Objective To study the feasibility and availability of uterine arterial embolization for hysteromyoma with pingyangmycin,lidocaine,iodipin emulsion and absorbable gelatine sponge granules immersed with lidocaine.Methods The observation of pain sensation change of clinical symptoms,size of hysteromyoma,change of uterus volume together with the specimens and pathological features of 68 cases of hysteromyoma during and after the embolization by using pingyangmycin,lidocaine,iodipin emulsion and absorbable gelatine sponge granules immersed with lidocaine were carried out and compared.Results Intramuscular analgesic injection couldn't control the pain in 13 cases,covering 19.1% symptom remission rate was 92.3%,including 89.2% menstruation recovery,90.8% disappearance of pelvic pain,abdominal distension and compression symptoms,78.8% average shrinkage of tumor size and 47.5% reduction of uterus volumes.Conclusion Pingyangmycin,lidocaine,iodipin emulsion and absorbable gelatine sponge granules immersed with lidocaine are the ideal embolization material for treating hysteromyoma.

OBJECTIVETo study the proliferation and apoptosis of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on leukemic U937 cells and its possible mechanism.

METHODThe inhibitory effect of TMP on the proliferation of U937 cells was detected by CCK-8 assay. The cell apoptosis and cycle distribution were examined by the flow cytometry. The mRNA expressions of bcl-2 and P27 were determined by the Real-time PCR. Western blot was carried out to detect bcl-2, caspase-3, cyclin E1, CDK2 and P27 expressions.

RESULTTMP inhibited the proliferation of U937 cells in a dose-and-time dependent manner, with IC50 value of 160 mg x L(-1) at 48 h. In addition, TMP could induce the apoptosis of U937 cells and block the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase. According to the results of Real-time PCR and Western blot, TMP could down-regulate the expression of apoptosis-related molecule bcl-2, cycle-related protein cyclin E1 and CDK2 and up-regulate caspase-3 and P27.

CONCLUSIONTMP shows the effects in inhibiting the proliferation of leukemic U937 cells and inducing the apoptosis. Its mechanism may be related to the impacts on the cell cycle distribution, down-regulation of the bcl-2 expression, which finally activates caspase-3, starts the apoptosis path and causes the cell apoptosis.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 ; analysis ; Humans ; Leukemia ; drug therapy ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; analysis ; Pyrazines ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; U937 Cells

Spinal cord injury is a traumatic disease,commonly seen in falling injuries,traffic accidents,heavy injuries,etc,which could cause motor,sensory and autonomic dysfunction below the level of spinal cord injury.Myelin-associated inhibitors play a role in promoting the collapse of growth cones and inhibiting axonal regeneration in the injured spinal cord microenvironment,which is the main reason for the difficult repair of spinal cord injury.Myelin-associated inhibitors(MAIs),such as neurite outgrowth inhibitor(Nogo),oligodendrocyte-myelin glycoprotein(OMgp)and myelin-associated glycoprotein(MAG),along with their receptor proteins,such as Nogo-A/Nogo-66 receptor 1(NgR1),paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B(PirB),sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2(S1PR2),are the important regulatory factors in the spinal cord microenvironment.They can inhibit therepair process of spinal cord injury by affecting the signaling pathway of neuron axon growth.Although the mechanism of spinal cord injury repair is still unclear,the regulation of myelin-related inhibitory factor proteins and downstream signaling pathways remain an important therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury.In this paper,the role of MAI proteins and their receptors in spinal cord injury repair in recent years were reviewed to provide a new target for spinal cord injury repair and provide more ideas for clinical treatment after spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of RAR-beta transfection plus treatment with the corresponding ligand ATRA on the proliferation and phenotype of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-activated hepatic stellate cells (HSC).

METHODSPDGF-activated hepatic stellate cells of rats were transfected with eukaryotic expression vector pCMV-script-RAR-beta, which was verified by western blot. The proliferation of transfected HSC was assayed by BrdU incorporation as well as MTT methods. Their phenotype (alpha-SMA and desmin) was observed by immunocytochemistry assay with image analysis and RAR-beta protein expression was detected by western blot.

RESULTSTransfection of RAR-beta gene and treatment with ligand ATRA could increase the expression of RAR-beta protein for at least 144h and inhibit the proliferation and the expression of alpha-SMA and desmin in PDGF-activated HSC. Significant statistical differences were perceived comparing with sham-transfected, only-PDGF treated, non-ligand treated and irrelevant ligand-treated HSC.

CONCLUSIONSTransfected with RAR-beta gene as well as using related ligand ATRA could suppress the proliferation and reverse the activation phenotype of activated HSC.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Division ; Liver ; cytology ; Phenotype ; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Receptors, Retinoic Acid ; physiology ; Transfection ; Tretinoin ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo study the expression of stomatin like protein-2 (SLP-2) at mRNA and protein levels in two kinds of malignant epithelial tumors, including laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and invasive breast cancer, and to study the relations of SLP-2 expression and clinicopathologic parameters with the prognosis.

METHODSRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of SLP-2 mRNA and protein in LSCC and their normal counterparts (46 and 10 pair, respectively). Immunohistochemistry was carried on tissue array constructed from LSCC (104 cases) and breast cancer (263 cases), respectively. The association between SLP-2 expression and clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed.

RESULTSLSCC showed a higher expression of SLP-2 than that of their normal counterparts (negative expression) at mRNA (83%, 38/46) and protein (7/10) level. Immunohistochemical analysis of LSCC showed that compared with negative expression in normal laryngeal epithelium (0/20), a higher SLP-2 expression was detected in LSCC (36/104, P=0.000) and associated with the advanced clinical stage (P<0.01) and lymph node metastasis (P=0.003). Immunohistochemical study of invasive breast cancer demonstrated that compared with negative expression in normal breast tissue (0/10), more than one half of the cases showed a high SLP-2 expression (52.5%, 138/263, P=0.000) in breast cancer, which correlated with the tumor size (P=0.020), lymph node metastasis (P<0.01), advanced clinical stage (P<0.01), distant metastasis (P=0.002) and HER2/neu protein expression (P=0.037). Survival analysis showed a shorter overall survival probability in patients with a high SLP-2 expression. It was considered that lymph node metastasis, positive HER2/neu expression, and high-level SLP-2 expression may act as the independent prognostic factors for those tumors.

CONCLUSIONSA high expression level of SLP-2 may be associating with the development of invasion and metastasis in LSCC and breast cancer, and SLP-2 is also considered working as an independent factor indicating a poor prognosis clinically in breast cancer.

Adult ; Blood Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Survival Analysis

OBJECTIVETo study the expression of stomatin-like protein-2 (SLP-2) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and analyze the correlation between SLP-2 expression and clinicopathological features.

METHODSThe expression of SLP-2 protein in ESCC tissues (18 and 220 cases respectively) was detected by Western blot and IHC. The association between SLP-2 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed.

RESULTSCompared with normal epithelium, 13 cases of ESCC tissues showed a higher expression of SLP-2 on the protein level (72.2%, 13/18). IHC analysis on tissue microarray revealed that the expression rate of SLP-2 protein in ESCC was 54.1% and in normal esophageal mucosa was 3.6%, showing a significant difference (P < 0.001). SLP-2 high-level expression correlates with the extent of ESCC invasion (P = 0.033), but not with other clinicopathologic characteristics (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSLP-2 as a novel cancer-related gene may play an important role in tumorigenesis of ESCC. The overexpression of SLP-2 may be closely associated with the invasion of esophageal cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Proteins ; metabolism ; physiology ; Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; metabolism ; physiology ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of endostatin and doxycycline on microcirculation patterns in melanoma and their molecular mechanisms.

METHODSTo establish mouse B16 melanoma model by subcutaneous injection of B16 melanoma cell suspension. The mice were divided into 3 experimental groups and 1 control group. To treat the mice in the 3 experimental groups with endostatin, doxycycline, endostatin and doxycycline, respectively, and the control group without any treatment. The tumor volume was measured and recorded to make comparison of their growth rate. To assess the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-2 by immunohistochemical staining. The three microcirculation patterns of endothelium-dependent vessels, mosaic vessels and vasculogenic mimicry were counted. The activity of MMP-2, MMP-9 between different groups was examined by gelatin zymography.

RESULTSTumor growth in the three experimental groups was statistically significantly slower than that in the control group. The expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-2 in each treated group was significantly different with that in the control group. The amount of three microcirculation patterns in three experimental groups was less than that of the control group, and the amount of MV and VM in each experimental group was significantly less than that in the control group. By gelatin zymography, the enzyme activity of MMP-9, actived-MMP-2 and MMP-2/proMMP-2 in ES, DOX and ES + DOX group was lower than that in the control group, but the enzyme activity of pro-MMP-2 among the four groups was not significantly different.

CONCLUSIONThe combined use of doxycycline and endostatin in melanoma can inhibit the expression of MMPs, influencing the formation of different microcirculation patterns in melanoma.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Doxycycline ; pharmacology ; Drug Combinations ; Drug Synergism ; Endostatins ; pharmacology ; Female ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Melanoma, Experimental ; blood supply ; enzymology ; pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Microcirculation ; drug effects ; Microvessels ; pathology ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; metabolism ; Tumor Burden ; drug effects

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have the potential of differentiation into alveolar epithelial cells in vitro, but so far no study has indicated that adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) can be differentiated into alveolar epithelial cells through long-term Transwell co-culture. OBJECTIVE: To observe whether rat lung epithelial-T-antigen negative cell lines (RLE-6TN) can induce rat ADSCs to differentiate into type II alveolar epithelial cells by long-term Transwell co-culture. METHODS: Three SPF health female Sprague-Dawley rats were used as donors to separate, extract, culture and identity ADSCs. The experimental group was subjected to the Transwell co-culture of ADSCs and RLE-6TN, while the control group was subjected to the culture of ADSCs alone. The morphological changes of ADSCs were observed by the inverted phase contrast microscope at 21 days after co-culture. Immunofluorescence staining using surfactant protein C (SP-C) was performed on the co-cultured ADSCs. The fluorescence staining was observed using the inverted fluorescence microscope. Integral optical density (IOD) analysis was conducted by Image pro plus 6.0 software. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: RLE-6TN cells were identified by fluorescence staining with stable expression of SP-C protein (red fluorescence) in the experimental group, and there was no red fluorescence in the control group. After 21-day co-culture, the cell shape in the experimental group was transformed from the long spindle shape into oval or polygon shape gradually, while the cell shape in the control group remained fibroblast-like. These results show that RLE-6TN can induce ADSCs to differentiate into type II alveolar epithelial cells after a long-term (21 days) co-culture.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic efficacy of interferon (IFN) therapy and risk of long-term administration for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients who cannot tolerate the standard treatment.

METHODSForty-six CHC patients who had proven intolerant to standard treatments were treated with low-dose IFN (non-pegylated IFN: 60 to 300MIU QOD, or pegylated IFN: 50 to 90 mug/w) plus ribavirin (RBV; 0.6g to 0.9 g/d) for 72 weeks.

RESULTSForty-three (93.5%) of the patients were able to tolerate the long-term treatment with low-dose IFN plus RBV. Only three patients experienced severe side effects (low white blood cell and platelet counts) that required treatment withdrawal. The virology response rates over treatment time were: rapid virologic response (RVR): 10.9%; early virus response (EVR): 30.4%; 24 week virologic response: 45.7%; and, 48 week virologic response: 47.8%. B-sonographic imaging revealed that three patients experienced improved liver morphology through the treatment course. The patients who achieved RVR, EVR, or 24 weeks virologic response also attained higher 48 week virologic response. The 24 week virologic response had the strongest predictive value of good prognosis.

CONCLUSIONSOur study demonstrated that long-term treatment with low-dose interferon plus ribavirin is effective for patients who are otherwise intolerant to standard treatment. In these patients, low-dose IFN plus RBV can obtain a high virologic response rate at 48 week. Furthermore, the 24 week virologic response is sufficiently predictive of treatment success. As with any treatment regimen, it is important for healthcare workers to monitor the disease status and potential side effects throughout the course of therapy.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; drug therapy ; virology ; Humans ; Interferons ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of erlotinib as a second or third line treatment on the symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODSFifty patients with stage III b and IV NSCLC, treated previously with at least one regimen of platinum-based chemotherapy, received 150 mg of erlotinib orally, once a day till disease progression. QOL was assessed by European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and the lung cancer module (QLQ-LC13). The primary end points for QOL analysis were time to deterioration of three common lung cancer symptoms: cough, dyspnea and pain.

RESULTSAmong 47 evaluable cases, there were partial remission (PR) in 18 cases, stable disease (SD) in 21 cases, and progressive disease (PD) in 8 cases. After two cycles of treatment, the mean scores of global QOL and all 5 functioning scales except the cognitive function increased significantly (P < 0.05). Mean scores of major general symptoms, hypodynamia and anorexia, and disease-related symptoms alleviated significantly. Both response rates of five functioning and global QOL were more than 44% after erlotinib treatment. Response rates of major general symptoms and disease-related symptoms varied from 14% to 76%. Patients with complete or partial response likely had improvement in the QOL response (P < 0.05), and the time to major symptom deterioration in those were significantly longer (P < 0.001) than that in patients with stable or even progressive disease.

CONCLUSIONErlotinib is effective to improve not only survival, but also tumor-related symptoms and quality of life in patients with advanced NSCLC previously treated with cisplatin-contained regimens. The improvement in the quality of life is positively correlated with objective tumor response.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Disease Progression ; Erlotinib Hydrochloride ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Quality of Life ; Quinazolines ; therapeutic use ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; antagonists & inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Remission Induction ; Salvage Therapy ; Treatment Failure