OBJECTIVEThe study investigated the epidemiology of Filifactor alocis (F. alocis) in subgingival plaque samples from subjects with different periodontal statuses. The relationship between the prevalence of F. alocis and clinical periodontal parameters was also analyzed.

METHODSSubgingival plaque samples and periodontal data were collected from 68 healthy sites (H groups) in 17 healthy subjects, 64 healthy (G-H group) and 76 diseased sites (G-D group) in 19 patients with chronic gingivitis, and 36 healthy (P-H group) and 56 diseased sites (P-D group) in 14 patients with chronic periodontitis. The plaque samples were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, and possible correlations between the F. alocis detection rate and the bleeding index, probing depth, or clinical attachment level were determined.

RESULTSThe detection levels of F. alocis increased in both healthy and diseased groups. The lowest level at 30.88% (21/68) was noted in the H group, whereas the highest level at 91.07% (51/56) was obtained from the P-D group. A significant correlation was found between the F. alocis detection levels and periodontal disease condition (P < 0.000 1). Further analyses showed that a significant correlation also existed between the detection level of F. alocis and the abnormal clinical periodontal parameters, namely, bleeding index, probing depth, and clinical attachment loss. The odds ratios were 5.26, 8.85, and 11.65, respectively.

CONCLUSIONF. alocis was found at increased-levels in subjects with periodontal disease. The presence of F. alocis increases the risk of sites with abnormal clinical periodontal parameters.

Dental Plaque ; Gingivitis ; Humans ; Periodontal Diseases ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

Objective To study an effective pathway in preventing the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma(H.C.C) and improve the long-term curative effects.Methods 103 resectable cases of H.C.C were randomly divided into treatment group,hepatectomy plus hepatoarteria-and portal chemotherapeutics embalizations with subcutaneous pump(HACE and PVCE) group and control group(Only hepatectomy).Based on changes of ?-fetoprotein(AFP) for pre-and post operation and results of"B" ultrasound and CT,hepatic artery portography,the difference of 1,3,5-year recurrence rates and survival rates between the two groups were compared.Results ⑴The recurrence rates of treatment group and control group for 1,3,5-year were 13.5%,46.2%,67.3% and 19.6%,60.8%,86.2% respectively,there was an obviously difference (P

Radiotherapy is the primary treatment modality for nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) which can effectively control the disease.Oral cavity,anatomically near nasopharyngeal region is the main area for the occurrence of complication of radiotherapy.Second primary malignancy (SPM) in oral cavity is an important factor interferencing NPC patients survival rate.The etiology of oral SPM is unclear and,the prognosis is poor.The research of it is still in exploration.

Objective To investigate the correlation of plasma heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) level and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods The outpatient with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) undergoing oral glucose tolerance test and healthy individuals with physical examination were divided into T2DM group and healthy control group, the differences between the two groups in HO-1 and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA), mean fluorescence intensity (MFI), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were comparatively analysed , and analyzed the correlations between HO-1 and reactive oxygen species (ROS) MFI, MDA, HOMA-IR and FBG. Results The type 2 diabetes group in MDA and MFI, the expression rate of HO-1 were higher than those of control group (P<0.05), correlation analysis of expression of HO-1 was positively correlated with MFI, MDA (r=0.489, 0.763, P<0.05) in the T2DM group, HO-1, HOMA-IR and FBG were significantly higher than the healthy control group, the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). The expression of HO-1 and HOMA-IR and FPG levels were positively correlated in the T2DM group (r=0.271, 0.426, P <0.05). Conclusion T2DM patients with hyperglycemia and oxidative stress, plasma HO-1 expression is significantly increased, HO-1 is related to oxidative stress, insulin resistance and hyperglycaemia, which has certain value on clinical assessment of T2DM and therapeutic efficacy.

Animals ; Astragalus Plant ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; drug therapy ; Rheum ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; chemistry

OBJECTIVEThis study measures the glutaredoxin (Grx) gene and protein expression in umbilical vein endothelial cells upon exposure to Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The involvement of the Akt-signaling pathway is also determined.

METHODSEA-hy926 cells were pretreated with 1,000 ng · mL⁻¹ P. gingivalis LPS for 4, 12, 18, and 24 h, and then real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was employed to detect Grx1 expression. The effect of Grx on Akt activity was investigated using Western blot for the control, LPS (1,000 ng · mL⁻¹ LPS), and carmus- tine (BCNU) groups (1,000 ng · mL⁻¹ LPS, and the EA-hy926 cells were pretreated with 25 μmol · ml⁻¹ BCNU for 30 min).

RESULTSGene expression of Grx1 significantly increased in LPS group compared with that in the control group. The Grx1 expression reached the peak level in 12 h, and the variation between the expression in 4 and 12 h was significant (P < 0.05). After 12 h, the protein levels of Grx and phosphorylated-Akt (p-Akt) significantly increased in the LPS group (P < 0.05), whereas the BCNU group showed a considerable decrease in both Grx and p-Akt expression levels (P < 0.05). Moreover, a slight difference was observed in the total Akt protein levels in the three groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONGrx expression increased upon exposure of EA-hy926 cells to the LPS. Akt activity could be inhibited by BCNU (a Grx inhibitor), which indicated that Akt might act as a downstream regulator of Grx.

Endothelial Cells ; Glutaredoxins ; genetics ; Humans ; Lipopolysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Phosphorylation ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; pathogenicity ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; drug effects ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Umbilical Veins

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus demonstrated to be associated with human disease. Infection by the HTLV-1 can cause T-cell leukemia (ATL) in adults. HTLV-1 bZIP factor (HBZ) is a viral protein encoded by the minus strand of the HTLV-1 provirus. Among the regulatory and accessory genes of HTLV-1, HBZ is the only gene that remains intact and which is expressed consistently in all patients with ATL. Moreover, HBZ has a critical role in the leukemogenesis of ATL. Here, we review the function of HBZ in the oncogenesis of HTLV-1 and its molecular mechanism of action.
Animals ; Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Carcinogenesis ; HTLV-I Infections ; pathology ; virology ; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Leukemia, T-Cell ; pathology ; virology ; Retroviridae Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the effect of Ganoderma lucidum on drug resistance of the cisplantin-resistant ovarian cancer cell line(A2780CP).Methods The A2780CP cells were randomly divided into control group and test group.The cells in control group and test group were incubated in culture media alone and in culture media containing Ganoderma lucidum 0.5 mg/ml for 48 h respectively.The resistance index(RI) of A2780CP was determined by WST-1 assay.The expression of Akt,Bcl-2 and p53 protein was measured by Western blot.Results The RI was significantly deeressed,the expression of Akt and Bcl-2 protein was down-regulated,while p53 protein expression was up-regulated in test group as compared with control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Ganoderma lueidum can reduce the resistance of A2780 CP cells to cisplantin by down-regulating the expression of Akt and Bcl-2 and up-regulating p53 expression in A2780CP cells.

Objective To study the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS) of the supplementary motor area(SMA)on the cortical excitability in patients with Parkinson's disease(PD).Methods Sixteen patients with PD were included in this study.The motor evoked potentials(MEP)and the N30 component of somatosensory evoked potentials(SEP) were assessed for each patient before and after 1200 pulses of rTMS of the SMA at 5 Hz and an intensity of 100% of relaxed motor threshold (RMT) for the abductor pollicis brevis.Results Ten minutes after the rTMS intervention,the peak-to-peak amplitude of the SEP component P20-N30 increased significantly(P<0.05),with the P/F index decreased simultaneously(P<0.05).The MEP amplitude increased significantly,and reached the highest value at 10min after the rTMS intervention. Conclusion 5 Hz rTMS of the SMA can improve the excitability of the SMA itself temporarily.Meanwhile,it can induce a short-lasting facilitation of the excitability of M1 connected with SMA.

Objective To evaluate the effects of acitretin combined with clarithromycin on tumor growth in human oral epidermoid carcinoma xenografts in nude mice,and to investigate their antitumor mechanisms.Methods A cell line of human oral epidermoid carcinoma was subcutaneously inoculated into 31 Balb/c nude mice to establish a xenograft model of human skin tumor.Then,the nude mice were randomly classified into 6 groups according to a double blind protocol:control group (n =6) remaining untreated,placebo group (n =5) treated with wheat flour,acitretin group (n =5) treated with acitretin 7.2 mg/kg per day,clarithromycin group (n =5) treated with clarithromycin 100 mg/kg per day,acitretin + placebo group (n =5) treated with both acitretin (7.2 mg/kg per day) and wheat flour,and acitretin + clarithromycin group (n =5) treated with acitretin (7.2 mg/kg per day) and clarithromycin 100 mg/kg per day.All the drugs were intragastrically administrated once daily.After three weeks of treatment,mice were sacrificed and xenografts were removed.Then,the size and weight of xenografts were measured,and pathological analysis was conducted.Real time-PCR was performed to quantify the mRNA expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB,and immunohistochemistry was carried out to observe the expression of VEGF as well as to determine microvessel density (MVD) and Ki-67 proliferation index.By using the software SPSS 19.0,analysis of variance was performed for comparison of measurement data,and least significant difference (LSD) test for paired comparisons.Results Both the size and weight of xenografts in the acitretin + clarithromycin group were significantly lower than those in the other groups (all P ＜ 0.05).Real-time fluorescence-based PCR revealed weaker mRNA expressions of VEGF and NF-κB in the acitretin + clarithromycin group compared with the control group,clarithromycin group and acitretin group (all P ＜ 0.05).As immunohistochemistry showed,the acitretin + clarithromycin group displayed a decrease in the expression rate (all P ＜ 0.01) and staining intensity of VEGF,MVD (all P ＜ 0.01) with a sparse distribution of microvessels,Ki-67 proliferation index (all P ＜ 0.05) and proliferative activity of tumor cells compared with the control group,clarithromycin group and acitretin group.Conclusion Acitretin combined with clarithromycin can synergistically inhibit the growth of human oral epidermoid carcinoma xenografts in nude mice,downregulate VEGF expression,and suppress angiogenesis and tumor proliferation.