Clinical Medicine ; methods ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Holistic Health ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; methods ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods

Proteomics, which has been widely used in life science, is an emerging discipline following genomics. It can help to explore the pathogenic mechanism and early onset marker of Bacillus anthracis, playing an important part in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of B.anthracis. In this paper,the application of proteomics in the research of B.anthracis is reviewed.

Objective To explore the change of nerve growth factors(NGF) through the blood brain barrier(BBB) after distal intravenous injection of mannitol into the experimental rats and the effect of exogenous NGF on the expression of growth associated protein-43 in hypoxic-ischemic brain.Methods One hundred cases of 7 days rats were divided into 2 units.One unit was divided into 3 groups:treatment group,control group and sham operated group,20 rats in each group.The other unit was divided into 4 groups:mannitol and NGF treated group,NGF treated group,control group,and sham operated group,there were 10 rats in each group.The model rats with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBD) rats were prepared by ligation of left common carotid artery with a temporary systemic hypoxia(inhaling 80 mL/L O2 and 920 mL/L N2).The sections of brains were processed by immunochemistry with antibodies against GAP-43,and the study and memory ability of rats were tested by maze test.The effect of osmotic opening of BBB on the facilitation of NGF′s passage was tested by ELISA.Results The expression of GAP-43 increased after NGF treatment,and the differences were remarkable(P

OBJECTIVETo explore the feasibility of in vitro chondrogenesis by co-culture of chondrocytes and adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) so as to confirm the hypothesis that chondrocytes can provide chondrogenic microenvironment to induce chondrogenic differentiation of ADSCs.

METHODSHuman ADSCs and porcine auricular chondrocytes were in vitro expanded respectively and then were mixed at the ratio of 7:3 (ADSCs: chondrocytes). 200 microl mixed cells (5.0 x 10(7)/ml) were seeded onto a polyglycolic acid/polylactic acid (PGA/PLA) scaffold, 8 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness, as co-culture group. Chondrocytes and ADSCs with the same cell number were seeded respectively onto the scaffold as positive control group and negative control group. 200 microl chondrocytes (1.5 x 10(7)/ml) were seeded as low concentration chondrocyte group. There were 6 specimens in each group. All specimens were harvested after in vitro culture for 8 weeks in DMEM plus 10% FBS. Gross observation, histology, immunohistochemistry, wet weight measurement and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) quantification were used to evaluate the results. Multiple-sample t-test statistics analysis was done to compare the difference of wet weight and glycosaminoglycan(GAG) content between the groups.

RESULTSCells in all groups had fine adhesion to the scaffold and could secrete extracellular matrix. In co-culture group and positive control group, cell-scaffold constructs could maintain the original size and shape during in vitro culture. At 8 weeks, cartilage-like tissue formed in gross appearance and histological features, and abundant type II collagen could be detected by immunohistochemistry. Wet weight and glycosaminoglycan(GAG) content of co-culture group were respectively (174 +/- 12) mg and (7.6 +/- 0.4) mg. There were respectively 75% (P < 0.01) and 79% (P<0.01) of those of positive control group. In negative control group, however, constructs shrunk gradually without mature cartilage lacuna in histology. In low concentration chondrocyte group, constructs also shrunk obviously with small amount of cartilage formation at the edge area of the construct, and wet weight was (85 +/- 5) mg, which was 37% (P<0.01) of that of positive control group.

CONCLUSIONSChondrocytes can provide chondrogenic microenvironment to induce chondrogenic differentiation of ADSCs and thus promote the in vitro chondrogenesis of ADSCs.

Adipocytes ; cytology ; Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Chondrocytes ; cytology ; Coculture Techniques ; Humans ; Swine ; Tissue Engineering ; methods ; Tissue Scaffolds

OBJECTIVETo assess the therapeutic efficacy and adverse effects of endogenetic field hyperthermia (EFH) in combination with L-OHP /LV / 5-FU in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer.

METHODSThis study included 147 surgical patients with stage II-IV gastric cancer, who received postoperative chemotherapy with FOLFOX (L-OHP 85 mg /m square, 3 h intravenous infusion, followed by infusion of LV at 200 mg /m square in 2 h, intravenous injection of 5-Fu at 400 mg /m square, and intravenous infusion of 5-FU at 3000 mg /m square in 48 h). Eight treatment cycles (each lasting for 14 days) were administered. In 68 cases randomly selected from the cohort, EFH was performed on the first and third days (treatment group), but not in the other 79 cases (control group).

RESULTSThe response rate was 68.4% in the treatment group and 36.4% in the control group, showing significant difference between them (P<0.05). The 1-year survival rate was 88.2% in the treatment group, similar to the rate of 81.0% in the control group (P< 0.05), but the 3, 5-year survival rates in treatment group (67.6% and 30.9%) was significantly higher than those in the control group (47.6% and 15.4%, P<0.05). The adverse effects were similar between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONEFH combined with the chemotherapeutic regimen FOLFOX might improve the therapeutic effect of stage II-IV gastric cancer without obviously increasing the adverse effects.

Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hyperthermia, Induced ; Leucovorin ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; therapeutic use ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association of the micronucleus (MN) formation in lymphocytes from patients with the malignant degrees of colorectal cancer.

METHODSThe MN test in capillary blood lymphocytes was conducted in 112 patients randomly selected from in-hospital patients before therapy. Experimental data were analyzed by SPSS (v.10.1) software.

RESULTSThe differences in the frequency of MN between 7 pathological types of colorectal cancers and controls were statistically significant (P<0.01). The frequency of MN increased with the decrease of the histological differentiation in colorectal cancer, and the statistically significant differences were seen between low differentiation group and the other differentiation groups in colorectal cancers.

CONCLUSIONThere is a significant correlation between MN formation and the malignant degrees of colorectal cancer, and MN formation will be a useful biomarker for the identification of malignant degrees of colorectal cancer before operation or for the screening of high risk subgroup.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; blood ; genetics ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Micronucleus Tests ; methods ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo design a platform for microarray data analysis and processing in the browser/server mode running in Linux operating system.

METHODSBased on the Apache HTTP server, the platform, programmed with Perl language, integrated R language and Bioconductor packages for processing and analysis of the input data of oligonucleotide arrays and two-color spotted arrays. Users were allowed to submit data and parameter configurations to the platform via the web page, and the results of analysis were also returned via the web page.

RESULTSWith an easy operation and high performance, the platform fulfilled the functions of processing, quality assessment, biological annotation and statistical analysis of the data from oligonucleotide arrays and two-color spotted arrays. Using the platform, we analyzed the gene expression profiles in Mtb-stimulated macrophages of three clinical phenotypes, namely latent TB (LTB), pulmonary (PTB) and meningeal (TBM), and obtained valuable clues for identifying tuberculosis susceptibility genes. We also analyzed the effect of INH treatment on Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene expression in various dormancy models, such as hypoxia and KatG mutant, and found that a set of genes responded to INH treatment during exponential growth but not in dormancy, and that the overall number of differentially regulated genes was reduced in the cells in low metabolic state.

CONCLUSIONThe platform we have constructed integrates comprehensive resources, and with a user-friendly interface, allows direct result visualization to facilitate microarray data analysis.

Computational Biology ; methods ; Databases, Genetic ; Gene Expression Profiling ; methods ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Macrophages ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; genetics ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Software ; Tuberculosis ; genetics ; immunology ; User-Computer Interface

Investigation of the pharmacokinetics of paeonol microemulsion, microemulsion-based gels and marketed paeonol ointments by the skin-blood synchronous microdialysis coupled with LC/MS is reported in this study. The microdialysis systems were established by linear probes and concentric circles probes. In vivo recovery of paeonol in skin is (69.7 +/- 4.8) % and in blood is (51.6 +/- 7.2)%. The paeonol microemulsion, microemulsion-based gels and marketed paeonol ointments were administered to rats. PBS (pH 7.4) served as perfused solution. The perfusion rate was 5 microL x mL(-1) and the microdialysis samples were collected every 20 min intervals. The paeonol concentration in perfused solution was determined by LC/MS. The results showed that paeonol microemulsion and microemulsion-based gels significantly raised the drug concentrations in skin more than that of paeonol ointments. The paeonol microemulsion-based gels has similar bioavailability as the paeonol ointments in blood, but its blood drug concentrations were steadier. The paeonol microemulsion-based gels may be developed into a new preparation for dermis eczema. The skin-blood synchronous microdialysis technique proved to be a new method for the pharmacokinetics study of transdermal delivery systems.
Acetophenones ; administration & dosage ; blood ; metabolism ; pharmacokinetics ; Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Biological Availability ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Emulsions ; Gels ; Male ; Mass Spectrometry ; Microdialysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin ; metabolism ; Skin Absorption

BACKGROUNDAssociations between glutamine (Gln) enriched nutrition support and surgical patients with gastrointestinal (GI) tumor remain controversy. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the effect of Gln enriched nutrition support on surgical patients with GI tumor in term of relevant biochemical indices, immune indices, and clinical outcomes.

METHODSSix databases were systematically searched to find eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from 1966 to May 2014. When estimated the analysis indexes, the relative risk (RR) was used as the effect size of the categorical variable, while the weighted mean difference (MD) was used as the effect size of a continuous variable. Meta-analysis was conducted with Rev Man 5.2.

RESULTSThirteen RCTs, involving 1034 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. The analysis showed that Gln enriched nutrition support was more effective in increasing serum albumin (MD: 0.10; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02-0.18; P < 0.05), serum prealbumin (MD: 1.98; 95% CI: 1.40-2.55; P < 0.05) and serum transferring (MD: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.12-0.57; P < 0.05), concentration of IgG (MD: 1.26; 95% CI: 0.90-1.63; P < 0.05), IgM (MD: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.11-0.25; P < 0.05), IgA (MD: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.10-0.33; P < 0.05), CD3 + (MD: 3.71; 95% CI: 2.57-4.85; P < 0.05) and CD4/CD8 ratio (MD: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.12-0.42; P < 0.05). Meanwhile, it was more significant in decreasing the incidence of infectious complications (RR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.50-0.90; P < 0.05) and shortening the length of hospital stay (MD: -1.72; 95% CI: -3.31--0.13; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSGlutamine enriched nutrition support was superior in improving immune function, reducing the incidence of infectious complications and shortening the length of hospital stay, playing an important role in the rehabilitation of surgical GI cancer patients.

Enteral Nutrition ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Glutamine ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Postoperative Complications ; prevention & control ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) on the induction of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) to differentiate into cardiomyocytes-like cells in vitro. rBMSCs were randomly divided into PEMFs groups, 5-Azacytidine (5-Aza) groups and control groups. PEMFs groups were exposed to 50 Hz, 1 mT PEMFs for 30 min every day, lasting for 10 d, 15 d and 20 d, respectively. 5-Aza groups were induced by 10 micromol/L 5-Aza for 1 day, then the medium was changed to complete medium without 5-Aza. And control groups were only cultured with complete medium, rBMSCs growth status and morphological features were observed by inverted phase microscope every day. The mRNA expressions of cardiac troponin T (TNNT2) and alpha-actinin (ACTN2) were determined by Real-Time PCR. The results showed that rBMSCs were spindle, polygon or fusiform in control groups. The cells gradually got longer and grew close together after being stimulated by PEMFs and 5-Aza, and with the extension of induction time, the tendency became obvious. At 20th day after PEMFs or 5-Aza treatment, rBMSCs gathered like a long chain, got much longer obviously at the high magnification, and some of them even fused with their neighbors. Compared with control groups, the levels of TNNT2 mRNA expression in 5-Aza groups were 19.40 fold (P < 0.01), 21.02 fold (P < 0.01) and 2.38 fold at 10 d, 15 d, 20 d and the levels of ACTN2 mRNA expression in 5-Aza groups were 6.64 fold (P < 0.01), 6.67 fold (P < 0.01) and 0.76 fold at 10 d, 15 d, 20 d. However, the levels of TNNT2 mRNA expression in PEMFs groups were 15.78 fold (P < 0.01), 6.73 fold (P < 0.05) and 2.73 fold (P < 0.01) of control groups at 10 d, 15 d, 20 d and the levels of ACTN2 mRNA expression in PEMFs groups were 4.93 fold (P < 0.01), 1.89 fold and 0.64 fold, respectively. Compared with 5-Aza groups, the levels of TNNT2 mRNA expression in PEMFs groups were 0.81 fold, 0.32 fold (P < 0.01) and 1.15 fold at 10 d, 15 d, 20 d and the levels of ACTN2 mRNA expression in PEMFs groups were 0.74 fold, 0.28 fold (P < 0.01) and 0.83 fold at 10 d, 15 d, 20 d. PEMFs could contribute to the induction of rat marrow rBMSCs to differentiate into cardiomyocytes-like cells in vitro, and the best exposure time might be 10 days, but further investigation is still needed.
Actinin ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; radiation effects ; Cell Differentiation ; radiation effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Electromagnetic Fields ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; radiation effects ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; cytology ; radiation effects ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley