Serum cytokine concentrations were determined in patients with Graves'disease(GD)before and after treatment of thiamazole.Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor(sIL-2R)level was markedly raised before treatment as compared with normal subjects and returned to normal after 3 month therapy.Serum IL-8 level was lowered in GD patients and showed no change after 3 month therapy.No relationship between IL-8 and other markers was found.Serum IL-1?,IL-6 and TNF-?levels in GD patients showed no difference with those in normal controls.

The aim of this Post-Marketing Surveillance study was to assess efficacy,safety and acceptance of acarbose treatment in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients under day-to-day practice conditions.A total of 2 480 patients were enrolled by 231 physicians throughout China into an open,prospective,uncontrolled,non- randomised,multi-centre study.Main efficacy parameters were the changes in fasting and postprandial blood glucose concentrations as well as in HbA-(1C) levels after acarbose treatment.The majority of patients had been previously treated with other oral anti-diabetic medication or insulin and received concomitant anti-diabetics during the mean observation period of 13.5 weeks.Most patients started on a daily acarbose dose of 50 mg t.i.d. Acarbose treatment reduced fasting blood glucose concentrations by 56.1 mg/dl ( 18 mg/dl glucose = 1 mmol/L glucose) and 2h-postprandial values by 111.3 mg/dl over the study period.HbA-(1C) decreased by 1.9% and body weight by 0.9 kg.76 acarbose-relatod adverse events occurred;two patients experienced serious adverse events. The attending physicians assessed treatment efficacy as“very good”or“good”for 90.1% of the patients, tolcrability for 89.1% and acarbose acceptance for 87.1% of the patients.Acarbose is efficacious,safe and well accepted by Chinese type 2 diabetic patients under day-to-day routine conditions,both as anti-diabetic mono- therapy and in combination with other anti-dlabetic drugs.

To develop a reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for rapid and sensitive detection of Norwalk GII. 4 primers which recognized 6 distinct regions on the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene of Norwalk GII were designed and used for LAMP assay. Norwalk GII RNA was amplified under isothermal conditions (65 degrees C) for 120 min, and LAMP results were then judged with naked eye, SYBR Green I staining, electrophoretic analysis and restriction digestion. To evaluate the specificity of the RT-LAMP, 48 fecal specimens of Norwalk GII and 12 fecal specimens of group A rotaviruses were tested. To compare the sensitivity of the RT-LAMP with that of conventional RT-PCR, Norwalk GII RNA was serially diluted and amplified by RT-LAMP and RT-PCR, respectively. With 46 fecal specimens of Norwalk GII, observation with naked eyes, SYBR Green I staining and electrophoretic analysis were able to detect the PCR products in the RT-LAMP assay. The specificity of RT-LAMP products was also confirmed by digestion of the RT-LAMP products with restriction enzymes. No RNA amplification was observed in 2 fecal specimens of Norwalk GII and 12 fecal specimens of group A rotaviruses. The specificity of the RT-LAMP assay with regard to RT-PCR were 100% for Norwalk GII. The detection limits of RT-LAMP was 15.6 pg/tube for Norwalk GII and similar to that of a RT-PCR assay. Compared to RT-PCR, the RT-LAMP assay has been proven to be a rapid, sensitive, specific and accurate method for detection of the Norwalk GII in fecal specimens, and that RT-LAMP assay is potentially useful for the rapid detection of Norwalk GII from fecal specimens in outbreaks of infectious diarrhea.
Caliciviridae Infections ; virology ; Feces ; virology ; Humans ; Norwalk virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; RNA Replicase ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Viral Proteins ; genetics

To investigate the optimum harvesting time and utilization of mulberry leaves during different growth periods based on the content of alkaloids and flavonoids, 88 samples of 11 species of mulberry leaves were collected and analyzed. UPLC-TQ/MS method was applied and the results showed that the ingredients of alkaloids and flavonoids in mulberry leaves are quite different in different growth periods and different species. There was a sharp decline of the average content of alkaloids in all samples from October, while the content of flavonoids dropped either from October but with less volatile. The content of flavonoids in M. atropurpurea was much higher than alkaloids, while M. australis was opposite completely. There was a sharp decline of alkaloids in M. cathayana and M. mongolica from Tuly to August, however, the content of alkaloids and flavonoids in M. alba is neither too high nor too low. In summary, it is more suitable to harvest tender mulberry leaves harvested from the end of September to beginning of October that provide a scientific evidence for rational harvest and comprehensive utilization of mulberry leaves.
Alkaloids ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drug Stability ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Flavonoids ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Mass Spectrometry ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Morus ; chemistry ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; Reproducibility of Results ; Seasons

Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Genes, Viral ; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus ; genetics ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; virology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the behavioral changes and the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in the anterior cortex in the olfactory bulb damage rats after being treated with Guanyu capsules (GYC).

METHODOpen-field test and step-down passive avoidance test were used to observe the behavior in model rats. HPLC-ECD was used to analyze the influences of GYC on the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters.

RESULTIn the model rats, there was a characteristic hyperactivity in the Open-field and learning deficits in step-down passive avoidance (P < 0.01). The contents of 5-HT reduced, and the rate of DOPAC/DA increased significantly (P < 0.01). GYC 1.2, 0.6 g x kg(-1) could correct behavioral changes increase the contents of 5-HT, and decrease DOPAC/DA level (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONGYC can correct behavioral changes in rats model of olfactory bulb damage, and regulating 5-HT and DA metabolism in cortex is one of the antidepressive mechanisms of GYC.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid ; metabolism ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; drug effects ; Biogenic Monoamines ; metabolism ; Cerebral Cortex ; metabolism ; Curcuma ; chemistry ; Depression ; etiology ; metabolism ; Dopamine ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Dryopteris ; chemistry ; Male ; Olfactory Bulb ; pathology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Serotonin ; metabolism

AIMTo investigate the induction of endothelial cell apoptosis and the suppression of VEGF expression in cancer cells by sodium caffeate (SCA).

METHODSApoptosis of transformed human umbilical vein endothelial cells (ECV304 cell line) was detected by flow cytometry, DNA electrophoresis assay and morphological assessment. Western blotting analysis was applied for determination of VEGF expression in cancer cells. Substrate degradation by type IV collagenase was measured by zymography. ELISA was used to detect the binding of type IV collagenase with relevant monoclonal antibody.

RESULTSSCA induced ECV304 cell apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. After treatment with 100 and 250 microg X mL(-1) of SCA for 48 h, DNA laddering appeared. SCA treated cells showed strong blue fluorescence and distinct changes of nuclear morphology, such as pyknosis and the occurrence of apoptotic bodies. VEGF expression in hepatoma HepG-2 cells and prostate carcinoma DU145 cells was reduced after SCA treatment. The degradation activity of type IV collagenase including MMP-2 and MMP-9 secreted by giant cell pulmonary carcinoma PG cells was inhibited by SCA in a dose-dependent manner. SCA also reduced the binding of mAb 3D6, a relevant monoclonal antibody, to type IV collagenase.

CONCLUSIONSCA can induce endothelial cell apoptosis and inhibit VEGF expression as well as type IV collagenase activity in cancer cells. SCA might be active in modulating tumor angiogenesis and the microenvironment.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caffeic Acids ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Umbilical Veins ; cytology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism

To study the effect of serum containing Xihuang pill on the proliferation of human breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-435 and MCF-7 and the gene and protein expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, TP53, in order to explore the effect and mechanism of Xihuang pill in resisting breast cancer. The serum of the rats was prepared by the method of MTT assay. The expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by RT-PCR. The serum levels of Bcl-2 and Bax and the mRNA expression of TP53 were detected by immunofluorescence. The rats with serum containing Xihuang pill could inhibit the proliferation of MDA-MB-435 cells and MCF-7 cells (<0.05). The serum containing Xihuang pill increased TP53 and Bax in MDA-MB-435 cells (<0.05), and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was decreased (<0.05). Meanwhile, the serum containing Xihuang pill could up-regulate the mRNA expression of Bax in MCF-7 cells and decrease the expression of Bcl (<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the expression of TP53mRNA and Bax protein expressions after the treatment of MCF-7 cells with Xihuang pill serum. Serum containing Xihuang pill can induce the apoptosis of human breast cancer cells, and the mechanism of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cell apoptosis may be induced by up-regulating the mRNA expression of TP53, which can induce the expression of Bax and promote the metastasis of Bax to mitochondria, and ultimately play the role of inducing apoptosis.