Low back pain is becoming an important factor affecting people's quality of life, while the age of its onset is getting younger and younger, and the social and economic losses caused by low back pain are huge every year. Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is an important cause of low back pain. Due to multiple factors, biomechanical and structural changes occur in intervertebral disc tissue, including rupture of annulus fibrosus, protrusion of nucleus pulposus, which cause compression of spinal cord and nerve root, and lower back pain. Micro-RNA (miRNA) is a kind of single-stranded non-coding small molecule RNA, with 18-24 nucleotides in length, which exists widely in eukaryotes. As one of the important regulatory molecules of gene expression, it has been proved to play a key role in the initiation and progression of many diseases, and it may also play an important role in intervertebral disc degeneration. At present, the clinical treatment for IDD is mainly surgical treatment to alleviate clinical symptoms. Even if surgical treatment can achieve good results, it will bring great physical trauma and economic burden to patients. The role of miRNA in IDD is one of the hotspots in the current academic research. Studies have shown that miRNA has abnormal expression patterns in degenerative intervertebral disc tissues and participates in a variety of pathological processes of IDD. At present, some miRNAs have been proved to be related to a variety of pathological processes in IDD, including nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis and proliferation, extracellular matrix degradation, autophagy, inflammation and cartilage endplate degeneration. The comparative study of gene chip showed that there were significant differences in the expression of some miRNAs between degenerative and normal nucleus pulposus cells. These differentially expressed miRNAs may be involved in the process of nucleus pulposus cell degeneration by regulating their respective upstream or downstream pathways. Most of the regulatory pathways are crossed and parallel, thus constructing a huge miRNA regulatory network. Understanding the target genes and mechanisms of miRNA in the pathogenic process can provide an important reference for the origin, development and prognosis of IDD. In this article, the important role of miRNA in IDD and the potential significance of clinical treatment are reviewed. With the in-depth study of miRNA and the molecular biological mechanism can provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of IDD, which is likely to become a new strategy for biological treatment of IDD.

Objective To explore the relationship between physical activity(PA) and the risk of colon cancer. Methods Cohort studies on physical activity and risk of colon cancer were identified by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, Chinese Bio-medicine and Chinese Wanfang databases from January 1979 to December 2009. Results from the individual studies were synthetically combined in our study. Inverse variance weighting was used in fixed effects model and the random effects estimate was based on the DerSimonian-Laird method. Variance-weighted least squares method was used for trend test of summarized dose-response data. Results A total of 28 studies were included in our analysis. An inverse association between physical activities and the risk of colon cancer was observed with the relative risks (RR) as 0.75 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-0.86] in males and 0.85(95%CI: 0.76-0.95)in females, respectively. However, the findings from those documents with high quality showed significant and borderline significant associations between PA and colon cancer in both males (RR=0.74, 95% CI: 0.61-0.90) and females (RR=0.99, 95% CI: 0.95-1.02). Meanwhile, the dose-response trend was not observed either in males (P=0.142) or in females (P=0.417). For men, the pooled RRs differed by subsites were 0.62(95%CI:0.45-0.85) and 0.74 (95%CI:0.56-0.99)for highest level PA, compared with lowest level PA in proximal colon and distal colon cancer,respectively. For women, the pooled RRs were 0.84 (95%CI: 0.69-1.01 ) in proximal colon and 0.75(95%CI: 0.53-1.05)in distal colon cancer, respectively. Conclusion These results added to the evidence for the protective effects in colon cancer among men and women.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of ropivacaine on cell proliferation and tumor growth of colon carcinoma. Methods: CCK8 assay was performed for cell viability. The colony formation assay was performed for cell proliferation. Cell flow apoptosis and cell cycle were measured by Flow cytometry. Protein levels were calculated by Western blot. Meanwhile,nude mice were inoculated with SW480 colon cells and treated with ropivacaine. Tumor volume and survival rate were examined after treatment. Results: The results of CCK8 showed that the optimum concentrations of ropivacaine were 20, 50 and 100 μg/ ml respectively. Ropivacaine dose-dependently inhibited colony formation (17. 80±0. 51,P<0. 001) and expressions of Ki67 (0. 32±0. 68, P<0. 01) and PCNA(0. 14±0. 24,P<0. 01). Meanwhile,treatment with ropivacaine markedly increased apoptosis (12. 80±1. 24,P< 0. 01) and protein levels of caspase-3(1. 76±1. 43,P <0. 001) and caspase-9 (1. 61±1. 26,P <0. 001) . In addition,ropivacaine notably induced cell cycle arrest (40. 5%,P<0. 01),expression of p53 (1. 16±0. 65,P<0. 01),and down-regulated the expression level of Cyclin A (0. 12±0. 12,P<0. 05) . Furthermore,ropivacaine inhibited tumor growth (1 247. 60±1. 37,P<0. 01),up-regulated survival rate of mice and induced apoptosis of tumor tissue (78. 00 ±1. 45,P <0. 001) in a dose-depended manner. Conclusion: Ropivacaine inhibits cell proliferation and tumor growth of colon cancer.

Objective To report a three-generation Chinese family with freckle and to make a genetic linkage analysis in this family.MethodsGenetic linkage analysis was carried out in this family using microsatellite markers distributed over chromosome 4q and 1.Two-point logarithm of odds(LOD)scores were calculated using the Linkage program package(version 5.1),and haplotype was analyzed with Cyrillic version 2.01 software.Results Freckle was inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern with a penetrance of99.9% in this family;linkage to chromosome 4q was ruled out however,supportive evidence was obtained for linkage to microsatellite markers D1S2635 and D1S2844 in chromosome 1q with a maximum LOD score of 1.50.Haplotype analysis in this family localized the locus of freckle to a 12 Mb region flanked by D1S2624 and D1S2799.Conclusions Freckle is a genetically heterogeneous disorder.The causative gene may be located in a 21.2 cM region on chromosome 1q22-24.

Adenocarcinoma ; diagnosis ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Carcinosarcoma ; diagnosis ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prostate ; pathology ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Stromal Cells ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVEThe goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of different methods of treating for the cavernous hemangioma and peripheral vascular disorders with copper needles.

METHODS21 cases were treated with copper needle retention only, 57 cases were treated with copper needle retention combined with a direct current of 6 - 9 V, both the inserted needles were kept in the site until the reaction was over, for about 10 to 20 days, 27 cases were treated with copper needle insertion combined with a direct current, and then the affection was ablated immediately.

RESULTSThe early effective rate, the long-term effective rate, and the recurrence rate of the total cases were 94.3% , 88.6% and 28.6% respectively. Among the 3 groups, ablation of the affection after the use of copper needles and a direct current occupied the best results; copper needle retention combined with a direct current had a better result than copper needle retention only, and might shorten the time for therapy for about 42.6% (P < 0.01); their long-term effective rate were 100%, 89.5% and 71.4% respectively.

CONCLUSIONSThe treatment for the cavernous hemangioma and peripheral vascular disorders with copper needles have a commendable result, copper needle retention combined with a direct current has a better result than copper needle retention only.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Copper ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; Female ; Hemangioma, Cavernous ; therapy ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Needles ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of San Baoxin on myocardial injury induced by ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) and thrombogenesis in rats in vivo and ex vivo.

METHODThe experimental model was established by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 180 min. The Chandler method was used to produced ex vivo thrombosis and an electrical stimulation of common carotid artery was adopted to form in vivo thrombosis respectively, the effect of antithrombosis induced by San Baoxin was observed.

RESULTSan Baoxin significantly decreased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), obviously elevated the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and increased the amount of NO of the serum simultaneously. The San Baoxin at the dosage of 10 g x kg(-1) could remarkably lengthen the OT ( P < 0.05). All San Baoxin dosages could inhibit the formation of ex vivo thrombosis.

CONCLUSIONSan Baoxin protects the myocardium from injury of ischemic and reperfusion. The protective effect of San Baoxin may be due to that it can dilate vessels, increase the activity of clearance enzyme of free radical and inhibit lipid peroxidation and the formation of ex vivo and in vivo thrombosis.

Animals ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Fibrinolytic Agents ; pharmacology ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Myocardial Ischemia ; blood ; pathology ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; blood ; pathology ; Nitric Acid ; blood ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; Thrombosis ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo screen angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) from traditional Chinese medicine, Salvia miltiorrhiza.

METHODHydrophilic and lipophilic fractions of S. miltiorrhiza were isolated, and their effective components were screened by a fluorimetric assay for inhibition of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE).

RESULTWater-soluble fractions, total salvianolic acids and salvianolic acid B markedly decreased ACE activity of rabbit lung tissue. Their IC50 value were (2.45 +/- 0.07), (0.24 +/- 0.02), (0.02 +/- 0.01) g x L(-1) respectively. Lipophilic components or phenanthraquinones including tanshinone I and II showed no changes on the activity of ACE.

CONCLUSIONS. miltiorrhiza inhibits angiotensin converting enzyme and its active components are in aqueous extract, in which the main were salvianolic acids including salvianolic acids B.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Benzofurans ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; In Vitro Techniques ; Lung ; metabolism ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; metabolism ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rabbits ; Rats ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of different treatments on the prognosis of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the nasal cavity.

METHODSA retrospective study of 59 patients who suffered from stage I(E) primary non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the nasal cavity was presented. They were treated by radiotherapy and chemotherapy of CHOP regimen, in which 33 patients received chemotherapy plus radiotherapy, 8 patients received radiotherapy plus chemotherapy, 10 patients received chemotherapy alone, and 8 patients received radiotherapy alone. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method, the difference between groups was evaluated by log-rank test, and the comparison of rates was carried out by chi(2) test.

RESULTSThe overall 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 71.2%, 42.0% and 38.5%, respectively. There was no significant difference among the patients received different treatments (chi(2) = 2.98, P = 0.3943), but the patients received radiotherapy plus chemotherapy seemed to have a better survival curve than other patients. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 84.2%, 67.7% and 62.0% for lesion limited in nasal cavity but 50.0%, 14.3% and 14.3% for lesion extended and involved the adjacent structures (chi(2) = 10.46, P = 0.0012). As the initial therapy, 24 patients who received chemotherapy of more than 3 cycles, and 16 patients who received radiotherapy of more than 40 Gy, and the complete response (CR) rates were 25.0% and 75.0% (chi(2) = 9.697, P = 0.002). Among 43 patients received chemotherapy, the CR rates for those who received 2, 3 - 4 and 5 - 6 cycles were 10.5%, 25.0% and 25.0%, respectively (chi(2) = 1.467, P = 0.48). Patients who received chemotherapy plus radiotherapy have higher rates of both complication and treatment-related mortality, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.202 and 0.693).

CONCLUSIONFor stage I non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of the nasal cavity, radiotherapy should be the first treatment to get early local control. Chemotherapy may be followed at the discretion of the pathological grade and clinical staging, or IPI.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cobalt Radioisotopes ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Cyclophosphamide ; administration & dosage ; Doxorubicin ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Cavity ; Nose Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; Prednisone ; administration & dosage ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Vincristine ; administration & dosage

Abstract: Our previous work revealed berberine can significantly enhance the susceptibility of fluconazole against fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans, which suggested that berberine has synergistic antifungal activity with fluconazole. Preliminary SAR of berberine needs to be studied for the possibility of investigating its target and SAR, improving its drug-likeness, and exploring new scaffold. In this work, 13-substitutited benzyl berberine derivatives and N-benzyl isoquinoline analogues were synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR and MS. Their synergetic activity with fluconazole against fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans was evaluated in vitro. The 13-substitutited benzyl berberine derivatives 1a-1e exhibited comparable activity to berberine, which suggested that the introduction of functional groups to C-13 can maintain its activity. The N-benzyl isoquinolines, which were designed as analogues of berberine with its D ring opened, exhibited lower activity than berberine. However, compound 2b, 2c, and 4b showed moderate activity, which indicated that berberine may be deconstructed to new scaffold with synergistic antifungal activity with fluconazole. The results of our research may be helpful to the SAR studies on its other biological activities.
Antifungal Agents ; pharmacology ; Berberine ; pharmacology ; Candida albicans ; drug effects ; Drug Resistance, Fungal ; Drug Synergism ; Fluconazole ; pharmacology ; Isoquinolines ; pharmacology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests