Aim: To compare the stability of Endostar~(TM) and endostatin under different temperatures and pH using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis( PAGE) and Western blot and to compare the activity of Endostar kept at 4 ℃ and 37 ℃ by inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation. Methods: Endostar and endostatin expressed by Phicha pastoris were kept at 4 ℃, and 37 ℃ for 96 hours, respectively. The electrophoresis of the samples was detected by reduced and non-reduced PAGE. The results were further confirmed by Western blot with rabbit anti-Endostar polyclonal antibody. The inhibitory effect of Endostar stored at different temperatures on HUVEC was also exam-ined by cell-based assay. Results: Single band at 20 kD was detected in all lanes of SDS-PAGE gel loaded with endostatin and Endostar samples under reducing condition. In acidic native PAGE with three different pH values, endostatin showed a smear characteristic, whereas Endostar showed a unique band in acidic non-continuous native PAGE. Although the smear phenomenon was also observed under two conditions of constant native elec-trophoresis, the major band of Endostar could be detected. Similar electrophoretic behavior was found for endosta-tin and Endostar stored at both 37 ℃ and 4 ℃ . Western blot showed similar results to those by PAGE. Furthermore, Endostar stored at these two temperatures also had identical inhibitory effect on proliferation of HUVEC. Conclusion: Endostar and endostatin exhibit similar thermostability at regular conditions, but Endostar was more stable than endostatin expressed in P. pastoris under acidic condition.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of the Pim-1 gene in the LNCaP cells of the animal model of orthotopically implanted prostate cancer by surgical castration simulating androgen-deprivation therapy.

METHODSWe equally allocated 32 male BALBc-nu mice into 4 groups, androgen-dependent prostate cancer (ADPC), androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) , castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and blank control, and established the models of orthotopically implanted tumor using human prostate cancer LNCaP cells. We detected and ,compared the expressions of Pim-1, PSA, and androgen receptor (AR) in the tumor tissues of different groups by RT-PCR. qRT-PCR, ELSIA and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe relative gray scales in the ADPC and CRPC groups were 0.59 ± 0.01 and 1.14 ± 0.02, with statistically significant differences from 0.62 ± 0.03 in the ADT group (P < 0.05), and the Δ Ct values of Pim-1 were 6.15 ± 0.34 and 4.56 ± 0.23 in the former two groups, also with significant differences from 5.11 ± 0.21 in the latter (P < 0.05). The results of 2-ΔΔ Ct relative quantification analysis showed that the amplification products of Pim-1 in the ADT and CRPC groups increased 2.05 and 3.01 times respectively that of the ADPC group. The concentration of PSA was significantly higher in the ADPC ([480 ± 25] pg/ml) and CRPC ([870 ± 23] pg/ml) than in the ADT ([170 ± 32] pg/ml) and blank control groups (0 µg/L) (P < 0.01). The mean optical densities of Pim-1 and AR proteins were 0.017 ± 0.002 and 0.032 ± 0.009 in the ADPC group and 0.024 ± 0.002 and 0.040 ± 0.011 in the CRPC group, both with significant differences from those in the ADT group (0.018 ± 0.001 and 0.019 ± 0.006) (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONPim-1 is highly expressed in nude mice with prostate cancer receiving androgen-deprivation therapy and plays an important role in the progression and metastasis of prostate cancer.

Androgen Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Disease Progression ; Gene Expression ; Heterografts ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent ; metabolism ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant ; genetics ; metabolism ; therapy ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-pim-1 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Androgen ; metabolism

On account of the dense cuticles of the fresh stem and the light, hard and pliable texture of the dried stem, Dendrobii Caulis is difficult to dry or pulverize. So, it is very important to the ancient doctors that Dendrobii Caulis should be properly treated and applied to keep or evoke its medicinal effects. The current textual research results about the preliminary processing, processing and usage methods of Dendrobii Caulis showed that: (1) In history the clinical use of fresh or processed Dendrobii Caulis as teas and tinctures were very common. (2) Its roots and rhizomes would be removed before using. (3) Some ancillary approaches were applied to shorten drying times, such as rinsing with boiling mulberry-ash soup, washing or soaking with liquor, mixing with rice pulp and then basking, etc. (4) According to the ancients knowledge, the sufficient pulverization, by means of slicing, rasping, hitting or pestling techniques, was necessary for Dendrobii Caulis to take its effects. (5) The heat processing methods for Dendrobii Caulis included stir-baking, stir-frying, steaming, decocting and stewing techniques, usually with liquor as an auxiliary material. Among above mentioned, steaming by pretreating with liquor was most commonly used, and this scheme was colorfully drawn in Bu Yi Lei Gong Pao Zhi Bian Lan (Ming Dynasty, 1591 CE) ; moreover, decocting in advance or long-time simmering so as to prepare paste products were recommended in the Qing Dynasty. (6) Some different processing programs involving stir-baking with grit, air-tightly baking with ondol (Kangs), fumigating with sulfur, which appeared in modern times and brought attractive outward appearance of the drug, went against ancients original intentions of ensuring drug efficacy.
Dendrobium ; History, Ancient ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; history ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; history

Spleen kidney Yang deficiency (SKYD) diarrhea is a common syndrome in tranditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Until now, there is not an ideal SKYD diarrhea rat model for the research. In this study, we compared single factor way (method I, injecting hydrocortisone and gavaging Sennae Folium) with compound factors way(method II, gavaging adenine, improper diet, exhaustion, and gavaging Sennae Folium) on establishing SKYD diarrhea rat model. After modelling, diarrhea index, D-xylose excretory rate, NOS/cGMP signal transduction system, organ index and histopathology examination were used to evaluate the two ways. The results showed that, compared with health group, all the assessment criterias of method I and method II had significant differences (P < 0.01, 0.05). In addition, the index such as diarrhea index, NOS/cGMP signal transduction system, organ index (kidney, testis and thymus) and histopathology examination had significant differences (P < 0.01, 0.05) between method I and method II. In conclusion, the compound factors modelling method better conforms to the symptom of diarrhoea model caused by SKYD. This new modelling method provides a basis for studying on TCM astringents warming and tonifying the spleen and kidney, relieving diarrhea.
Animals ; Diarrhea ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Humans ; Kidney ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spleen ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Xylose ; metabolism ; Yang Deficiency ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology

The metabonomics method was used to study the intervention effect of Psoraleae Fructus and Myristicae Semen in "Ershen pill" on the changes in serum endogenous metabolites in spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea rats before and after processing, screen out differentiated metabolites related to spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea and explore the metabolic patterns related to spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea and the processing synergy mechanism of Psoraleae Fructus and Myristicae Semen in "Ershen pill". Efforts were made to detect SOD and MDA of each group, test rat serum metabolic fingerprints in different stages by using GC-MS, analyze by PCA and PLS-DA methods and screen out potential biomarks through VIP and t test. The results revealed that "Ershen pill" could enhance the level of SOD and decrease the level of MDA and identified 10 differentiated metabolites related to spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea. Compared with the model group, all of metabolites recovered to varying levels after being intervened with "Ershen pill", with the best effect shown in the "Ershen pill" IV group (salt-processed Psoraleae Fructus + bran-roasted Myristicae Semen). It is speculated that that Psoraleae Fructus and Semen Myristicae in "Ershen pill" show a synergistic effect by inhibiting peroxide, improving aglucolipid, amino acids and energy metabolism, with multiple target sites.
Animals ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Diarrhea ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; Humans ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Metabolomics ; Myristicaceae ; chemistry ; Psoralea ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spleen ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Yang Deficiency ; drug therapy ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect and mechanism of hirudin on atherosclerotic plaques in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE(-/-)) mice.

METHODSTotally 24 ApoE(-/-) mice, 7-8 weeks old were fed with high fat diets. They were randomly divided into the recombinant hirudin treatment group (drug group) and the model group according to body weight and different dens, 12 in each group. Twelve C57BL/6J mice, 7-8 weeks old fed with high fat diet were recruited as the normal control group. Recombinant hirudin (0.25 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected to mice in the drug group from the 10th week old once every other day for five successive weeks. Equal volume of normal saline was injected to mice in the model group. Mice in the normal control group received no treatment. All mice were sacrificed after fed with high fat diet until they were 20 weeks old. Serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), E-selectin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and stromal metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were detected. The plaque/lumen area and extracellular lipid composition/ plaque area were analyzed by HE staining and morphometry. Changes of signaling molecules in store-operated calcium channels, including stromal interacting molecule 1 (STIM1), Orail protein, and transient receptor potential channel 1 (TRPC1) were determined by Western blot. Results Lipid plaque formed in the aorta vessel wall of 20-week old mice in the model group. Compared with the normal control group, serum levels of TC, TG and LDL increased (P<0.01), hs-CRP, E-selction, IL-6, and MMP-2 obviously increased (P<0.01, P<0.05) in the model group; expression levels of STIM1, TRPC1, and Orail significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the plaque/lumen area and the extracellular lipid composition/plaque area significantly decreased in the drug group (P<0.05, P<0.01); serum levels of TC and LDL, hs-CRP, E-selction, IL-6, and MMP-2 obviously decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01); expression levels of STIM1, TRPC1, and Orail were significantly down-regulated (P<0.05, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONHirudin could significantly improve lipids and endothelial functions of ApoE(-/-) mice, down-regulate expression levels of STIM1, Orai1, and TRPC1, and thus delaying the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis.

Animals ; Aorta ; Apolipoproteins E ; metabolism ; Atherosclerosis ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cholesterol ; Diet, High-Fat ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; E-Selectin ; Hirudins ; metabolism ; Interleukin-6 ; Lipids ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; metabolism ; Triglycerides

Calcinosis ; complications ; Decalcification Technique ; Humans ; Meningeal Neoplasms ; complications ; Meningioma ; complications ; Specimen Handling ; methods ; Ultrasonics

Objective To evaluate the safety of coronary intervention using iodixanol in patients with diabetic renal insufficiency.Methods Clinical data of 97 patients with diabetic renal insufficiency undergoing coronary intervention during June 2004 to June 2006 were retrospectively analyzed,50 of them with iodixanol,an iso-osmolar contrast medium (iodixanol group),and 47 with iopromide,a hypotanic contrast medium (iopromide group).Judkin's coronary angiography showed 167 diseased vessels in the patients,65 in anterior descending branches,44 in circumflex branches,and 58 in right coronary arteries. Levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were determined before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI),on the day of the procedure,the 3rd and 7th days after PCI,respectively,as well as radiocontrast media-induced nephropathy (CIN) was observed.Results Totally,192 drug-eluting stents were successfully implanted in 167 diseased vessels,and all patients' angina pectoris symptom disappeared soon after the procedure,with a full success.No acute or subacute stent thrombosis and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) occurred.Two patients (4%) in iodixanol group and 10 (21%) in iopromide group got CIN,with a statistical significance (P

Total RNA was extracted from leaf of Suaeda hetroptera kitag, then the CMO ( choline monooxygenase) cDNA was amplified using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction ( RT-PCR) method and cloned into pMD-T-simple vector. The positive clones from the Blue/White Screen were sequenced. After confirming its validity, the CMO gene fragment was cloned into pBI121 vector. Double enzyme restriction and PCR analysis indicated that the pBI121/CMO recombinant plasmid was successfully constructed.

Background:Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is associated with high neonatal morbidity and mortality.However,the influences of cesarean section (CS) on neonatal outcomes in preterm pregnancies complicated with PPROM are not well elucidated.The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of delivery modes on neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with PPROM.Methods:A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in 39 public hospitals in 14 cities in the mainland of China from January 1st,2011 to December 31st,2011.A total of 2756 singleton pregnancies complicated with PPROM were included.Adverse neonatal outcomes including early neonatal death,birth asphyxia,respiratory distress syndrome (RDS),pneumonia,infection,birth trauma,and 5-min/10-min Apgar scores were obtained from the hospital records.Binary variables and ordinal variables were respectively calculated by binary logistic regressions and ordinal regression.Numerical variables were compared by multiple linear regressions.Results:In total,2756 newborns were involved in the analysis.Among them,1166 newborns (42.31％) were delivered by CS and 1590 newborns belonged to vaginal delivery (VD) group.The CS proportion of PPROM obviously increased with the increase of gestational age (X2 =5.014,P =0.025).Compared with CS group,VD was associated with a higher risk of total newborns mortality (odds ratio [OR],2.38;95％ confidence interval [CI],1.102-5.118;P =0.027),and a lower level of pneumonia (OR,0.32;95％ CI,0.126--0.811;P =0.016).However,after multivariable adjustment and stratification for gestational age,only pneumonia was significantly related with CS in 28 to 34 weeks group (OR,0.34;95％ CI,0.120-0.940;P =0.038).There were no differences regarding to other adverse outcomes in the two groups,including neonatal mortality,birth asphyxia,Apgar scores,RDS,pneumonia,and sepsis.Condusions:The proportion of CS of pregnant women with PPROM was very high in China.The mode of delivery does not affect neonatal outcomes of pregnancies complicated with PPROM.