of reactive oxygen on biomembrane. Tetramethylpyrazine was used to treat experimental MON. The results showed that the drug might have reduced the amount of proteinuria and the extent of lipid peroxidative injury. At the same time, the drug might haod raised the activities of SOD and GSH-px, and improved the lesion ot some extent. It is suggested that tetramethylpyrazine had the effect of anti-lipid peroxidative injury.

The protecting effects of HZD, DZ and Mg~(2+) on isolated cultured rat li ver cells injured by CCl_4 was compared in this article. The results showed that HZD (15?l/ml)or DZ(10~(-4)M)or Mg~(2+)(4.8?10~(-3)M)added to the liquid culture of rat liver cells, inhibited the overloading of calcium ions and the leakage of LDH and GOT in hepatocytes effectively. The contents of Ca~(2+) ion were positively related to the leakage of enzymes.The intensity of inhibition effects to the calcium overloading and the enzyme leakage in HZD were situated between those in DZ and Mg~(2+).

Human sex glands (ovary and testis) play extremely important roles in reproductive function and sexual behavior by secreting various hormones.However,complex changes in the structure and the function of sex gland occur with ageing,resulting in a series of clinical consequences.This article explores these changes and discuss about their diagnosis and treatment.

Osteoporosis is characterized by reduced bone mass and impaired micro-architectural structure, leading to an increased susceptibility to fractures. It is a complex, multifactorial disorder resulting from genetic factors, environmental factors and gene-environment interactions. Currently there are three opinions on the main pathogenesis of primary osteoporosis in traditional Chinese medicine: kidney deficiency, spleen deficiency, and spleen-kidney deficiency, in which disagreement remains. In this paper, the authors combine the modern etiology of osteoporosis to explain scientific connotation of the three opinions, aiming to comprehend the pathogenesis of primary osteoporosis and strengthen the communication between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and trying to evaluate the clinical curative effect on osteoporosis.

AIM and METHODS: To investigate the effect of endotoxin on the celluar activity and secretion of endothelin-1 by radioimmunoassay and MTT methods in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells stimulated by E coli endotoxin (E coli O55:B5, Sigma) of various concentrations (1 g/L, 100 mg/L， 10 mg/L，1 mg/L，100 μg/L，10 μg/L, 1 μg/L) and at the same time interval (HUVEC stimulated by endotoxin for 6 hours) in vitro.RESULTS:Endotoxin showed a slightly inhibitory effect on the viability of endothelial cells at low doses (1 μg/L， 10 μg/L, 100 μg/L, 1 mg/L). The viabilities were 92.00%±1.45%， 91.81%±2.03%, 89.52%±1.49%, 88.35%±1.88%, respectively, versus control group, P＜0.01. The cells were impaired significantly at the higher dose of LPS (100 mg/L), the viability was 80.49%±8.76%, versus control group, P＜0.01. The cells were killed evidently at the concentration of LPS (1 g/L), the viability was 73%±8%, versus control group, P＜0.01. The secretion of ET-1 increased gradually with the concentration of endotoxin manifolding. The concentration of ET-1 reached its peak at the dose of 100 μg/L, and it was (324.384±17.023) ng/L, versus control group (251.636±17.023) ng/L, P＜0.01. Endotoxin was effective in stimulating the endothelial cells to secret ET-1 in a dose dependent manner. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested ET-1 may be one of the important factors in endotoxic shock, and the increase in plasma ET-1 level in endotoxemia may be associated with increase in ET-1 secretion.

To study the direct effect of E.Coli endotoxin on the production of nitric oxide by endothelial cells, the second passage of cultured human umbilical cells was stimulated by serial doses of endotoxin (1 g/L, 10 mg/L, 100 μg/L, 10 μg/L, 1 μg/L), and the content of nitric oxide in supematant of culture and the viability of endothelial cells 6 hours after the stimulation were obcerved. The result showed that endotoxin had a slightly inhibitory effect on both the production of nitric oxide and the viability of endothelial cells at low doses (1 μg/L, 10 μg/L, 100 μg/L), especially the dose of 100 μg/L ［(608.63±11.64) μmol/L, versus that of unstimulated grouop (629.46±13.36) μmol/L, P＜0.05］. While the high doses of endotoxin exerted a big increasing in production of nitric oxide and a big decrease in the viability of endothelial cells, especially the dose of 1 g/L (NO: 722.58 μmol/L±32.18 μmol/L, versus that of unstimulated group P＜0.01; viability: 73.63%±8.50%, versus that of unstimulated group, P＜0.01). These could be concluded that low doses of endotoxin mainly resulted in functional changes in endothelial cells, such as decrease in relaxing factor (nitrc oxide), while high doses endotoxin exerted lethal effects on endothelial cells accompanied with high production of nitric oxide, which might be related to the death of cells.

AIM: To observe the direct effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on secretion of endothelin-1(ET-1) and nitric oxide by human umbilical vein endothelial cell and cell viability of the secretor. METHODS: The third passage of human umbilical vein endothelial cells were incubated with different concentrations of LPS(1 g/L, 100 mg/L, 10 mg/L, 1 mg/L, 100 ?g/L, 10 ?g/L, 1 ?g/L) for 6 hours, and the culture supernatants were collected. The concentrations of ET-1 were determined by radioimmunoassay, the concentrations of nitric oxide were determined using Greiss's method. The viabilities of cells were measured by MTT method. RESULTS: The concentration of ET-1 (pg/L) of normal control group was 251 64?10 90. The concentrations of ET-1(pg/L) of LPS treated groups were 220 85?19 14, 278 67?15 45, 306 40?11 60, 312 87?33 50, 324 38?17 02, 291 49?14 30, 282 11?13 38, respectively. (each group compared with normal control group, P

AIM: To observe the changes in neuropeptide Y(NPY) and the effect of Fu-Sheng powder(FSP) on NPY in the rat brain in a steady cerebral ischemia and reperfusion(I/R) model. METHODS: The models of rat brain injury were established by repeated cerebral I/R in rats with hyperlipidemia. Radioimmunoassay was performed to determine the level of NPY, while NPY mRNA expression was observed by in situ hybridization. RESULTS: After 1 day of I/R, compared with control group, the content of NPY in the model animals were significantly increased by 51.86% ( P