Group A,the differences among the three groups were statistically significant(P0.05). TCR,CCR,DAP,OD,BRC in Groups B and C showed trends of increasing,the differences in terms of the contents of BMP-RⅠamong the 3 phases were statistically significant(P0.05);the ER in Group B and C showed a trend of decreasing,thee difference between 4- and 8-week and 4- and 12-week were signifieantly dif- ferent(P0.05).Conclusion After application of glucocorticoid for a short term,pathological changes maintained and showed trends of inereasing in early stage.HBO can reverse these changes.The outcome of 3-course HBO therapy is better than that of 1-course therapy.

Based on the different permeability of DNA-intercalant dyes YO-PRO-1(YP) and propidium iodide (PI) to the membrane of viable, apoptotic and necrotic cells, cell samples were stained with 4?mol/L YP and 4?g/ml PI for 10 min, and the fluorescence intensity of both YP and PI were measured by fluorometer at Ex/Em wavelength of 485/538nm and 530/590nm, respectively. The correlation between YP fluorescence intensity and the apoptotic cell number was confirmed by fluorescence microscope and linear regression(r=0.999,P

OBJECTIVETo observe clinical therapeutic effects of acupuncture combined with medication in restoration of gastrointestinal functions for postoperative patients with gastric cancer.

METHODSNinety patients undergoing radical surgeries for gastric cancer were randomly, according to the sequence of their operations, divided into three groups: a control group treated conventionally after their surgeries (group CONT, 30 cases), a Chinese medicine group treated by Simo Decoction administered by way of a nutrient canal in addition to the conventional treatment (group CM, 30 cases), and an acupuncture plus Chinese medicine group treated by warming needling in addition to those given in the Chinese medicine group (group ACUP+CM, 30 cases). Therapeutic effects were estimated 10 days after their operations.

RESULTSThe time for restoration of gastrointestinal functions was obviously shortened, and the problems of poor appetite and difficulty in defecation were more markedly improved in group ACUP+CM than those in both group CONT and group CM (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Ten days after operations, the number of patients with normal lymphocytes and normal percentage rate of lymphocytes to neutrophile granulocytes was obviously more in group ACUP+CM than those in both group CONT and group CM (P < 0.01, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture combined with Chinese medicine is favorable in accelerating early air exhaustion and defecation, improving clinical symptoms, as well as in bi-directional regulating peripheral white blood cells.

Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Care ; methods ; Recovery of Function ; Stomach Neoplasms ; physiopathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To analyze the safety and effectiveness of photoselective green-light laser vaporization of the prostate(PVP)in treatment of large prostate with volume more than 80 ml. Methods Retrospective analysis was performed in 25 benign prostatic hypertrophy patients undergoing the PVP treatment,whose prostate volume was more than 80 ml.Results Twenty-five patients with prostate mean volume of 151.8(84.0-270.0)ml were treated by PVP and 23 cases were finished successfully.One operation was suspended because of bleeding and the other because of damaging orifice.No blood transfusion was needed and no“transurethral resection(TUR)syndrome”happened.Five cases had acute retention and 2 of them needed second PVP.In a mean of 7.9(3.0- 12.0)months follow-up,maximal urinary flow rate(Qmax),international prostate symptom score (IPSS),quality of life score(QOL),and prostate-specific antigen(PSA)level were improved significantly.The volume of prostate reduced after PVP than before PVP but no significant difference was found.Conclusions PVP is feasible in treating large prostate even the volume is more than 80 ml,although it needs better skill.Catheterization for some time is helpful in reducing the incidence of early postoperative acute urinary retention.

Artemisinin, a new and a very potent antimalarial drug, is produced by the Chinese medicinal herb Artemisia annua L. It is a sesquiterpene lactone with an endoperoxide bridge and is active against chloroquine resistant forms of Plasmodium falciparum. The relatively low yield (0.01% - 0.6%) of artemisinin in A. annua is a serious limitation to the commercialization of the drug. Therefore, a through understanding of the biosynthetic pathway and the characterization of the involved enzymes are important for the biology production of artemisinin. This review is focused on the recent progress in the molecular regulation of artemisinin biosynthesis from the following aspects: the biosynthetic pathway of artemisinin, the key enzymes involved in artemisinin biosynthesis, and the molecular regulation of artemisinin biosynthesis. The biosynthetic pathway of artemisinin belongs to the isoprenoid metabolite pathway, the key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of artemisinin include: 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FDPS), and amorpha-4, 11-diene synthase, of which amorpha-4, 11-diene synthase catalyzes the cyclisation of the ubiquitous precursor farnesyl diphosphate to the highly specific olefinic sesquiter-pene skeletons and has been postulated as the regulatory step in the biosynthesis of artemisinin. Recently the gene encoding of the amorpha-4, 11-diene synthase has been cloned and the functional expressions have been studied by several research teams, therefore, the breakthroughs in production of artemisinin could hopefully be achieved by metabolic engineering of the plant, in particular, by over-expressing enzyme(s) catalyzing the rate limiting step(s) of artemisinin biosynthesis or by inhibiting the enzyme(s) of other pathway competing for its precursors. Besides, the effects of the heterogenesis isoprenoid pathway related genes on artemisinin biosynthesis of the transformed plants were also discussed.
Alkyl and Aryl Transferases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Antimalarials ; metabolism ; Artemisia annua ; enzymology ; genetics ; metabolism ; Artemisinins ; metabolism ; Biotechnology ; methods ; Models, Biological ; Signal Transduction ; genetics ; physiology

By using the cell density, cell viability, size distribution of cell aggregates,specific consumption rate of glucose (q_ glc ), specific production rate of lactate (q_ lac ), lactate transform rate (Y_ lac/glc ) and amino acids utilization as the evaluation indexes, the growth and metabolism of HEK293 cells under carrier-free immobilization culture mode were examined and compared with those of HEK293 cells cultured in static tissue flasks. It was found that HEK293 cells grown as suspended cell aggregates in spinner flasks maintained the basic growth and metabolism characteristics of HEK293 cells in stationary anchored culture, and HEK293 cells under carrier-free immobilization culture mode as suspended aggregates in stirred bioreactor facilitate perfusion performance and increase unit productivity. Cultivation of HEK293 cells in carrier-free immobilization culture mode has potential for further improving mammalian cells culture technique.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficiency and safety of transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy for the treatment of adrenal tumors and to describe surgical technique and management of intraoperative complications.

METHODSFrom February 2002 to April 2008, 24 male and 44 female consecutive patients with average age (53.4 +/- 12.1) years old were treated with transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy because of adrenal tumors. Of the patients, 27 cases had right adrenal tumors, 39 cases had left adrenal tumors and 2 cases had bilateral adrenal tumors. The average tumor size was (2.9 +/- 2.0) cm with the maximal diameter of 10 cm. We evaluated this technique in respect of operating time, estimated blood loss, complications during surgery, postoperative complications, duration of hospital stay and pathological results.

RESULTSAll the surgeries had been completed successfully without conversion to open surgery. The average operating time was (157.7 +/- 51.5) min, the average estimated blood loss was (68.1 +/- 54.2) ml. No major complication happened during operation. The average drainage time was (2.6 +/- 1.5) days. The average post-operative hospital stay was (8.7 +/- 4.3) days. Four cases (6.0%) developed surgical field liquefaction and 2 cases (2.9%) experienced delayed closure of the drainage wound.

CONCLUSIONSTransperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy is feasible and safe in the treatment of adrenal tumor with low risk of intra-operative and post-operative complication.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms ; surgery ; Adrenalectomy ; methods ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

The synthetic gene with 1640bp encoding for the anti-CD3/anti-CD20 bispecific single-chain antibody was designed and obtained by SOE (splicing by overlap extension) PCR. The cDNA was cloned into Flp-In expression vector pcDNA5/FRT and transfeced into Flp-In CHO cells to generate a stable expression cell line with a capacity for expressing anti-CD3/anti-CD20 bispecific single-chain antibody at 300 microg/L. The protein, which had a molecular weight of about 70 kD,was purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and identified by SDS-PAGE and Western-blot analysis. Immunofluorescence assay and cellular rosetting showed that it can react specifically on Jurkat (CD3+) and Ramous (CD20+) cells. The lysis of human PBL against CD20-positive lymphoma Ramous cells in the presence of the anti-CD3/anti-CD20 bispecific single-chain antibody can observed by microscope. All these results would lighten the further study of its biological functions in vitro and in vivo.
Animals ; Antibodies, Bispecific ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; immunology ; Antigens, CD20 ; immunology ; CD3 Complex ; immunology ; CHO Cells ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin Variable Region ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; Transfection ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Artemisinin,a new and a very potent antimalarial drug, is produced by the plant Artemisia annua L. with a very low yield ranging from 0.01% to 0.8% on a dry-weight basis. This makes artemisinin an expensive drug. Several studies reported chemical synthesis of the artemisinin, but none of them seems a viable economical alternative compared with the isolation of artemisinin from the plant. Hence, a higher artemisinin concentration in the plant is necessary for cheap antimalarial drug production. Many types of cyclic sesquiterpenes in Artemisia annua have been characterized to date, each derived from the common cyclic precursor FDP in a reaction catalyzed by a sesquiterpene synthase. Sesquiterpene synthases are widely regarded as the rate-determining regulatory enzymes in the pathways they participate, and a number of sesquiterpene synthases have been cloned from Artemisia annua up to now. This report is a brief review on the following sesquiterpene synthases: epi-cedrol synthase, amorpha-4,11-diene synthase, beta-caryophyllene synthase, (E)-beta-farnesene synthase, germacrene A synthase, as well as a new sesquiterpene synthase whose function remains largely unknown. The report is of help for a better understanding of metabolic engineering of Artemisia annua.
Alkyl and Aryl Transferases ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Antimalarials ; Artemisia annua ; enzymology ; genetics ; Artemisinins ; metabolism ; Carbon-Carbon Lyases ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Cloning, Molecular ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Sesquiterpenes ; isolation & purification