ObjectiveTo study the therapeutic mechanisms of electro-acupuncture on chronic spinal cord injury in rats.MethodsA model of chronic spinal cord injury was made. After 60 days, the pressure installs were removed, and the animals were treated with electro-acupuncture. A quantitive analysis was carried out using Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan Locomotor Rating Scale (BBB scale). The expression of Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and its receptor TrkC were observed through immunohistochemistrical method and western blotting.ResultsAfter spinal cord injury, enhanced NT-3 and TrkC immunoreactivities were evident in neurons and glial cells. Furthermore, they were diminished in the electro-acupuncture group. Meanwhile, both evoked potentials and BBB scales were improved after EA treatment (P<0.05). ConclusionThe treatment of electro-acupuncture may promote behavioral function recovery of experimental animals, and NT-3 and TrkC may take part in the recovery.

Objective To investigate the relationship between Wnt5a gene and E-cadherin or vimentin gene in breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Methods RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of Wnt5a, E-cadherin and vimentin in breast cancer MCF-7 cells and the normal human mammary epithelial cell line MCF-10A, respectively, and their correlation was analyzed. Results The mRNA expression levels of Wnt5a and E-cadherin in cell line MCF-7 were significantly lower than those in cell line MCF-10A [(16.93± 2.97)%vs. (27.47±2.76) %, (12.97±1.35) % vs. (20.43±2.60) %, both P<0.05]. The mRNA expression level of vimentin in cell line MCF-7 was significantly higher than that in cell line MCF-10A [(16.53±0.85)%(6.33± 2.08) %, P<0.05 ]. In cell line MCF-7, the expression of Wnt5a was positively related to E-cadherin (г=0.997, P<0.05), but it was negatively related to vimentin (г=-0.998, P<0.05). Conclusions The expression of Wnt5a in human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 is significantly lower than that in cell line MCF-10A, which indicates that Wnt5a is a cancer suppressor gene in breast cancer. The expression of Wnt5a in cell line MCF-7 is positively related with E-cadherin, and it is negatively related with vimentin. Wnt5a may cause invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cell through the breast epithelial mesenchymal transitions.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the local injection of Salvia miltiorrhiza combined with triamcinolone acetonide and triamcinolone acetonide alone in the treatment of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). Methods: A meta-analysis was performed by searching the related literature. Three randomized controlled trials meeting the inclusion criteria were identified. Changes in the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and the degree of mouth opening were included in 172 cases (86 cases in the experimental group and 86 in the control group), and changes in the oral mucosal lesion area were included in 152 cases (76 cases in the experimental group and 76 in the control group). Changes in the VAS score, the degree of mouth opening and the oral mucosal lesion area were compared in the context of the local injection of Salvia miltiorrhiza combined with triamcinolone acetonide and triamcinolone acetonide alone. Results : There were no significant differences between the treatment with Salvia miltiorrhiza combined with triamcinolone acetonide and triamcinolone acetonide alone in reducing the VAS score (P > 0.05). Salvia miltiorrhiza combined with triamcinolone acetonide resulted in a greater increase in the degree of mouth opening than did triamcinolone acetonide (P = 0.05). The reduction in the oral mucosal lesion area induced by Salvia miltiorrhiza combined with triamcinolone acetonide was significantly greater than that induced by triamcinolone acetonide alone (P < 0.05). Conclusion The local injection of Salvia miltiorrhiza combined with triamcinolone acetonide is more effective than triamcinolone acetonide alone in the treatment of OSF.

Oral leukoplakia is a common precursor lesion of oral squamous cell carcinoma, which indicates a high potential of malignancy. The malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia seriously affects patient survival and quality of life; however, it is difficult to identify oral leukoplakia patients who will develop carcinoma because no biomarker exists to predict malignant transformation for effective clinical management. As a major problem in the field of head and neck pathologies, it is imperative to identify biomarkers of malignant transformation in oral leukoplakia. In this review, we discuss the potential biomarkers of malignant transformation reported in the literature and explore the translational probabilities from bench to bedside. Although no single biomarker has yet been applied in the clinical setting, profiling for genomic instability might be a promising adjunct.