OBJECTIVEInjection of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) can prevent bone loss in sciatic nerve transaction rats. We try to investigate the action mechanism of IGF-1 on bone formation.

METHODSA total of 40 adult male Spragne-Dawley rats were divided into two groups (experimental group and control group) with 20 animals in each. Sciatic neurectomy was performed to model disuse osteoporosis in all rats. IGF-1 was administered in experimental group with the dose of 100 microgramme/kilogram per day for 3 days. Meanwhile, the rats in control group were treated with saline. Bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry 4 and 6 weeks after neurectomy respectively. Expression of Osterix and Runx2 was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay.

RESULTSThere was a significant increase in the bone mineral density of experimental group compared with control group. There was a significant decrease in the level of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB-ligand but an increase in the level of osteoprotegerin 4 and 6 weeks after neurectomy in the experimental group compared with control one. The expression of Osterix and Runx2 was up-regulated in the bone marrow of experimental group compared with control group.

CONCLUSIONIGF-1 can increase bone formation by stimulation of osteoblast number and activity, and reduce bone resorption by restriction of differentiation of osteoclast, suggesting that IGF-1 may improve the therapeutic efficacy for disuse osteoporosis.

Animals ; Bone Density ; drug effects ; Bone Resorption ; prevention & control ; Cell Differentiation ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit ; metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry ; Injections ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; administration & dosage ; Male ; Osteoblasts ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sciatic Nerve ; surgery ; Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation ; physiology

Chronic Disease ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; Heart Failure ; therapy ; Humans ; Myocardial Contraction

Pancreatic panniculitis is a rare disease in which necrosis of fat in the panniculus and other distant foci occur in the setting of pancreatic disease. The most common pancreatic disorders associated with pancreatic panniculitis are acute and chronic pancreatitis, especially the alcohol-related types and pancreatic carcinoma. We now report a case of pancreatic panniculitis in which skin eruptions, not abdominal symptoms, were the presenting symptom. A 45-year-old man presented with multiple erythematous tender subcutaneous nodules on the shins, arthralgia of both ankles and swelling of the left foot. He was diagnosed as having pancreatitis 15 months ago. Histopathologic findings of a skin biopsy showed focal fat necrosis with anucleated "ghost-like" fat cells with a thick shadowy wall. Laboratory evaluation revealed an increase in serum amylase and lipase. We diagnosed this patient's problem as pancreatic panniculitis associated with a relapse of pancreatitis.
Adipocytes ; Amylases ; Animals ; Ankle ; Arthralgia ; Biopsy ; Fat Necrosis ; Foot ; Humans ; Lipase ; Middle Aged ; Necrosis ; Pancreas ; Pancreatic Diseases ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Pancreatitis ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Panniculitis ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence ; Skin

OBJECTIVETo explore the analgesic mechanism of small knife needle for treating transverse process syndrome of the third vertebra (TPSTV) by observing peripheral and central changesof β-endorphin (β-EP) and enkephalin (ENK) contents.

METHODSTotally 30 Japanese white big-ear rabbits of clean grade were divided into 5 groups according to random digit table, i.e., the normal control group, the model group, the small knife needle group, the electroacupunture (EA) group, and the small knife needle plus EA group, 6 in each group. The TPSTV model was established by inserting a piece of gelatin sponge into the left transverse process of 3rd lumbar vertebrae. Rabbits in the small knife needlegroup were intervened by small knife needle. Those in the EA group were intervened by EA at bilateralWeizhong (BL40). Those in the small knife needle plus EA group were intervened by small knife needleand EA at bilateral Weizhong (BL40). Contents of β-EP and ENK in plasma, muscle, spinal cord, and hypothalamus were determined after sample collection at day 28 after modeling.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, contents of β-EP and ENK in plasma and muscle increased significantly, and contents of β-EP and ENK in spinal cord and hypothalamus decreased significantly in the model group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Contents of β-EP and ENK approximated normal levels in the three treatment groups after respective treatment. Compared with the model group, the content of β-EP in muscle decreased, and contents of β-EP and ENK in hypothalamus increased in the three treatment groups after respective treatment (P < 0.05). There were no significant difference among the three treatment groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSmall knife needle treatment and EA had benign regulation on peripheral and central β-EP and ENK in TPSTV rabbits. Small knife needle treatment showed better effect than that of EA.

Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Enkephalins ; metabolism ; Hypothalamus ; metabolism ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; pathology ; Muscle, Skeletal ; metabolism ; Needles ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation ; Spinal Cord ; metabolism ; Spinal Diseases ; therapy ; beta-Endorphin ; metabolism

Chromogranin A ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Duodenal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Ganglioneuroma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neurofibroma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Paraganglioma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; metabolism ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects and mechanisms of ascorbic acid (AA) and sodium selenite (SS) on growth inhibition and redifferentiation in human gastric cancer cells.

METHODSIn the present study, trypan blue dye exclusion method was used to determine the cell growth curve and mitotic index, cell electrophoresis and colonogenic potential were used as the indexes of redifferentiation. In order to find out the mechanisms of redifferentiation, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT) were assayed, the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and H2O2 were evaluated.

RESULTSAfter treatment with AA 3 mol/L + SS 2 mu mol/L, the growth rate and mitotic index of human gastric cancer cells (MGc-803) decreased remarkably. The indexes related with cell malignancy were alleviated. For example, cell surface charge was obviously decreased, the electrophoresis rate was dropped from 2.21 to 1.15 mu m.s-1.V-1.cm-1. The indexes related with cell redifferentiation were promoted. For example, the colonogenic potential was decreased to 93.5%. These results indicated that redifferentiation of human gastric cancer cells was successfully induced by AA + SS. The activities of SOD and GPX were significantly higher, while the activity of CAT was slower in treated group than that in the control. The content of MDA was slightly decreased, GSH was sharply decreased, and H2O2 content was dramatically increased.

CONCLUSIONThese results indicated that combination of ascorbic acid and sodium selenite may induce the redifferentiation of human gastric cancer cells and inhibit cell growth by virtue of enhancing the activities of antioxidative enzymes and inducing the formation of H2O2, and altering the cell redox status. Combination of ascorbic acid and sodium selenite may be a potent anticancer agent for human gastric cancer.

Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Ascorbic Acid ; pharmacology ; Catalase ; pharmacology ; Cell Differentiation ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Mitotic Index ; Sodium Selenite ; pharmacology ; Stomach Neoplasms ; pathology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; pharmacology ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The mechanism of biological actions of quercetin was studied by using metabolomic method and biomolecular network. HPLC-MS was used to analyze the serum metabolome in rats of blank group and quercetin administration group rats, and MS data were processed by MATLAB software. With multivariate statistical analysis of serum metabolite profiles, a clear separation among blank group and quercetin administration group was achieved, potential biomarkers were selected according to the parameters of variable importance in the projection (VIP) and identified according to MS information and database retrieval. Four compounds, related enzymes, action targets and metabolic pathways had been confirmed, namely retinoic acid and RARbeta, arachidonate and COX-2, 3, 5-diodotyrosine and TPO, uridine diphosphate glucose and PDEs. The mechanism of quercetin enhancing ability of retinoic acid on the induction of RARbeta, activating TPO, using as COX-2 and PDEs inhibitor was approved by biomolecular network and related literatures. In this study, a mechanism of multiple biological actions of quercetin was evaluated at the level of the biomolecular network, metabolomics and biomolecular network can be used to investigate the biological effects mechanism of quercetin, which provided a new method to further revealing mechanism of drug action.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Mass Spectrometry ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways ; Metabolome ; Metabolomics ; Multivariate Analysis ; Quercetin ; pharmacology ; Rats

OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) in carcinoma of cardia or fundus of stomach.

METHODSFrom April 1999 to April 2005, 57 patients with carcinoma of cardia or fundus of stomach were imaged with FDG-PET. FDG-PET imaging were analyzed by visual method combined with semiquantitative analysis. The results were compared with pathological findings and follow-up results.

RESULTSIn 29 untreated patients, 25 T(2) to T(4) tumors were all FDG avid and 4 T(1) cases showed nothing abnormal at the primary site. In 24 patients performed curative operation 40 resected enlarged lymph nodes beyond 1 cm were diagnosed correctly by FDG-PET. FDG-PET revealed distant metastases in 5 patients and corrected them from curative surgery candidates to late stage. In 28 treated patients FDG-PET confirmed 22 cases with recurrence or metastasis.

CONCLUSIONSFDG-PET has limited value in confirming T stage in carcinoma of cardia or fundus of stomach. It showed potential in N and M staging and predicting treatment response.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cardia ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Gastric Fundus ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the validity and reliability of Thread-tooth Arc-track Screw Plate System (TASPS) in the fixation fusion through expandable channels.

METHODSFrom August 2007 to August 2010, 108 patients with lumbar instability were treated with surgery, including 61 males and 47 females, ranging in age from 26 to 57 years, with an average of 41 years. All the patients were divided into two groups : minimally invasive fusion group and traditional operation group (54 patients in each group). The patients in the minimally invasive fusion group were treated with self-designed TASPS to conduct the fixation fusion through expandable channels by minimally invasive pedicle screw; and the patients in traditional operation group were treated with traditional interbody fixation fusion by pedicle screw. The data were collected and investigated at the 1st week, 3rd month and 1st year postoperatively. The comparative parameters of two groups contained the total operation time, the implanted time, the total amount of bleeding; the VAS score, ODI score and improvement rate at each investigated period; the intervertebral space height of preoperative and postoperative periods; the inefficiency rate of implantation and the fusion rate of postoperative period.

RESULTSAll incisions were healed by first stage without any complications such as dural tear, injury of nerve root or cauda equine, intervertebral space infection. The patients in the minimally invasive fusion group needed longer operative time than that of the traditional operation group, but had less total amount of intraoperative and postoperative bleeding and shorter implanted time of pedicle screw than those of the traditional operation group. The VAS scores of two groups at the 1st week after operation significantly decreased compared with that of the 1st day before the operation, and the difference was of high statistical significance. And the VAS scores of two groups at the 3rd month and 1st year after operation also significantly decreased compared with that of the 1st day before the operation, and the difference was highly statistically significant. By comparing the VAS score and ODI score at the 1st week, 3rd month and 1st year postoperatively, the results showed that the VAS score and ODI score of the minimally invasive fusion group were all lower than those of the traditional operation group, and the differences were of high statistical meaningfulness. After 1 year, the improvement rate of the minimally invasive fusion group was (77.46 +/- 6.34)%, while that of the traditional operation group was (72.73 +/- 4.49)%, and the difference was highly statistically significant (P < 0.01). The intervertebral space heights of two groups remarkably increased. At the 3rd month after operation, the difference of intervertebral space heights of the two groups was of no statistical significance. At the 1st year after operation, intervertebral space heights of the two groups were lost to some extent, but the height of the minimally invasive fusion group was higher than that of the traditional operation group, and the difference was statistically significant. The fusion rates of the two groups after 1 year were 100%.

CONCLUSIONThe fixation fusion through expandable channels by minimally invasive pedicle screw possesses the characteristics of fewer traumas, less intraoperative blood loss, less postoperative pain and rapid recovery. Since its intervertebral fusion rate is similar to the open surgery, it can be viewed as one effective approach for the treatment of lumbar instability diseases. And TASPS is reasonably designed, easy to install and reliably fixed with good reduction effect, which can be applied through expandable channels.

Adult ; Bone Plates ; Bone Screws ; Female ; Humans ; Joint Instability ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Spinal Fusion ; methods

OBJECTIVETo express endotoxin binding peptide and its mutant in E coli DH5alpha and detect the antiendotoxin activity of the purified peptides.

METHODS(1 ) E coli DH5at containing pinpointXa3-EBP and pinpointXa3-mEBP was activated by IPTG to express biotin fusion protein. The fusion proteins were purified, and then digested by factor Xa for isolation of EBP and mEBP. The target peptide was purified with affinity chromatography and reversed-phase HPLC. Sequences of 10 amino acids at N-terminal were used for identification of mEBP. (2) PBMCs were isolated from blood of normal people, and they were stimulated with 5 mg/L FITC-LPS plus 2.0,5. 0 and 12. 5 mg/L EBP or mEBP. Then the mean fluorescent intensity was detected. PBMC was also stimulated with 1 mg/L LPS plus 2.0, 5.0 and 12.5 mg/L EBP or mEBP for 5 hours for the detection of the TNF-alpha and IL-6 level in the supernatant. (3) Thirty-five Kunming mice were randomized into normal control ( n = 5, with intraperitoneal injection of 0. 2 ml isotonic saline) , model group(n = 5, with intraperitoneal injection of LPS and 20% TBSA full-thickness burns), and treatment group (n = 15, with intraperitoneal injection of 5 mg/kg PMB or 10 mg/kg EBP or mEBP after burns). The serum contents of TNF-a and IL-6, and TNF-alpha mRNA level in hepatic tissue in each group were determined 6 hours after treatment.

RESULTS( 1 ) EBP and mEBP were obtained after Xa digestion of biotin fusion protein, with purity reaching above 98% . The sequence of 10 amino acid at N-terminal was in accord with what expected. (2) The fluorescent intensity was decreased followed by an increase in mEBP or EBP concentration. Compared with normal PMBC, IL-6 and TNF-alpha level in the supernatant were obviously lowered in 1 mg/L LPS + 12.5 mg/L EBP group and I mg/L LPS +2. O0 , 5. 0, 12. 5 mg/L mEBP groups ( P < 0.01). (3) The serum level of IL-6 and TNF-ca in the therapeutic groups were obviously lower than that in model group ( P < 0.01 ) , and the levels of these cytokines were significantly lower in 10 mg/kg mEBP group than that in 10 mg/kg EBP group ( P <0. 01) , but they were similar to that in 5 mg/kg PMB treatment group ( P >0.05). (4) Relative optical density of TNF-alpha. mRNA in control, model, 10 mg/kg mEBP, 10 mg/kg EBP and 5 mg/kg PMB groups was 0.25, 0.93, 0.51 , 0.77 and 0.43, respectively.

CONCLUSIONEndotoxin binding peptides can be obtained by procaryon expression. Both EBP and mEBP have anti-LPS activity, but mEBP is more effective.

Animals ; Endotoxins ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Lipopolysaccharides ; metabolism ; Membrane Proteins ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Mutant Proteins ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Peptides ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism