Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Dyspepsia ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Neovascularization plays an important role in embyonic development and many diseases. VEGFs and angiopoietins are two known growth factor families that are specific to vascular endothelium. The action of angiopoietins is associated not only with angiogenesis but also with postnatal vasulogenesis. Thus there is a good prospective use for angiopoietins or their antagonists to promote or inhibit angiogenesis in clinical therapy.

BACKGROUND: Aseptic loosening has been identified a main failure mechanism of cemented total hip arthroplasty. It is very important to prevent loose by exploring its pathogenesis in studies of corpse specimens with bone cement prosthesis. OBJECTIVE: In this cadaveric retrieval study, we examined the hypotheses that debonding and stem migration were associated with mechanical failure of the cement mantle, and that cracking Of the mantle was indicative of aseptic loosening of cemented femoral stems. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: Observation experiment, The study was performed at Baylor college of Medicine and the Institute of Orthopedic Research, Houston, TX, USA between May and November 2003 PARTICIPANTS: A total of 18 femurs with cemented femoral stems were obtained from cadaveric donors in Department of Anatomy, Baylor College of Medicine at Houston, including 7 males, 11 females. METHODS: Eighteen cadaveric femurs with cemented femoral stems were cut from suitable area and immersed in a bath of Alcaim Blue pigment under vacuum for 24 hours to staining. Each femur was bilateral along the sagittal mid-plane and examined with stereomicroscopy to identify cracks within the cement mantle and recorded by Gruen zone. The widths of cracks present on the inner surface of the mantle were measured at three equidistant locations with an instrumented microscope system. The widths of gaps along the stem/cement interface were measured by reassembling its corresponding cement mantle, Any regions of burnishing of the inner surface of the cement mantle and the stem surface were recorded too. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The following parameters were measured: location, width of cracks inner surface of the mantle; widths of gaps along the stern/cement interface; regions of burnishing of the inner surface of the cement mantle and the stem surface. RESULTS: Almost all components were debonded from the surrounding cement mantle. Slight burnishing of the inner surface of the cement mantle was evident in sixteen (89%) specimens. Cracks were present in fifteen (83%) of mantles, frequently corresponding to areas where the corners of the stem had come into contact with bone during implantation, (87%, P = 0.002). None of the stems had subsided by more than 0.5 mm. The average width of gaps between the stem and the cement mantle was (0.33 + 0.06) mm. There was a strong correlation between the minimum width of longitudinal cracks and the average stem/cement gap for each specimen (r~2=0.691, P= 0.001). CONCLUSION: Cement cracks are frequently observed in clinically successful cemented hip replacements. Stem migration occurs once cement fractures open. Cement cracks do not necessarily result in clinical failure of cemented stems. But, with the development of micromotion, the debris cause osteolysis and might affect implant stability and lead to harmful effects on the bone bed and subsequent loosing of the implant.

Objective To study the regulating effect of in the regulation of cell surface receptor linked signal transduction pathway-related genes on rat liver regeneration(LR) at transcriptional level. Methods Genes involved in the above pathways were obtained by data collection and literature review.The gene expression changes during LR were checked by Rat Genome 230 2.0 array,and LR-related genes were identified by comparing gene expression difference between partial hepatectomy(PH) and sham operation(SO) groups. Results 491 genes were identified as LR-related.There were 742 kinds of interactive relations in 226 before-mentioned genes.In the 12 kinds of signaling pathways cytokine and chemokine mediated,enzyme linked receptor,G-protein coupled receptor,glutamate,antigen receptor-mediated,integrin-mediated,lipopolysaccharide-mediated, Notch,osmosensory,smoothened,Toll and Wnt——the numbers of up-regulated and down-regulated LR-related genes were 26 and 23,164 and 54,59 and 51,5 and 1,22 and 14,21 and 10,1 and 1,4 and 11,23 and 11, 32 and 17 respectively.In LR,the numbers of up-regulated and the down-regulated genes were 188 and 128,464 and 190,308 and 207,13 and 5,88 and 46,123 and 50,2 and 1,20 and 43,148 and 30,174 and 62 in the corresponding pathways.The genes which up regulated mainly occurred 0.5-16,30,42,54,96 hours and which down regulated mainly occurred 18-24,36,60-72,120-168 hours.Conclusion In liver regeneration,lipopolysaccharide-mediated and osmosensory signaling pathway have less effect,and the smoothened signaling pathway's role is attenuated,but the activities of the other 9 pathways are enhanced.

The rapid advances over the past decades in molecular biology led to new ideas and methods to investigate the mechanism of depression, which enlarged the views of fields from neurological transmitters and related receptors to post-receptor signal transduction levels. It not only help to elucidate the pathogenesis of depression, but also offer beneficial evidence for development of new antidepressants. This paper reviews the development of molecular biological study in depression.

The anti-inflammatory mechanism of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is mainly due to inhibition of COX-2 activity. NSAIDs can also inhibit COX-2 expression and produce anti-inflammatory effect independent of COX. These COX-independent mechanisms include inhibiting transcription factors such as NF-?B and AP-1, interfering with signal transduction pathways through actions on Erk、p38MAPK、IKK and RSK2, activating PPAR? and HSF-1, inhibiting iNOS and transport of prostanoids from their generating cells.

BACKGROUND: Upper cervical spine fractures are easy to lead to severe neurologic dysfunction in the elderly, and along with social progress, the incidence is on the rise. However, the diagnosis and treatment of type Ⅱ odontoid fractures in senile patients remain controversial.OBJECTIVE: To review the classification, treatment methods and clinical outcomes of type Ⅱ odontoid fractures in elderly patients.METHODS: A computer-based online search was performed in the PubMed and Wanfang databases for the articles concerning the diagnosis and treatment of type Ⅱ odontoid fractures in the elderly published from January 1996 to July 2016. The keywords were odontoid fracture, elderly, treatment, conservative, surgical in English and Chinese,respectively.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The treatment goals of type Ⅱ odontoid fractures are different between elderly and young patients. (2) The incidence of nonunion in the conservative approach is higher than that in the surgical treatment, but for elderly patients, it makes no difference. (3) No significant differences are found in the incidence of complications and mortality between conservative and surgical methods in the elderly with type Ⅱ odontoid fractures. (4) Minimally invasive surgery is commended for the elderly suffering type Ⅱ fractures who cannot tolerate the conservative approach due to poor conditions or accompanied with other serious heart and lung diseases.

Objective: To investigate the promoter region CpG island methylation status of glutathione S-transferase p1 (GSTP1) gene in prostate carcinoma (PCa) tissues and to search for new molecular markers for the early diagnosis of PCa. Methods: The promoter region CpG island methylation status of 31 PCa, 18 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues (BPH) and 3 normal prostate tissues (NP) were examined by nest methylation-specific PCR (NMSP) technique, cloning and sequencing. Results: NMSP showed that the methylation rates of PCa, BPH and NP tissues were 83%, 0% and 0%, respectively. The CG sites methylation rates of PCa, BPH and NP tissues were 96%, 34% and 37%, respectively as determined by cloning and sequencing (P<0.01), with no significant difference found between those of BPH and NP tissues(P>0.05). A combination of NMSP and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was better than PSA alone in screen of PCa. Conclusion: CpG islands of promoter region of GSTP1 gene is hypermethylated in PCa tissues. NMSP is sensitive and specific in detection of GSTP1 methylation, which may serve as a new method for early screen of prostate carcinoma.