Objective To study the apoptosis of the intervertebral disc cells and its related factors. Methods Thirty-six 4 months old male Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats weighing 230-261 g were randomly divided into streptozotocin (STZ)-induced group and control group. There were 18 rats in each group. The diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ solution (40 mg/kg), while in the control group, the same volume of the sodium citrate buffer was injected. The blood glucose level was measured 72 hours later by testing the blood samples from the tail vein. The standard for the diabetes mellitus was above 16.7 mmol/L. The rats were sacrificed 1, 3 and 4 months later with 6 at each time interval in two groups respectively. One lumbar intervertebral disc was obtained for the measurement of the apoptotic percentage with the flow cytometry, two discs for the measurement of the pentosidine with high performance liquid chromatography for each rat. Results The blood glucose levels of all the rats in the STZ-induced group were above 16.7mmol/L [(23.71?2.69) mmol/L] and was significantly higher than those of the control rats(P

Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; cytology

Clinical Medicine ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine

Background Bilateral congenital cataract is one of the vision-threating diseases during infant age.Intraocular lens (IOL) implantation is an ideal refraction correction method for children who have already received bilateral cataract extraction.However,the timing and effectiveness of secondary IOL implantation are still under debate.Objective This study was to analyze the visual changes and affecting factors before and after secondary IOL implantation and explore the operative timing.Methods The clinical data of 58 eyes of 29 patients who received bilateral cataract extraction-refractive correction and vision training-secondary IOL implantation in Peking University People's Hospital from January 2012 to December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed.All the patients received bilateral cataract extraction and posterior capsulotomy with anterior vitrectomy during their first year of life firstly,followed by the wearing of refractive spectacles or visual training,and secondary IOL implantation was simultaneously performed until ＞2 years old.Best corrected visual acurity (BCVA) (LogMAR) was examined at 1 week before and 3 months after secondary surgery under the mydriasis.Changes,distribution alternation of BCVA and the relationship of visual prognosis with preoperative visual acuity were evaluated.Results The average age at surgery of the patients was (3.26±2.07) months and that at secondary IOL implantation was (4.79± 1.38) years,with the operative interval of (4.28± 1.33) years.The BCVA before and after secondary IOL implantation was 0.790± 0.422 and 0.570±0.307 respectively,showing a significant difference between them (t =3.223,P＜0.001).The number of eyes with BCVA ≥ 0.5 after surgery was significantly more than that before surgery (x2=53.931,P＜0.001).A positive correlation in unilateral BCVA was seen between before and after secondary IOL implantation (R2 =0.232,F =17.037,P ＜ 0.001).Conclusions A systemic management of bilateral cataract extractionrefractive correction and vision training-secondary IOL implantation for congenital cataract is beneficial to BCVA improvement and amblyopia treatment,and it should be performed as early as possible on the premise of ensuring the safety of life.Secondary IOL implantation should be timely carried out for aphakic children with poor compliance and outcomes during vision training after congenital cataract extraction.

Cofactor engineering, a vital part of metabolism engineering, changes the redox cofactor regeneration approach. Its main goal is to rebuild the components of metabolic products. The bioconversion of xylose for the production of ethanol is being studied intensively because ethanol is an alternative energy source and a potential liquid fuel. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been traditionally used in producing ethanol from fermentable sugars but it cannot utilize xylose, only its isomer xylulose. Introduction of the xylose fermentation pathway from Pichia stipitis into S. cerevisiae enables xylose utilization in recombinant S. cerevisiae, but the ethanol yields of xylose fermentation with recombinant S. cerevisiae has been low and large amounts of the byproduct xylitol are produced. The major reason is that the catabolism of xylose with the fungal pathway leads an imbalance of redox cofactor. The process of the catabolism of xylose requires NADPH and NAD~+, both of which have to be regenerated in separated processes. More and more attention has therefore focused on the redox cofactor balance in S. cerevisia. The research progress of cofactor engineering to solve the imbalance of redox cofactor in xylose metabolism recombinant S. cerevisiae was introduced. This included expression of transhydrogenase, increasing the utilization of NADPH, and achieving the anaerobic reoxidation of NADH. Reversing the cofactor specificity of enzymes is another effective way.

Objective:To investigate the clinical effects of Paclitaxel and Carboplatin combination chemotherapy with concurrent intensity-modulated radiotherapy for elderly patients with advanced cervical cancer.Methods:From February 2107 to July 2018, 82 patients with advanced cervical cancer were enrolled from our hospital.According to the treatment plan, they were divided into the observation group(patients with Paclitaxel/Carboplatin chemotherapy + concurrent intensity-modulated radiation therapy)and the control group(patients with conventional chemotherapy). Clinical effects and the occurrence of toxic and side effects were evaluated and analyzed for the two groups.Results:The overall rate of effectiveness for the observation group was 92.7%, which was higher than that for the control group(75.6%), and the difference was statistically significant( χ2=4.479, P=0.034). The tumor metastasis rate was lower in the observation group than in the control group(2.4% vs.14.6%, χ2=3.905, P=0.048). The incidence of gastrointestinal side effects > grade Ⅲ was lower in the observation group than in the control group(8.1% vs.45.5%, χ2=12.736, P=0.000). Conclusions:Paclitaxel and Carboplatin plus intensity-modulated radiotherapy for elderly patients with advanced cervical cancer can help keep tumor size under control, reduce the risk of toxic and side effects during treatment, alleviate patient suffering, and ensure a smooth treatment experience.

Nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) is an ubiquitous and important transcription factor. It regulates antioxidant response elements (AREs)-mediated expression of antioxidant enzyme and cytoprotective proteins. A large body of research showed that Nrf2-Keap1 (Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1, Keap 1)-ARE signaling pathway is involved in the endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms. Nrf2 increases the expression of a number of cytoprotective genes, protects cells and tissues from the injury of a variety of toxicants and carcinogens. As a result, Nrf2 enhances the expression of glutathione and antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase, and subsequently scavenging free radicals. Air pollution especially from PM2.5 particles, is associated with an increasing morbidity of inflammatory pulmonary diseases and their deterioration. More and more studies demonstrated that Nrf2 was a novel signaling molecule in the modulation of inflammatory responses in these inflammatory respiratory diseases, such as asthma, acute lung injury (ALI) and COPD. Therefore, Nrf2 targeting might be a therapeutic target, which will provide clinical benefit by reducing both oxidative stress and inflammation in asthma, acute lung injury (ALI) and COPD. This review focused on the relationship between Nrf2 and inflammatory respiratory diseases and oxidative stress.
Acute Lung Injury ; metabolism ; pathology ; Antioxidants ; metabolism ; Glutathione ; Glutathione Transferase ; metabolism ; Humans ; Inflammation ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lung ; pathology ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2 ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; metabolism ; pathology ; Signal Transduction

BACKGROUND:Cytological studies show that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s play an important role in postmenopausal osteoporosis mechanism.
OBJECTIVE:To study the osteogenic differentiation in vitro of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s from ovariectomied osteoporotic rats.
METHODS:The osteoporotic animal model was established by performing ovariectomy in the 6-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats. There were four groups:bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s control group, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s osteoporosis group, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s osteogenic induction group and oseogenesis induction group. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s were isolated from the rats of control group and oseogenesis induction group by means of the whole bone marrow adherence method and cultured to the 3rd generation. Then the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s were used in al the experiments. Cel morphology was observed under the inverted phase contrast microscope, cel cycle and proliferation index of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s were detected by flow cytometry. After osteogenic induction, the expression level of alkaline phosphatase was detected, and the fornation of calcium nodes of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s were marked by alizarin red staining.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The cel s in the osteogenic induction group and oseogenesis induction group had the morphology of osteobalsts, and the change of morphology of the cel s in the oseogenesis induction group was relatively tardiness. The proliferation index in the control group was higher than that in the osteoporosis group (P<0.05);expression level of alkaline phosphatase in the osteogenic induction group was significantly higher than that in the oseogenesis induction group (P<0. 05), and the control group was significantly higher than the oseogenesis group (P<0.05). The alizarin red staining of the cel s in the osteogenic induction group was positive, while negative in the control group and the oseogenesis group;the staining in the osteogenic induction group was stronger than that in the oseogenesis induction group. These findings indicate that both the proliferative potential and the osteogenic potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s from the ovariectomized osteoporotic rats are decreased, which may be related with the ostoeporosis pathogensis of ovariectomied rats.

Forty one patients with esophageal carcinoma (T3N1 M0 or less) underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in prone position for esophagectomy from September 2006 to September 2010.The postoperative outcome and survival of patients were retrospectively analyzed.The results confirmed the feasibility and safety of this minimally invasive esophagectomy performed by thoracoscopy in the prone position for patients with esophageal carcinoma.

Objective To investigate the effect of imbedding chemotherapy of sustained release of 5-fluorouracil on the healing of colonic stoma in dog. Methods Twenty-eight adult hybrid dogs were randomly divided into chemotherapy group (n=22) and control group (n=6). The canine sigmoid colon were firstly detached and then anastomosed via median abdominal incision, 200 mg sustained release of 5-fluorouracil was imbedded in the mesentery 1.0-1.5 cm away from colonic stoma in chemotherapy group, whereas the control substance was injected into the dogs in control group. Tissue samples were collected from mesentery and stomas on 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 days after operation, respectively, in order to observe the healing of stoma. The drug concentrations in the stoma and in the tissues that were 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 cm away from the imbedding point were also measured by high performance liquid chromatography method at different phases. Results The tissues from colonic stoma only showed inflammatory reaction at early stage, with no necrosis and cellular degeneration. It was observed that the stoma healed basically on the tenth day after operation. The drug concentrations in the tissues gradually decreased at the range of 0-15 cm over time, but all of which were higher than the anti-tumor effective concentration (0.10 ?g/g). Conclusion The imbedding chemotherapy of sustained release of 5-fluorouracil in mesentery has little effect on the healing of stoma, and it could remain an effective anti-tumor concentration in a period of time.