Objective To detect the changes in serum concentrations of angiogenic factors in patients with unstable angina pectoris.Methods A total of 57 patients with unstable angina pectoris were eligible for study and divided into diabetes group (n =23) and non-diabetes group (n =34).Exclusion criteria included complicated diseases,symptomatic peripheral vascular diseases,renal or liver diseases,cerebral embolism and evidence of ongoing infection.Another 36 age-matched healthy subjects from medical examination center were enrolled as control group.Serum samples were collected,and serum concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF),angiopoietin-1,angiopoietin-2,angiogenin,angiostatin,basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) were measured by using cytokine array technology.The data were analyzed by independent-samples t test with the SPSS 13.0statistic software package.Results Compared with the control group,the serum concentrations of VEGF and angiopoietin-2 were significantly increased in patients with unstable angina pectoris (both P ＜ 0.01).Whereas,no significant differences in serum concentrations of angiogenin,angiopoietin-1,angiostatin,bFGF,and PDGF-BB were detected between control group and patient groups.There were no significant differences in serum concentrations of above all 7 biomarkers between diabetes group and non-diabetes group.Conclusions Serum concentrations of VEGF and angiopoietin-2 were increased in patients with unstable angina pectoris,and diabetes didn' t affect the increases in serum concentrations of VEGF and angiopoietin2 caused by unstable angina pectoris.

Forty-two patients with type 2 diabetes (DM group),23 type 2 diabetic patients with unstable angina pectoris (DM + UAP group),and 36 healthy subjects (control group) were enrolled in this study.Serum samples were collected for determining serum concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF),Angiopoietin (Ang)-1,Ang-2,angiogenin,angiostatin,basic fibroblast growth factor,and platelet-derived growth factor-BB using protein array technology.The results showed that there were no significant differences in serum concentrations of all 7 angiogenic factors between control group and DM group.Whereas,serum concentrations of V EGF and Ang-2 were significantly increased in DM + UAP group compared with control group [(3 532.10 ± 1 813.72vs 2 444.50 ± 1 152.21) pg/ml,(286.90-± 217.01 vs 171.92 ± 106.63) pg/ml,both P＜0.01].Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that serum concentrations of all 7 angiogenic factors were not related to HbA1C,fasting and 2 h postprandial plasma glucose,triglycerides,high density lipoprotein cholesterol,as well as low density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Objective To explore the plasma ghrelin levels in children and adolescents with short stature and the role of ghrelin in growth hormone-releasing hormone-growth hormone(GHRH-GH) axis.Methods One hundred and fifty-seven children(115 male,42 female) with short stature were selected.Fasting plasma sample was extracted from 10 mL vemous blood of the children with short stature.Insulin tolerance test and arginine stimulation test was performed initially to differential diagnosis.And blood samples was divided into 3 ca-tegories:37 cases of complete growth hormone deficiency (CGHD),52 cases of partial growth hormone deficiency(PGHD) and 68 cases of idiopathic short stature(ISS) during these two growth hormone(GH)provocative tests.Controls consisted of age and gender-match 20 health children.Plasma ghrelin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay.Serum GH was detected by chemiluminescence method,and serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) was measured by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.Fasting glucose,insulin,testosterone,estra-diol,luteinizing hormone,follicle-stimulating hormone were measured.Statistical analysis were conducted by using SPSS 11.5 software.Results The fasting ghrelin levels of CGHD group were significantly lower than that of ISS group and control group(Pa0.05).The ghrelin levels were positive correlated with the stimulated GH peak(r=0.176 P0.05).Conclusion Ghrelin has an important role on GH secretion and abnormal secretion of ghrelin might be a reason of growth hormone deficiency which due to hypothalamic abnormality.

objective To assess the effect of aldosterone on the production of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)and collagen Ⅳ in culture supematants of podocytes and the possible molecular mechanisms involved in the influence of aldosterone on the synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix produced by podocytes. Methods Podecytes were treated with aldosterone at the concentration of 10-11, 10-9, 10-7 mol/L respectively. Cultured podocytes were examined at 24, 48 and 72 hours respectively. Spironolactone, a receptor antagonist of aldosterone, was added to observe the blocking effect on aldosterone. An inhibitor of TGF-β1 receptor was used to determine whether the effect of aldosterone on podocytes were mediated through TGF-β1 system. The enzymatic activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were assayed by gehtin zymography. Collagen Ⅳ 0.5 chain and TGF-β1 proteins released into culture supematants were assessed by Western blot and ELISA analysis. The adhesion rate of podocytes was monitored by flow cytometry. Results Aldosterone increased the activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in a dose- and time-dependent manner (P<0.05). Aldosterone decreased the level of collagen Ⅳ or5 chain protein in culture supernatants (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the expression of TGF-β1 was also increased (P<0.05). Spironolactone completely abolished the above-mentioned changes(P< 0.05). Blockage of TGF-β1 signaling with SB431542 prevented the aldosterone-induced upregulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 as well as the downregulation of the collagen Ⅳ α5 chain protein and the adhesion rate of podocytes (P<0.05). Conclusions Aldosterone increases the activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 but decreases the expression of collagen Ⅳ α5 chain and the adhension rate of podocytes possibly via TGF-β1 signaling pathway. Such alterations may contribute to glomerular podocyte injury associated with the GBM abnormality caused by the imbalance between matrix synthesis and degradation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the immunoregulation and short-term therapeutic effects of super-selective intra-arterial chemotherapy combined with Fuzheng Kang'ai Granules, a compound Chinese herbal medicine, on patients with late gastric cancer. METHODS: Forty patients with late gastric antrum cancer were randomly divided into study group and control group. Patients in the study group were orally administered Fuzheng Kang'ai Granules 48 hours after the first super-selective left gastric artery chemotherapy with high-dose drugs (EAP regime: VP(16) 100 mg/m(2) + epirubicin 60 mg/m(2) + carboplatin 200 mg/m(2)), while patients in the control group were only administered the same local artery chemotherapy as in the study group. RESULTS: The short-term therapeutic efficacy in the study group and control group were 82.5% and 57.5% respectively (P<0.01). The occurrence rates of side effects in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.01). The Karnofsky score of life quality of the study group was obviously higher than that of the control group after treatment (P<0.05). The half survival time and one year survival rate in the study group and control group were (24.9 +/- 1.36) month, 70% (28/40) and (13.7 +/- 0.72) month, 35% (14/40) respectively. They were significantly improved in the study group compared with the control group (P<0.01). The levels of cytokines interleukin 2 (IL-2), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) after treatment in the study group were significantly higher than those before treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01), as well as than those after treatment in the control group (P<0.01). On the other hand, the level of immune inhibitory factor soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) after treatment in the study group was lower than that before treatment, as well as than that after treatment in the control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The super-selective intra-arterial chemotherapy combined with Fuzheng Kang'ai Granules has good short-term therapeutic efficiency and few side effects for patients with late gastric antrum cancer. It can significantly improve the life quality, extend the survival period, and improve the survival rate in patients with late gastric antrum cancer, which may be due to the up-regulation of the immune regulating factors such as IL-2, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma and down-regulation of the immune inhibitory factor sIL-2R.

Objective The cytotoxic microbial strains isolated from the deep ocean water and sediments were screened,and the secondary metabolites of bioactive fungus c2b were investi- gated.Methods Active bioactive microbial strains were screened using brine shrimp and chro- nic medulla leucocythemia leukocythemia(K562)cell line.The cytotoxic components of fun- gus c2b were isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation and solvent extraction,silica gel col- umn chromatography and preparative HPLC.Their structures were established by pbysico- chemical properties and spectral analyses.The cytotoxicities of compounds were evaluated by SRB method.Results and Conclusion Twenty-nine strains of fungi were isolated.Among them,seven strains showed cytotoxic activities.Six compounds(1～6)were isolated and i- dentified as N-acetyl histamine(1),chrysogine(2),ergosterol peroxide(3),5,8-epidioxy- 24-methylcholesta-6,22-dien-3?-ol(4)cerevisterol(5)and(4E,8E)-N-[(2'R,3'E)-2'-hy- droxy-3'-hexadecenoyl]-1-O-?-D-glycopyranosyl-9-methyl-4,8-sphingadiene(6),respective- ly.Compound 3 and 4 showed median cytotoxicity.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the routine clinical laboratory parameters for hepatocellular carcinoma,in an attempt to search for parameters for diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods:The pre-operation clinical labo- ratory data,such as tumor makers,and serological biochemical indices,hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection markers,and HBV DNA titers,were collected from 828 patients who were pathologically diagnosed as having HCC;then the correlation between these data with tumor size and the pathological grades of HCC was analyzed.Results:It was found that 97.9% of the 828 pa- tients were infected with HBV and 70.9% of them were accompanied by liver fibrosis.We also found that the tumor size was correlated with albumin(ALB),globulin(GLB),A/G,aspartate aminotransferase(AST),ratio of aspartate to alanine amin- otransferase(AST/ALT),gamma-glutamyl transferase(GGT),alkaline phosphatase(ALP),alpha-L-fucosidase(AFU),al- pha-fetoprotein(AFP)and tumor grades;meanwhile,the pathological grades of tumor was correlated to prealbumin(PALB), GGT and tumor size(all P

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Bushen Tongdu Capsule (BTC) on RANK/RANKL/ OPG pathway of collagen induced arthritis (CIA) rats, thereby laying theoretic evidence for treating rheumatic arthritis (RA) by Chinese medicine.

METHODSRA model was induced by CIA. Totally 42 rats were randomly divided into six groups, i.e., the normal control group, the model group, the low dose BTC (BSL) group, the medium dose BTC (BSM) group, the high dose BTC (BSH) group, and the Tripterygium Glycosides (TG) group, 7 in each group. BTC at the daily dose of 120, 240, and 480 mg/kg was given by gastrogavage to rats in the BSL, BSM, and BSH group respectively from the 13th day of modeling. TG at the daily dose of 24 mg/kg was given by gastrogavage to rats in the TG group. All medication was given once daily, 2 mL each time. Two mL normal saline was administered to rats in the normal control group and the model group. All medication lasted for 18 days. Samples were taken at day 31. The TRAP section of the ankle joint was fixed in 10% formalin for TRAP stain. Serum levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) were detected using ELISA.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, positive reactions of pathological ankle joint section, inflammation, and osteoclasia degree were significantly improved in the model group, serum levels of RANKL and M-CSF were up-regulated, levels of OPG and OPG/RANKL were significantly lowered (all P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, positive reactions of pathological ankle joint section, inflammation, and osteoclasia degree also significantly decreased in the BSH group and the TG group (all P < 0.01). RANKL and M-CSF were significantly down-regulated in each medicated group, while levels of OPG and OPG/RANKL were significantly up-regulated (all P < 0.01). Compared with the TG group, M-CSF was lower, but levels of OPG and OPG/RANKL were significantly up-regulated in the normal control group (all P < 0.01). RANKL and M-CSF were significantly up-regulated, while levels of OPG and OPG/RANKL were significantly down-regulated in the model group and each BS group (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONBTC could relieve bone damage of CIA rats possibly through regulating and controlling osteoclasts.

Animals ; Arthritis, Experimental ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Inflammation ; Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; metabolism ; Osteoclasts ; Osteoprotegerin ; metabolism ; RANK Ligand ; metabolism ; Rats ; Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B ; metabolism ; Tripterygium

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of urotensin II (UII) on insulin secretion in islet beta cells and the underlying mechanism. Glucose tolerance test was performed in Wistar rats to evaluate the effect of UII on the levels of plasma glucose and insulin. Static incubation experiment was employed to investigate the effect of UII on glucose-induced insulin secretion (GIIS) in betaTC-6 cells. After the incubation, insulin content and mRNA level in betaTC-6 cells were analyzed. Finally, Western blot was used to find out if UII could change the expression levels of pancreatic duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1) and glucokinase (GCK). It was observed that intravenous administration of UII (30, 300 nmol/kg) resulted in a significant decrease in insulin level 15 min after glucose load, and induced an obvious increase in plasma glucose 90 min after the load. In vitro, two hours of UII incubation inhibited GIIS in betaTC-6 cells without affecting insulin content and mRNA levels. The inhibitory effect of UII was blocked by UII receptor antagonist (urantide), and partially blunted by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor (chelerythrine) and somatostatin receptor antagonist (cyclosomatostatin). Moreover, we found that GCK protein level was significantly reduced by UII, while PDX-1, a key regulator of insulin gene transcription in beta cells, was not affected. These results suggest that UII-induced inhibition of GIIS in betaTC-6 cells are mediated by UII receptor and PKC pathway, as well as somatostatin receptor which could be activated by high dose of UII. The inhibitory effect of UII on insulin secretion is rather associated with a suppression of GCK expression than a regulation on PDX-1 expression.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Cell Line ; Glucokinase ; metabolism ; Homeodomain Proteins ; metabolism ; Insulin ; secretion ; Insulin-Secreting Cells ; metabolism ; physiology ; secretion ; Male ; Mice ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Trans-Activators ; metabolism ; Urotensins ; pharmacology

To investigate the effects of albumin on the production of matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) in podocytes. Podocytes were treated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) at the concentration of 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2 g/L, respectively. Conditioned media were harvested 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after the treatment. The expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was assayed by gelatin zymography, RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. Our results showed that in comparison with the control group, BSA increased the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA and protein in a dose- and time-dependent manner (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the enzymatic activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the culture supernatants of podocytes were also increased (P<0.05). It is concluded that albumin up-regulated the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 at gene and protein levels in a time- and dose-dependent manner.