Objective To assess the effects of p27mt gene transfection on the proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell (HCC) lines SMMC-7721. Methods A replication deficient adenovirus vector encoding p27mt (Ad-p27mt) was used and p27mt cDNA was transfected into human SMMC-7721 cell lines in vitro. The synthesis of DNA in SMMC-7721 cells was determined by using 3H-thymidine incorporation; the cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry, TUNEL method and DNA fragmentation analysis. Results The virus titer was 7.95?1012 cfu/ml, the transduction efficiency was 100 % when multiplicity of infection ≥50, FCM analysis revealed a sub-G1 cell peak in Ad-p27mt transduced hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Agarose electrophoresis showed marked ladder .The difference of apoptotic index between the Ad-p27mt group and the control group was statistically significant (58.6?4.3, vs 4.5?1.6, P

Objective To investigate the echocardiographic features of complete transposition of the great arteries (TGA)in fetuses.Methods Prenatal echocardiographic data of 9 fetuses diagnosed as TGA by autopsy or postnatal echocardiography during January 2010 to January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.Results All of 9 fetuses showed normal cardiac axis and atrioventricular connection on four-chamber view.Eight of them showed the baby bird's beak sign on left ventricular outflow tract view.On left and right ventricular outflow tracts view,the two great arteries were parallel in 8 fetuses.Totally 6 fetuses showed just 2 vessels on three vessels and tracheal (3VT) view.On aortic arch view,the radian of aortic arch had increased in different degrees in 7 fetuses.There were 4 fetuses with ventricular septal defect observed by both of four-chamber and left ventricular outflow tract views.Conclusion The echocardiographic features of fetuses with TGA are characteristic in left ventricular outflow tract,left and right ventricular outflow tracts,3VT and aortic arch views,including baby bird's beak sign,2 great arteries' parallel relations,only 2 vessels on 3VT view,and increased radian of aortic arch.Of these features,baby bird's beak sign is the most common.

Objective To investigate the expression of CD133 protein in primary lesions of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its clinical significance.Methods The expression of CD133 protein in 190 patients with HCC was detected by immunohistochemical staining ABC method.The correlation of CD133 protein expression with the clinicopathologic parameters and features after operation was analyzed.Results The expression positive rate of CD133 protein in cancer tissues was 22.1％ (42/190).There was significant correlation between the expression of CD133 protein and tumor differentiation (P ＜ 0.001),micro vessel invasion (P =0.016) and hepatitis B virus infection (P =0.024).Univariate analysis of factors demonstrated that differentiation level,lymph node,macro vessel invasion,micro vessel invasion,TNM stage and CD133 expression were correlated with disease-free survival after surgery (all P ＜ 0.05).Multivariate analysis of factors demonstrated that both CD133 expression and micro vessel invasion were independent prognostic factors of disease-free survival after surgery.Prognostic analysis demonstrated that the disease-free survival of CD133 positive group was significantly lower than that of CD133 negative group.Conclusion The CD133 protein expression in HCC tissues is related with development,metastasis and prognosis of HCC.

BACKGROUND:Tougu Xiaotong capsule is the clinical prescription for the treatment of osteoarthritis, however, its mechanism has not been fuly elucidated. Urokinase type plasminogen activator system which participated in the degradation of the extracelular matrix of articular cartilage and hyperplasia of joint synovium plays an important role in the pathological process of osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect ofTougu Xiaotong capsule on urokinase-type plasminogen activator system in knee cartilage tissues of knee osteoarthritis rats. METHODS: Of 144 Sprague-Dawley rats, 120 rats were randomly made into models of knee osteoarthritisvia intra-articular injection of papain, and randomly assigned to model group,Zhuanggu Guanjie Wan group [1.2 g/(kg?d)], low-doseTougu Xiaotong capsule group [0.092 g/(kg?d)], moderate-doseTougu Xiaotong capsule group [0.184 g/(kg?d)] and high-doseTougu Xiaotong capsule group [0.368 g/(kg?d)]. Each group contained 24 rats. Every 2 weeks was considered as a course, with a 2-day interval, totaly 4 courses. The remaining 24 normal rats were included in the blank group. After every two courses, a batch of experimental animals was sacrificed. The pathological changes were observed folowing staining with hematoxylin and eosin. The positive cels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator, urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor and plasminogen activator inhibitor were measured by immunohistochemistry. The protein levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator, urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor and plasminogen activator inhibitor were measured by western blot assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Mankin’s score was significantly lower in theTougu Xiaotong capsule group and Zhuanggu Guanjie Wan group compared with the model group (P < 0.01), in a time-dependent manner. Immunohistochemical staining indicated that the positive cels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor were significantly decreased, but plasminogen activator inhibitor was significantly increased in theTougu Xiaotong capsule group andZhuanggu Guanjie Wangroup in a time-dependent manner. Western blot assay results had an identical trend to immunohistochemistry. These indicated thatTougu Xiaotong capsule showed preventive and therapeutic effects on osteoarthritis by regulating urokinase-type plasminogen activator system.

BACKGROUND:Tougu Xiaotong Capsule (TGXTC) is a clinical prescription for the treatment of osteoarthritis;however, its mechanism has not been ful y elucidated. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) system participating in the degradation of the extracel ular matrix of articular cartilage and hyperplasia of joint synovium plays an important role in the pathological process of osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of TGXTC medicated serum on the expression of uPA, uPA receptor (uPAR), plasminogen activator inhibitors (PAIs), matrix metal oproteinase-3 (MMP-3), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in osteoarthritis synovial cel s of rats and to discuss the mechanism by TGXTC medicated serum prevents and cures osteoarthritis. METHODS:Rat models with knee osteoarthritis were established by injecting 4%papain into the knee joint cavity. Primary synoviocytes and osteoarthritis synoviocytes were cultured with col agenase digestion method. The cultured synoviocytes were divided into normal group, model group and TGXTC group. The western blot method was adopted to detect uPA, uPAR, PAI, MMP-3, IL-1βand TNF-αprotein expression of synoviocytes after acting by TGXTC medicated serum for 72 hours. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The expression of uPA, uPAR, MMP-3, IL-1βand TNF-αwere decreased, while PAI was increased in the TGXTC group, and there were significant differences when compared with model group. In a word, TGXTC can significantly inhibit the expression of uPA, uPAR, MMP-3, IL-1β, TNF-α, and improve PAI expression in synoviocytes, which may partly explain the mechanism of the treatment of Tougu Xiaotong Capsule on osteoarthritis.

Objective To investigate the ultrasonic appearance of peripheral neurilemmoma.Methods Ultrasonic appearances of 43 patients with 46 neurilemmomas confirmed by surgery and pathology were analyzed retrospectively and compared with their MRI and pathological features.Results Forty-five neurilemmomas were with regular shape and clear boundary,except one at the root of nerve C4 that was irregular in shape and unclear in boundary,like adumbbell.Sonography showed that there were 30 neurilemmomas displaying as solid tumors,15 as cystic and solid,and 1 as entirely cystic.Posterior echoenhancement,target sign,rat tail sign and vessels accompanying sign were found in 39,21,23 and 17 neurilemmomas,respectively.There were 4 neurilemmomas with ultrasound blood flow grade 0,9 with grade Ⅰ,22 with gradeⅡ,and 11 with grade Ⅲ.The target signs were found in 21 cases (21/46,45.6％) and 26 cases (26/46,56.5 ％) by ultrasound and MRI,respectively.The capability of ultrasound finding the target sign in neurilemmoma was comparable to MRI(Kappa =0.527,P ＜0.001).The diagnostic accuracy rate of neurilemmoma by ultrasonography was 73.9％(34/46).Conclusions The ultrasound has a relatively high detection of the target sign in neurilemmoma,which may provide a new basis for the ultrasonic diagnosis of neurilemmoma.

In this study, the mechanism by which Ad-p27mt inhibits the growth, invasion and metastasis of transplanted liver tumor was studied by examining the effects of Ad-27mt gene transfer on the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, VEGF and MMP-9 in the transplanted liver tumors in nude mice. The model of transplanted hepatic tumor was established in nude mice. The mice were then divided into three groups, which were injected with PBS, Ad-LacZ and Ad-p27mt and the growth of the transplanted liver tumor was observed. The expressions of P27, Bax and Bcl-2 proteins were detected by Western blotting and the expressions of VEGF and MMP-9 were immunohistochemically determined. Our result showed that the tumor size, expressions of Bax, Bcl-2 proteins, VEGF and MMP-9 were all lower than those in PBS and Ad-LacZ groups and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Our study suggested that Ad-p27mt could inhibit the growth, invasion and metastasis of hepatic cancer by lowering the expressions of VEGF and MMP-9.

BACKGROUND:Tougu Xiaotong capsule is the clinical prescription for the treatment of osteoarthritis in Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the previous studies mainly focus on effect to cartilage.
OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of Tougu Xiaotong capsule on the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts as wel as the expressions of bone remodeling correlated factors.
METHODS:Rat osteoblast-like cel line ROS17/2.8 cel s were incubated with Tougu Xiaotong capsule. The ROS17/2.8 cel s were divided into blank control group and Tougu Xiaotong capsule groups with different
concentrations. The cel proliferation was determined by methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay. Osteoblast differentiation biomarkers alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin and bone mineralized nodules were measured with colorimetry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and alizarin red staining, respectively. The real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to detect the expressions of bone remodeling factors osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factorκB ligand.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the control group, the Tougu Xiaotong capsule with the
concentration of 0.25-2 g/L could significantly promote the ROS17/2.8 cel proliferation (P<0.05), up-regulate the alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin expression level and mineralized nodules area, and increase the
percentage of bone remodeling factors osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factorκB ligand (P<0.05). The mechanism of Tougu Xiaotong capsule protecting osteoarthritis may partly result from the regulation of
proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and bone remodeling.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies have found that electroacupuncture can delay articular cartilage degeneration mediated by JAK-STAT signaling pathway through upregulating the expression level of transforming growth factor β1 as well as mRNA expression levels of STAT3, Smad3 and LepR. In the meanwhile, electroacupuncture can inhibit the mRNA expression of p38 and Fas mRNA mediated by MAPK signaling pathways, further inhibiting the apoptosis of chondrocytes. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of electroacupuncture on the degeneration of articular cartilage in rats with knee osteoarthritis based on Ras-Raf-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling pathway. METHODS:120 male healthy Sprague-Dawley rats aged 2 months olds were selected and randomly divided into normal, model, 15-minite electroacupuncture and 30-minute electroacupuncture groups (n=30 per group). The rats in the latter three groups received the intra-articular injection of 4% papain bilaterally, and the remaining rats received no intervention. At 2 weeks after modeling, the latter two groups were respectively given 15- and 30-minute electroacupuncture, five times weekly for consecutive 12 weeks. The morphology of the cartilage was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, the expression level of interleukin-1β in the synovium was detected by ELISA assay, and the protein expression levels of Ras, Raf, MEK1/2, ERK1/2, C-MYC, C-FOS, and C-JUN were detected by western blot analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that: in the model group, the cartilage surface was rough, the cartilage layer became thinner, and the cartilage structure was damaged with incomplete tidal line; in the 15- and 30-minute electroacupuncture groups, the cartilage structure was complete with clear layers and complete tidal line. ELISA showed that the expression level of interleukin-1β in the model group was significantly higher than that in the normal group (P< 0.01), and the level in the 15- and 30-minute electroacupuncture groups was significantly lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05). Western blot assay found that compared with the normal group, the protein expression levels of Ras, Raf, MEK1/2, ERK1/2, C-MYC, C-FOS, and C-JUN were increased in the model group. However, all above protein levels except ERK1/2 in the 15- and 30-minute electroacupuncture groups were significantly lower than those in the model group (P < 0.01,P < 0.05). To conclude, electroacupuncture inhibits the degeneration of articular cartilage in osteoarthritisvia Ras-Raf-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling pathway and downregulating the expression level of interleukin-1β.

OBJECTIVETo explore a new technique to prevent the dispersal of Oncomelania hupensis snail through leading flood for irrigation by floodgate in irrigation schemes.

METHODSHydromechanical and biological were applied and to combine laboratory experiment with the field observation to form a new multidisciplinary regarding snail biological hydraulics and technical line. Findings including characteristics of hydraulics and biomechanics and move regulation etc. Physics parameter of snails were used to design and construct as well as to exam the effect of facilities and rebuilt floodgate which could prevent the snail dispersal.

RESULTSThrough five years efforts, the major achievements were found as: 1) the method in testing the special gravity of snail and snail eggs was determined. 2) the special gravity of snail was (1.8 +/- 0.01) g/cm(3) and special gravity snail eggs was (2.29 +/- 0.01) g/cm(3); the classification method and classified criterion of snail size were made based on geometrical characteristics of snail shell. Six special values indicating dropping and start speed of snail in running water were obtained; Five practical formula of snail dropping and start in water were established; threshold value and movement characteristics in water were observed and tested and move mechanism of snail dispersal in water was also clarified. Based on the findings from fundamental research, the facilities of "precipitation pool for snail" and "leading water from middle level of water body" that could prevent snail dispersal were designed and rebuilt in the endemic area. Through examination to these facilities, the rate of precipitating and blocking of snails reached 100%.

CONCLUSIONThe achievement of the study provided reliable theoretical basis for the rebuilt of floodgate and to development of models that could prevent the dispersal of snail effectively.