The application of genetic engineering technology in modern agriculture shows its outstanding role in dealing with food shortage. Traditional medicinal plant cultivation and collection have also faced with challenges, such as lack of resources, deterioration of environment, germplasm of recession and a series of problems. Genetic engineering can be used to improve the disease resistance, insect resistance, herbicides resistant ability of medicinal plant, also can improve the medicinal plant yield and increase the content of active substances in medicinal plants. Thus, the potent biotechnology can play an important role in protection and large area planting of medicinal plants. In the development of medicinal plant genetic engineering, the safety of transgenic medicinal plants should also be paid attention to. A set of scientific safety evaluation and judgment standard which is suitable for transgenic medicinal plants should be established based on the recognition of the particularity of medicinal plants.
Genetic Engineering ; Plant Diseases ; genetics ; prevention & control ; Plants, Genetically Modified ; chemistry ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism

AIM: To study the protective effect of bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) on ischemia /reperfusion hippocampal slices. METHODS: Ischemia/reperfusion models of hippocampal slices from newborn rats were established. MSCs obtained from adult bone marrow were cultured, isolated and purified. Cell death was assessed using propidium iodide fluorescence. And brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in MSCs was determined by immunocytochemistry and Western blot. RESULTS: Maximal dead cells appeared in hippocampal slices 3 to 7 days after reperfusion. When the slices were co-cultured with MSCs, only a few cells were dead. The protective effect of MSCs on the slices was diminished significantly when anti-BDNF antibody was added to the medium. The protein of BDNF was faintly expressed in MSCs under normal conditions. When MSCs were co-cultured with ischemia /reperfusion hippocampal slices, the expression of BDNF in MSCs was increased gradually especially when co-cultured for 3 to 7 days. However, MSCs co-cultured with normal hippocampal slices expressed BDNF at a lower level at any times of co-culture. CONCLUSIONS: In an in vitro model of simulated ischemia, MSCs reduce cell death. Ischemia/reperfusion hippocampal slices co-cultured with MSCs promote the expression of BDNF in MSCs, which in turn protect the ischemic neurons.

Androgen deprivation therapy can effectively suppress the progression of prostate cancer, but accumulating evidence for the relationship of testosterone with prostate cancer challenges the conventional wisdom. High levels of testosterone are not risk factors for prostate cancer, nor promote its development. On the contrary, a low testosterone level indicates a worse pathological stage. So far there has been no strong evidence to prove the role of testosterone in the occurrence and progression of prostate cancer. Therefore, the relationship between testosterone and prostate cancer is quite complicated and deserves further investigation.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Testosterone

Objective　To investigate the effect of amniotic membrane on the proliferation of YAC-1 in vitro. Methods　The YAC-1 cells were cultured with amniotic membrane and their proliferation were observed by MTT automated colorimetry on the lst day， the 3rd day and the 7th day respectively.Results　Amniotic membrane could significantly enhance the proliferation of YAC-1 on the lst day, the 3rd day and the 7th day respectively after having been seeded (P＜0.01).Conclusion　Amniotic membrane can enhance the proliferation of tumor cells (YAC-1), which should be paid attention to during amniotic membrane transplantation for treating ocular surface lesion caused by epibulbar tumors. ［Rec Adv Ophthalmol 2000;20(5)∶317-318］

Objective To define the characteristic values of the pharyngeal cavity by comparing the values of measures and ratios between the patients with obstructive sheep apnea-hypopnea syndrome(OSAS) and controls.Methods Sixty-eight OSAS patients who were diagnosed using polysomnography,and 56 healthy people were scanned by MSCT(multiple slices computed tomography)in the awake state.Then, the values were measured on the reformated images and were compared between two groups.Results Of the 63 values,49 values were different between the two groups,and among those,4 values were entered into the Discriminant Functions.These were the left-right diameter(LR)[OSAS:LR=(9.4?3.7)mm,controls: LR=(20.1?5.0)mm,t=-13.820,P=0.000)and the cross-sectional area(XSA)[OSAS:XSA= (54?27)mm~2,controls:XSA=(164?77)mm~2,t=-10.944,P=0.000]of RP,the heights of tongue [OSAS:(75.4?8.3)mm,controls:(58.4?9.8)mm,t=10.476,P=0.000],the lengths of uvula/the lengths of airway(OSAS:0.139?0.039,controls:0.154?0.048,t=-1.983,P=0.050).Conclusions Many measures and ratios were different between the two groups,but there were overlaps between them. Measures using the Discriminant Functions can help the diagnosis of OSAS.

It is known that patients with vitiligo often have antibodies to melanocytes. In order to identify vitiligo antibodies react to corresponding antigens, we used cultured normal human melanocytes to react with sera from 48 patients with vitiligo, the result showed that 52% of patients with vitiligo have antibodies to cell-surface antigens of melanocytes. Then immunoprecipitation and SDS-PAGE analysis were used to reveal molecular weights (MW) of the antigens, the result showed that the MW are about 75 000, 90 000, 110 000, and 150 000.

Objective To investigate the mRNA expression of secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (SLC) in human gastric carcinoma. Method The study was designed to investigate semi-quantitatively the expression of SLC mRNA in gastric carcinoma and metastatic lymph nodes by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.Result The expression of SLC mRNA in the gastric cancer tissues was markedly reduced compared with that in adjacent noncancer tissues. The average tumor/normal (T/N) ratio determined by RT-PCR was 0.43?0.08 in 29 patients.Metastatic lymph node/normal ratio was 0.63?0.07.Negative lymph node/normal ratio was 1.19?0.11. As a control,the mean G3PDH T/N ratio was 1.16?0.06,there was no correlation between SLC mRNA expression and clinicopathological characteristics in gastric cancer.ConclusionSLC mRNA expression is suppressed in the gastric tumours. SLC may play an important role in the early stage of carcinogenesis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinicopathological features of the needle biopsies of prostatic lesions and to evaluate the value of 34?E12 immunostaining for the diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma.MethodsThe clinical data,levels of serum PSA and HE slides of 103 cases of the needle biopsies of prostatic lesions were reviewed.Immunohistochemical stains for 34?E12 were performed.ResultsThe morphological features revealed 36 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH),9 cases of low grade prostastic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN I)and 34 cases of prostatic carcinoma(PC),24 cases of high grade PIN(PINⅡ and Ⅲ) have been suspected of carcinoma.With immunohistochemical stain,all cases of BPH were strongly reactive for 34?E12 while 32 cases of prostatic carcinoma were negative;14 of 24 cases of high grade PIN were negative for 34?E12 and could be diagnosed as PC.The rest 10 of high grade PIN were interruptedly positive in the basal layer for 34?E12.In the 30 cases of prostastic carcinoma,serum PSA levels of 25 cases was over 10 ng/ml and over 50 ng/ml in 15.ConclusionsThe pathologic diagnosis should based on gland architectures and cytologic features.34?E12 negative expression and elevation of serum PSA are also the important criteria for the diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma.

Objective:To investigate the effects of exogenous melatonin on Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal(HPA) axis and immune function which inhibited by exogenous corticosterone.Methods:By means of radioimmunoassay and cytoimmunology techniques respectively, we observed the effects of two doses exogenous melatonin on the plasma concentrations of ACTH ,corticosteron0e as well as the variations of lymphocytes proliferating response, natural killer cytotoxicity(NKCC) and the level of IL-2 induced by ConA of rat model which Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis and immune function were inhibited by exogenous corticosterone.Results:After 14 consecutive days melatonin injection(i.p.),there were an increasing trends of plasma concentration of ACTH, corticosterone which inhibited by exogenous corticosterone were observed in the melatonin 100 ?g/kg treated group, but no significance in statistics, otherwise, there were significant increasing of plasma concentration of ACTH, corticosterone were observed in the melatonin 200 ?g/kg treated group( P

Objective To investigate the significance of Human papilloma virus(HPV)typing in the screening of cervical dis-ease.Methods 687 cases of gynecological patients in the hospital were enrolled in the study,whose HPV-DNA genotype was detec-ted by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(FQ-PCR).In addition to that,389 healthy women who took gynecological examina-tion in the hospital in the same period were enrolled in the study,HPV-DNA quantitative detection were performed on those people (FQ-PCR were used)firstly,and the persons with more than 5×102 IU/mL HPV-DNA were tested for the HPV-DNA subtype. Results In the 687 cases of gynecological patients,164 cases were HPV positive which accounted for 23.9%;The single-infection patients accounted for 74.3%,mixed infection accounted for 25.6%.The mixed infection included 2 -4 types of infection,among which the double infection was most common.The common type were HPV16,52,58 and 35.In 389 cases of healthy women,29 ca-ses were found HPV positive,which accounted for 7.5%;The single infection accounted for 79.3%,mixed infection accounted for 20.7%,mixed infection included 2-3 types of HPV infection,in which double infection is the most common situation.The common type were HPV52,58,16 and 18.Conclusion HPV infection is the major cause of cervical cancer,HPV detection and typing con-tribute to cervical cancer screening and its prevention.