Hormones ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; drug therapy ; Prednisone ; administration & dosage ; Recurrence

Adipocytes ; cytology ; Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Flow Cytometry ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stem Cells ; cytology

Chemokine CCL18 plays significant roles in immune regulation by recruiting of inflammatory cells,which involves in immune and inflammatory processes.CCL18 protein is overexpressed in the serum of patients with cancer and some tumor tissues.However,it is still controversial that CCL18 plays the role of tumor promoter or tumor suppressor.Researches on the roles and mechanisms of CCL18 can provide new target for diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

The incidence of breast tumors has increasing trend year by year recently.Ultrasound has become a main means of screening and diagnosis in breast tumors for its lack of radiation,harmlessness to op- erator and patient,convenience and repeatrbility.Grey-scale uhrasonography,color doppler flow imaging,col- or doppler energy contrast enhanced ultrasonogrphy,3-D ultrasonography,elastomography,ultrasound-guided biopsy are main methods for both detection and differentiation in breast tumors.The purpose of this paper is to review the applications of these techniques in breast tumors diagnosis.

Gut microbial metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Decreased insulin sensitivity is a significant etiological factor of T2DM. Adipocytes, myocytes, and hepatocytes are the three major target cells for insulin. This study aims to investigate the effects and mechanisms of TMAO on the insulin sensitivity of these target cells. Research results indicate that in different ages of db/db diabetic mice, plasma TMAO levels were increased. TMAO significantly inhibits the insulin signaling pathways in these three major insulin target cells, reduces glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and L6 myocytes and downregulates genes related to gluconeogenesis in primary mouse hepatocytes. Furthermore, in mice with normal insulin sensitivity, elevating plasma TMAO levels to those seen in db/db mice using a minipump results in impaired glucose tolerance and hyperinsulinemia. All animal experiments were carried out with approval of the Experimental Animal Welfare Ethics Committee of the Institute of Materia Medica (Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College). Mechanistic studies suggest that TMAO exposure increases the levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins in these three major insulin target cells. In summary, TMAO directly attenuates insulin sensitivity in insulin target cells, and its mechanism of action may involve enhancing endoplasmic reticulum stress.

OBJECTIVETo establish a feasible protocol to provide genetic diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis in Chinese hemophilia patients and their relatives by direct exon sequencing.

METHODSIn our study, genetic diagnosis was performed on 5 unrelated families with informed consent, which included 3 pregnant women who asked for prenatal diagnosis. Umbilical cord blood was obtained from 2 fetuses and amniotic fluid from another fetus. After extraction of the genomic DNA, all of the exons, exon-intron boundaries and their flanks of FⅨ gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR products were detected through direct-sequencing.

RESULTSSequence analysis indicated that the patients and carriers from 5 families have the pathogenic mutations,c.1022G>A (p.R341Q), c.484 C>T (p. R162X), c.1135C>T (p.R379X), c.799C>T (p.H267Y), c.1232G＞T (p.S411I), respectively. Except c.484 C>T (p. R162X), 4 of the 5 mutations were reported firstly in Chinese population. During prenatal diagnosis, one of the fetuses was found to be affected with c.484C>T; p.R162X. The remaining two fetuses were diagnosed as normal, the results of which were later verified by post-birth diagnosis, and factor FⅨ activities in plasma was 52.7% and 76.2%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONIn the quest of strict quality control, exon sequence on FⅨ gene was a rapid and accurate method for genetic diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis of hemophilia B.

Exons ; genetics ; Factor IX ; genetics ; Female ; Hemophilia B ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Pedigree ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; methods ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the typical features of contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging in malignant lymphoma after treatment with integrated Chinese and Western medicine.

METHODSTen patients with malignant lymphoma after different treatment cycles were examined with contrast-enhanced sonography, including 21 lymphnodes (in the neck, space of iliac blood vessels, retroperitoneum) and 7 spleen infiltrations.

RESULTSThe blood flow pattern distribution in lymph node before freatment was significantly different from that after trentment showed either by color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) or by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS, P < 0.05), and the difference in splenic lesion was shown by CEUS (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONContrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging is a valuable tool for the follow-ups of malignant lymphoma after chemotherapy and guiding subsequent treatment.

Contrast Media ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Lymphoma ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color

In this paper, the action of suet oil in the preparation of self-assembled micelles of the active flavonoids in Epimedium in the simulated human environment was researched. Twelve suet oil samples were collected from different growing areas and different positions of sheep or goat to simulate the formation of micelles. Then the effects of the fatty acids in suet oil on the preparation of self-assembled micelles were studied furthermore. The results showed that the micelles had a dispersed state and spherical smooth surface. To compare the diameter, potential, encapsulation efficiency and drug loading of the 12 batches micelles, the micelles prepared by the suet oil from Qinghai were more stable and had a higher encapsulation efficiency. The fatty acids in suet oil could promote the formation of self-assembled micelles, but the whole suet oil had a better effect. Above all the study, we confirmed that the suet oil promoted the formation of self-assembled micelles of the flavonoids in Epimedium, it laid foundation for further research about increasing the efficacy of Epimedium and improved the absorption of the active flavonoids in Epimedium.
Animals ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; China ; Drug Carriers ; chemistry ; Electric Conductivity ; Epimedium ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Fatty Acids ; chemistry ; Flavonoids ; chemistry ; Geography ; Goats ; Humans ; Micelles ; Oils ; chemistry ; Sheep

Objective To explore the changing rules of schistosomiasis infection and Oncomelania hupensis snail situation in areas where schistosomiasis transmission was controlled or interrupted or transmission rebounded after the interruption. Meth-ods Daye City,Wuxue City and Jingshan County were selected and investigated retrospectively to collect the schistosomiasis epidemiological information 10 years before they reached the criteria of transmission controlled and the subsequent years until 2008. The database of retrospective investigation was established for analyzing the trends and rules of the changes of snail status and human infection status. Results In Daye City,there was no snail areas and schistosomiasis patients and cattle after reach-ing the criteria of transmission interrupted in 1987. The infection rate of residents were positively correlative with the infection rate of cattle and snail areas(r=0.865,0.843,P<0.01). In Wuxue City,the proportion of snail areas occupying the historic snail areas kept a steady from the transmission controlled to transmission interrupted,but it began to rebound to the highest level in the history(8.93%)after the transmission interrupted for 3 years. In Jingshan County,the infection rates of residents and cat-tle were all stable from 1%to 2%after the transmission controlled. The proportion of snail areas occupying the historic snail ar-eas was rebounded from 1.63% in 1985 to 21.50% in 2008,and the densities of living snails rebounded from 2005. Conclu-sions The infected snails could be the sensitive indicator of the rebound of snail situation and human infection. The elimination of schistosomiasis still depends on the control of snail areas,including strengthening the infected snail control.