OBJECTIVE:To establish a method for the simultaneous determination of 5 xanthones in Swertia chirayita. METH-ODS:HPLC-EST-MS was conducted. The chromatographic conditions:the column was Waters Symmetry-C18 with mobile phase of water (5 mmol/L ammonium acetate- 0.1% formic acid)-methanol (gradient elution) at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min,the detection warelength was 254 nm,column temperature was 30 ℃,and the injection volume was 10 μl;MS conditions:it was detected by positive ion,ion source ejection voltage was 4.5 kV,capillary temperature was 200 ℃,capillary voltage was 25 V,sheath gas flow rate was 35 arb,auxiliary gas flow rate was 20 arb,collision gas was helium,and detection method was multi-stage full scan mass spectrometry. RESULTS:The linear ranges for 1-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyxanthone,1-hydroxy-3,4,5-trimethoxyxanthone,1, 8-dihydroxy-3,dimethoxyxanthone,1-hydroxy-2,3,4,5-tetramethoxyxanthone and 1-hydroxy-2,3,4,7-tetramethoxyxanthone were all 0.5-15.00 μg/ml(r>0.999 0);RSDs of precision,stability and reproducibility tests were lower than 2%;recoveries were 100.03%-103.59%(RSD=0.99%,n=9)for 1-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyxanthone,97.41%-100.89%(RSD=1.15%,n=9)for 1-hy-droxy-3, 4, 5-trimethoxyxanthone, 99.13% -101.68%(RSD=1.40% , n=9) for 1, 8-dihydroxy-3, 5-dimethoxyxanthone, 100.21%-103.51%(RSD=1.33%,n=9)for 1-hydroxy-2,3,4,5-tetramethoxyxanthone,100.56%-103.92%(RSD=1.37%,n=9) for 1-hydroxy-2,3,4,7-tetramethoxyxanthone. CONCLUSIONS:The method is simple,stable and reproducible,and can be used for the simultaneous determination of 5 xanthones in S. chirayita.

The aim of the present study was to explore the differentially expressed genes in the blood vessel endothelial cells (BVECs) between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and reac- tive lymph node hyperplasia (RLNH), and to perform an initial bioinformatics analysis on a novel gene, C20orf14, which is highly expressed in lymph node of lymphoma. The mRNA of the tissue from the BVECs of DLBCL and RLNH tissues was labeled with biotin respectively and hybridized with expression profile microarray, and the differentially expressed genes were obtained. Initial bio- informatics analysis was performed on a novel gene named C20orf14. Its gene structure, genomic lo- calization, the physical and chemical characteristics of the putative protein, subcellular localization, functional domain etc. were predicted, and the systematic evolution analysis was performed on the similar proteins among several species. By using expression profile microarray, many differentially expressed genes were uncovered. The efficient bioinformatics analysis have fundamentally identified that C20orfl4 was a nuclear protein, and may be involved in the post-transcription modification of mRNA. Therefore, microarray is an efficient and high throughout strategy for the detection of differ- entially expressed genes, and C20orf14 is thought to be a potential target for tumor metastasis re- searches by bioinformatics analysis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the main diseases jeopardizing the health of the iron miners and to explore the relationship between dust exposure and malignancies as well as other diseases.

METHODSA retrospective study with a cohort of 7,469 workers employed between January 1, 1972 and December 31, 1974 in Daye Iron Ore Mine Co. in Hubei Province was conducted. Standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was calculated for the main causes of death using Chinese national mortality rates for reference.

RESULTSAll subjects were followed up through December 31, 2003 with an accumulation of 199, 108.0 person years. A total of 1,752 workers died. The cumulative mortality was 23.5%. The cancers, cerebrovascular diseases, non-malignant respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases were main diseases that threatened workers' life span. The SMR for all subjects was a little higher than expected based on the Chinese national mortality rates. The diseases causing the significantly higher death rate were the nasopharynx cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, pneumoconiosis and accident with SMR 1.84, 1.51, 1.83, 14.94 and 1.25 respectively. Increased mortality was observed among dust-exposed workers in the cohort. The cumulative mortality from all causes such as stomach cancer, lung cancer, nonmalignant respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and accident in dust exposed workers were significantly increased compared with those in non-exposure workers with RR 1.35, 1.83, 1.61, 2.27, 1.34 and 1.69 respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe risk factors especially dust exposure affect the health and lifespan of the iron mine workers.

Adult ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; mortality ; Cause of Death ; China ; epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Dust ; Female ; Humans ; Iron ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mining ; Neoplasms ; mortality ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; mortality ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; mortality

Objective To explore the effect of noscapine on the biological function of A549 cells and its underlying mechanism. Methods Concentrations of 10 μmol/L and 20 μmol/L of noscapine were used on the A549 cells. The effect of noscapine on their proliferation was observed via the MTT assay. Western blotting and real time PCR were used to detect the effects on Cyclin D1, BCL-2, and MMP2. The Hoechst 33258 staining assay was used to observe the effects of noscapine on the apoptosis of A549 cells. The metastasis of A549 cells was detected by using the Transwell assay. Results The MTT assay showed that the rate of inhibition of cell proliferation after treatment with 10 μmol/L and 20 μmol/L noscapine were (32.98±1.09) ％ and (49.56±3.98) ％, with a significant difference between the values (P ＜ 0.05). Hoechst 33258 staining evinced that noscapine promoted apoptosis, while the Transwell assay displayed that noscapine inhibited A549 cell metastasis. Western blotting and real time PCR indicated that the expression of Cyclin D1, BCL-2, and MMP2 in A549 cells was inhibited by noscapine. Conclusion Noscapine can inhibit the growth and metastasis of the lung cancer cell line A549 and promote the apoptosis of A549 cells. In conclusion, noscapine can potentially be used as a chemotherapeutic drug for lung cancer.

Objective To investigate how microRNA 24 (miR-24) regulates the development of lung cancer. Methods The levels of miR-24 in 30 cases of lung cancer were detected using real-time PCR, and the relationship between miR-24 levels and overall survival was analyzed. After overexpression or silencing of miR-24 in A549 lung cancer cells, the effect on cell proliferation was observed by the MTT assay. Transwell assays were carried out to observe the effect of miR-24 on cell migration. The effects of miR-24 on the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2 in A549 cells were examined by Western blotting. Results Survival analysis showed that patients with low miR-24 expression had a shorter survival time. The MTT-based viability assay revealed that overexpression of miR-24 inhibited A549 cell proliferation. Cell proliferation was promoted when miR-24 was inhibited. In the Transwell assay, overexpression of miR-24 significantly inhibited the A549 cell migration, and cell migration increased when miR-24 was inhibited.Western blotting analysis revealed that overexpression of miR-24 could inhibit CDK4/6 and MMP2 production in A549 cells. Inhibition of miR-24 was associated with increased production of CDK4/6 and MMP2 in A549 cells. Conclusion miR-24 can inhibit the proliferation and migration of A549 lung cancer cells.