Objective In order to offer scientific evidence for prevention and therapy of Lyme disease, we had investigated the natural infection of lyme disease Borrelia burgdorferi(Bb) of 4 ticks in Diebu and Huajian areas of Gansu province. MethodsEpidemiology detection of natural infection of lyme disease Bb was accomplished for four dominant tick ( Dermacetor silvarum , Dermacentor nuttalli , Haemaphysalis Japonica and Ixodes Crenulatus ) at Diebu, Diebu forest zone(Qin mountain), north of Min Mountains of Huajian region and Huajian forest zone, north of Qilian Mountains of Sunan region, Gansu, from March to June, 2010. The methods of dispersion of clamp every 10 m which was put in the morning and retrieved at night were used to capture rodent animal and gnawer retrorse hair inspection insect methods were used to collect parasitic tick. Flagging methods were used to collect free tick.Four kinds of live adult ticks were dissected after cleaning and disinfection. Intestinal contents were smeared, lyme disease Bb was observed under dark-field microscope. Etiological agent was cultivated and separated. Separated spirochete was confirmed by spirochete monoclonal and polyclonal antibody. Results The ticks collected were classified as 2 families, 8 genera, 36 species, i.e. Ixodidae 6 genera, 33 species and Argasidae 2 genera, 3 species. The method of dark-field microscope was used to detect the lyme disease spirochete in 201 ticks intestines after dissection of Dermacentor silvarum, Dermacentor nuttalli, Haemaphysalis Japonica and Ixodes Crenulatus, the lyme disease Bb-positive were 25 with positive rate of 12.44％(25/201). The lyme disease Bb was cultivated and separated from 12 ticks with the positive rate of 18.46％(12/65) after inoculation and cultivation of 3 species, 65 ticks of Dermacentor silvarum, Dermacentor nuttalli and Haemaphysalis Japonica. ConclusionsDermacentor silvarum,Dermacentor nuttalli and Haemaphysalis Japonica have different degrees of natural infection of lyme disease Bb.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Chinese drugs of Jianpi Huayu (JPHY, strengthening Pi and dissolving stasis) on healing quality of gastric ulcer and its mechanism.

METHODSThe gastric ulcer model was established by subserous injection of ethanoic acid in rats. Rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, the blank group, the model group, the ranitidine (RT) group and the JPHY group. Quantity of regenerative mucosa of healed gastric ulcer was determined using HE stain, epidermal growth factor (EGF) content in serum and stomach mucosa was detected by RIA and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein expression was determined by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThickness of regenerated mucosa in the CHM group was higher than that in the model group and the RT group (P<0.05 or P<0.01); EGF content in mucosa in the JPHY group and the RT group was higher than that in the model group (P<0.01) and EGFR protein expression in the JPHY group was higher than that in the model group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONJPHY could improve the proliferation of epithelial cells, inhibit gastric acid, improve microcirculation of gastric mucosa through the mediation of EGFR, so as to elevate the healing quality of gastric ulcer, display its anti-ulcer action.

Acetic Acid ; Animals ; Anti-Ulcer Agents ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Gastric Mucosa ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Stomach Ulcer ; chemically induced ; physiopathology

Objective To investigate the incidence of hearing disorder and analyse the high-risk factors with hearing injury in newborns with hyperbilirubinemia.Methods The newborns with hyperbilirubinemia who admitted to the department of neonate,were received the distortion product otoacoustic emission(DPOAE)test when they recovered from hyperbilirubinemia;those babies who didn′t pass the first test received screening again in 42 days after birth.Those babies who didn′t pass the second test received auditory brain stem response(ABR)test.Results Fifty-eight(33.2%)newborns didn′t pass the first DPOAE test among 235 newborns with hyperbilirubinemia;11(18.9%)infants didn′t pass the second DPOAE test among 58 infants;5 infants failed to pass the ABR test,the ratio of hea-ring disorder in newborns with hyperbilirubinemia was 2.13%;18(9.9%)newborns didn′t pass the first DPOAE test among 182 normal newborns,and those infants all passed the second DPOAE test.Conclusions Hyperbilirubinemia is high-risk population of hearing disorder.The congenital cytomegalovirus infection,neonatal septicemia and hemolytic disease of newborn are the high risk factors responsible for hearing disorder.All high risk newborns should recieve hearing examination regularly.

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of nimesulide, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, on cell viability, telomerase and PKB activities in human gastric cancer cell line SGC7901 and to explore its molecular mechanism of selective growth inhibition.

METHODSMTT assay was used to determine cell viability after incubation for 0, 12, 24, and 48 h in different concentrations (0, 25, 50, 100, 200 micro mol/L) of nimesulide and/or okadaic acid (300 nmol/L). Telomerase and protein kinase B (PKB) activities were detected using TRAP PCR-ELISA and nonradioactive IP-kinase assay.

RESULTSNimsulide caused a time and dose-dependent reduction of cell numbers of SGC7901. The telomerase and PKB activities were significantly inhibited, and the inhibition of telomerase activity was partly associated with decrease in PKB activity.

CONCLUSIONSelective COX-2 inhibitor nimesulide inhibits telomerase activity of gastric cancer cells by partly blocking the activation of protein kinase B. The results suggest an additional signaling pathway underlying the anti-cancer effect of COX-2 inhibitor.

Adenocarcinoma ; enzymology ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Humans ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Stomach Neoplasms ; enzymology ; pathology ; Sulfonamides ; pharmacology ; Telomerase ; metabolism ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to investigate the expression and significance of P311 and ITGB4BP in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODSTissue microarrays were prepared from 80 NSCLC specimens and examined by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe positive rates of P311 and ITGB4BP expression were 77.5% (62/80) and 82.5% (66/80), respectively. The double positive expression rate was 73.8% (59/80). The consistency rate was 87.5%, and there was a significant consistency between P311 and ITGB4BP expressions (Kappa = 0.611, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONThere may be a new signaling pathway P311-ITGB4BP in NSCLC, and it may regulate the lung cancer cell migration.

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; Eukaryotic Initiation Factors ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; metabolism ; Oncogene Proteins ; metabolism ; Paraffin Embedding ; Signal Transduction ; Tissue Array Analysis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the polymorphism of SG13S114 A/T in the 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein (ALOX5AP) gene and the stability of carotid atherosclerosis.

METHODSPolymorphism of SG13S114 A/T in the ALOX5AP gene was analyzed in 152 cases of acute infarction with stable plaque, and 132 cases of acute infarction with vulnerable plaques, by using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Carotid artery plaque was analyzed by carotid artery color ultrasound.

RESULTSThe frequencies of SG13S114 AA genotype and the A allele in the vulnerable plaque group were higher than that in the stable plaque group (P< 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe polymorphism of SG13S114 A/T in the ALOX5AP gene may be associated with the instability of atherosclerosis. And the SG13S114 A allele may be a risk factor of vulnerable plaques.

5-Lipoxygenase-Activating Proteins ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; genetics ; Carrier Proteins ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Objective To explore the expression of protein arginine methyltransferases 6 (PRMT6) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mouse model and its correlation with inflam mation gene interleukin 6 (IL-6) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2).Methods Sixteen C57BL/8J mice were randomly divided into 2 groups:control group and cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced COPD group.Each group was injected intraperitoneally with phosphate-buffered saline solutions (PBS) or CSE at days 1,12,23 and measured lung function and collected lung tissue at day 29.The morphology change of the lung tissue was determined by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stainning.The protein expression of PRMT6,H3R2me2a and H3K4me3 were detected in lung homogenates by Western-blotting.The mRNA expression of PRMT6,IL-6 and COX-2 were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).Results Comparing to control group,COPD group showed typical emphysema changes in the lung tissue,and significantly decreased lung function.The mRNA and protein expression of PRMT6 in the lung tissue of the mice with COPD were significantly decreased,following with the down-regulated signal level of H3R2me2a protein expression,while the increased level of IL-6 and COX-2 mRNA.Meanwhile,PRMT6 was negatively correlated with IL-6 and COX-2 mRNA expression.Conclusions PRMT6 was significantly reduced in CSE-induced COPD mouse model,following with decreased histone H3R2 dimethylation and increased H3K4 trimethylation,negatively correlating with inflammatory gene IL-6 and COX-2 transcription expression.PRMT6 downregulation may activate the transcriptional expression of inflammatory genes involved in the development of COPD,through the regulation of histone methylation level.

Objective To assess the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and osteoporosis. Methods 2202 women aged 50-73 years were included in this cross-sectional study from the communities in Guangzhou, from July 2008 to January 2010. Cardiovascular risk factors including age, years since menopause, physical activity, anthropometrics, body composition, blood pressure, fasting serum lipids, glucose and uric acid, intima-media thickness(IMT) of carotid artery were assessed. Ultrasonic bone density (speed of sound) at the radius and tibia were determined. Osteoporosis was defined as T-score≤-2.5. Common factors for the cardiovascular risk factors were extracted using the factor analysis method. Results Eight common factors representing obesity, lean mass, blood triglycerides and uric acid, cholesterol, age, blood pressure, IMT and physical activity were extracted. Data from the Multivariate logistic regression showed a dose-dependent association of greater scores of age and IMT factors and lower score of lean mass factor with the increased risk of osteoporosis at the radius and tibia. As compared with the bottom quartile, the OR (95%CI) of radius and tibia osteoporosis were 0.62 (0.44-0.88) and 0.62 (0.48-0.80) for lean mass factor, 4.02 (2.72-5.94) and 3.68(2.81-4.82) for age factor, 1.41 (1.00-2.00) and 1.54 (1.19-2.00) for IMT factors, respectively. Moreover, greater blood pressure score was associated with higher risk of radius osteoporosis while the higher obese score, was correlated with the increased risk of tibia osteoporosis. Conclusion The cardiovascular-related risk factors of greater IMT, obesity, blood pressure and lower lean mass scores were associated with increased osteoporosis risks while called for more concern among the Chinese women.

OBJECTIVETo measure the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (PKB) in liver tissue among low-birth-weight newborn rats treated with L-arginine (L-Arg) in early life, and to investigate the effect of L-Arg on insulin resistance.

METHODSEighteen pregnant rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, model and intervention (n=6 each). The control group was fed with normal protein feed (protein content=21%) during pregnancy to establish a normal-birth-weight newborn rat model, and the model and intervention groups were fed with low-protein feed (protein content=10%) during pregnancy to establish a low-birth-weight newborn rat model. Newborn rats from the three pregnant rat groups were also assigned to control, model and intervention groups. During 21 days of lactation, maternal rats in the control and model groups were fed with normal protein feed and normal drinking water, while maternal rats in the intervention group were fed with normal protein feed and drinking water rich in L-Arg (200 mg/kg·d). After ablactation, the three groups of newborn rats were fed with normal protein feed and normal drinking water. Liver tissue samples were collected from these newborn rats at 1, 3 and 8 weeks after birth. Protein expression of PI3K and PKB in liver tissue was measured by Western blot.

RESULTSAt 1 week after birth, the newborn rats in the intervention group had significantly higher protein expression of PI3K than in the model group (P=0.045), but there was no significant difference when compared with the control group (P=0.503). At 8 weeks after birth, the newborn rats in the intervention group had significantly higher protein expression of PKB than the model group (P=0.039), but there was no significant difference when compared with the control group (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSA supplement of L-Arg in early life can boost protein synthesis, increase protein expression of PI3K and PKB in liver tissue, promote insulin signaling and reduce insulin resistance.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Arginine ; pharmacology ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Liver ; metabolism ; Male ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; genetics ; Phosphorylation ; Pregnancy ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found that polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharide (PSP) exhibits anti-osteoporosis effect, but its therapeutic effect in ovariectomized osteoporotic rats and the molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of administration of PSP on the bone microstructure, bone mineral density as well as osteoblast- and osteoclast-related gene expression in rats. METHODS: Twenty-five infertile female Sprague-Dawley rats aged 3 months were randomly allotted into five groups (n=5 per group): sham operation (same volume normal saline), model, zoledronate (0.2 mg/kg?d), high-dose PSP (800 mg/kg?d) and medium-dose PSP (400 mg/kg?d) groups. All rats were subjected to ovariectomy except sham operation group. The administration was intragastrically given every 2 days beginning at 7 days after modeling and lasted 12 weeks. Then, the rats were sacrificed, and the uterus was weighed. The bilateral tibias were removed, one side for histomorphometric analysis by micro-CT, and the other one for RNA detection by qualified PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the sham operation group, the rat body mass in the model group was significantly increased and the weight of uterus was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, zoledronate and high-dose PSP could significantly alleviate the excessive increase in body mass (P < 0.05). The bone mineral density in the model group was decreased by 63% compared with the sham operation group (P < 0.01), Compared with the model group, after 12-week high-dose PSP and zoledronate administration, the bone mineral density was increased by 44% and 38%, respectively (P < 0.01); the trabecular bone volume fraction and trabecular number rose significantly(P<0.05),while the trabecular separation decreased significantly(P<0.05).In vivo,PSP could significantly promote the expression levels of osteoblast-related genes (alkaline phosphatase, RUNX2, Col1a1 and osteocalcin), and significantly inhibit the expression levels of osteoblast-related genes (ACP5 and CTSK) (P < 0.05). These results imply that high-dose PSP can reduce bone loss and decrease of bone mineral density, improve the destruction of bone microstructure, as well as promote osteoblast-related genes but inhibit osteoclast-related gene mRNA expression in the ovariectomized rats.