It has recently been demonstrated that Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) plays an important role in tumorigenesis through its regulation of tumor cell growth via a variety of mechanisms. In some tumors, activation of GSK-3β inhibits the growth of tumor cells whereas in other tumors, GSK-3β promotes tumor cells growth, meanwhile, GSK-3β may also regulate sensitivity of chemotherapy drugs to tumor cells,thus GSK-3β is likely to become a novel target for tumor therapy.

【Objective】To improve the adaptation of Plat-Ⅱceramic crown.【Method】The Plat-Ⅱcastable ceramic crowns were made by three methods,namely routine method,die spacer technique,and the model investing method.24 crowns were made by these three methods individually and adhered to the corresponding model die with zinc phosphate to measure the adhesive thickness and compare their adaptation.【Result】The average adhesive thickness at different parts of crown of these three groups were 52 μm、42 μm、30 μm and the margins discrepence were 63 μm、59 μm、42 μm,respectively.There is statistically difference in both the adhesive thickness and the margin discrepence with these three methods (P<0.01).【Conclusion】The crowns made from the die spacer technique and the model investing method could improve the adaptation significantly.

Objective To establish a reference range for the normal value of thromboelastography (TEG) in pregnant females.Methods According to the results of pregnancy and physical examination,166 pregnant females and 64 healthy females without pregnancy were selected as the pregnant group and the non-pregnant control group,respectively.The TEG value and the traditional coagulation index were measured.The TEG parameters of the two groups were compared and analyzed,establishing a reference range for the parameters.We further analyzed the effect of full-term pregnancy on TEG results and the correlation between traditional coagulation index and TEG test results.Results The traditional coagulation index and TEG test results of the pregnant females andthe non-pregnant females were significantly different.According to the results,a new TEG reference range was established:R 3.9-7.5 min,K 1.0-2.4 min,α 57.6°-74.9°,MA 55.7-75.7 mm,LY30 0-0.56％,CI(-0.97)-3.6.Full-term pregnancy had no significant effect on TEG results.In addition to LY30,other parameters of TEG had some correlation with the traditional coagulation index.Conclusions The general TEG reference range does not apply to pregnant females and established TEG normal reference range for pregnant females can be applied for clinical use.

AIM To determine the relationship between the elevation of endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS)N G,N G-asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and metabolic control in diabetic rats. METHODS Diabetes was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. At 72 h after injection, half of diabetic rats received insulin treatment for 8 weeks (20 U?kg -1?d -1,ih, bid). Serum levels of ADMA were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Thoracic aortic rings from non-diabetic age-matched control, untreated diabetic, and insulin-treated diabetic rats were tethered in isolated organ baths,contracted with 1 ?mol?L -1 phenylephrine, and challenged with either the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine or the endothelium-independent vasodilator sodium nitroprusside. Serum concentrations of glucose, glycosylated serum protein, and malondialdehyde, derived from lipid peroxidation were also examined to estimate metabolic control.RESULTS Serum levels of ADMA significantly elevated in untreated diabetic rats compared with control rats. This elevation of ADMA was accompanied by impairment of relaxation response to acetylcholine but not sodium nitroprusside in aortic rings. Chronic insulin treatment not only prevented the elevation of serum ADMA, but also improved the impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation in diabetic rats. Serum levels of glucose, glycosylated serum protein, and malondialdehyde were significantly increased in parallel with the elevation of ADMA in untreated diabetic rats compared with control rats. These parameters were normalized after diabetic rats received insulin treatment. CONCLUSION These results provide the first evidence that the elevation of endogenous inhibitor of NOS in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats is close related to metabolic control of the disease.

AIM This study was designed to investigate the effect of aminoguanidine, an inhibitor of the glycosylated proteins formation, on the impairment of endothelium dependent relaxation induced by advanced glycation end products (AGE) in isolated rat thoracic aorta and its possible mechanisms. METHODS Exogenous glycosylated bovine serum albumin (AGE BSA) was prepared. Aortic rings were exposed to AGE BSA for 60 min to induce the impairment of endothelium dependent vasodilatation. In the drug treated groups, aortic rings were incubated with drug for 15 min and then exposed to AGE BSA for another 60 min in the presence of the drug. Vasodilator responses to acetylcholine (ACh) or sodium nitroprusside (SNP) of aortic rings were measured by isometric tension recording after drug treatment. RESULTS AGE BSA significantly inhibited the endothelium dependent relaxation in response to ACh, but did not affect endothelium independent relaxation in response to SNP. Pre incubation of aortic rings with aminoguanidine(50～500 ?mol?L -1 ) for 15 min and co incubation of aortic rings with AGE BSA for another 60 min markedly attenuated the inhibition of endothelium dependenet relaxation induced by AGE BSA in a dose dependent manner. Superoxide diamutase (SOD, 2?10 5 U?L -1 ), a scavenger of superoxide anions, also prevented the inhibition of endothelium dependent relaxation, which is similar to the effect of 500 ?mol?L -1 aminoguanidine. Furthermore, aminoguanidine (500 ?mol?L -1 ) also reversed impairment of endothelium dependent relaxation of rat aortic ring induced by endogenous oxygen free radicals generated by diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC, 10 ?mol?L -1 ) via inhibiting intracellular SOD. CONCLUSION Aminoguanidine can protect rat aortic endothelium against damage due to AGE BSA, and the beneficial effect of aminoguanidine may relate to its antioxidant properties.

BACKGROUND:The endothelial dysfunction is the pathogenesis of arteriosclerotic disease, the quantity and function of endothelial progenitor cells are decreased within the cycle, leading to a poor capacity of neovascularizatio, the efficacy of stem celltransplantation alone is unclear, the combination of cytokines and gene-modified stem cells is the hotspot.
OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of stromal cel-derived factor-1 on the neovascularization after endothelial progenitor cells transplantation.
METHODS:Unilateral hindlimb ischemia model was established in 20 athymic nude mice, and the mice were randomly divided into four groups:combined group (intravenous endothelial progenitor cells+intramuscular stromal cel-derived factor-1), endothelial progenitor cells group (intravenous injection of endothelial progenitor cells), stromal cel-derived factor-1 group (intramuscular injection of stromal cel-derived factor-1), and blank control group (intramuscular M199). The skin temperature of ischemic hindlimbs and survival of animals after transplantation were observed. The ratio of capil ary/skeletal muscle fiber was counted. The expression of CD31 and endothelial nitric oxide synthase were detected.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The fluorescence-labeled endothelial cells were embedded in ischemic hindlimb muscles after celltransplantation. Of the 20 nude mice, two mice died. The rate of ischemic hindlimb reserving was respectively 80%, 75%, 20%and 0 in combined group, endothelial progenitor cells group, stromal cel-derived factor-1 group, and blank control group. The capil ary/muscle fiber ratio in combined group and endothelial progenitor cells group was higher than that of blank control group (P<0.01). The combined group was greater than endothelial progenitor cells group, and endothelial progenitor cells group was greater than stromal cel-derived factor-1 group (P<0.05). The capil ary density in combined group and endothelial progenitor cells group were higher than that in blank control group (P<0.01), and stromal cel-derived factor-1 group was also more than blank control group (P<0.05). The combined group was greater than endothelial progenitor cells group, and endothelial progenitor cells group was greater than stromal cel-derived factor-1 group (P<0.05). The positive rate of endothelial nitric oxide synthase was 73.33%and 53.33%in combined group and endothelial progenitor cells group respectively (P>0.05). Endothelial progenitor cells can migrate to ischemic tissues, endothelial progenitor cells transplantation can promote neovascularization, and stromal cel-derived factor-1 augments the neovascularization after celltransplantation, in which endothelial nitric oxide synthase is involved.

The regulation of immune response is affected by several factors in order to maintain homeostasis.Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase(IDO) is a tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme expressed by different types of APC,including macrophages and dendritic cells.IDO activity leads to regulatory effects on T cells,which are mediated by tryptophan depletion in specific local tissue microenvironments,the production of proapoptotic metabolites,and inhibition of T-cell clone proliferation through regulatory T cells.IDO plays an important role in protecting the allogeneic fetus from rejection,the development of autoimmune diseases,allograft rejection,and cancer.So regulation of IDO activity may offer a novel drug-based strategy to treat immune-related diseases.

Objective To compare the performance of HP-083/4 and rational used instrument on detecting six items.Methods The rational instruments were used as contrast instrument,HP-083/4 was the verified instrument.A total of 100 blood specimens and 100 urine specimens were collected,and the levels of antistreptolysin O(ASO),hypersensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP),D-di-mer(D-D),glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c),rheumatoid factor(RF)and urine microalbumin(mAlb)were detected.The regression equation and correlation coefficient(r)of the two methods were calculated,and the Kappa values(κ)were analyzed to evaluate the performance of HP-083/4.Results There was a good linear correlation (r >0.950)for the two methods in detecting the serum ASO,hsCRP,D-D,HbA1c,RF and mAlb,r were 0.991,0.995,0.970,0.957,0.980 and 0.967 respectively.Besides,they had good concordance(κ>0.6),theκ values were 0.830,0.957,0.601,0.720,0.920 and 0.694 respectively.Conclusion HP-083/4 is effec-tive in detecting ASO,hsCRP,D-D,HbA1c,RF and mAlb,which should be suitable for clinical application.

Objective To investigate healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in patients in a cancer hospital,provide reference for controlling HAI in cancer patients,and guide rational use of antimicrobial agents.Methods Clinical data of patients in a cancer hospital between August 2006 and July 2012 were analyzed retrospectively.Results The incidence of HAI case was 1 .53% (2 060/134 389),and annual incidence showed a downward trend.The main in-fection site was lower respiratory tract (46.46%,n=957),followed by bloodstream (15.63%,n=322),abdominal and pelvic (14.03%,n=289).The main pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16.16%,n=350),Staphylo-coccus aureus (9.97%,n=216),Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.79%,n=212),Escherichia coli (9.65%,n=209), and Candida albicans (6.51 %,n=141 ).Gram-negative bacilli,including Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli ,were sensitive to carbapenems and β-lactamase inhibitors.Conclusion Lower respiratory tract is the major HAI site in patients with cancer,and gram-negative bacteria are the main pathogens.Carbapenems andβ-lactamase inhibitors are recommended for the empirical treatment of HAI in cancer patients.

Objective To evaluate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopy in combination with fast track colorectal surgery (FTCS) in the treatment of colorectal cancer in the elderly.Methods A total of 123 patients were randomly divided into 3 groups:the laparoscopy plus FTCS group (n=41),the laparoscopy group (n=41) and the laparotomy group (n=41).Parameters for measuring surgical quality,recovery and postoperative complications were analysed.Results No significant differences were found in age,gender,tumor location,anesthesia ASA classification,American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) staging,Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score or complications between the three groups (P＞0.05 for all).There were no differences in blood loss,operative time,time required to resume defecation or number of lymph nodes dissected between the laparoscopy plus FTCS group and the laparoscopy or laparotomy group (P＞0.05 for all),but time taken to initiate postoperative ambulation,time taken to resume flatulence,time taken to start intake of liquid food and length of hospital stay were shorter in the laparoscopy plus FTCS group than in the other groups (P ＜ 0.05 for all).The incidence of postoperative complications was 12.2％ or 5/41 in the laparoscopy plus FTCS group,which was lower than in the laparoscopy group (34.1％ or 14/41) and in the laparotomy group (68.3％ or 28/41) (x2 =5.549 and 28.826,P=0.018 and 0.01,respectively),a statistically significant difference was also found between the latter two groups (x2 =9.567,P =0.002).Conclusions Laparoscopy in combination with FTCS is safe and effective in the treatment of colorectal cancer in the elderly.