BACKGROUND: Nano-hydroxyapatite has been widely used as reconstructive and prosthetic material for osseous tissue, owing to its excellent biocompatibility and bioactivity. But, its brittleness is one of the most serious obstacles for its wider applications as load-bearing implants. Therefore, hydroxyapatite/chitosan composites have been widely studied as bone substitute, due to their excellent biocompatibUity and suitable mechanical properties.OBJECTIVE: To review various preparation methods of hydroxya patite/chitosan composites and the development trend in this field.METHODS: Articles were searched in Medline Database (1995-01/2009-03), VIP Database (1995-01/2009-03) and "qinghuatongfang" Database (1995-01/2009-03) with the keywords of "nano-hydroxyapatite, chitosan, preparation, development trend".RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Total 2 034 related articles were collected, including 1 634 in Chinese and 670 in English. Following excluding earilier published, duplicate, and similar studies, we brought into 37 sub-standard literatures. Hydroxyapatite/chitosan composite in nanometer size, with similar structure as natural bone, has better biological function compared with corresponding micrometer composite. Simultaneously, optimized material composition, structure and technology will obtain more suitable bone substitute in mechanical property compared with natural bone. This paper reviews preparation methods at home and abroad in recent years, with the rapid development of biological materials, hydroxyapatite compositematerials have been wisely used in bone tissue repair and replacement surgery, but its poor mechanical properties limits its clinical application.

Phaffia rhodozyma is a good strain for astaxanthin production. An over-producing mutant YB-20-29 was obtained by means of Cs137-?ray and N-methy1-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidin (NTG) treatment. The biomass for this strain by shake culture was 36.32 g/L, the pigment content was 1216.0 ?g/g, an increase of 308% compare to o-riginal strain. The astaxanthin content in broth was 30.9?g /mL. It was a potential strain for astaxanthin over-production.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects and mechanisms of high glucose on the phenotype transformation of rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

METHODSVSMCs ere isolated from rat thoracic aorta and the 3rd-5th VSMCs were incubated with normal glucose (5.5 mmol/L), high glucose (25 mmol/L), or high glucose (25 mmol/L) + P38 inhibitor (25 mmol/L +SB203580) for another 24 hours. Then the gene expression of osteopontin (OPN), alpha smooth-actin (alpha-SMA), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) were assayed by real time RT-PCR, the protein expression of P38 were assayed by Western blot.

RESULTS(1) High glucose promoted the phenotype transformation of VSMCs and up-regulated the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9. (2) High glucose promoted the phosphorylation of P38. (3) SB203580, the inhibitor of P38/MAPK signal pathway, inhibited the effects of high glucose on phenotype transformation and expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9.

CONCLUSIONHigh glucose may promote phenotype transformation of VSMCs via the signal pathway of P38/MAPK.

Actins ; metabolism ; Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic ; cytology ; Blotting, Western ; Cells, Cultured ; Glucose ; pharmacology ; Imidazoles ; pharmacology ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; cytology ; drug effects ; Osteopontin ; metabolism ; Phenotype ; Pyridines ; pharmacology ; Rats ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

Adult ; Amphotericin B ; therapeutic use ; Cryptococcosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiography, Thoracic

Objective:It has been proposed that blood pressure variability(BPV) is positively related to end-organ damage(EOD) in hypertension.The present work was designed to observe the effects of long-term treatment with nitrendipine and hydralazine on BPV and EOD in spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR),to examine the hypothesis that lowering BPV with an antihypertensive drug is an important factor in organ protection.Design and methods:Drugs were mixed in rat chow.After 4 months of drug administration,blood pressure was recorded continuously in conscious freely moving rats for 24 h.The heart,kidneys,and brain were then isolated and examined.Results:It was found that nitrendipine significantly decreased blood pressure and BPV,and significantly decreased EOD score in SHR.Hydralazine decreased blood pressure,but did not lower BPV.No effect on EOD was found in hydralazine-treated rats.In control rat(n=38),EOD score was weakly related to systolic blood pressure(r=0.331,P<0.05) and closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.551,P<0.01).In nitrendipine-treated rats,EOD score was closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.602,P<0.01),but not to blood pressure level(r=0.174,P>0.05).Conclusion:BPV plays an important role in the organ-protecting effects of nitrendipine.

Objective:It has been proposed that blood pressure variability(BPV) is positively related to end-organ damage(EOD) in hypertension.The present work was designed to observe the effects of long-term treatment with nitrendipine and hydralazine on BPV and EOD in spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR),to examine the hypothesis that lowering BPV with an antihypertensive drug is an important factor in organ protection.Design and methods:Drugs were mixed in rat chow.After 4 months of drug administration,blood pressure was recorded continuously in conscious freely moving rats for 24 h.The heart,kidneys,and brain were then isolated and examined.Results:It was found that nitrendipine significantly decreased blood pressure and BPV,and significantly decreased EOD score in SHR.Hydralazine decreased blood pressure,but did not lower BPV.No effect on EOD was found in hydralazine-treated rats.In control rat(n=38),EOD score was weakly related to systolic blood pressure(r=0.331,P<0.05) and closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.551,P<0.01).In nitrendipine-treated rats,EOD score was closely related to long-term systolic BPV(r=0.602,P<0.01),but not to blood pressure level(r=0.174,P>0.05).Conclusion:BPV plays an important role in the organ-protecting effects of nitrendipine.

Optimization of the fermentation condition for human apolipoproteinA-I expression in recombinant Escherichia coli was investigated. The recombinant plasmid pBV220-ApoA-I was transformed respectively into different E.coli hosts such as JM109, BL21(DE3),DH5?, BMH7118,and TG1. The best host E.coli was DH5? in which the recombinant ApoA-I expression percentage was 21.2% corresponding to that in BL21(DE3) in flask shaker cultivation,while the ApoA-I expressed percentage in E.coli TG1 was 11%.Fed-batch cultivation was performed in FMG-5L fermentor,the optimum fermentation cultivation conditions were as following :optimum pH value was 7.0 in growth phase and 7.4 in the expression phase. The initial glucose concentration in batch phase was 3 g?L -1.The optimum C/N ratio was 2∶1.The recombinant ApoA-I reached about 40% of the total protein, and concentration of ApoA-I was 2.86 g?L -1.

The temperature effect on the recombinant protein production formation was investigated in present study. The culture temperature of growth phase is 30℃, and the culture temperature of induction phase was arranged according to three modes. Hign cell-density and high expression culture of E.coli to product recombinant human apolipoprotein A-I Milano by two temperature-shifted induction . Two temperature-shifted induction was carried out high density and high expression recombinant human ApoA-1 Milano. The recombinant protein ApoA-I Milano reached 4.8 g?L -1 with the final cell density of OD 600 150. And the two temperature-shifted induction avoided the acetic acid successfully to the influence of the high density and high expression. Two temperature-shifted induction was viable in high density culture and high expression of heterogenous protein in recombination E.coli.The sduty provides a basic work for production of recombinant ApoA-I Milano in scale.

This article reported the clinical characteristics and SRD5A2 gene mutation pattern of a child with steroid 5-α reductase type 2 deficiency. The 2-month-old boy showed hypospadias and short penis shortly after birth. DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of the child and his parents. The endocrine disease-related genes were captured and sequenced by high-throughput sequencing technology, and the family DNA samples were verified by Sanger sequencing. The results showed that c.680G>A(p.R227Q) and c.608G>A(p.G203D) compound heterozygous mutations existed in the SRD5A2 gene of the child. The c.680G>A mutation inherited from his father, which was a known pathogenic mutation. The c.608G>A mutation originated from his mother, which was a novel mutation discovered in this study. These results provide molecular evidence for the etiological diagnosis of the child and genetic counseling for the family, as well as extend the mutation spectrum of SRD5A2 gene.
3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase ; genetics ; Base Sequence ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Hypospadias ; Infant ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Mutation

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) and related mechanism in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) mice.

METHODSTwenty nude mice were randomly divided into control (group A) and test (group B) groups for monitoring relapse, and 20 BALB/c mice into control (group C) and test (group D) groups for GVHD. HGF as injected from day 0 to day 7 after BMT for groups B and D, while PBS for A and C. CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell were evaluated by flow cytometry. The survival of mice after BMT was recorded. The level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was evaluated by ELISA.

RESULTSThe median past-BMT survival were 7.00 +/- 1.58, 9.00 +/- 1.58, 11.00 +/- 3.95 and 24.00 +/- 13.44 days for groups A, B, C, D, respectively, being prolonged in group D. HGF could decrease the quantity of CD4(+) T cells [group D (10.39 +/- 1.15)% vs group C (13.50 +/- 1.80)%, P < 0.01] and increase CD8(+) T cell [group D (12.25 +/- 2.85)% vs group C (6.12 +/- 1.99)%, P < 0.01], decrease the level of TNF-alpha in transplanted ALL mice [group D (112.10 +/- 18.99) pg/ml vs group C (143.90 +/- 25.35) pg/ml, P < 0.01] and reduce the degree of GVHD.

CONCLUSIONHGF could alleviate post-allo-BMT GVHD but retain GVL effect.

Animals ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; prevention & control ; Graft vs Leukemia Effect ; drug effects ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor ; pharmacology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; immunology ; surgery ; Random Allocation ; Transplantation, Homologous