Objective To observe the effects of modifiedDanshen Decoction on spermidine/spermine acetyltransferase (SSAT) /polyamine pathways of SD rats with IRI; To investigate its protective mechanism. Methods The model of IRI was established by ligating left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 90 min. The SD rats were randomly divided into the control group, sham-operation group, model group and modifiedDanshen Decoction group, with 10 rats in each group. The myocardial infarction size was measured by using TTC staining. The contents of SSAT were measured by ELISA. The SSAT mRNA and SSAT protein expression level were detected with real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR method and Western blot, respectively. The contents of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, spermine) in cardiac tissue were detected by HPLC. Results Compared with sham-operation group, the myocardial infarction size, the SSAT content, the SSAT mRNA and SSAT protein expression levels of model group increased significantly, the contents of polyamines decreased significantly, with statistical significance (P<0.01); Compared with model group, the myocardial infarction size of modifiedDanshen Decoction group was significantly reduced, while the SSAT content and SSAT mRNA and protein expression level decreased significantly, the contents of polyamines increased, with statistical significance (P<0.05, P<0.01).ConclusionModifiedDanshen Decoction can adjust the SSAT polyamine pathways and increase polyamine content in cardiomyocytes, and thus play a role of protection of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

ObjectiveTo study the imaging characteristics of SPN of adenocarcinoma (ASPNs) on 18F-FDG PET/CT.MethodsThe morphological and metabolic features of 35 ASPNs on FDG PET/CT were retrospectively reviewed.SUVmax (SUV) was measured and ΔSUVmax was calculated according to ΔSUVmax =(SUVmax on delay imaging - SUVmax on early imaging)/SUVmax on early imaging × 100％.Statistical analysis was performed by software SPSS 11.5 using t-test,analysis of variance and Fisher exact test.Results( 1 ) Fifteen ASPNs (42.86％,15/35) presented as nodular pattern on FDG PET imaging,while 20 (57.14％,20/35) as lamellar,cloudy or ill-defined patterns.The SUVmax of these ASPNs followed a descending order of nodular,lamellar,cloudy and ill:defined on both early and delay imaging (F =30.696 and 24.758,both P＜0.001).(2)There were 54.29％ (19/35) ASPNs with SUVmax ≥2.5 and 45.71％ (16/35) ASPNs with SUVmax ＜2.5.(3) Of 35 ASPNs,24(68.57％ ) were solid nodules and 11(31.43％) were ground glass nodules with SUVmax =4.54 ±2.69 and 1.30±0.87,respectively (t =-5.234,P ＜O.001 ).(4) The SUVmax of ASPNs on delay FDG imaging (4.22 ±3.52) was significantly higher than that on early imaging (3.49 ±2.72) (t =-4.021,P ＜0.001 ).However,SUVmax was dependent on SUVmax on the early imaging:when SUVmax ≥2.5,ΔSUVmax was positive in 94.74％ (18/19) of ASPNs; while SUVmax ＜2.5,ΔSUVmax was positive in 56.25％ (9/16) of ASPNs (P =0.013).(5) Of 31 ASPNs with cell differentiation data,there were 10/17 well-differentiated ASPNs and 13/14 poorly-differentiated ASPNs with positive ΔSUVmax ( P =0.045 ).The average SUVmax of well-differentiated ASPNs was significantly lower than that of poorly-differentiated ASPNs ( 1.70 ± 1.51 vs 4.91 ± 2.69,t =- 3.951,P ＜ 0.001 ).Conclusions The morphological and metabolic features of ASPNs are diversified.It is common for ASPN to present with SUVmax ＜ 2.5.ΔSUVmax may be helpful for differentiating malignant from benign SPNs.

Objective To discussion the value of palate standard section in prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of isolate cleft palate,and summarize the two-dimensional ultrasound characteristics of isolate cleft palate.Methods Two-dimensional ultrasound was performed in 1 8 073 fetuses during 1 8 to 40 gestational weeks of pregnancy.Fetal palate structure were scanned through the oral cleft,the cheek,the neck part,and the standard sagittal section,transverse section and coronal section were obtained to diagnosis cleft palate. The results were compared with labour or postpartum findings.Results In 1 8 073 cases,20 cases of isolate cleft palate,1 9 cases were diagnosed as fetal isolate cleft palate by prenatal ultrasonography,of which 1 8 cases were correctly diagnosed,1 case was misdiagnosed,1 case was missed diagnosed.The sensitivity, specificity,accuracy of prenatal ultrasound detection were 95%,100%,95%,respectively.The ultrasonic characteristics of isolate cleft palate:lack of crack were located in the midline,soft cleft palate was shown as the midline of soft palate interrupted,short of crack was“><”,“‖”,“/\”shape,hard cleft palate was shown as the midline of hard palate interrupted,short of crack was open back“V”or“U”shape.Conclusions The palate standard section has high value in prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of cleft palate,which can assess fracture morphology,length,width,direction and involving range.

Objective:To evaluate the effects of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on anal function after intersphincteric resection (ISR) with low rectal cancer. Methods:A total of 103 patients were classified into the chemoradiotherapy (CRT) group and control group according to whether they received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Anal function was assessed using vectorial manometry, Saito function questionnaires, and Wexner incontinence scores. Results:The resting vector volume and squeezing vector volume of the CRT group were significantly lower than those of the control group prior to the operation. Both groups showed decreasing manometric re-sults after ISR. However, all indices of the CRT group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). At 6 and 12 months after operation, the Saito questionnaire results reveal poor function for the CRT group compared with the control group, except for dyschesia. After 24 months, the stool frequency, ability to distinguish between feces and flatus, fragmentation, and alimentary re-striction remained poor for the CRT group (P<0.05). Although both groups showed decreasing Wexner scores with time, the score of the CRT group remained significantly higher than that of the control up to 24 months after operation. Conclusion:Neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy significantly affects the anal sphincter function for intersphincteric resection with low rectal cancer. This effect continues for at least 2 years after operation.

This study was performed to prepare immobilized β-glucosidase and snailase, then optimize and compare the process conditions for conversion of icariin. Immobilized β-glucosidase and snailase were prepared using crosslink-embedding method. The best conditions of the preparation process were optimized by single factor analysis and the properties of immobilized β-glucosidase and snailase were investigated. The reaction conditions including temperature, pH, substrate ratio, substrate concentration, reaction time and reusing times of the conversion of icariin using immobilized β-glucosidase or snailase were optimized. Immobilized β-glucosidase and snailase exhibited better heat stabilities and could remain about 60% activity after storage at 4 degrees C for 4 weeks. The optimized conditions for the conversion of icariin were as follows, the temperature of 50 degrees C, pH of 5.0, enzyme and substrate ratio of 1 : 1, substrate concentration of 0.1 mg x mL(-1), reaction time of 6 h for β-glucosidase and 2 h for snailase, respectively. In 5 experiments, the average conversion ratio of immobilized β-glucosidase and snailase was 70.76% and 74.97%. The results suggest an effect of promoted stabilities, prolonged lifetimes in both β-glucosidase and snailase after immobilization. The immobilized β-glucosidase and snailase exhibited a higher conversion rate and reusability compared to the free β-glucosidase and snailase. Moreover, the conversion rate of immobilized snailase was higher than that of immobilized β-glucosidase. The process of icariin conversion using immobilized β-glucosidase and snailase was moderate and feasible, which suggests that immobilized enzymes may hold a promise for industrial usage.
Enzymes, Immobilized ; chemistry ; Flavonoids ; chemistry ; Hydrolysis ; Temperature ; beta-Glucosidase ; chemistry

BACKGROUNDTreatment for malignant glioma generally consists of cytoreductive surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In this study, we intended to investigate the effects of 2-propylpentanoic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, on chemosensitivity and radiosensitivity in human glioma cell lines.

METHODSHuman glioma cell lines, T98-G, and SF295, were treated with temozolomide (TMZ) or irradiation (IR), with or without VPA (1.0 mmol/L). Then, cytotoxicity and clonogenic survival assay was performed. Cell cycle stage, apoptosis, and autophagy were also detected using flow cytometry and dansyl monocadaverin (MDC) incorporation assay. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test were used to analyze the differences among variant groups.

RESULTSMild cytotoxicity of VPA was revealed in both cell lines, T98-G and SF295, with the 50% inhibiting concentration (IC50) value of (3.85 ± 0.58) mmol/L and (2.15 ± 0.38) mmol/L, respectively; while the IC50 value of TMZ was (0.20 ± 0.09) mmol/L for T98-G and (0.08 ± 0.02) mmol/L for SF295. Moreover, if combined with VPA (1.0 mmol/L) for 96 hours, the sensitivity of glioma cells to TMZ was significant increased (P < 0.05). The surviving fractions at 2 Gy (SF2) of T98-G and SF295 cells exposed to IR alone were 0.52 and 0.58. However, when VPA was combined with IR, the SF2 of T98-G and SF295 dropped to 0.39 (P = 0.047) and 0.49 (P = 0.049), respectively. Treatment with VPA plus TMZ or IR also resulted in a significant decrease in the proportion of cells in the G2 phase and increased apoptotic rates as well as autophagy in T98-G and SF295 cell lines (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONVPA may enhance the activities of TMZ and IR on glioma cells possibly through cell cycle block and promote autophagy, and thus could be a potential sensitizer of glioma treatment.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Dacarbazine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Flow Cytometry ; Glioma ; metabolism ; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Valproic Acid ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo improve the diagnostic ability of routine laboratory items in liver diseases associated with viral hepatitis through constructing assessment models consisting of these items.

METHODS(1) Assessment of routine items and formulation of models. Data of 447 patients seen between May 1997 and August 2003 were collected as the training set and serum specimens of 213 patients taken between June 2004 and March 2005 were examined and used as the validation set. Eleven items (TP, ALB, TBIL, DBIL, ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, TBA, LDH, CHE) were examined with an automated biochemical analyzer. Logistic regression was applied to construct the model for discriminating between chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. The diagnostic value of items and models was assessed by the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTSThe model to discrimination between chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis consists of five items (CHE, DBIL, ALB, ALT, GLO). The AUCs of model were 0.87 in the training set and 0.83 in validation set, respectively.

CONCLUSION(1) The model consisting of CHE, DBIL, ALB, ALT, GLO improves the diagnostic value of routine laboratory items in discriminating chronic hepatitis from liver cirrhosis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Algorithms ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology ; physiopathology ; virology ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnosis ; virology ; Liver Function Tests ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Purpose To analyse the clinicopathologic characteristics and reticular fiber staining of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC).Methods The clinical,imaging,pathological data and reticular fiber staining of 20 cases with adrenocortical adenoma (ACA) and 16 cases with ACC were analyzed retrospectively.Results The median course of disease and maximum diameter of ACA were 21 months and 2.6 cm respectively,but ACC were 5 months and 9.5 cm respectively.9 cases with ACC were diagnosed with distant metastasis.Histologically,ACA cells arranged in nest-like and coarse trabecular forms with acidophilic or clear cytoplasm,unconspicuous nuclear atypia,and rare mitotic figures.The capsules,sinusoids and veins were uninvolved,and hemorrhage,necrosis and thick collagen fibers were infrequent.The Weiss score of all ACA was less than 2 (average =0.85 ± 0.81).ACC cells arranged in nest-like,coarse trabecular,cord-like,and diffuse structure with acidophilic cytoplasm,various nuclear atypia and atypical mitotic figures.The invasion of capsules,sinusoids and veins,hemorrhage and necrosis regions and thick collagen fibers were easily found.The Weiss score of all ACC was more than 3 (average =5.2 ±1.3).Immunohistochemical staining showed that vimentin,Syn,NSE,CK,CR,Melan-A and α-inhibin were expressed similarly between ACA and carcinoma (P ＞ 0.05).Reticular fiber staining revealed that the reticular fiber structures of ACA were unbroken,but ACC were destructed with various degrees of rupture,collapse,sparsity or disappearance (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion ACC lacks characteristic immune phenotype,but increased diameter,distant metastasis,thick collagen fibers and destructed reticular fibrillar network are helpful in the diagnosis of ACC.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have shown that integrins alpha5beta1 (ITGA5B1) gene-modified rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) could prevent cell anoikis and increase the nitric oxide (NO) production. Here we examined the capability of rBMSCs/ITGA5B1 on the phenotype modulation of Human Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cell (HPASMC) in vitro. METHODS AND RESULTS: The synthetic (dedifferentiated) phenotype of HPASMC was induced by monocrotaline (MCT, 1μM) for 24 h and then co-cultured with rBMSCs/ITGA5B1 in a transwell culture system. The activation of NO/cGMP (nitric oxide/Guanosine-3′, 5′-cyclic monophosphate) signaling was investigated in HPASMC. The changes of pro-inflammatory factors, oxidative stress, vasodilator, vasoconstrictor, contractile and synthetic genes, and the morphological changes of HPASMC were investigated. The results of this study showed that the NO/cGMP signal, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression, the expression of the vasoprotective genes heme oxygenase-1 (HMOX1) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) were increased, but the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins delta (Cebpd), Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4), and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) were reduced in MCT treated HPASMC co-cultured with rBMSCs/ITGA5B1. The synthetic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) phenotype markers thrombospondin-1, epiregulin and the vasoconstrictor endothelin (ET)-1, thromboxane A2 receptor (TbxA2R) were down-regulated, whereas the contractile SMCs phenotype marker transgelin expression was up-regulated by rBMSCs/ITGA5B1. Furthermore, rBMSCs/ITGA5B1 promoted the morphological restoration from synthetic (dedifferentiation) to contractile (differentiation) phenotype in MCT treated HPASMC. CONCLUSIONS: rBMSCs/ITGA5B1 could inhibit inflammation and oxidative stress related genes to promote the HPASMC cell differentiation by activation NO/cGMP signal.
Activating Transcription Factor 4 ; Animals ; Anoikis ; Bone Marrow ; Cell Differentiation ; Endothelins ; Epiregulin ; Genes, Synthetic ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Inflammation ; Integrins ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Monocrotaline ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; Nitric Oxide ; Oxidative Stress ; Phenotype ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases ; Pulmonary Artery ; Rats ; Receptors, Thromboxane A2, Prostaglandin H2

This study aimed to investigate the reconstruction of the thumb and finger extension function in patients with middle and lower trunk root avulsion injuries of the brachial plexus.From April 2010 to January 2015,we enrolled in this study 4 patients diagnosed with middle and lower trunk root avulsion injuries of the brachial plexus via imaging tests,electrophysiological examinations,and clinical confirmation.Muscular branches of the radial nerve,which innervate the supinator in the forearm,were transposed to the posterior interosseous nerve to reconstruct the thumb and finger extension function.Electrophysiological findings and muscle strength of the extensor pollicis longus and extensor digitorum communis,as well as the distance between the thumb tip and index finger tip,were monitored.All patients were followed up for 24 to 30 months,with an average of 27.5 months.Motor unit potentials (MUP) of the extensor digitorum communis appeared at an average of 3.8 months,while MUP of the extensor pollicis longus appeared at an average of 7 months.Compound muscle action potential (CMAP) appeared at an average of 9 months in the extensor digitorum communis,and 12 months in the extensor pollicis longus.Furthermore,the muscle strength of the extensor pollicis longus and extensor digitorum communis both reached grade Ⅲ at 21 months.Lastly,the average distance between the thumb tip and index finger tip was 8.8 cm at 21 months.In conclusion,for patients with middle and lower trunk injuries of the brachial plexus,transposition of the muscular branches of the radial nerve innervating the supinator to the posterior interosseous nerve for the reconstruction of thumb and finger extension function is practicable and feasible.