In order to investigate the effect of curcumin on proliferation and apoptosis of human pterygium fibroblasts (HPF) in culture and search for a new method to prevent the recurrence after pterygium surgery, HPF was incubated with 0-160 micromol/L curcumin for 24-96 h. The MTT method was used to assay the biologic activities of curcumin at different time points and different doses. The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in each group was detected by immunohistochemistry. The cell cycle distribution was detected by flow cytometry (FCM). Administration of 20-80 micromol/L curcumin for 24-72 h could significantly inhibit HPF proliferation in a dose-and time-dependent manner (P<0.05). After treatment with curcumin at different concentrations of 20, 40, 80 and 160 micromol/L for 24 h, FCM revealed there was a significant sub-G1 peak at each concentration. The number of HPF in G0/G1 phase was increased, while in S phase, it was decreased (P<0.05). At the concentration of 20-80 micromol/L, curcumin, in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05), could inhibit the expression of PCNA in HPF. It was suggested that curcumin could significantly inhibit the proliferation of HPF, make HPF arrest in G0/G1 phase and induce the apoptosis of HPF in a dose-and time-dependent manner.

Trichosanthes kirilowii has been widely cultivated as its medicinal use, health care and food value. Drought resistance of seedlings is an important feature in breeding. Seeds of two T. kirilowii strains were used to research the difference of surface ultrastructure characteristic and drought resistance. Scanning electron microscope was used to identify the surface ultrastructure characteristic of seeds and PEG was used to simulate drought stress. The seeds germination rate, MDA content, chlorophyll content and the antioxidant enzymes activity were measured under the drought stress. The results showed that the seed surface colour of KXY-001 was lighter than that of KXY-005. The testa cobwebbing of KXY-001 was more intensive than that of KXY-005. The germination rate of KXY-001 was higher than that of KXY-005 under drought stress. The MDA content was increased and the chlorophyll content was decreased with the increasing of drought degree. The SOD activity of KXY-001 was higher than that of KXY-005, while the activity of POD and CAT was also increased firstly and decreased later. Surface reticulate of seeds and hilar traits can be used as identification points to identify the investigated strains. SOD and POD are activated to resist drought in T. kirilowii seedlings and the drought resistance of KXY-001 is superior than that of KXY-005.
Adaptation, Physiological ; drug effects ; Catalase ; metabolism ; Chlorophyll ; metabolism ; Droughts ; Germination ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Polyethylene Glycols ; pharmacology ; Seedlings ; metabolism ; Seeds ; growth & development ; metabolism ; ultrastructure ; Species Specificity ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Trichosanthes ; classification ; growth & development ; metabolism

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of different amounts of iodine intake on the cellular and humoral immune in Grave's disease (GD) patients.MethodsThe clinical GD cases were diagnosed by thyroid fine needle Cytology examination.Patients in GD group are divided into GD group Ⅰ and GD group Ⅱ based on the median of urine iodine.The blood levels of FT4,FT3,TSH,TPOAb,TGAb,TRAb and TNF-t were detected.The difference and association of these parameters between these groups were analyzed.ResultsThe TNF-αt level in GD Ⅰ group was higher than that of GD Ⅱ group( P ＞ 0.05 ) ;The average level of TRAb of GD Ⅰgroup ( [ 1.4 ±0.2 ] U/L) were higher than that of GD Ⅱ group ( [ 1.2 ± 0.1 ] U/L) ( P ＜ 0.05 ) ;The positive rates of TGAb and TPOAb of GD Ⅰ group were higher than that of GD Ⅱ group ( P ＜ 0.05 ).The percentages of patients with high level of TGAb and TPOAb in GD Ⅰ group ( 78.9％ 、84.2％ ) were higher than that in GD Ⅱ group (50.0％,62.5％ ) ( x2 =6.79,10.70,P ＜0.05 ) ; Analysis showed a linear positive correlation of TNF-αwith TRAb and TPOAb ( r is 0.489 and 0.563,P ＜ 0.01 ).ConclusionIodine is an important factor to the development of Graves disease.Excessive iodine intake will exaggerate the GD condition and patients with GD should be controlled for iodine intake.

Objective To explore whether CD44 +/CD24 + expressing cervical cancer cells are resistant to X-ray irradiation and investigate the underlying mechanism.Methods Cervical cancer cell line (Siha) was cultured in vitro and the CD44 +/CD24 + expressing cells were sorted with a flow cytometer.The cells were irradiated with 8,16 and 30 Gy of 6 MV X-rays.Colony formation test was used to evaluate the radiosensitivity of CD44 +/CD24 + expressing cervical cancer cells.Cell morphology was observed by electronmicroscopy,cell apoptosis was analyzed with a flow cytometer and also verified with a DNA ladder assay.Gene expression was determined by RT-PCR.Results After radiation,the ratio of CD44 +/CD24 + cells significantly increased.Compared to Siha cells,the radiosensitivity of CD44 +/ CD24 + cells decreased (t =93.99-400.45,P ＜0.05),and the expressions of bcl-2,survivin and Oct4 mRNA increased in CD44 +/CD24 + cells (t =221.35,941.65,82.27,P ＜0.01).Both apoptotic body and specific DNA ladder pattern were observed in cells but not in the CD44 +/CD24 + Sihacells which had no obvious morphological changes of apoptosis.Conclusions The CD44 +/CD24 + expressing cervical cancer cells are resistant to X-rays due to expression of anti-apoptosis factors.

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of DWI after secretin stimulation for the diagnosis of mild chronic pancreatitis (CP). Methods This was a prospective study. Ninety-nine consecutive individuals including 23 healthy volunteers, 11 risk volunteers, 15 mild CP patients, 14 moderate CP patients and 36 severe CP patients underwent secretin DWI and faecal elastase 1(FE-1) testing. The subjects were grouped by Cambridge classification about endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP), CT and ultrasonography. Secretin stimulated diffusion weighted imaging(S-DWI), the ADCs, time to peak ADCs and FE-1 were performed on all subjects. The changes of pancreatic ADC values were observed before and after the injection of secretin. All ADCs and FE-1 were compared between groups with single factor analysis of variance, and the correlation between ADCs and FE-1 was determined with Pearson analysis. ROC curves were performed to identify the diagnostic efficacy of DWI related measures. Results Eight patients with severe CP were excluded because the significant atrophy of the pancreatic parenchyma prohibited the evaluation of ADC measurement. Ninety-one individuals were divided into five groups including 23 healthy volunteers, 11 risk volunteers, 15 mild CP patients, 14 moderate CP patients and 28 severe CP patients. The mean baseline and peak ADCs were higher in the healthy volunteers than in other groups, with significant differences (P<0.05). There was no ADC peak in severe CP patients. There were significant differences between the mean baseline ADCs and the peak ADCs in the other groups (P<0.05). The mild and moderate CP groups showed a delayed peak. The area under curve (AUC) of the mean baseline and peak ADCs, time to peak ADCs for differentiating mild CP was 0.818, 0.912 and 0.965, respectively. Using 4.67 min as the cutoff value, time to peak ADCs were most accurate for differentiating healthy from risk patients and those with evident pancreatitis, yielding a sensitivity of 80.0%and a specificity of 100.0%. Good correlations between baseline and peak ADCs, time to peak ADCs, and FE-1 were shown(r=0.57, 0.72 and-0.84, P<0.01). Conclusions Using the peak and time to peak ADCs may improve the detection of risk and mild CP. Secretin-enhanced DWI is a noninvasive, convenient and accurate method.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of oral mifepristone (10 mg/day) versus placebo in the preoperative treatment of uterine fibroids.Methods:This study was a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo, parallel controlled trial. A total of 132 patients with uterine fibroids were randomly divided into study group and control group, with 66 cases in each group. The patients in the study group orally took 1 tablet/day of mifepristone (dose of 10 mg/tablet), the patients in the control group orally took 1 tablet/day of placebo, and both groups were treated for 3 months. The primary efficacy evaluation indicators were the change rate of maximum fibroid volume; the secondary efficacy evaluation indicators included amenorrhea rate, improvement of subjective symptoms and anemia; the safety evaluation indicators included the analysis of adverse events and changes in laboratory biochemical indicators.Results:At the end of treatment, the maximum leiomyoma volume was reduced by 25.97% (95% CI: -34.79%--15.95%) in the study group and reduced by 1.51% (95% CI: -13.03%-11.54%) in the control group. The change rate of the maximum leiomyoma volume before and after treatment in the study group was significantly greater than that in the control group, and the difference in the change rate of the maximum leiomyoma volume between the two groups was -24.84% (95% CI: -36.56%--10.94%), which was much higher than the 10% superiority threshold goal set by this study within the 95% CI interval. At the end of treatment, the complete amenorrhea rate [84% (52/62)], dysmenorrhea elimination rate [98% (61/62)], and menstrual blood loss disappearance rate [87% (54/62)] in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). At the end of treatment, the mean hemoglobin [(131±13) g/L], red blood cell count [(4.5±0.4)×10 12/L] and hematocrit (0.39±0.03) in the study group were significantly increased compared with the baseline, and the differences had statistical significance (all P<0.05); after treatment, the differences in the above three indicators between the two groups had statistical significance (all P<0.01). The serum estradiol level in the study group was significantly lower than that in the control group at the end of treatment, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01). There were no significant differences in follicle-stimulating hormone and cortisol levels before and after treatment between the two groups ( P>0.05). The overall incidences of any adverse event were not significantly different between the two groups (all P>0.05). Abdominal pain was the most common adverse event in the study group [9% (6/65)], but the incidence was not significantly increased compared with the control group [3% (2/64); P>0.05]. Conclusion:Compared with placebo, oral mifepristone 10 mg/day is significantly superior to placebo in reducing the size of uterine fibroids and improving anemia, without significant adverse reactions, and could be used as a drug treatment for patients with of uterine fibroids before surgery.

Objective To evaluate the values of bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling ( BIPSS),high dosage dexamethasone suppression test (HDDST) and pituitary image in the differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome. Methods Totally 87 patients with confirmed pathological diagnosis were recruited in the study.All received the procedure of BLPSS,HDDST,and pituitary MRI with dynamic enhancement.The diagnostic performances of three differential diagnosis methods in ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome were evaluated.Results Seventy-eight patients were diagnosed as cases of pituitary ACTH adenoma,and the remaining 9 were confirmed cases of ectopic ACTH syndrome due to the thymic carcinoid.The sensitivity and specificity of HDDST,pituitary MRI,and BIPSS for the diagnosis of ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome were 82.1％ and 100％,79.5％ and 44.4％,92.3％ and 100％,respectively.In Cushing's disease,the diagnostic accuracy was 83.9％ with HDDST,77.0％with pituitary MRI,and93.1％ with BIPSS.In those patients with Cushing's disease,the coincidence of lateralization was 83.9％ with BIPSS and 64.5％ with MRII.Conclusion BIPSS was better than the other two methods in differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome.Compared with the pituitary MRI,the concordant rate of BIPSS in lateralization of the tumor is higher,and it is more reliable.

Objective To evaluate the value of 3.0T magnetic resonance multi-b value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in evaluating the efficacy of chemotherapy for patients with central lung squamous cell carcinoma and atelectasis. Methods Twenty patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (including T1WI, T2WI and multi-b value DWI) before chemotherapy, 2 cycles of chemotherapy and 4 cycles of chemotherapy. The images, the tumor volume and changes of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were analyzed. Results In the patients with central lung cancer and atelectasis, the tumor and atelectasis could be distinguished on MRI examination before radiotherapy. It was more easily identified on T2WI images after radiotherapy. In the 20 patients, the ADC values in the effective group (partial remission or complete remission) and the invalid group were increased, but the differences of ADC values in the effective group before chemotherapy, 2 cycles and 4 cycles of chemotherapy were statistically significant [b=800 s/mm2:(1.09 ± 0.52) × 10-6 mm2/s, (1.22 ± 0.59) × 10-6 mm2/s, (1.24 ± 0.52) × 10-6 mm2/s, F = 31.19, P < 0.001]. There was no significant difference in ADC values between before and after chemotherapy (b = 800 s/mm2: (1.10 ± 0.49) × 10-6 mm2/s, (1.16 ± 0.60) × 10-6 mm2/s, (1.20 ± 0.72) × 10-6 mm2/s, F=2.86, P=0.089]. When b=800 s/mm2, the ADC curve slope in the effective group was more stable, better linearity. Conclusions The MRI technique can accurately distinguish the tumor from atelectasis before and after chemotherapy. The change of ADC value after chemotherapy is earlier than that of morphological change. The change rate of b value can better evaluate the curative effect of chemotherapy.

BACKGROUNDInfection due to pandrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PDRPA) has become a challenge in clinical practice. The aim of this research was to summarize the treatment of large-area burns (60% - 80%) with PDRPA infection and respiratory failure in our hospital over the last two years, and to explore a feasible treatment protocol for such patients.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the treatment of five patients with large-area burns accompanied by PDRPA infection and respiratory failure transferred to our hospital from burn units in hospitals in other Chinese cities from January 2008 to February 2010. Before PDRPA infection occurred, all five patients had open wounds with large areas of granulation because of the failure of surgery and dissolving of scar tissue; they had also undergone long-term administration of carbapenems. This therapy included ventilatory support, rigorous repair of wounds, and combined antibiotic therapy targeted at drug-resistance mechanisms, including carbapenems, ciprofloxacin, macrolide antibiotics and β-lactamase inhibitors.

RESULTSFour patients recovered from burns and one died after therapy.

CONCLUSIONSFirst, compromised immunity caused by delayed healing of burn wounds in patients with large-area burns and long-term administration of carbapenems may be the important factors in the initiation and progression of PDRPA infection. Second, if targeted at drug-resistance mechanisms, combined antibiotic therapy using carbapenems, ciprofloxacin, macrolide antibiotics and β-lactamase inhibitors could effectively control PDRPA infection. Third, although patients with large-area burns suffered respiratory failure and had high risks from anesthesia and surgery, only aggressive skin grafting with ventilatory support could control the infection and save lives. Patients may not be able to tolerate a long surgical procedure, so the duration of surgery should be minimized, and the frequency of surgery increased.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Burns ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Carbapenems ; therapeutic use ; Ciprofloxacin ; therapeutic use ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Female ; Humans ; Macrolides ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pseudomonas Infections ; drug therapy ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; drug effects ; pathogenicity ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult