Background Antagonists against vascular endothelial growth factor (VECF) play key roles in treating and preventing neovascular ophthalmopathy. As a novel anti-angiogenic factor, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-related protein 1 (IGFBP-rP1) might be an antagonist against VEGF in eye. Objective This study was to explore the inhibitory effect of IGFBP-rP1, a novel anti-angiogenic factor, on VEGF-induced retinal angiogenesis in vitro. Methods The retina-choroid endothelial cell line ( RF/6A ) was cultured in DMEM containing 10% fetal bovine serum. Culture cells were divided into control group(free-serum culture group) ,10mg/L VEGF culture group and different concentrations of IGFBP-rP1 (50,100,200 mg/L) +10 mg/L VEGF group. The expression of IGFBP-rP1 in the cells was detected by immunofluorescence assay. The proliferation and migration of RF/6A cells were evaluated using MTS colorimetric assay and the chemotactic motility assay, respectively. Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis of RF/6A cells. Results The immunofluorescence assay RF/6A cells showed the green fluorescence in cytoplasm and red fluorescence in nuclei after cells were exposed to any concentration of IGFBP-rP1 ,but only red fluorescence was seen in nuclei in control cells. After stimulation of 10 mg/L VEGF,the proliferation value (A490) was elevated and the numbers of cell migration were increased in comparison with control group (t = -15. 191, P = 0. 000; t = -21. 274, P = 0. 000 ) , but the cellular apoptosis rate was lower than the control group (t - 10. 228, P = 0. 000 ) . After treated with various concentrations of IGFBP-rP +10% VEGF, the proliferation and migration of RF/6A cells were significantly decreased in comparison with only 10% VEGF group (F = 534. 158,P = 0. 000;F = 2742. 323,P = 0.000,respectively) ,and the inhibitory effects were gradually enhanced with the increase of IGFBP-rP1 levels (P<0. 05). The apoptosis rate of RF/6A cells in 50,100 and 200 mg/L + 10 mg/L VEGF groups increased by ( 1. 26±0. 04)% ,( 1. 50±0. 07)% and ( 1. 93±0. 27)% respectively,showing significant differences among different groups ( F = 274. 273, P = 0. 000). Conclusion IGFBP-rP1 inhibits the proliferation and activity of retina and choroid endothelial cells induced by VEGF at a concentration-independent manner. It appears to be as a novel endogenous inhibitory factor in retinal angiogenesis.

Objective To explore the p27 gene expression and clinical significance in acute leukemia (AL).Methods RT-PCR was used for testing the mRNA levels of p27 gene in bone marrow mononuclear cell of 65 cases of newly diagnosed AL patients and 41 controls.The correlation between the p27 gene expression positive rate and age, sex, peripheral blood white blood cell count and extramedullary infiltration were analyzed simultaneously in AL patients.Results The positive rate of p27 gene expression (36.9 ％,24/65)was significantly lower in AL group than that in the control group (87.8 ％,36/41) (P ＜0.05),and which was lower than the control group (P ＜0.05) in the AML group (34.2 ％,13/38) and the ALL group (37.5 ％,9/24).However,comparing AML group with ALL group,the difference was not statistically significant (P ＞0.05).At the same time,compared the p27 gene expression positive rate of ≥ 14 years old group (52 cases) and ＜14 years old group (13 cases),and also compared in male group (34 cases) and in female group (31 cases),there was no statistically difference (P ＞0.05); Compared the p27 gene expression positive rate of peripheral blood white blood cell count ≥20×109/L group (31 cases) and ＜20×109/L group (34 cases),also compared with in extramedullary infiltration group (37 cases) and in no extramedullary infiltration group (28 cases),the relationship of p27 gene expression positive rate with peripheral blood white blood cell count as well as extramedullary infiltration was a negative correlation (r =-0.284,P ＜ 0.05,r =-0.300,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion There is p27 mRNA expression deletion in AL patients,and the deletion is present in the AML and ALL at the same time.p27 mRNA expression is negatively correlated with peripheral blood white blood cell count or extramedullary infiltration,which might be one of the mechanisms of occurrence and development of AL.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of dissected lymph node number on the prognosis of patients with advanced cancer of cardia and stomach fundus.

METHODSClinical data of 236 patients with advanced cancer of cardia and stomach fundus undergone D(2) radical resection were reviewed retrospectively. Five-year survival rate and post-operative complication rate were followed up and their relationships with dissected lymph node number were analyzed respectively.

RESULTSThe 5-year survival rate of the entire cohort was 37.5%. Among those patients with the same stage, the more lymph nodes (LNs) resected, the better survival outcomes achieved(Log-rank trend test P=0.0013). A cut point analysis yielded the ability to detect the significant survival differences. The best long-term survival outcomes were observed with LN counts of more than 20 for stage II(P=0.0136), more than 25 for stage III(P<0.0001), more than 30 for stage IV(P=0.0002) or more than 15 for the entire cohort (P=0.0024), with greatest comparative discrepancies. The post-operative complication rate was 15.7% and was not significantly correlated with dissected lymph node number(P=0.101).

CONCLUSIONSThe prognosis of patients with advanced cancer of cardia and stomach fundus is associated with the number of resected LNs when D(2) lymphadenectomy is carried out. Suitable increment of dissected lymph node number would not increase the post-operative complication rate.

Adult ; Aged ; Cardia ; pathology ; Female ; Gastric Fundus ; pathology ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery

AIMTo prepare of isopropyl myristate (IPM) molecular gels and investigate of its transdermal capability.

METHODSMicrostructure of IPM gels was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical microscope (OM). The rheology and thixotropy of IPM gels were investigated by viscosity. Triptolide was used as model drug to investigate its transdermal capability.

RESULTSThe microstructure of IPM gels was a three-dimension network formed by the aggregation of Span 60 in IPM, which was rod-like tubular aggregate. It has good rheology and thixotropy. There was a good linear correlation between the accumulative permeated amount per unit area and the time for triptolide-loaded IPM gels. The permeation process agreed with zero order pharmacokinetics. The average permeability through rat skin for triptolide was 19.26 ng x cm(-2) x h(-1), which was 2.92 times of triptolide unguents obtained commercially available.

CONCLUSIONIsopropyl myristate molercular gel can be formed by span 60 assemblies. Transdermal capability drug-loaded IPM gels was better than that of triptolide unguents.

Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Diterpenes ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Drug Carriers ; Epoxy Compounds ; Male ; Mice ; Microscopy, Electron ; Myristates ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Phenanthrenes ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rheology ; Skin Absorption ; drug effects ; Tripterygium ; chemistry ; Viscosity

OBJECTIVETo verify the efficacy of Jianpi-xingniao needling therapy on prevention and treatment of motion sickness.

METHODSSixty volunteers of motion sickness were randomized into an acupuncture group and a delayed acupuncture group, 30 cases in each one. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was given at Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Neiguan (PC 6), Zusanli (ST 36) and Hegu (LI 4). The needles were retained for 20 min. The treatment was given twice a week and 10 treatments were required. In the delayed acupuncture group, acupuncture was postponed, meaning no acupuncture during observation stage. Graybel scale was adopted to observe the score of symptoms and physical signs of the subjects of motion sickness before and after intervention. The efficacy was compared between the two groups.

RESULTSTwenty-five cases in the acupuncture group and 22 cases in the delayed acupuncture group were included in the statistical analysis. The score of symptoms and physical signs of motion sickness was reduced significantly after treatment in the acupuncture group as compared with that before treatment (10.12 +/- 3.37 vs 0.92 +/- 0.40, P < 0.05). The score in the acupuncture group was lower apparently than that in the delayed acupuncture group (0.92 +/- 0.40 vs 9.86 +/- 2.53, P < 0.05). The difference was not significant before and after treatment in the self-comparison of the delayed acupuncture group (P > 0.05). The total effective rate was 96.0% (24/25) in the acupuncture group, which was significantly better than 0.0% (0/22) in the delayed acupuncture group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONJianpixingniao needling therapy relieves the symptoms of motion sickness in the patients and achieves a better clinical efficacy.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Motion Sickness ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of actovegin (Nycomed, deproteinized hemoderivative of calf blood injection) on intestinal mucosa in rats with acute radiation enteritis, and observe the changes of expression of apoptosis-related bcl-2/bax genes.

METHODSAn abdominal irradiation in a dose of 9.0 Gy X-ray of linear accelerator was performed once on a group of Wistar rats to establish a model of acute intestinal radiation enteritis. The experimental rats were randomly divided into five groups. Group 1 was normal control group; group 2 was model control group; groups 3, 4 and 5 were treated with low, middle and high dose of actovegin, respectively. After the model was established, actovegin injection was given intraperitoneally for successive 4 days. Corresponding intestinal tissues were taken for morphological examination with an image analysis system. The expression of apoptosis related bax and bcl-2 protein in the intestinal mucosal epithelial cells was determined by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe groups 4 and 5 had significantly higher height of intestinal villi, the depth of crypt, the thickness of the mucosa and entire wall (254.66/261.71 microm, 166.47/165.41 microm, 510.44/511.71 microm, 610.38/608.98 microm), compared with those of the model control group (239.12 microm, 151.45 microm, 420.27 microm and 579.32 microm), respectively (P < 0.05). Treatment with middle and high doses of actovegin also significantly down-regulated the expression of activating apoptosis protein bax (24.54/23.24) compared with that of model control group (59.32) (P < 0.05) and up-regulated the expression of inhibiting apoptosis protein bcl-2 (55.54/52.21) compared with that of model control group (20.32) (P < 0.05). The ratio of bcl-2/bax was significantly higher in the groups 4 and 5 (2.2632, 2.1275) compared with that in the model control group (0.3425) (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONActovegin accelerates the recovery of the acute radiation-injured intestinal mucosal epithelium by decreasing apoptosis via down-regulation of the expression of activating apoptosis protein bax and up-regulation of inhibiting apoptosis protein bcl-2.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Enteritis ; etiology ; metabolism ; Heme ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Intestinal Mucosa ; drug effects ; metabolism ; radiation effects ; Jejunum ; pathology ; radiation effects ; Male ; Particle Accelerators ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Radiation Injuries ; complications ; Radiation-Protective Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; genetics ; Female ; Genes, erbB-1 ; genetics ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; methods ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of solitary lymph node (LN) metastasis on the prognosis of gastric cancer.

METHODSClinical data of 280 patients with gastric cancer who underwent D(2) radical resection from January 1995 to December 2003 were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, solitary LN metastasis was proven pathologically in 83 cases(solitary LN metastasis group), while node-negative metastasis proven in 197 cases (node-negative group). The 5-year survival rate was compared between two groups and between patients with and without skipping LN metastasis. The prognostic factors were evaluated by uncaria and multivaria analyses.

RESULTSThe 5-year survival rates in the solitary LN metastasis group and the node-negative group were 62.3% and 83.5% respectively with significant difference (P<0.05). The solitary LN metastasis was one of the independent prognostic factors. Logistic regression revealed that the invasion depth was an independent covariate for solitary LN metastasis. The proportion of skip metastasis was 22.9% in gastric cancer patients with solitary LN metastasis. The 5-year survival rates of the patients with and without skipping LN metastasis were 50.0% and 66.1% respectively, which was not significantly different (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe prognosis of patients with solitary LN metastasis is significantly poorer than those without lymph node metastasis. Due to the high incidence of skip LN metastasis in gastric cancer, D(2) radical resection should be performed to ensure oncological clearance.

Aged ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo compare the number of retrieved lymph nodes (LN) between laparoscopic resection and conventional open resection for early distal gastric cancer with meta-analysis.

METHODSOriginal articles published from January 2000 to December 2008 were searched in the MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. According to the criterion, 14 articles were identified which compared the number of retrieved lymph nodes between laparoscopic resection and conventional open resection for early distal gastric cancer. Data were extracted from these trials by 3 reviewers independently and analyzed by Rev Man 5.0 software.

RESULTSA total of 1454 patients with early gastric cancer were enrolled, including 815 patients in the laparoscopic group and 630 patients in the conventional group. The mean number of dissected lymph nodes per patient was 3.26 less in the laparoscopic group as compared to the conventional group (WMD -3.26,95% CI -6.24~-0.27,P=0.03). The differences were not statistically significant in the articles published during 2005-2008 years (WMD -2.84, 95% CI -6.79~1.11, P=0.16), in D(1)(+)alpha/beta lymph node dissection (WMD -2.80, 95% CI -7.57~1.97, P=0.25), and in retrospective non-randomized trials (WMD -2.89, 95% CI -6.48~0.70,P=0.11).

CONCLUSIONWith the improvement in surgical skills, laparoscopic surgery and open surgery do not differ significantly in the number of retrieved lymph nodes for early distal gastric cancer with D(1)(+)alpha/beta lymph node dissection.

Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Laparotomy ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Stomach Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo investigate the long-term correlation between the number of resected lymph nodes (LNs) and the prognosis of patients with node-negative gastric cancer.

METHODSFrom January 1995 to December 2004, 221 patients with gastric cancer underwent D2 radical resection and were proved with no nodal involvement. The clinical records of the patients were analyzed retrospectively. The relationships of the dissected LNs number to 5-year survival rate and post-operative complication rate were analyzed respectively.

RESULTSThe overall 5-year survival rate of this group was 83.5%. The total number of dissected LNs was one independent prognostic factors in this group. Among patients with the same depth of tumor invasion, the more the number of dissected LNs, the better the survival would be (P < 0.05). The patients had better long-term survival outcomes with dissected LNs counts of more than 15 for cases with pT1-2 tumor, and more than 20 for cases with pT3 tumor. The post-operative complication rate was 10.8% and it was not significantly correlated with the number of dissected lymph nodes (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe number of dissected LNs is an independent prognostic predicting factor for lymph node-negative gastric cancer. Sufficient dissection of LNs is recommended to improve the patients' long-term survival. Suitable increment of dissected LNs count would not increase the post-operative complication rate.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; methods ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery