Objective To explore the activity of Elemene for glioma cell from the cellular and molecular level. Methods The human glioma cell U251 was cultured. The effect of Elemene for human glioma cell proliferation was studied by MTT assay. Cell cycle, Fas, PCNA, bcl-2, intracellular Ca~(2+) and apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry analysis. Results Elemene exhibited antiproliferative effect on human glioma cell U251 markedly. The fifty percent inhibition on concentration (IC_(50)) of Elemene against glioma cells at different time points. 24 h was 40.60 μg/ml, the 48 h 38.14 μg/ml and the 72 h 34.35 μg/ml.Cell cycle was blocked in the S and G_2/M phases. The apoptosis ratio was increased by Annexin V staining markedly. Elemene decreased the gene expressions of PCNA and Fas, increased the intracellular Ca~(2+). There was no significant effect on the bcl -2 gene expression. Conclusion Elemene exhibits a marked antiproliferative effect on glioma cells and induces apoptosis by decreasing the expression of PCNA and increasing intracellular Ca~(2+). It also influences the expression of Fas. It might have no relationship with bcl-2 gene expression.

Objective To evaluate left atrial appendage regional function and movement changes of systolic and diastolic in patients with atrial fibrillation by speckle tracking imaging(STI) and real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography(RT-3D TEE).Methods Sixty-seven patients underwent RT-3D TEE was divided into 24 controls,22 paroxysmal atrial fibrillation,21 persistent atrial fibrillation.Left atrial appendage was divided into basal,middle and apical segment.Left atrial appendage emptying fraction of the overall (LAA-EF),basal emptying fraction (B-EF),middle emptying fraction (M-EF) and apical emptying fraction (A-EF) was measured by three-dimensional volume measurement.Each segment systolic strain rate (SRS) and diastolic strain rate (SRD) was measured by STI.Results LAA-EF,B-EF,M-EF,A-EF of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and persistent atrial fibrillation group were lower than those of the control group,and persistent atrial fibrillation group was the lowest in the three groups.Compared with the control group,SRS and SRD of left atrial appendage basal,middle,apical segment was lower in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation group and persistent atrial fibrillation group,and persistent atrial fibrillation group decreased more significantly.Conclusions Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and persistent atrial fibrillation can lead to left atrial appendage global or local systolic and diastolic function to reduce,and persistent atrial fibrillation decreased more significantly.

Objective To investigate the influence of hedysaryum polysaccharide (HPS)in the kidney function and expressions of Glut-1 mRNA and protein in kidney tissue of db/db mice with diabetic nephropathy (DN)and to elucidate its possible action mechanism.Methods 10 db/m mice were taken as normal control group(n=10);50 fueling animal model db/db mice with DN were randomly divided into model group,enalapril group and the low, middle and high doses of HPS groups(n=10).The mice in noral control group and model group were given physioloical saline by gavege;and the mice in the other groups were respectively given 10 mg·kg-1 ·d-1 enalapril, 100,200 and 400 mg·kg-1 ·d-1 HPS by gavage;lasted 8 weeks.Picric acid method was used to determine the serum creatinine(SCr)level of the mice,enzyme coupling rate method was used to determine the blood urea nitrogen (BUN)level,ELISA method was used to determine the urinary microalbumin(UMALB)level,RT-PCR method was performed to detect the expression of Glut-1 mRNA, and Western blotting and immunohistochemical methods were used to detect the expression of Glut-1 protein.Results Compared with model group,the levels of SCr, BUN, UMALB, the mRNA and protein of Glut-1 expressions were decreased, especially in 400 mg·kg-1 ·d-1 HPS and enalapril groups(P<0.01).The HE and Masson staining results showed that less inflammatory cells infiltration in glomerular of the mice were found, capillary lumens were unobstructed, and the collagen deposition was not obvious in 400 mg·kg-1 ·d-1 group.Conclusion HPS could improve the kidney function of the db/db mice and inhibit the Glut-1 mRNA and protein expressions obviously, which indicates that HPS could delay the development of DN by inhibiting the Glut-1 expression in the glomerular mesangial cell membrane.

Objective To investigate the role of activities of sympathetic nerve in the pathogenesis of shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS) by analyzing the hand sympathetic skin response (SSR) at the acute stage of SHS after stroke. Methods 50 stroke patients with SHS at the acute stage were assigned as SHS group, another 50 stroke patients without SHS as control group (N-SHS group) and 50 health volunteers as health group. Every patient was subjected to the detection of bilateral hand SSR. Results The detection rates of SSR in the SHS group and N-SHS group were significantly lower than that in the Health group (P<0.01). In comparison within the SHS group, the amplitude of SSR on the affected hand was apparently higher than on the healthy hand (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the SSR latencies in both hands ( P > 0 . 05 ) . In comparison with the health group , bilateral SSR latencies of the SHS group were longer than those of the health group (P<0.05) and bilateral SSR amplitudes were all lower than those of the health group (P<0.01). Conclusions The bilateral hand sympathetic skin responses could change at the acute stage of SHS after stroke, with possible presentations of central inhibition of sympathetic activity. The abnormality of SSR may be an early warning indicator in patients with hemiplegia after stroke complicated with SHS.

stroke, shoulder-hand syndrome, median nerve

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of acupuncture and medication on PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in rats with premature ovarian failure.

METHODSTen of fifty SPF-grade female SD rats were randomly selected into a normal group, and the remaining 40 rats were treated with intraperitoneal injection of cyclophospha mide (30 mg/kg) for consecutive 5 days to establish rat model of premature ovarian failure. Thirty five successful rat models were randomly divided into a model group (9 cases), a medication group (9 cases), an acupuncture group A (9 cases) and an acupuncture group B (8 cases). The rats in the model group and normal group did not receive any treatment. The rats in the medication group were treated with intragastric administration of diethylstil bestrol, once a day. The rats in the acupuncture group A and acupuncture group B were respectively treated with acupuncture at different acupoints, twice a day. All the treatment was given for 4 weeks. After the treatment, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to test the levels of estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteotropic hormone (LH). The ovarian tissue sample was processed with hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining as well as RNA and protein extraction to test the mRNA expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), estrogen receptor beta (ERP), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine/threonine kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR).

RESULTSHigh-dose short-term in- tervention of cyclophosphamide could establish rat model of premature ovarian failure with a successful rate of 87.5%. Compared with the normal group, the vaginal smear in the model group was featured with signs of estro gen deficiency, early-follicle reduction, structural damage to the follicle, and reducing number of mature follicles; the level of E2 was significantly reduced (P<0.05), levels of P, FSH and ILH were increased (all P<0.05), and mRNA expression of estrogen-related ERP3, PI3K, Akt and mTOR were all reduced (all P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the number of mature follicle was increased in the medication group and acupuncture groups, the levels of E2 was obviously increased (all P<0.05). level of FSH was reduced (all P<0.05), and mRNA expression of PI3K, Akt and mTOR all showed an increasing trend (all P<0.05). The differences of each index result between acupuncture groups and medication group were not significant (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture has certain advantage for the treatment of premature ovarian failure, which achieves similar therapeu tic effect as estrogen; the possible mechanism may be related to up-regulation of gene and protein expression in PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Estradiol ; blood ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Oncogene Protein v-akt ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Primary Ovarian Insufficiency ; blood ; enzymology ; genetics ; therapy ; Progesterone ; blood ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of ABO-incompatible (ABO-I) liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:Forty-four ABO-I liver transplantation recipients were matched with ABO-compatible (ABO-C) recipients by propensity score matching in a ratio of 1: 2. The cumulative overall survival (OS) rate, disease-free survival (DFS) rate and complications were compared between two groups.Results:Compared with ABO-C group, the levels of serum creatinine (sCr) were significantly higher in ABO-I group at Days 7 and 14 post-operation (89.1±36.9 vs 74.8±26.2 umol/L, P=0.001; 77.9±27.6 vs 67.6±18.6 umol/L, P=0.002). The incidence of hepatic arterial thrombosis (9.1% vs 1.1%, P=0.024), biliary complications (25.0% vs 8.0%, P=0.007), early allograft dysfunction (52.3% vs 31.8%, P<0.001) and acute kidney injury(68.1% vs 36.4%, P<0.001) also significantly spiked in ABO-I group. The postoperative cumulative OS, DFS and graft survival rate of ABO-C group were significantly higher than those of ABO-I group ( P<0.001). No inter-group difference existed in survival rate or complication incidence in accordance with the Hangzhou criteria. However, OS, DFS and graft survival rates of ABO-I group were significantly lower than those of ABO-C group ( P<0.001) and the incidence of hepatic artery thrombosis (6.7% vs 0.0%, P=0.043), biliary complications (30.0% vs 6.7%, P=0.003), early allograft dysfunction (53.3% vs 28.3%, P=0.020) and acute kidney injury (63.3% vs 28.3%, P<0.001) significantly rose exceeding the Hangzhou criteria. Conclusions:ABO-I liver transplantation does not affect the OS rate, graft survival rate and postoperative complications in accordance with the Hangzhou criteria. For HCC recipients exceeding the Hangzhou criteria, the prognosis of ABO-I liver transplantation is significantly inferior to that of ABO-C liver transplantation. Careful implementations and accurate evaluations should be performed for ABO-I liver transplantation. Patients exceeding the Hangzhou criteria may receive down-staging treatment so as to obtain transplantation opportunities and yield a better prognosis.

The synchronous abnormal discharge of neurons leads to epileptic seizures.However, in addition to neurons, microglia, as the main immune cells in the brain, plays an important role in the development and maintenance of neural circuits.Microglia is involved in early epileptic seizures, which can be mediated by increasing inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.Microglia can regulate the abnormal neurogenesis after epileptic seizures, promote the death of neurons after seizures, and cause neurodegeneration.Moreover, it can also affect synaptic pruning after seizures, eliminate synapses by phagocytosis or stripping, destroy the balance between synaptic excitation and inhibition, and aggravate seizures.Microglia plays an important role in the development of epilepsy.However, whether microglia participates in the occurrence of epilepsy still needs to be further studied.

Inherited neurotransmitter disorders are a group of rare nervous system diseases frequently diagnosed in children.The disorders are caused by biosynthesis, breakdown or transport detects of neurotransmitters or cofactors essential in their biosynthesis.They can be classified as primary and secondary disorders.The clinical phenotypes of primary inherited neurotransmitter disorders include developmental delay, dyskinesia, schizophrenia, and epilepsy.Among them, epilepsy is the main clinical phenotype.Gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamate, acetylcholine, biogenic amine and other neurotransmitters are involved in the epileptogenesis.The epilepsy related to primary inherited neurotransmitter disorders has diverse phenotypes, from mild seizures to severe early onset epileptic encephalopathy.An inherited neurotransmitter disorder should be suspected in children with epilepsy if the following features are present: (1) early onset epileptic encephalopathies associated with developmental impairment, autonomic dysfunctions or movement disorders; (2) frequent occurrence of such peculiar electroencephalogram patterns as burst suppression, hypsarrhythmia, and diffused/focal/multifocal electroencephalogram abnormalities; (3) neuroradiological signs of metabolic intoxication; (4) detection of specific cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers.Early identification, diagnosis and treatment is of great significance in reducing the incidence, lowering the mortality rate, and improving the prognosis of patients with epilepsy related to primary inherited neurotransmitter disorders.

Objective:To explore the value of aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and platelet (PLT)ratio index(APRI)in the prognosis of liver transplantation(LT)for hepatocellular carcinoma and establish a nomogram model for evaluating its clinical application potential.Methods:From January 2015 to December 2019, retrospective review was conducted for clinical data of LT for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)at First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine and Shulan(Hangzhou)Hospital(601 cases). They were randomized into two groups of modeling (399 cases)and validation(202 cases)and then divided into low and high APRI groups according to the APRI value at Month 1 post-transplantation. The independent risk factors of recurrence and prognosis post-LT were screened in modeling group using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses and were further used for constructing a nomogram prediction model. The receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)and survival curve were utilized for verifying the accuracy of nomogram prediction model.Results:Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that independent risk factors for the prognosis of HCC-LT included cold ischemic time(CIT) >8 h, beyond Hangzhou criteria, surgical bleeding volume >1 000 ml and APRI >1.5. The AUC of HCC-LT recurrence prediction model was 0.734(95%CI: 0.681~0.787)and 0.749(95%CI: 0.671~0.817)in modeling and validation groups; the AUC of HCC-LT mortality prediction model was 0.735(95%CI: 0.679~0.790)and 0.758(95%CI: 0.682~0.834)in modeling and validation groups.Conclusions:APRI>1.5 is an independent risk factor for postoperative recurrence and mortality after HCC-LT. The nomogram prediction model based upon CIT, Hangzhou criteria, intraoperative bleeding volume and APRI can effectively predict the recurrence and overall survival of LT for HCC.