ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters ; metabolism ; Adenocarcinoma ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Blotting, Western ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lung Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of simvastatin on the proliferation and apoptosis of prostatic epithelial RWPE-1 cells.

METHODSRWPE-1 cells cultured in vitro were treated with simvastatin at 0, 10, 20, and 40 μmol/L for 24, 48, and 72 hours followed by determination of their proliferation by MTT assay, and their apoptosis by flow cytometry. The mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, and Cx43 were detected by fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively.

RESULTSAfter 72 hours of treatment with simvastatin at 10, 20, and 40 μmol/L, the inhibition rates of the RWPE-1 cells were (21.07 ± 6.41)%, (34.87 ± 9.65)%, and (47.18 ± 10.88)%, respectively, significantly higher than (1.21 ± 0.54)% in the control group (P < 0.05) and in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05); the cell apoptosis rates were (0.066 ± 0.016)%, (0.126 ± 0.023)%, and (0.192 ± 0.025)%, respectively, remarkably higher than (0.015 ± 0.005)% in the control (P < 0.05) and also in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05); the mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2 were decreasing while those of Bax and Cx43 increasing with the increased concentration of simvastatin (P < 0.05). The expression of Cx43 was correlated negatively with that of Bcl-2 but positively with that of Bax.

CONCLUSIONSimvastatin inhibits the proliferation of prostate epithelial cells and induce their apoptosis by acting on the gap junctional intercellular communication.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Connexin 43 ; metabolism ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Epithelial Cells ; drug effects ; physiology ; Humans ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Male ; Prostate ; cytology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Simvastatin ; pharmacology ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

Shenfu injection is developed by improving dosage form of ancient prescription "Shenfu Tang" and is mainly derived from extracts of both traditional Chinese medicine red ginseng and prepared lateral root of monkshood with polysorbate 80 as auxiliary material. Shenfu injection may be administered through intramuscular injection, intravenous drip or intravenous injection. It produces good effects in restoring Yang and rescuing patients from collapse, tonifying Qi and preventing exhaustion. It is mainly used to treat not only syncope and prostration resulting from sudden Yang collapse (infectious, hemorrhagic and water depletion shock etc), but also pavor, palpitation, dyspnea with cough, stomachache, diarrhea and arthralgia etc caused by deficiency of Yang (deficiency of vital energy). Research group has audited the monitored hospitals and has carried out postmarketing study of Shenfu solution from many aspects including literature review, spontaneous reporting system (SRS) and hospital information system (HIS) data analysis etc. A summary is shown below.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Injections ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods

OBJECTIVETo determine whether oral statins can delay the progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

METHODSWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of 50-69-year-old males who came for physical examination in our hospital between January 2003 and December 2008. We designed the inclusion criteria, followed them up for 5 years, and investigated the relationship of oral statins with the clinical progression of BPH and LUTS.

RESULTSTotally, 653 men met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study, of whom 283 were treated with oral statins (group 1) while the other 370 with none (group 2). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in age and baseline IPSS, Qmax, and prostate volume (PV) (P > 0.05). During the follow-up, 24 cases in group 1 and 35 cases in group 2 were excluded for obvious dys-uria. A gradual increase was observed in IPSS in both groups 1 and 2 year by year from the baseline to the 5th year of follow-up, but significantly lower in the former group (4.27 +/- 1.16, 4.63 +/- 1.05, 5.27 +/- 0.96, 6.41 +/- 1.04, 7.21 +/- 1.21, and 7.93 +/-1.50) than in the latter (4.24 +/- 1.35, 5.26 +/- 1.23, 6.84 +/- 1.20, 8.75 +/- 1.84, 10.82 +/- 3.01, and 12.98 +/- 4.21) (P < 0.01); a gradual decrease was seen in Qmax, though markedly higher in group 1 ([26.56 +/- 2.09], [24.06 +/- 1.94], [21.33 +/- 1.66], [19.24 +/- 1.54], [17.44 +/- 1.53], and [16.27 +/- 1.37] ml/s) than in group 2 ([26.74 +/- 2.40], [23.62 +/- 2.01], [20.63 +/- 1.69], [17.72 +/- 1.48], [14.82 +/- 1.11], and [11.86 +/- 1.24] ml/s) (P < 0.01); and a gradual increase was found in PV, but remarkably smaller in the former group ([19.82 +/- 4.94], [22.60 +/- 4.99], [25.80 +/- 5.20], [27.92 +/- 5.05], [29.11 +/- 5.24], and [29.97 +/- 5.26] ml) than in the latter ([20.21 +/- 4.78], [24.30 +/- 4.98], [28.50 +/- 5.14], [32.84 +/- 4.77], [36.99 +/- 4.78], and [40.90 +/- 4.78] ml) (P < 0.01). Longer medication of statins was associated with better efficacy.

CONCLUSIONOral statins can significantly delay the clinical progression of BPH and LUTS.

Aged ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Longitudinal Studies ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; drug therapy ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate the imaging characteristics of both intra- and extrathoracic sarcoidosis on 18F-FDG PET/CT.Methods From 2007 Aug.to 2009 Nov.,22 patients( 10 males,12 females) with sarcoidosis,confirmed by pathological study and clinical follow-up,underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT imaging.The imaging patterns of intrathoracic and extrathoracic lesions were analyzed.The patterns were classified as the typical or atypical ( symmetrical or asymmetrical FDG accumulation and enlargement of hilar lymph nodes) based on PET and CT separately.Nonparametric McNemar test,independent t-test and Fisher exact test were applied for statistical analysis.Results For typical pattern vs atypical pattem identification,PET was significantly different from CT ( 18 and 4 vs 12 and 10,P =0.031 ).In those with atypical pattern demonstrated by CT alone at hilar region,PET showed either symmetrical or asymmetrical accumulation of FDG.Except for mediastinal lymph nodes involvement,lung parenchyma was the second common site ( 19/22,86.4％ ),followed by lymph nodes at abdomen and (or) pelvis ( 12/22,54.5％ ).Conclusion The imaging characteristics of both intra- and extrathoracic sarcoidosis on 18F-FDG PET/CT may be helpful for the diagnosis of atypical sarcoidosis on CT image alone.

Objective To observe the anatomic and imaging morphology ofjugnlar bulb and its relationship with the surrounding structures, and to investigate the classification ofjugnlar bulb and its clinical significance. Methods We dissected 30 human temporal bones and studied multi-slice spiral CT imaging data of temporal bone of 120 cases and blood vessel cast mould specimen of the jugular bulb of 6 cases, to observe the morphology of jugnlar bulb and its spatial relationship with the surrounding structures. We made an imagined sagittal plane on the medial well of the tympanic cavity, with a horizontal tangent line of the proximal wall of the tympanic cavity and a vertical tangent line of the posterior wall of the tympanic cavity as coordinate axes (X axis and Y axis), respectively, so the 4 quadrants ( Ⅰ , Ⅱ, Ⅳ, Ⅳ) were formed. The jugular bulb was classified intro 4 types according to the quadrant where its top was projected and subtyped according to its position on the inner or outer side of the plane. The operation via mastoid approach was simulated on specimen to observe the effect of jugnlar bulb on the operation route. Results Some jugular bulbs were flat type and others were prominent types. The classification in the group of CT image: type Ⅰ , 11 case (9%);type Ⅱ, 63 cases (53%);type Ⅲ, 25 cases (21%);type Ⅳ, 21cases (17%). The classification in the group of specimen: type Ⅰ, 1 case (3%);type Ⅱ, 11 cases (37%);type Ⅲ, 8 cases (27%);type Ⅳ, 10 cases (33%). Each type of the jugular bulb had different effects on the operative approach. Conclusions The classification method with the 4 quadrants is a simple and three-dimensional way to describe the position of the jugular bulb for imaging diagnosis or operative scheme design.

OBJECTIVETo assess the feasibility and safety of vascular interventional surgery by using vascular interventional robot system (VIRS).

METHODSVIRS included image navigation systems and body propulsion systems, and adopted a master-slave structure. The surgeon sat at the master site, sending controlling instructions to the robot fixed at the slave site, and then the robot translated these instructions into catheter motion. A 3D vascular model was reconstructed so that the surgeon can perform surgical planning easily. In glass model and animal experiments, the surgeon remotely controlled VIRS, which inserted a catheter into predefined targets, and the catheter positioning error and robotic surgery time were measured.

RESULTSThe robot was initially tested on a glass vascular model. Under robotic manipulation, the catheter could enter an arbitrary branch of the vascular model. The catheter positioning error was less than 1 mm. Then robotic interventional surgery was performed successfully in ten adult dogs. The renal artery and the vertebral artery angiography carried out smoothly without complication. Experiment took 35 minutes, and the time what staff exposed to the digital subtraction angiography (DSA) machine was 0 minute.

CONCLUSIONVascular interventional surgical robot system is safe and feasible, and can achieve the catheter remote operation, meet the requirements of angiography basically.

Angiography ; Animals ; Dogs ; Feasibility Studies ; Robotics ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation ; Vascular Surgical Procedures ; instrumentation ; methods

AIMTo prepare long-circulating solid lipid nanoparticles containing paclitaxel with stearic acid, and investigate the in vitro and in vivo characterization of nanoparticles.

METHODSThe method of "emulsion evaporation-solidification at low temperature" was used to prepare the stearic acid solid lipid nanoparticles containing paclitaxel. Its morphology was examined by transmission electron microscope. The HPLC method for determination of paclitaxel in nanoparticles or serum samples was established. The release of paclitaxel in vitro and the pharmacokinetics after i.v. bolus injection to mice were studied.

RESULTSThe mean diameter of Brij78-SLN and F68-SLN is (103.5 +/- 29.2) nm and (220 +/- 98) nm, respectively. The nanoparticles release paclitaxel slowly and linearly, within 24 h, Brij78-SLN and F68-SLN release 8% and 20% of total drug, respectively. Long-circulation nanoparticles was found to stay in the blood circulation, with T 1/2 beta 10.1 h of F68-SLN, and T 1/2 beta 4.88 h of Brij78-SLN more than one commercialized paclitaxel injection, T 1/2 beta 1.3 h.

CONCLUSIONStearic acid might be a new drug carrier material in the future.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; Drug Carriers ; Mice ; Nanotechnology ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Particle Size ; Phosphatidylethanolamines ; Polyethylene Glycols ; Random Allocation ; Stearic Acids ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the safety and efficiency of local paclitaxel delivery using the double-balloon perfusion catheter to prevent restenosis in the canine coronary artery.

METHODSTwenty domestic canines underwent bare-mental stent implantation after balloon injure of the left coronary artery. A novel double-balloon perfusion catheter was used to deliver the drug locally in the canine coronary artery. In the treatment group (n = 15), paclitaxel (10 ml, 20 micromol/L) was delivered using the double-balloon perfusion catheter before stent implantation. In the control group (n = 5), 10 ml saline was delivered using the double-balloon perfusion catheter before stent implantation. The perfusion time in both groups was (26.45 +/- 5.18) s. Animals underwent coronary angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) 90 days after stent implantation and were sacrificed. Vessels were perfusion-fixed and morphometric analysis was performed using conventional techniques.

RESULTSCoronary angiography results showed restenosis rate in control group was significantly higher than that in treatment group (60% vs. 33.33%, P < 0.05). The parameters of OCT showed in treatment group and control group: the neointimal thickness was (0.19 +/- 0.08) mm and (0.38 +/- 0.03) mm, the neointimal area was (1.52 +/- 0.49) mm2 and (2.51 +/- 0.47) mm2, the lumen area was (3.50 +/- 0.66) mm2 and (2.78 +/- 0.57) mm2, the extent of stenosis was (30.13 +/- 8.56)% and (47.40 +/- 4.50)%, and all the variances above were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05). The histologic parameters showed in treatment group and control group: the neointimal thickness was (0.22 +/- 0.10) mm and (0.47 +/- 0.05) mm, the neointimal area was (1.85 +/- 0.78) mm2 and (3.43 +/- 0.25) mm2, the lumen area was (3.15 +/- 0.43) mm2 and (1.85 +/- 0.55) mm2, the extent of stenosis was (36.00 +/- 10.97)% and (65.40 +/- 8.23)%, and all the variances above were also significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05). The stents of both the groups were fully endothelialized. No thrombus or aneurysm was found in stents.

CONCLUSIONLocal delivery of paclitaxel with the double-balloon perfusion catheter to prevent restenosis in coronary stents is safe and efficient.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Animals ; Catheters ; Coronary Restenosis ; prevention & control ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dogs ; Injections ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Stents

Acrylic Resins ; adverse effects ; Adult ; Breast Implantation ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Middle Aged