Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation,histone post-translational modifications,non-coding RNA are reversible,heritable alterations which are induced by environmental stimuli.Major risk factors of diabetes and diabetic complications including hyperglycemia,oxidative stress and advanced glycation end products,can lead to abnormal epigenetic modifications in retinal vascular endothelial cells and retinal pigment epithelium cells.Epigenetic mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of macular edema and neovascularization of diabetic retinopathy (DR),as well as diabetic metabolic memory.The heritable nature of epigenetic marks also plays a key role in familial diabetes mellitus.Further elucidation of epigenetic mechanisms in DR can open the way for the discovery of novel therapeutic targets to prevent DR progression.

Objective To investigate the impact of alterations within the space of Disse micro- environment on the migration of hepatic stellate cells(HSC) during the process of liver fibrosis,and to ex plore the novel mechanism of liver fibrosis from the view of cell migration.Methods A modified in vitro Boyden chamber system to partially mimic in vivo microenvironment of Disse space of normal and liver fibrosis was employed.The effects of fibrogenetic growth factors on the migration of HSC in liver fibrosis were observed via cell migration and cell proliferation experiments.Results Enhanced platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF)-BB,transforming growth factor(TGF)-?1 and/or epithelial growth factor(EGF) in liver fibrosis resulted in an increase in migratory capacity of activated HSC.The enhanced migration of HSCs induced by PDGF-BB was partially associated with their increased proliferation,while,TGF-?1 or EGF-induced migration was proliferation independent.The elevation of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)during liver fibrosis had no effect on the migration of HSCs.Conclusions The study provides valuable insights into the role of space of Disse microenvironment in regulating HSC migratory behavior.TGF-?1,PDGF-BB and EGF,which increased in liver fibrosis, could induce the migration of activated HSC.However,bFGF or VEGF has no such kind of effect,al- though they also increased during liver fibrosis.

Objective To evaluated the effect of hyperbaric oxygenation therapy(HBO)on the RhoA ex- pression and nerve function after transient focal cerebral ischemia in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. Methods One hundred and twenty-six healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were used and randomly divided into a sham op- eration group(shame group,n=42),a treatment group(n=42),and a control group(n=42).The animal model of middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)was established by using the Zea-Longa method with the animals in the treatment and the control groups,and sham operation was performed with those in the sham group.HBO was applied to the animals in the treatment group.The RhoA protein expression was observed by using immunohistochemistry technique,and the neurological function was evaluated by Bederson's scale at different time points after MCAO.Re- sults(1)Weakly positive expression of RhoA could be located in bilateral cortex and the basal ganglia in the sham group.The expression of RhoA in the treatment group and control group was increased as early as 6 hours after MCAO when compared with that of the sham group,and peaked at 48 h after MCAO and decreased after then,but was still higher than that of the shame group at 7th day to 14th day after MCAO.It was also found that the expression of RhoA of the treatment group was significantly lower than that of the control group(P

Objective To investigate the effect of a novel isoflavone compound(F11) on the plasma lipid and cholesterol of the ovarectomied rat.Methods Female SD rats at age of 3 months old were randomly divided into 6 groups,that is,sham operation group(Sham),normal saline group(2 ml/d),estradiol group(E2,50 ?g?kg-1?d-1),and 3 F11 groups(15,50,150 mg?kg-1?d-1).Besides the Sham group,the ovary of the rats from other groups were resected,and received the injection as above mentioned.All rats were killed 10 weeks later,and their plasma lipid,total cholesterol,LDL,HDL,and body weight and uterine weight were measured.Results The plasma lipid,total cholesterol,LDL,HDL were significantly different in normal saline group and 4 treatment group(P

Objective To study the biological effects of four isoflavone derivatives(F8,F11,ZF3 and ZF7)on endometrial epithelial cells.Methods The endometrial epithelial cells were cultured through collagenase enzymatic digestion and twice grit filtration.The biological effects on endometrial epithelial cells of four isoflavone derivatives were compared through MTT.Results The primary endometrial epithelial cells were successfully disassociated,cultured and passaged down stably.Cell proliferation was significantly increased by F8(25 mol/L)(P

Objective To assess the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic uterine artery blockage for the treatment of adenomyosis. Methods Laparoscopic uterine artery blockage was performed in 38 patients with adenomyosis. Enucleation and excision or vaporization of endometriosis were performed at the same time in patients with chocolate cyst of ovary and endometriosis. Lysis of adhesion and presacral neurectomy were performed in some patients. Symptoms and uterine volumes of all patients were investigated after the treatment. Results Relieved clinical symptoms were found in all 38 patients. Menorrhagia was reduced to (56?16)%. Complete disappearance of dysmenorrhea was found in 17 patients (44.7%), significantly alleviated in 14 patients (36.8%), partially alleviated in 6 patients (15.8%), but ineffectiveness in 1 patient (2.6%). Pain score and classification were decreased significantly (P

Objective To study the differential expressions of labour-associated genes,including interleukin-8 (IL-8),oxytocin receptor (OTR) and prostaglandin H synthase type-2 (PGHS-2)) between preterm labour and term labour myometrium and their clinical significance.Methods Seventeen cases of preterm labour (PTL) and 31 cases of preterm no labour (PTNL) of pregnant women were selected as study group,while 6 cases of term labour (TL) and 6 cases term no labour (TNL) of pregnant women were chosen as control.Lower myometrial tissue biopsies were collected to detect the expressions of IL-8,OTR and PGHS-2 by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) as well as Western blot analysis.The expression data were then statistically analyzed in combination with clinical data.Results In the lower myometrial tissues,the mRNA levels of IL-8 and PGHS-2 were significantly lower in PTL group than in TL samples (P0.05),but the PGHS-2 mRNA level was significantly higher in TL group than in TNL group (P0.05).Correlation analysis suggested that the mRNA level of IL-8 was significantly correlated with gestational age in PTNL group (r=0.294,P=0.042).Multiple linear regression analysis showed a mutual control effect of the expressions of IL-8,OTR and PGHS-2 in preterm but not in term labour group.Conclusion Our results show that there are significant differences of the expression of labour-associated genes in lower myometrum between preterm labour and term labour,which might becorrelated with the progression of preterm labour.

Objective To investigate the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), dexamethasone (DEX), and S adenomethionine (SAMe) on the pregnant rats with intrahepatic cholestasis induced by ethinylestradiol (EE). Methods A total of 50 15 day pregnant Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: control group, EE group, UDCA group, DEX group, and SAMe group. In EE group, rats were subcutaneously injected with EE (2.5 mg?kg -1 ?d -1 ) for 5 d. In the control group, rats received subcutaneous injection of appropriate volume of propylene glycol (PG) for 5 d. In UDCA, SAMe, and DEX groups, rats were administered with the same dose of EE plus UDCA (100 mg?kg -1 ?d -1 ), SAMe (100 mg?kg -1 ?d -1 ), and DEX (1 mg?kg -1 ?d -1 ) for 5 d, respectively. The serum levels of aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatases (ALP), glycocholic acid (GC), and total bilirubin were measured after cesarean. Morphologic changes of the liver of pregnant rats and the growth and development of the fetal rats were observed. Results The serum levels of ALT, ALP, GC in rats of UDCA group were decreased significantly as compared with those in DEX group ( P

Objetcive To analyze the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)features in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) of different size and to discuss the diagnostic value of CEUS in CCRCCs. Methods The contrast-enhanced and conventional US features of 80 CCRCCs confirmed pathologically were retrospectively analyzed. Samples were divided into three groups by diameters: small CCRCCs (≤30 mm), medium CCRCCs(＞30 mm) and large CCRCCs(＞50 mm). The tumoral vascularity, lesion homogeneity and presence of an anechoic rim were observed on conventional US. The enhancement of echogenicity, homogeneity and pseudocapsule were evaluated on CEUS. Results Among the 80 renal masses, 32 were small CCRCCs, 28 were medium CCRCCs while the large CCRCCs were 20. On conventional US, 18.8%(6/32) of small CCRCCs, 71.4%(20/28) of medium CCRCCs and 95%(19/20) of large CCRCCs demonstrated as heterogeneous and the differences were highly statistically significant, whereas there were no differences in the tumoral vascularity and the presence of pseudocapsule sign among the three groups. On CEUS, 28.1%(9/32) of small CCRCCs, 85.7%(24/28) of medium CCRCCs and 100%(20/20) of large CCRCCs showed a homogeneous enhancement. The incidence of pseudocapsule sign in medium tumors was higher than small and large groups(71.4%,50% and 25%,respectively). There were statistically significant differences among the three groups in the enhanced homogeneity and the presence of pseudocapsule sign. However, all the three groups revealed mainly isoechoic and hyperechoic and there were no differences among them. Compared with conventional US, CEUS depicted significantly the increased tumoral vascularity (51.3% vs. 87.5%) and pseudocapsule sign(22.5% vs. 51.3%). Eight lesions demonstrated heterogeneous contrast enhancement on CEUS while homogeneous on conventional US, but there were no differences in lesion homogeneity between conventional US and CEUS findings. Conclusions Different sizes of CCRCC showed distinct CEUS features in the enhanced homogeneity and the presence of pseudocapsule sign. CEUS is more effective on improving the sonographic characteristics of tumoral visualization and may provide important information of US findings for the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma.

Objective To investigate the relationship between IgG antibody titer in pregnant women with maternal-fetal ABO blood incompatibility and hemolytic disease of fetuses and newborns.Methods From January 31 2009 to January 31 2010,1269 singleton pregnant women who were suspected to have maternal fetal ABO blood incompatibility in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,Southwest Hospital,Third Military University were collected.Anti-A or anti-B IgG titers of them were detected at 28-30 gestational age,and umbilical cord blood were taken when delivery and hemolytic disease of the newborn serological test were done to diagnose hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN).The relationship between the titers and incidence of fetal or neonatal hemolytic disease was retrospectively analyzed by Kendall tau rank correlation.Results No IgG of anti-A or anti-B in serum were found in 58.4％ (741/1269) pregnant women,while the antibody titer of 5.1％ (65/1269) pregnant women were more than or equal to 1 ∶ 128.When they were tested again at 36 gestational week,the titer of 17 cases increased twice but lower than 1 ∶ 512.No signs of intrauterine hemolysis,such as edema,ascites and pleural effusion,were found.Three hundred and eighty neonates (29.9％,380/1269) were diagnosed as HDN.Among which,12 cases (3.2％,12/380) showed mild anemia and (or) jaundice within 24 hours after delivery.There was positive correlation between incidence of neonatal hemolysis and antibody titer(Tb=-0.293,P＜0.01).The incidence of HDN increased from 85.4％ (35/41) in women with antibody titer of 1 ∶ 128 to 5/5 inwomen with antibody titer at 1 ∶ 512 (x2=108.906,P＜0.01).Among 380 HDN neonates,322 cases were transferred to neonatal intensive care unit for phototherapy based comprehensive therapy,and two underwent exchange transfusion.All patients were cured.Conclusions The intrauterine hemolysis incidence of patients with suspected maternal-fetal ABO blood incompatibility is very low,and no special care is required during pregnancy.Anti-A or anti-B tests during pregnancy is helpful in early diagnosis and management of HDN.