The acute and chronic respiratory tract inflammation models were made to investigate the effect and mechanism of sterol extracts from Begonia Sinensis Rhizome (BSR). The first model of acute lung injury was made with Kunming mice by inhaling cigarette smoke, then the mice were treated with different concentrations of BSR sterol extracts. Lung tissue morphology was detected by HE staining, TNF-alpha/MPO were detected by Elisa, and cPLA2 protein were, detected by Western blotting respectively. Results showed that in model group, lung sheet became real, alveolar space shrank or disappeared, alveolar septum was thickened, plenty of inflammatory cells were infiltrated, capillary blood vessels were congestive and the expression of TNF-α, MPO, cPLA2 increased; after administration, a small amount of inflammatory cells were infiltrated, alveolar septum became obvious, capillary congestion status was significantly relieved and the expression of TNF-α, MPO, cPLA2 decreased (P < 0.05). The second model of chronic respiratory tract inflammation in BALB/c mice with bronchial asthma was induced by OVA, then the mice were treated with different concentrations of BSR sterol extracts. Lung tissue morphology was detected by HE staining, indexes such as IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 were detected by Elisa, and the cPLA2 protein expression was detected by Western blotting respectively. Results showed that in model group, a lot of inflammatory cells around lung vessels and bronchi exuded, bronchial goblet cells proliferated and the expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, cPLA2 increased; after administration, inflammatory and goblet cell hyperplasia reduced, the expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, cPLA2 also decreased (P < 0.05). The above results showed BSR sterol extracts could resist against respiratory inflammation by inhibiting cPLA2 in a dose-dependent manner.
Animals ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; genetics ; immunology ; Begoniaceae ; chemistry ; Cytokines ; genetics ; immunology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-13 ; genetics ; immunology ; Interleukin-4 ; genetics ; immunology ; Interleukin-5 ; genetics ; immunology ; Lung ; immunology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Sterols ; administration & dosage

Objective To investigate the visual impairment and its rehabilitation after stroke.Methods After diagnosis of stroke by the neurologists, the patients received examinations of ocular pathology and visual function, especially in vision correction and rehabilitation. Results Five hundred and forty-seven stroke patients were recruited. 47.0% of the patients had eye alignment/movement impairment, 34.0% had visual field impairment, 19. 0% had visual perceptual difficulties and 19.9% had low vision blind. After using telescope, 35.7% blind patient's distance vision was ≥0.05; 58.2% low vision patient's distance vision was ≥0.3. After refraction (average vision:0.36±0.34 vs. 0.48 ±0.36,t =- 3.949,P=0.03) or using telescope(average vision of patients had low vision:0. 13±0. 07 vs. 0. 46±0.26,t=-5. 208,P=0.01 ;average vision of blind patients:0. 01 ±0.01 vs. 0. 06±0. 05,t = -3. 628, P= 0. 05), the improvement of vision for patients was significant.Conclusions The 72% of stroke patients has some kinds of visual impairment, which will affect not only the patients' independent living but also the clinical rehabilitation. Refraction and using telescope are effective for vision rehabilitation. Doctors should pay much attention to the visual therapy and rehabilitation for the stroke patients.

The metabolic properties of cancer cells diverge significantly from those of normal cells. Energy production in cancer cells is abnormally dependent on aerobic glycolysis. In addition,cancer cells have other metabolic characteristics,such as increasing fatty acid synthesis and glutamine metabolism. Emerging evidences show that many key enzymes in dysregulated Warburg-like glucose metabolism,fatty acid synthesis and glutaminolysis are linked to drug resistance in cancer treatment. For example, lactate dehydrogenase A contributes to paclitaxel/trastuzuma resistance in breast cancer, fatty acid synthase is linked to docetaxel/trastuzumab/adriamycin resistance in breast cancer, and glutaminolysis is linked to cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer. Therefore,targeting cellular metabolism may improve the response to cancer therapeutics,and the combination of chemotherapeutic drugs with cellular metabolism inhibitors may overcome drug resistance in cancer therapy. This review discussed the relationship between dysregulated cellular metabolism and chemotherapy resistance, and the way in which targeting of metabolic enzymes can help overcome the resistance to cancer therapy or enhance the efficacy of common therapeutic agents.

Objective To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of DNA micro-array in early detection of infectious pathogens on burn wounds,including 9 species of potential infectious pathogens namely Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,etc.Methods Serial dilutions of each targeted bacteria in saline were examined with VITEK automated microbial test systems(routine methods) as well as by DNA micro-array to compare the sensitivity between these two methods.Sixty-two strains of infectious pathogens collected from burn wounds,were identified by routine methods,and they were also subjected to DNA micro-array examination to determine coincidence.One hundred and three examinations of smear specimens collected from fresh burn wounds were performed with both methods synchronously.The difference in positive result of identification of bacteria between routine method and micro-array technology in sensitivity and specificity was compared.Results The identification of bacteria by micro-array was more convenient and rapid than that by routine method.A 10 to 100 fold higher sensitivity was found in bacterial identification by DNA micro-array than by routine methods.The positive and negative coincidence of bacterial identification was 100% between these two methods.All the strains found by the routine methods were successfully identified by DNA micro-array.In a few instances,more strains of bacteria were detected with micro-anay method than rowtine method.Conclusion The extremely high coincidence and sensitivity of micro-array method with the routine method was confirmed.The detection of bacteria from burn wounds and other contaminated or infected wounds using micro-array method has a bright prospect though some improvements are still necessary.

Objective To construct the expression plasmid of porcine leukemia inhibitory factor(LIF) in the prokaryotic system,and purify the expressed recombinant porcine LIF protein as antigen to immune rabbit for preparation of rabbit anti-pig LIF polyclonal antibody,and immunolocalize of LIF in pigs.Methods The cDNA fragment encoding mature porcine LIF protein was amplified by PCR,then cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector PET-31b at restriction sites NdeⅠand XhoⅠ.After transformed into E.coli BL21 for expression,the recombinant porcine LIF protein was purifed for preparation of anti-pig LIF polyclonal antibody as immunogen.Western blotting and ELISA were used to test the specificity and titer of the purifed IgG.Immunostaining was used to assay the expression of LIF in pigs.Results The constructed expression plasmid was identified by DNA sequencing and restriction enzyme digestion.The expression of the recombinant porcine LIF protein was performed exactly in E.coli BL21.By immuning the rabbit,the polyclonal antibody was successfully prepared.The results of ELISA and Western blotting showed that the antibody had high titer(1∶10000) and specificity.By immunostaining,LIF protein was faintly expressed in porcine myocardial cell,splenic cord and monolayer covering epithelium cell and pulmonary fibroblast.Conclusion The prepared polyclonal antibody has high titer and specificity;LIF has faint positive immunoreactivity in the normal porcine,myocardial cell,splenic cord and monolayer covering epithelium cell and pulmonary fibroblast.

To establish a new method for simultaneously determining the content of five gingerol compounds in different processing degrees of ginger charcoal and PCA principal component analysis was conducted for analysis. Samples were analyzed on Ultimate TM XB-C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 μm) , with acetonitrile (A) -0.1% phosphoric acid solution (B) as mobile phase for gradient elution. Detection wavelength was set at 280 nm. The flow rate was 0.6 mL x min(-1) and the column temperature was 30 degrees C. The five compounds were separated well and showed good linearity (r ≥ 0.999 7) within the concentration ranges tested. The average value for recoveries was between 98.86% - 101.5% (RSD 1.4% - 2.9%). The contents of five compounds showed difference among different processing degrees of ginger charcoal. Zingiberone had the highest content in the standard carbon, and the content of gingerol was decreased as the deepening of processing degree. Different processing degrees of ginger charcoal were classified into three groups with PCA, and provided scientific basis for establishing the quality standards of ginger charcoal.
Catechols ; chemistry ; Charcoal ; chemistry ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Fatty Alcohols ; chemistry ; Ginger ; chemistry ; Principal Component Analysis ; methods

Objective To investigate the relationship of smoking, the gene polymorphisms of heine oxygenase-1, tumor necrosis factor-α, and human β-defensin-1 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods A case-control study was held to compare the genotype frequency distribution of heine oxygenase-1, tumor necrosis factor-α, human β-defensin-1 by PCR -RFLP method and to analyze the relationship among them. Results The L allele gene frequency of heine oxygenase-1 was 23.44% in COPD group and 10.71% in control group with significant difference(P＜0.05). The heterogenesis gene frequency of tumor necrosis factor-α in COPD group and control group were 18. 24% and 7.53% (P＜0.01). The heterogenesis gene frequency of human β-defensin-1 was 14.28% in COPD group and 5.00% in control group with significant difference(P＜0. 01). Conclusions Smoking is a risk factor for COPD. Genetic polymorphisms of heme oxygenase-1, tumor necrosis factor-α, human β-defensin-1 are related with the development of COPD.

BACKGROUND: Recently emerged immunosuppressive scheme combined with basiliximab following liver transplantation, such as the early steroid withdrawal or half amount of steroid. Many studies demonstrated that it would not increase the rejection rate in reducing the use of steroid. However, there were rare reports addressing whether it was safe and effective to replace the steroid by basiliximab. OBJECTIVE: Through the application of non-steroid and early steroid withdrawal immunosuppressive scheme in patients of hepatocellular carcinoma following liver transplantation, to evaluate the therapeutic effect and safety of two treatments. METHODS: A total of 80 patients of hepatocellular carcinoma receiving liver transplantation were divided into the experimental and control group. In the experimental group, 33 patients were applied with non-steroid treatment (Tacrolimus+mycophenolate mofetil+basiliximab); additionally 47 patients were applied with early steroid withdrawal treatment (Tacrolimus+mycophenolate mofetil+ steroid). Steroid was reduced gradually from the first day after transplantation to discontinuation after 1 month. The rates of rejection, infection, cancer recurrence and 1 -year survival were measured. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared to the control group, the rates of infection and cancer recurrence were significantly smaller in the experimental group (P < 0.05). However, there was no significantly difference between 2 groups in the rates of rejection and 1 -year survival (P > 0.05). It revealed that the non-steroid treatment can be safely and effectively applied in the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma following liver transplantation. The non-steroid treatment can significantly cut down the infection rate and cancer recurrence rate, which has no effect on the rejection and 1 -year survival rate.

Referring to the rapid developed life science and the higher requirements for the approval of innovative Chinese drugs in recent years, this paper described systematically the discovery, research and development (R&D) approaches for the innovative Chinese drugs under the new situation from the following five aspects, i. e., active components discovered from TCMs, the discovery of effective fractions of TCMs and their formulae, the R&D of TCM innovative drugs based on famous classic prescriptions and famous Chinese patent drugs, and the transformation of clinical effective prescriptions, on the basis of analysing the advantages of innovative drugs derived from natural products based on TCM theories and the problems existed in current R&D of new TCM drugs. Moreover, five suggestions are also given for the rapid development of TCM innovative drugs in China. All these will provide reference for the R&D of TCM innovative drugs.
China ; Drug Discovery ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; trends ; Research

Objective To evaluate the clinical significance of plasma ionized calcium (ICa) and total calcium (TCa) measurement in diagnosis of tumor-associated hypercalcemia. Methods The heparin lithium anticoagulated plasma were collected and measured with ion selective electrode (ISE) and orthocresolphthalein complexone (OCPC) method for ICa and TCa in 77 patients with malignant tumor (tumor group) and 44 healthy controls (control group). Meanwhile,plasma albumin and pH value were measured to correct TCa (cTCa) and ICa(nICa). The results were analyzed. Results The levels of cTCa,ICa and nICa in tumor group were significantly higher than those in control group(P＜ 0.01 ) ,but there was no significant difference of TCa between two groups (P ＞ 0.05 ). cTCa ＞ 2.70 mmol/L, nICa ＞ 1.35 mmol/L as the hypercalcemia eritical value, the positive rate of nICa and cTCa were 18.18% (14/77) and 6.49% (5/77)respectively,the difference was significant (P = 0.023). Conclusion Determination of ICa may be more clinical meaningful than TCa for tumor-associated hypercalcemia.