By means of radioimmunoassay, leucine-enkephalin (L-ENK) in the uteri of women and rats was studied and its responses to ovarian steroids were observed. The histological localization of L-ENK and the influence of naloxone (NAL) on estrogen regulation of the rat uterus in terms of cAMP and eGMP determination were also studied. Results of the study demonstrated that presence of L-ENK like substance in the uteri of women and rats, and the concentrations varied in the various phases of the sexual cycle. indicating a positive correlation with levels of estrogen in the body. L-ENK was found localized in the interstetial cells of the human endometrium, and in the rat uterus. Effect of extrogen on nucleotide was influenced by NAL. The findings suggested that L-ENK may play an important role on physiologic function of utetus.

Burkitt's lymphoma is a highly aggressive and proliferative type of mature B cell nonHodgkin's lymphoma. Therapeutic strategies for Burkitt's lymphoma remain a challenge because of significant toxicities and poor prognosis. Further studies investigating the underlying molecular mechanisms of the carcinogenesis, chemotherapy and drug resistance are needed to improve the treatment of Burkitt's lymphoma.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture at specific points in treating different degrees of urgency-frequency syndrome. Methods Sixty patients with urgency-frequency syndrome were randomly allocated, according to the symptom score, to groups A (the symptom score≤ 24) and B (the symptom score>24), 30 cases each. Both groups received electroacupuncture at specific points (four sacral points and four abdominal points). In the two groups, the symptoms were scored before and after treatment and the clinical therapeutic effects were evaluated.Results There was a statistically significant pre-/post-treatment difference in the symptom score in the two groups (P<0.01). The total efficacy rate was 83.3% in group A and 80.0% in group B; there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion Electroacupuncture at specific points is an effective way to treat urgency-frequency syndrome.

Inflammatory bowel disease( IBD)includes ulcerative colitis( UC)and Crohn’s disease( CD),its incidence is increasing yearly in our country. With the progress of molecular biology,genetics,the understanding of IBD is deepen,however,the exact pathogenesis of IBD is still not fully clear,and it may be related to gene,environment, immunity,microorganism. Studies have shown that smoking,vitamin D,sex hormones,emotions,diet may be related with the occurrence of IBD. This article reviewed the role of environmental factors in IBD.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a lysophospholipid signaling molecule that regulates important biological functions in both intracellular and extracellular compartments. It interacts with five G protein-coupled receptors subtypes (S1PR(1-5)) to generate multiple downstream signaling. Activation of S1PR1 has been validated to be involved in the process of immune modulation. Fingolimod (FTY720), the novel S1PR1 agonist, has been approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis in clinical trials. The study towards discovery of selective S1PR1 agonists has become hot spot for immunological diseases. This article summarized the research progress of S1PR1 agonists, emphasizing their structure types, structure-activity relationship and direction of development.

Crohn’s disease( CD)is a gastrointestinal progressive granulomatous disease with unknown etiology. It is characterized as active stage alternating with remission stage,long-term course with many complications,sometimes needing surgery and having the tendency of relapse in patient ’s whole life. Therefore,it is important to define an effective therapeutic endpoint to ameliorate the natural course of CD. This article reviewed the progress in defining treatment endpoint of CD.

A drug is composed of fragments with their functional and structural characteristics. Functional fragments contain structural elements known as pharmacophores which generate the bioactivity of the drugs, while structural fragments assemble the functional fragments into a specific skeleton also crucial for the activity. Although drug molecules possess structural diversity and complexity, the fragments usually have some similarity. They normally have simple texture, low molecular weight and log P. The aim of fragment-based drug discovery is to classify and screen the collections of fragments and subsequently expand, link, or merge them to obtain new chemical entities. This theory refines the traditional structure-based and the high throughput screen-based drug discovery strategy, and facilitates the reduction of molecular size and the improvement of drug-like properties, which will certainly increase the probability of developing new drugs. In this article, we reviewed the concept, methodology of fragment-based drug discovery and detailed a number of examples to illustrate the optimization strategies of this discovery method.

Objective To study the characteristic cluster structure of good-quality natural drinking water.Methods The coupling 17 O NMR(nuclear magnetic resonance)FWHM(full width half maximum)was selected as the index to weigh the rel-ative average size of water cluster in liquid water.The 17 O NMR FWHM of water samples(nature water and artificial water)were measured by ARX400NMR spectroscopy.Results 17 O NMR FWHMs of21representative water samples were in the range of53-145Hz.Conclusion 17 O NMR FWHM of good-quality natural drinking water mainly lay from70to90Hz.

Objective :To study the effect and mechanism of retinoic acid(RA) on thymocytes development. Methods:Thymus tissue culture system was used to investigate the roles of RA in maturation development of thymocytes. Thymus tissues were cultured with or without retinoic acid and/or retinoic acid receptor antagonist. The cultures were harvested after 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively. Thymocytes were stained with fluorescence labeled anti-CD3, anti-CD4, anti-CD8 antibodies and analyzed by flow cytometry. The real time quantitative RT-PCR assay was used to detect the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) mRNA expression in thymocytes. Results:The thymus tissue culture system was able to support the maturation of thymocytes. Addition of RA to the culture system promoted thymocytes differentiation from immature CD4+CD8+ cells to mature CD4+ cells, but inhibited the transformation from immature CD4+CD8+ cells to mature CD8+ cells. The effect was marked after 24h culture, and was antagonized by Ro41-5253. RA enhanced the expression of RAR mRNA in thymocytes. A positive correlation was found between the expression of RAR mRNA and the percentage of CD4+CD8+ cells and a negative correlation between the expression of RAR mRNA and the percentage of CD8+ cells. Conclusion:RA likely play an important role in thymocytes development, perhaps by affecting the relative expression of RAR gene.

Objective To observe the effect of puerarin on the expression of NF-?B65 and TNF-? in kidney of diabetic rats. Methods SD rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups (10 each):normal control group (group A),diabetic group (group B),low-dose,middle-dose and high-dose treatment groups (group C,D and E). After diabetes model was reproduced,animals in group C,D and E were i.p. injected with puerarin in a dose of 40,80 and 160mg/(kg?d),respectively; animals in group A and B were treated with corresponding normal saline. Fasting blood glucose (FBG),urinary albumin excretory rate (UAER),serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were determined at the 8th weekend after treatment. The histological changes in renal cortex were observed with light microscope and electron microscope. The qualitative and semi-quantitative expressions of NF-?B65 and TNF-? in nephridial tissue were determined by immunohistochemical method. Results FBG,UAER,Scr and BUN were higher in group C,D and E than that in group A (P