Adult ; Esophagus ; injuries ; Humans ; Male ; Paraquat ; poisoning ; Rupture ; chemically induced

ObjectiveTo explore the renal functions of vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro(BB) rats by using different concentrated Gadolinium-diethylenetetramine pentaacetic acid(Gd-DTPA) dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(MRI).MethodsThe study included 14 BB rats(male rats of 3 month-old) and 14 normal male Wistar rats used as control group.Dynamic MRI was performed by using either a low dosage(0.05 mmol/kg) or a high dosage of Gd-DTPA(0.5 mmol/kg).Data of 0-60 min renal cortex,medulla and pelvic were obtained after using contrast medium.MRI of kidneys at different time was analyzed and the mean relative signal intensity(RSI) was measured.Then the RSI curves of different groups were marked.Data of each group were caculated separately by SPSS 11.0 software.ResultsThe findings demonstrated that RSI curves of the vasopressin-deficient kidneys showed different patterns as compared with those of the control group(P

Secretory anti-gp96 scFv fragment was expressed in Pichia pastoris to obtain a small molecule antibody that specifically recognizes heat shock protein gp96. The gp96-scFv fragment gene was synthesized and cloned to Pichia pastoris expression plasmid pPICZa-A. Pichia pastoris X33 was electroporated with the linearized recombinant expression vector, and expression of gp96-scFv fragment was induced by methanol. The His-tagged recombinant protein was then purified by affinity chromatography and analyzed with SDS-PAGE and Western blotting assays. The biological activities of recombinant gp96-scFv fragment were determined by Western blotting, Immunofluorescence, ELISA and FACS assays. The gp96-scFv fragment was expressed successfully in Pichia pastoris. About 50 mg of recombinant protein could be purified from 1 liter of the Pichia pastoris culture supernatant. Its molecular weight was about 15 kDa. The gp96-scFv fragment could specifically bind to gp96 protein by Western blotting, immunofluorescence, ELISA and FACS analyses. Pichia pastoris-expressed gp96-scFv fragment specifically recognizes gp96 protein, which could be used for Western blotting, Immunofluorescence, ELISA and FACS analyses.
Blotting, Western ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; immunology ; Pichia ; metabolism ; Plasmids ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Single-Chain Antibodies ; biosynthesis

BACKGROUNDSericin peptide (SP) has shown a powerful anti-oxidant property in a host of studies. The present study was designed to investigate the possible protective effects of SP against alcohol-induced gastric lesions in mice and to explore the potential mechanisms.

METHODSAnimals were randomly divided into 5 groups: control, alcohol (56%, 14.2 ml/kg), SP-treated mice (0.2, 0.4, 0.8 g/kg). Mice were pretreated with SP before administering alcohol, the concentration of ethanol in serum and urine, the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and the glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the gastric mucosa were measured, subsequently, the pathological evaluation of stomach was also observed.

RESULTSOf the animals pre-treated with SP (0.4, 0.8 g/kg), the concentration of ethanol in serum was significantly decreased, while increased in urine as compared to the alcohol-administered alone animals. Alcohol administration caused severe gastric damage as indicated by markedly increased MDA levels and decreased antioxidants, such as reduced GSH, GSH-PX and SOD in the gastric tissue while the CAT activity was not altered. On SP administration there was a reversal in these values towards normal. Histopathological studies confirmed the beneficial role of SP, which was in accordance with the biochemical parameters.

CONCLUSIONSSP could protect gastric mucosa from alcohol-induced mucosal injury. These gastroprotective effects might be due to increasing 'first-pass metabolism' in the stomach and hastening ethanol elimination directly through the urine. SP might also play an important role in the protection of the structure and function of gastric mitochondria, at least partly based on their anti-oxidant effect.

Amino Acids ; analysis ; Animals ; Cytoprotection ; Ethanol ; blood ; toxicity ; urine ; Gastric Mucosa ; drug effects ; pathology ; Glutathione ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Sericins ; analysis ; pharmacology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

cDNA microarray containing 9024 cDNAs was used to construct gene expression profile in order to screen differentially expressed genes of adipose tissue between broiler and Bai' er and investigate the molecular mechanism related with body fatness traits between the two breeds. Sixty seven differentially expressed genes, being involved in fat metabolism, energy metabolism, cytoskeleton, transcription and splicing factor, protein synthesis and degradation, were screened out. Furthermore, some genes that had no annotation in GenBank were screened out, they were presumed to be unknown new genes. The roles that they may play in chicken fat metabolism need clarify later.
Adipose Tissue ; metabolism ; Animals ; Chickens ; classification ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Profiling ; methods ; Lipid Metabolism ; genetics ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis

OBJECTIVETo explore an ideal technique for remodeling the breast after resection of large breast fibroadenoma.

METHODSBased on the principle of breast reduction, an operation plan was designed. The new locations of the nipple, and the areola and the area of the breast skin to be resected were marked. The preoperative-marked skin, epidermis, and the whole breast tumor were resected routinely. Then breast remodeling followed according to augmentation mammoplasty. Seven patients underwent this operation.

RESULTSThe operative results were satisfactory in terms of multiple parameters during the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONSThis operation can effectively resect the breast tumor and remodel the breast simultaneously.

Breast ; abnormalities ; surgery ; Breast Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Fibroadenoma ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; surgery ; Mammaplasty ; methods ; Nipples ; surgery

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein ; analysis ; Hippocampus ; blood supply ; chemistry ; pathology ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; physiopathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; physiopathology ; Time Factors

Leukemic dendritic cells, compared to normal dendritic cells, have the similar surface molecules, but have poor antigen-presenting function. When inoculated in the human body, the dendritic cells can not produce enough immune response. Therefore, how to make dendritic cells mature and have its own function to play a better anti-leukemia immune response is the key problem in clinical treatment. And it is one of the hottest studies in the immunotherapy field. This review focuses the recent progress of research on the culture of dendritic cells in vitro, its influence factors and so on.
Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Differentiation ; Dendritic Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Leukemia ; immunology ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of ketogenic diet (KD) on the clinical and electroencephalogram features in children with pharmacoresistant epileptic encephalopathy.

METHODThirty-one children (19 boys, 12 girls) aged 7 months to 7 years (mean 2 years 5 month) with epilepsy refractory to conventional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were included in this study. In addition to their original AED treatment, the children were assigned to different ketogenic diets based on their age. The prospective electro-clinical assessment was performed prior to the KD and then one week, one month and again 3 months after the initiation of therapy, respectively.

RESULTThe reduction of seizure frequency in 52%, 68% and 71% of all patients exceeded 50% one week, one month and three months after KD treatment respectively. KD is particularly effective in myoclonic astatic epilepsy (MAE; Doose Syndrome) and West syndrome with 100% and 81.25% of the patients having a greater than 50% seizure reduction, respectively. After 3 months of KD treatment, more than 2/3 patients experienced a reduction in interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) and improvement in EEG background.

CONCLUSIONThe clinical and electroencephalographic improvement confirms that KD is beneficial in children with refractory epilepsy.

Anticonvulsants ; therapeutic use ; Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diet, Ketogenic ; methods ; Dietary Fats ; administration & dosage ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; diagnosis ; diet therapy ; drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Intellectual Disability ; diet therapy ; drug therapy ; Lennox Gastaut Syndrome ; Male ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; Spasms, Infantile ; diet therapy ; drug therapy ; Syndrome ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

AIMTo investigate the mechanism through which insulin affect the learning and memory abilities of the Alzheimer's disease-like rats.

METHODSOkadaic acid (OA) was injected into the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus and the insulin was injected into the lateral cerebral ventricle of the rats. The learning and memory abilities of the rats were assessed through Morriswater maze behavioral test, and the expressions of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and GFAP were observed by Westem blotting and immunohistochemistry, respectively.

RESULTSCompared with the control rats, the abilities of learning and memory were lowered significantly (P < 0.01) and the expressions of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors were decreased and the GFAP positive astrocytes were increased greatly in the model rats (P < 0.05). In the rats injected with insulin, it was found that their learning and memory abilities were improved significantly (P < 0.01) and that the expression of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors were increased and GFAP positive astrocytes were decreased obviously (P < 0.05), as compared with the model rats.

CONCLUSIONInsulin is able to enhance the learning and memory abilities of the Alzheimer's disease-like rats, possibly by improving the function of the acetylcholine system and decreasing the astrocytes proliferation in the brain.

Alzheimer Disease ; physiopathology ; Animals ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; metabolism ; Insulin ; pharmacology ; Learning ; drug effects ; Male ; Memory ; drug effects ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptors, Nicotinic ; metabolism