UNLABELLEDOBJECTIVE To study the in vitro effect and mechanism of Ginkgo biloba Extract 50 (GBE50) for inhibiting beta-amyloid (Abeta)-induced oxidative stress in rats' hippocampal neurons.

METHODSThe primary hippocampal neurons were cultured in vitro and divided into 4 groups, i. e. the normal control group (Ctrl), the Abeta group, the propanediol control group (PDO), and the six GBE50 concentrations groups (5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 200 microg/mL). Excepted the Ctrl group, neurons were induced to oxidative stress by 20 gmolLAbeta25-35. The MTT and fluorescent probes labeling were used to observe the effect of GBE50 with different concentrations on the cell viability and the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in neurons. Furthermore, Western blot was used to detect the cytoplasmic/total cytochrome C (Cyto C) ratio and total intracytoplasmal Cyto C, and the effect of the expression of oxidative stress-related protein Cyto C and activated Caspase-3 in three GBE50 concentrations groups (25, 50, and 100 microg/mL).

RESULTSCompared with the Ctrl group, the cell vitality was obviously lowered and intracellular ROS generation significantly increased after induction of 20 micromol/L Abeta25-35 (both P < 0.05). Compared with the Abeta group, the cell vitality was evidently improved after treated with different GBE50 doses. Except for 10 microg/mL, the cell vitality could be obviously elevated along with increased drug concentrations (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the intracellular ROS generation decreased significantly in each GBE50 dose groups (P < 0.05). Abeta could increase the cytoplasmic/total Cyto C ratio and enhance the activated Caspase-3 expression significantly (P < 0.05). Compared with the Abeta group, among the three concentrations of GBE50, the Cyto C ratio was obviously lowered in the 100 microg/mL GBE50 group (P < 0.05), and the expression of activated Caspase-3 significantly decreased in 50 microg/mL and 100 microg/mL GBE50 groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS20 micromol/L Abeta25-35 could induce the generation of intracellular ROS in hippocampal neurons. GBE50 could inhibit Abeta induced intracellular oxidative stress of neurons through lowering the cytoplasmic/total Cyto C ratio and inhibiting the activation of apoptosis protein Caspase-3 expression.

Amyloid beta-Peptides ; toxicity ; Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytochromes c ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Peptide Fragments ; toxicity ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Object: To investigate the effects of Huaiqihuang Granule, a compound Chinese herbal medicine, on expressions of nephrin and podocin of slit diaphragm of glomerular podocytes in rats with adriamycin-induced nephrosis and to explore the mechanism in reducing the proteinuria. Methods: Twenty SD rats were randomly divided into five groups: control group, model group, glucocorticoid group, Huaiqihuang Granule group and Huaiqihuang Granule plus glucocorticoid group. The 24-hour urine was collected 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after adriamycin injection respectively to measure 24-hour urinary protein, and all rats were sacrificed after 28-day treatment. Pathological changes in renal tissues were observed under a light microscope and an electron microscope. Expressions of nephrin and podocin mRNAs in renal cortex were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and protein levels of nephrin and podocin were detected by Western blotting. Results: (1) In the model group and the treatment groups, the level of urinary protein increased significantly from the 14th day. (2) Under the light microscope, inflammatory cells and slight fibroplasia were found in renal interstitium of the model group, but there were less inflammatory cells in renal interstitium in the intervention groups than in the model group. Under the electron microscope, 29 days after adriamycin injection, extensive fusion of foot processes was observed. (3) The expressions of nephrin and podocin were higher in treatment groups than in the model group. (4) Proteinuria level was negatively correlated with the expressions of nephrin mRNA and nephrin and podocin proteins. Conclusion: The above results indicate that Huaiqihuang Granule can maintain the integrity of the slid diaphragram in podocyte, alleviate the lesion of glomerular filtration membrane, and decrease the proteinuria by up-regulating the expressions of nephrin and podocin. Huaiqihuang Granule plus glucocorticoid maybe has better effects than glucocorticoid alone.

This paper is aim to investigate the pharmacokinetics and absolute bioavailability of neoline in Beagle dogs, and provide a theoretical basis for further study. Ethyl acetate was used for liquid-liquid extracting after 10% ammonia alkalizing. The method of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was established for the determination of neoline plasma concentrations. Beagle dogs were orally or intravenously administered with neoline for pharmacokinetic and absolute bioavailability study. Good linear relationship of neoline was found over the range of 0.1-4 mg x L(-1) (R2 = 0.9982) and 2-100 microg x L(-1) (R2 = 0.9945). Intra-and inter-day precision, expressed as the relativestandard (RSD) were less than 5.0%. Accuracy, expressed as the relative error (RE) was within 90.0%-115%. The recovery of neoline in dog plasma was more than 80%. After 6 mg x kg(-1) for ig and 1 mg x kg(-1) for iv administration of neoline, the main pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed with Winnonlin software. t(1/2) were (313.88 +/- 63.18), (236.33 +/- 229.84) min, and AUC(0-infinity) were (58,027.40 +/- 14,132.69), (473,578.02 +/- 82,333.08) min x microg x L(-1) for ig and iv administration respectively. The absolute bioavail ability was (73.15 +/- 10.29) %. The method of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS described in the report was sensitive, reliable and specific, and suitable for pharmacokinetic study of neoline in Beagle dog. The high absolute bioavailability of neoline in dog suggested good absorption of neline which was worth of further investigation.
Aconitine ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Animals ; Biological Availability ; Dogs ; Drug Stability ; Female ; Male

Objective To explore the clinical significance of the blood lactic dehydrogenase(LDH), ?_2-microglobulin(?_2-MG),D-dimer measuring in the diagnosis and treatment of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Methods In 40 cases with NHL,LDH was measured by L-P continuous monitoring method,?_2-MG was measured by luminescent immunoassay,D-dimer was measured by immunoturbidimettic assay.Results The levels of the blood LDH,?_2-MG and D-dimer in patients with NHL were higher than those of in the controls(P 0.05).Con- clusion The levels of blood LDH,?_2-MG,D-dimer can be taken as an auxiliary clinical index to diagnose, classify the phase,evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and prognosis in the NHL patients,and have impor- tant clinical significance.

Objective:To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Problem Area in Diabetes Scale (PAID) for assessing diabetes-related distress in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods:Totally 203 outpatients with type 2 diabetes from a tertiary hospital in Beijing were selected. They were assessed with PAID,Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17),Patient Health Questionaire-9(PHQ-9),World Health Organization Five item Well-Being Index (WHO-5 ),Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)and HbA1 C. Item analysis and exploratory factoranalysis were conducted to test constructive validity. Concurrent validity was evaluated by the correlation coeffi-cients with the other instruments mentioned above. Totally 3 1 subjects were retested 4 weeks later to obtain the test-retest reliability. Results:Exploratory factor analysis produced 4 factors,including emotional,therapeutic,diet and perceived society support problems specific to diabetics. The total variance contribution ratio was 64. 33%. Except i-tem 7 and 20,no item was across two factors. The correlation coefficients of each item with relevant subscale score ranged from 0. 67 to 0. 86. The PAID scores were positively correlated with the scores of HAMD-17,PHQ-9 and HbA1C (r=0. 48,0. 43,0. 21,P<0. 001 or 0. 01),and negatively correlated with WHO-5 scores (r=-0. 46,P<0. 001). The Cronbach's αcoefficients were 0. 94 for the total scale and 0. 81 -0. 88 for the 4 subscales. The test-retest reliability coefficient was 0. 65 for the total scale and 0. 53-0. 73 for the 4 subscales. Conclusion:The validi-ty and reliability of the Problem Area in Diabetes Scale are acceptable in Chinese mainland,and can be available to assess the stress related to diabetics.

Objective To analyze the local control rate and the desimetric patterns of local recurrence in nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)patients having been treated with standardized conventional radiotherapy and to evaluate the delineation of rational target volume.Methods From Jan.2000 to Dec.2000,476 patients with untreated NPC were treated by standardized conventional radiotherapy alone at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center.The radiation ports were designed on a X-ray simulator.The nasopharyngeal lesion demonstrated by CT scan and the subclinical spread regions adjacent to the nasopharynx were defined as the target volume.Kaplan- Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative local recurrence rate.For patients with locad recurrence,the primary and recurrent local tumor volumes(V_(nx),V_(recur))were delineated with three-dimensional treatment planning system(3DTPS),and the dataset of radiation ports and delivered prescription dose to the 3DTPS were transferred according to the first treatment.The dose of radiation received by V_(recur)was calculated and analyzed with dose- volume histogram(DVH).Local recurrence was classified as:1.“in-port”with 95% or mere of the recurrence volume((recur)_V_(95))was within the 95% isedase;2.“marginal”with 20% to95% of _(recur)V_(95)within the 95% isedese; 3.“outside”with only less than 20% of _(recur)_V_(95)within the 95% isodose curve.Results With the median follow- up of 42.5 months(range 8～54 months),52 patients developed local recurrence.The 1-,2-,3 and 4-year cumulative local failure rate was 0.6%,3.9%,8.7% and 11.5%,respectively.Among the 42 local recurrent patients who could be analyzed by 3DTPS,52% were in-port,40% were marginal and 7% were outside.For most of the marginal recurrence and all the outside recurrence patients,the main reason of recurrence were related to the unreasonable design of the radiation port and inaccuracy in the interpretation image findings.Conclusions The outcome of better local control rate and the dosimetric pattern of local recurrence show that the target volume is reasonable for NPC in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center.Enhancing the capability of correct interpretation of images,accurate design of the radiation pouts and making most useful molecular or functional imaging techniques to escalate the local radiation dose are promising ways to improve the local control further and better.

This study aims to construct a dynamic two-dimensional characterization technique for the hygroscopicity of traditional Chinese medicine extracts and investigate the effect of material properties of powders on hygroscopicity. The dynamic hygroscopicity-time curves of the powders were measured at 25 ℃ and 75% humidity, and the semi-equilibrium hygroscopicity time (t_1/2) and equilibrium hygroscopicity (F^∞) were derived as two-dimensional evaluation indicators. Finally, the correlation between the material properties and the hygroscopic behavior was analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares analysis (PLS). The results showed that the dynamic two-dimensional characterization system of hygroscopicity constructed with 1/t_1/2 = 0.1 h^-1 and F^∞ = 15% as the center can classify the hygroscopic behavior of traditional Chinese medicine extracts into four categories: fast hygroscopicity with strong hygroscopicity, slow hygroscopicity with strong hygroscopicity, fast hygroscopicity with weak hygroscopicity and slow hygroscopicity with weak hygroscopicity. The moisture absorption was negatively correlated with D₅₀, D₉₀, ρ_b and ρ_t; the moisture absorption rate was negatively correlated with D₁₀, D₅₀, D₉₀, ρ_b, ρ_t, and positively correlated with moisture content. The hygroscopicity dynamic two-dimensional characterization indicators of Chinese medicine extracts (CMEs) constructed in this study matched with the physical properties. The method of dynamic multi-dimensional characterization technology is feasible and scientific, and the idea has strong promotional value.

With improved overall survival of cervical cancer patients, the importance of the quality of life (QOL) is increasingly recognized. This study was conducted to compare the QOL of women with different stage cervical cancer before and after treatment to facilitate improved cervical cancer prevention and treatment. We used the generic Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36) to collect QOL information. Based on SF-36, we interviewed cervical cancer patients at West China Second Affiliated Hospital and Sichuan Cancer Hospital between May 2010 and January 2011. A total of 92 patients with precancerous lesions, 93 with early cancer, and 35 with advanced cancer responded to our survey. Average physical component summary (PCS) scores were significantly different between the three groups at every time point (P < 0.05). Average mental component summary (MCS) scores were significantly different between the three groups after treatment (P < 0.05). Average PCS and MCS scores increased gradually from the pretreatment to posttreatment period for patients with precancerous lesions. However, they reached the lowest at 1 month after treatment for patients with early and advanced cancers and rebounded between 1 and 6 months after treatment. Our results indicate that patients with precancerous lesions and early cervical cancer show better overall QOL than do those with advanced cervical cancer. Additionally, patients with early cancer recover more quickly than do those with advanced cancer in terms of both physical and mental functions. Thus, early detection and treatment initiatives may improve the QOL for patients with precancerous lesions and cervical cancer.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma in Situ ; pathology ; therapy ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; pathology ; therapy ; Chemoradiotherapy ; China ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; methods ; Lymph Node Excision ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Precancerous Conditions ; pathology ; therapy ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; pathology ; therapy ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVERadiation usually results in paranasal sinusitis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), which influences patients' quality of life. This study aimed to determine the relationships between dose distribution in the nasal cavity and nasal mucous injury in patients with NPC treated by intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and to find the tolerable radiation dose for the nasal mucous.

METHODSSixty-six patients with NPC treated by IMRT between October 2006 and November 2008 were enrolled. The irradiation dose in the nasal cavity was determined by the computer with the IMRT work platform. Mucociliary transport rate (MTR) was detected by modified saccharine test before IMRT, at the end of IMRT, and at 3, 6, and 12 months after IMRT.

RESULTSThe data were available for 129 nasal cavities. The cavities receiving a mean dose below or equal to 37 Gy showed substantial preservation of nasal mucous after IMRT. The MRT decreased to (62.82 ± 38.59)%, (56.78 ± 37.79)%, (64.05 ± 39.37)%, and (71.13 ± 39.55)% of pre-IMRT value at 4 time points after IMRT, with significant differences among the data (P < 0.05). In contrast, when the cavities received a mean dose higher than 37 Gy, no significant differences in MTR among the time points were observed. At 3 months after IMRT, the MTR was the lowest (38.27% of pre-RT value).

CONCLUSIONSA mean radiation dose of ≤ 37 Gy for the nasal cavity is an optimal dose to protect the nasal cavity function.

Adult ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; physiopathology ; radiotherapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mucociliary Clearance ; radiation effects ; Nasal Cavity ; radiation effects ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; physiopathology ; radiotherapy ; Quality Control ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated

OBJECTIVETo observe the protective effect and mechanism of intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (IHH) on cardiomyocytes induced by hydrogen dioxide.

METHODSMale guinea pigs were divided randomly into two groups (n = 10): intermittent hypoxia group (IHH), and control group (non-IHH). The IHH guinea pigs were exposed to a simulated 5,000 m high altitude and hypoxia in hypobaric chamber for 28 d, 6 h/d. The control guinea pigs were kept in the same environment as IHH except hypoxia exposure. Cardiomyocytes were enzymatically isolated from left ventricle of non-CIHH or CIHH guinea pigs. The contractile was assessed in guinea pigs by a video-based motion edge-detection system. The contents and activities of malondialdehyde(MDA), lactate hydrogenase(LDH) and antioxidant enzymes were evaluated by using biochemical methods.

RESULTS1. Hydrogen peroxide could induce contractile and diastole dysfunction, the latent period was longer in IHH cardiac myocytes. 2. After hydrogen peroxide(300 micromol/L, 10 min) perfusion, LDH and MDA contents in supernatant increased significantly in non-IHH and CIHH cardiomyocytes (P < 0.01), Whereas the contents of MDA and LDH in IHH cardiomyocytes were lower than those in non-IHH cardiomyocytes (P < 0.01). 3. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were significantly increased in the myocardium of IHH guinea pigs, after hydrogen peroxide (300 micromol/L, 10 min) perfusion, SOD and CAT activities decreased significantly in non-IHH and CIHH cardiomyocytes (P < 0.01), whereas the activities of SOD and CAT in CIHH cardiomyocytes were still higher than those in non-IHH cardiomyocytes.

CONCLUSIONIHH had a protective effect on cardiomyocytes injury induced by hydrogen peroxide, which might relate with its antioxidation effects.

Altitude ; Animals ; Catalase ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Guinea Pigs ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; pharmacology ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism