Objective To investigate the proliferation and phenotypes of peripheral mononuclear cells (PMNC) stimulated by recombinant human RANTES (rhRANTES) and the mechanisms involved.Methods PMNC was stimulated by various concentrations of rhRANTES and/or anti-CD3 mAb and intervened by PDTC and CTLA4Ig. Scintillation counter was used to count the cpm of proliferation cells and flow cytometry was used to detect the phenotypes of lymphocytes.Results rhRANTES was capable of directly stimulating purified human PMNC proliferation and two peaks occurred with rhRANTES concentration of 100 ng/ml and 5000 ng/ml respectively. The proliferation of PMNC stimulated by rhRNATES was significantly higher than that in the presence of anti-CD3mAb (P

Objective To investigate the implication of lymphotactin (LTN) mRNA expression in cardiac allografts and the effect of cyclosporin A (CsA).Methods Three groups of rats underwent the heterotopic cardiac transplantation: isograft group (group A), untreated group (group B) and CsA treated group (group C). The LTN mRNA expression was detected by one step RT PCR method. Results The expression of LTN mRNA was not detected in both isografts and normal hearts. The changes of LTN mRNA expression were correlated with the process of acute allograft rejection. The peak of elevated level of the LTN mRNA expression appeared in the 5th day after transplantation and CsA could delay the peak and downregulate its expression. The peak level of LTN mRNA expression in group C was significantly lower than that in group B ( P

BACKGROUND: Immune function of chemotaxis signal has been a key focus in medical research. However, the immune activation and related action mechanism of chemotatic factor RANTES are unclear.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the immune activation and related action mechanism of chemotatic factor RANTES stimulation on peripheral mononuclear cells.DESIGN: Control Experiment.SETTING: Department of Urologic Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University.MATERIALS: The experiment was performed at the Laboratory of Department of Immunology, University of Louisville from December 2004 to August 2005. Main reagent and equipments included RPMI 1640 complete medium, recombinant human RANTES, anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate(PDTC),CTLA4Ig, LS500 liquid scintillation counter and FACS Epics XL flow cytometry.METHODS: Peripheral mononuclear cells were collected and stimulated by different concentrations of recombinant human RANTES and/or anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody. Cells with significantly proliferative response were intervened by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) or CTLA4lg. 3H-thymidine incorporation was used to detect the proliferation of mononuclear cells. Flow cytometry was applied to measure the phenotypes of lymphocytes.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incorporation efficiency of 3H-thymidine, the ratio of CD4 to CD8, expression of CD25,CCR5 and CD28.RESULTS: Proliferative reaction of mononuclear cells reached two peaks with recombinant human RANTES concentrations of 100 μg/L and 5000 μg/L respectively. The proliferation of peripheral mononuclear cells stimulated by 100 μg/L recombinant human RNATES was significantly higher than that in the presence of 50 μg/L anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (P<0.05).There were no rivalry or synergistic effect between them.The immune active effects of recombinant human RANTES could be inhibited by PDTC or CTLA,Ig in a dose dependent manner.After RANTES treatment,the level of cell surface CD25 increased (P<0.05) and the CCR5 expression decreased (P<0.05), but there were no significant differences in CD28 expression and the ratio of CD4/CD8 of lymphocytes(P>0.05).CONCLUSION: RANTES has a specific function of inducing the immune activation of mononuclear cells. This special signal works depending on the activation of interleukin-2 signal pathway, CD28 co-stimulatory pathway and nuclear factor-κB,but independent of CD3 activation.

AIMTo observe the change of STR neuronal firing rates with high frequency stimulation of subthalamic nucleus in PD rats.

METHODSA model of Parkinson's disease was induced by unilateral administration of 6-hydroxydopamine into right substantia nigra in rats. After the high-frequency stimulation to STN, the spontaneous firing rates of STR on normal and PD rats were recorded by using extracellular recordings.

RESULTSStimulation caused a direct excited effect of STR neurons in normal rats whereas a excited and inhibited effect in PD rats. The inhibited effect was correlated with the stimulation period (r = 0.94).

CONCLUSIONStimulation to STN may inhibit the spontaneous firing rates of STR neurons in PD rats. These results also give some clues that high-frequency stimulation to STN may be a effective therapy to the clinical treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Action Potentials ; Animals ; Corpus Striatum ; physiopathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; Male ; Neurons ; physiology ; Parkinson Disease ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Subthalamic Nucleus

To investigate factors influencing the intranasal absorption of rivastigmine hydrogen tartrate (RHT), we studied the pharmacokinetics of RHT after intranasal administration and evaluated its brain targeting behavior. In situ rat nasal perfusion model was used in the study and pH impact was examined on the intranasal absorption of RHT. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was established to measure RHT concentration in the plasma and brain tissue after intranasal and intravenous administration. The pharmacokinetic parameters, drug targeting index (DTI), and nose-to-brain direct transport percentage (DTP) were calculated. It was demonstrated that the intranasal absorption mechanism of RHT was passive diffusion. The absorption rate was highest at pH 6.0. The absolute bioavailability of intranasally administrated RHT was 73.58%. Compared with that of intravenous administration, RHT absorption into the brain was faster and more efficient after intranasal delivery, and the DTI value was 195.27% of intravenous injection. Moreover, 48.79% of the drug can be absorbed directly from the nose into the brain without systematic circulation. Meanwhile, drug elimination half-time in the brain was prolonged by 1.4 fold compared to that of intravenous injection. In conclusion, intranasal administration of RHT not only improves drug absorption into the system, but also enhances drug absorption rate and content in the brain remarkably, which is an advantage in the treatment of central nervous system-related diseases.

AIMTo investigate the complexation of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) with hydroxylpropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) in aqueous solutions, inclusion molar ratio of the host and guest molecules and change of thermodynamic parameters during the complexation process.

METHODSThe measurements of the complexation mechanism, inclusion molar ratio of the host and guest molecules and change of thermodynamic parameters were carried out by the following methods separately: phase solubility method, UV absorption spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, equimolar series method and thermodynamic method, respectively.

RESULTSThat all the phase solubility diagrams showed a typical AL-type in various pH buffered solutions, suggested the formation of a soluble complex of 1:1 molar ratio. Both UV absorption spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy confirmed that the significant interaction between the host and guest molecules was probably due to the inclusion of chromophore moiety of PGE1 molecule into the hydrophobic cavity of HP-beta-CD molecule. The change in the thermodynamic parameters suggested that the complexation could proceed spontaneously along with the release of heat and the decrease of entropy.

CONCLUSIONAn 1:1 molar ratio inclusion complex of PGE1 with HP-beta-CD could be formed spontaneously and, hence, the solubility of PGE1 in aqueous solution increased. Appropriate temperature and suitable media pH probably favor the progress of complexation procedure.

2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin ; Alprostadil ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Solubility ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Temperature ; beta-Cyclodextrins ; administration & dosage ; chemistry

The process of acupuncture therapy is a complete combination of linguistic suggestion, cognitive behavioral therapy and body treatment systems. Differentiation of syndrome and diagnosis play the role of linguistic suggestion, while the magnified phenomenon of bio-information and possible manipulation on the arrival of qi play the role of cognitive behavioral therapy. The objective effectiveness of acupuncture not only includes clinical treatment, but also contains reducing or preventing foreign malignant psychological stimulation, regulating the concentration of 5-hydroxytryptamine and dopamine, and keeping the inter environment stable etc. According to the process of treating patient as followed with "telling his sickness, establishing his confidence, inducing his feeling and relieving his suffering", treatment is carried out with taking the arrival of qi as the key point, combining the steps of characteristics of psychological treatment effectively, and cooperating with psychological and body treatments to obtain effectiveness. It accords with Chinese medical theories of simultaneous treatment of the branch and root as well as effectiveness following arrival of qi.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; psychology ; Dopamine ; metabolism ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Models, Psychological ; Serotonin ; metabolism

Objective: To establish the model of liver fibrosis based on noninvasive indices, and to investigate the diagnostic value of this model. Methods: A total of 838 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who underwent liver biopsy in our hospital from March 2003 to October 2013 were selected, and the results of blood tests and B-ultrasound were collected. The correlation between these indices and liver fibrosis stage was analyzed. A logistic regression analysis was performed to establish a predictive model, and the value of this model was examined in validation group. The t-test, Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test, and chi-square test were used for data analysis. A Spearman rank correlation analysis was used for bivariate correlation analysis, and a dichotomous logistic stepwise regression analysis was used for multivariate analysis. Results: In the model group, a model (FV) consisting of age, platelet count (PLT), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), albumin/globulin ratio (A/G), and splenic square area (SSA) was established. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCs) of the model FV were 0.892, 0.910, and 0.915, respectively, in diagnosing significant liver fibrosis (S2-4), progressive liver fibrosis (S3-4), and early-stage liver cirrhosis (S4), with sensitivities of 77.6%, 83.7%, and 86.0%, respectively, specificities of 89.7%, 84.5%, and 83.7%, respectively, and accuracy of 82.1%, 84.2%, and 84.2%, respectively. There were no significant differences in AUROCs between the validation group and the model group (Z = 0.360, 0.885, and 0.046, all P > 0.05). In all patients, FV had significantly higher AUROCs in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis than FIB4 index and S index (Z = 4.569/3.423, 5.640/4.709, and 4.652/4.439, all P < 0.05). With < 0.374 and ≥ 0.577 as the cut-off values for the exclusion and diagnosis of significant liver fibrosis, 61.1% (512/838) of all patients could avoid liver biopsy, and the accuracy was 92.6% (474/512). Conclusion The noninvasive model based on age, PLT, GGT, A/G, and SSA can accurately predict liver fibrosis degree in patients with CHB with good reproducibility; therefore, it can be used for dynamic monitoring of liver fibrosis degree in clinical practice.

In order to reveal the induced resistance mechanism of tobacco treated with copper solution to potato virus Y-vein necrosis strain (PVY(N)), disease indexes, contents of virus and some physiological and biochemical indexes in tobacco were studied. The results showed that when treated at the copper concentration of 0.8 mg x L(-1), the symptom displayed and vein necrosis on tobacco were postponed, the disease index and content of virus sharply decreased , and the content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity remarkably increased. Furthermore, vein necrosis closely linked to contents of total phenol and flavonoid. In this study, the contents of total phenol and flavonoid were promoted when treated with a solution at the copper concentration of 0.8 mg x L(-1). But the contents of total phenol and flavonoid reached to the first peak at the 3rd day after inoculation, and then decreased to the lowest levels which even were lower than those of the control after inoculating PVY(N). Then the contents of total phenol and flavonoid increased slowly from the 6td but still lower than those of the control. The result implied that spraying copper solution might play an important role in induced resistance of tobacco to vein necrosis disease and strengthen the antiviral capability to PVY(N).
Chlorophyll ; metabolism ; Copper ; pharmacology ; Immunity, Innate ; drug effects ; Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase ; metabolism ; Potyvirus ; growth & development ; Tobacco ; drug effects ; metabolism ; virology

AIMTo develop a sensitive and specific LC/MS/MS method for direct determination of dextrorphan in human plasma and to study the pharmacokinetics of dextrorphan.

METHODSAfter a single oral dose of 60 mg dextromethorphan hydrobromide to 18 healthy Chinese male volunteers, the plasma concentration of dextrorphan, an active metabolite of dextromethorphan, was determined. Dextrorphan and internal standard chlorpheniramine were extracted from plasma using liquid-liquid extraction, then separated on a Zorbax Extend C18 column. The mobile phase consisted of methanol-water-formic acid (70:30:1), at a flow-rate of 0.5 mL x min(-1). A Finnigan TSQ tandem mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization source was used as detector and was operated in the positive ion mode. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) using the precursor to product ion combinations of m/z 258 to 157 and m/z 275 to 230 was performed to quantify dextrorphan. The pharmacokinetic parameters of dextrorphan were calculated by non-compartment model statistics.

RESULTSThe linear calibration curves were obtained in the concentration range of 0.2 - 80 microg x L(-1) Each plasma sample was chromatographed within 3.0 min. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation (RSD) across three validation runs over the entire concentration range was less than 8%. Accuracy determined at three concentrations (0.5, 6.0 and 70 microg x L(-1) for dextrorphan) ranged from 98.8% to 100.6%. Pharmacokinetic parameters of dextrorphan was obtained as follows: Tmax was (2.1 +/- 0.7) h, Cmax was (14 +/- 8) microg x L(-1), T1/2 was (3.8 +/- 1.8) h, AUC0-t was (60 +/- 37) microg x h x L(-1).

CONCLUSIONPlasma concentration of the active metablite dextrorphan was directly determined. The method is sensitive and convenient, and is proved to be suitable for clinical investigation of dextrorphan pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence evaluation of formulations containing dextromethorphan.

Administration, Oral ; Adult ; Area Under Curve ; Dextromethorphan ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Dextrorphan ; blood ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Humans ; Male ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Therapeutic Equivalency