Objective To value the significance of TGFBR2 gene in mediating HepG2 cell proliferation by RNA interference technology. Methods Three kinds of siRNAs targeting TGFBR2 gene were designed, synthesized and transfected into HepG2 cells via lipofetamine2000. Among three kinds of siRNAs, only the one with the most interference efficacy was selected and the correspondent DNA sequence was inserted into plasmid pEGFP-N3. Then the recombinant plasmid of siRNA-pEGFP-N3 was transfected into HepG2 cell and western blot was used to detect the protein level of TGFBR2. Then, TGF-β1 was used to stimulate HepG2 cells with or without siRNA interference and proliferation of HepG2 cells was observed. Results Among these three siRNAs, siRN-1 appeared to be the most effective. After stimulated by 5ng/mL TGF-β1, proliferation of HepG2 cells showed a marked increase in siRNA-1 group compared with blank and siRNA-NC groups (P<0.05). For all that, the proliferation rate was still lower than that in normal HepG2 cell group without TGF-β1 stimulation. Conclusion By silencing TGFBR2 gene, inhibition of TGF-β1 signaling pathway to HepG2 cells could be decreased, thereby enhancing the cell proliferation.

Esophagus ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Infant ; Male

This article summarizes the bleaching of pulp by white-rot fungus, including the type of white-rot fungus, the type of pulp, the equipment used to bleach by white-rot fungus, and some problems and prospect in practical application by white-rot fungus.

Crystallization has been widely applied in pharmaceutical formulations as an effective approach to improve the stability and efficacy of small agents. However protein crystals are suffered from limitation in the drug delivery system due to their complex crystallization behaviors. With development of crystallization technologies and their industrial application, protein crystals are receiving more and more attentions as a novel delivery system for biomacromolecules. Crystals with thermodynamic stable structure can improve the physical and chemical stability of protein drugs and present a sustained release behavior. On the basis of pertinent literatures, this review introduces the recent research situation and development process of protein crystals as drug delivery system. Moreover, the crystallization process of proteins, as well as the preparation and potential application are discussed systematically.
Crystallization ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; administration & dosage ; Proteins ; chemistry

Background Haze formation is a key factor of vision reduce following corneal refractive surgery.Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) are documented to participate in haze formation.Laboratory study showed that bevacizumab can not only inhibit corneal neovascularization,but also promote the healing of corneal epithelial basement membrane.However,the impact of bevacizumab on corneal healing after Off-flap epipolis laser in situkeratomileusis (Off-flap Epi-LASIK) is unclear.Objective The present study was to investigate the inhibition effect of bevacizumab on corneal haze after off-flap Epi-LASIK and its active mechanism.Methods Off-flap Epi-LASIK was performed in 24 adult pigmented rabbits and these rabbits were randomized into three groups.Bevacizumab of 0.1 ml (2.5 mg) was subconjunctivally injected 10 minutes after surgery in 16 rabbits and the same amount of bevacizumab was repeatedly injected 4 days after the initial injection in 8 eyes of 16 eyes.In addition,equivalent amount of normal saline solution was used in the same way in the other 8 rabbits.Another 2 health rabbits were used as the blank controls.Operative eyes were examined by slit lamp biomicroscope daily after surgery and haze was scored based on SundarRayde criteria.Corneas were obtained 4 weeks after operation for hematoxylin & eosin and periodic acid Schiff staining.Expressions of TGF-β1 and α-SMA in corneal tissue were detected by immunochemistry.Results Corneal epithelium healed completely in all eyes 4-5 days after operation.The haze scores were lower in the bevacizumab single injection group and repeat injection group than those in the normal saline solution group (P＜0.05) in 1 week and 4 weeks after operation.However,no significant difference was seen in the haze scores between the bevacizumab single injection group and repeat injection group (P ＞ 0.05).The hostopathological examination showed that the fibrosis response of cornea tissue was slight in the bevacizumab single injection group and repeat injection group comparison with the normal saline solution group.At 1 week after operation,the expression levels of TGF-β1 were (49.8 ± 2.1) PU and (38.6 ±4.4) PU in the bevacizumab single injection group and repeat injection group,and those of 4 weeks were (37.7 ±4.8) PU and (28.3 ± 3.5) PU,indicating significant decrease in the TGF-β1 expression compared with (65.1 ±5.3) PU and (51.6±2.2) PU of the normal saline solution group in both 1 week and 4 weeks (P＜0.01).The expression levels of α-SMA in corneas were (67.2±10.0) PU and (32.7±3.1) PU at 1 week,and (34.2±5.7) PU and (22.8±3.0) PU at4 weeks after operation in the bevacizumab single injection group and repeat injection group,which were significantly lower than (87.8±7.7) PU and (59.4±5.6) PU in the normal saline solution group in both 1 week and 4 weeks (P＜0.05).Meanwhile,the expression levels of TGF-β1 and α-SMA were declined in the bevacizumab repeat injection group compared with single injection group (P＜0.01).Periodic acid Schiff staining exhibited that the basement membrane of cornea was intact and continued in bevacizumab injection group.But corneal basement membrane was discontinuous in the normal saline solution group.Conclusions Subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab downregulates the expressions of TGF-β1and α-SMA in cornea after Off-flap Epi-LASIK and thus prevents haze formation.

Objective To evaluate the significance of multi-slice helical CT with multiplanar reconstruction in laryngeal carcinoma.Methods Thirty-five patients with laryngeal carcinoma were studied by helical CT,MPR were subsequently done.The lesion extent of the axial image findings,MPR findings and the combined image findings were compared with the pathological results respectively.The data were statistically analyzed.Results In the evaluation of the anterior commissure,the axial image findings,MPR findings and the combined image findings were 82.9%,68.6% and 91.4% in accuracy respectively,the results were statistically different(P0.05).The combined images were superior to the axial images and the MPR images in sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of the lesion extent.Conclusion The axial images could show the shape,size,extension of the tumor and the lymphadenopathy,MPR images displayed the shape,size and extension roundly and directly,they were the supplement for the axial images.Axial images combined with MPR could improve the accuracy in the diagnoses of laryngeal carcinoma.

OBJECTIVETo explore and evaluate the feasibility, safety, radicality and the short-term outcome of minimally invasive esophagectomy versus open esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

METHODSFrom July 2007 to October 2009, 67 patients with esophageal cancer received minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE group), while 38 patients underwent conventional open esophagectomy (OE group: via right thorax, abdomen, left neck). The operative procedures, clinicopathological data and short-term outcome were collected and compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe clinical data of the two groups were comparable. No significant differences was found in demographics between the two groups. Median blood loss in MIE group was less than that in OE group (chest: 112.3 ml vs. 175.3 ml, P = 0.035, abdominal: 31.4 ml vs. 100.5 ml, P = 0.026). More patients in OE group were transferred to ICU (P = 0.042) and more obvious pain (P = 0.005). The rate of pulmonary infection and intestinal obstruction in OE group were higher than MIE group (P = 0.046 and 0.045). There were no differences in the number of lymph node dissection for two groups, the average was 20.9 and lymph node metastasis rate was 26.9% in MIE group. Mean follow up was (14.0 ± 2.2) months (range, 2 to 29 months). Recurrence rate and survival rate were no differences.

CONCLUSIONThe Minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is feasible, safe, and reliable short-term effect, and can achieve radical tumor resection, which may lead to better future of surgical treatment for esophageal carcinoma.

Aged ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Esophagectomy ; methods ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Thoracoscopy ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND:There are so many studies about ovariectomized rats at present, but the research on the change rules of bone mass, bone turnover markers, estrogen levels and their correlation in different periods of ovariectomized rats is rarely reported. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the change rules of bone mass, bone turnover markers, estrogen level and their correlation in different periods of ovariectomized rats. METHODS: Thirty-four 3-month-old female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: baseline group, ovariectomized group and sham operated group. At the beginning of the experiment, the rats in the baseline group were sacrificed, then rats in the ovariectomized group and sham operated group were executed at 4, 8, 12 weeks postoperative respectively. The bone mineral density, bone mass content, area of different zones of the L1-3 lumbar vertebrae and femurs were detected by dual-energy X-ray absorption method, and meanwhile the serum levels of type I procolagen amino-terminal pro-peptide, I colagen carboxy-terminal peptide and estrogen were determined by ELISA. At last, we analyzed the correlation between body mass, bone mineral densityin vitro, type I procolagen amino-terminal pro-peptide, I colagen carboxy-terminal peptide and estrogen levels and the age of ovariectomized rats. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The bone mineral density and bone mass content of the lumbar vertebral and femurs in the ovariectomized group were significantly lower than those in the sham operated group and baseline group at the 4th week after operation (P < 0.05). The bone mineral density and bone mass content in the ovariectomized group were ameliorated obviously at the 8th and 12th weeks compared with those at the 4th week after operation (P < 0.05). The bone mass loss was highest in the L1 and intertrochanteric regions. (2) Serum levels of type I procolagen amino-terminal pro-peptide and I colagen carboxy-terminal peptide in the ovariectomized group were significantly higher than those in the baseline group and sham operated group at the 4th week after operation, but there was no difference at the 8th and 12th weeks. (3) The serum estrogen level in the ovariectomized group was prominently lower than that in the sham operated group and baseline group at the 8th and 12th weeks after operation (P < 0.01 at the 8th week,P < 0.05 at the 12th week). (4) The age was positively correlated with body mass and bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebrae and femursin vitro, while the serum levels of type I procolagen amino-terminal pro-peptide and I colagen carboxy-terminal peptide were negatively correlated with the bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebrae and femurs in vitro (P < 0.01). These results suggested that the bone mass of the lumbar vertebrae and femurs in ovariectomized rats was decreased rapidly firstly, and then rose slowly with time; the bone mass in the L1 and intertrochanteric regions lost seriously; the bone turnover markers showed a significant increase at the beginning of ovariectomy and reduced gradualy to normal condition, while the estrogen level was increased at the first month after ovariectomy and then decreased rapidly. In addition, the body mass, bone turnover markers and estrogen level were associated with the change of bone mass.

OBJECTIVETo gain a deeper insight into the benefits of oral tadalafil for patients with erectile dysfunction (ED).

METHODSFrom January 2008 to June 2009, we conducted a nationwide survey on the quality of male erectile function among the outpatients under the direction of the Chinese Association of Andrology. A total of 205 ED patients were prescribed oral tadalafil and accomplished a questionnaire investigation after 4 weeks of medication. We compared various parameters of the patients before and after the treatment.

RESULTSFour weeks of oral tadalafil medication achieved a total rate of effectiveness of 85.9% (176/205). The proportion of those with moderate to severe ED was decreased from 67.8% (139/205) before medication to 16.6% (34/205) after it. Those who enjoyed sexual life were increased from 21.5% (44/205) before medication to 84.9% (174/205) after it. Only 1.0% (2/205) of the patients could achieve grade 4 penile hardness before the treatment, as compared with 60.5% (124/205) after it. And the frequency of sexual intercourse was significantly increased, over 4 times in 90.2% (159/205) of the patients.

CONCLUSIONOral tadalafil, with its sure effectiveness on ED, can bring great benefits to the sexual life of ED patients.

Adult ; Carbolines ; therapeutic use ; Erectile Dysfunction ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Penile Erection ; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tadalafil ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: It is a hotspot that calcium phosphate and calcium sulphate as the main ingredients are combined with one or more other materials to improve or increase the performance of bone tissue engineering scaffolds. OBJECTIVE: To introduce the research advance of these two kinds of scaffolds in bone tissue engineering. METHODS: The articles related to the bone tissue engineering published during January 2000 to June 2015 were retrieved from CNKI and PubMed databases by computer. The key words were “bone tissue engineering, scaffold, calcium phosphate, calcium sulphate, vascularization” in Chinese and English, respectively. ESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Calcium phosphate and calcium sulfate are characterized as having good biocompatibility, biodegradability, osteoconductivity and complete bone substitutability. However, single use of calcium phosphate or calcium sulfate scaffold has certain disadvantages, both of which are difficult to ful y meet the requirements of the bone defect repair. Improvement can be acquired in the mechanical strength, injectability and biodegradability, as wel as drug-loading and pro-angiogenesis of the scaffold in combination with other materials. In the basal and clinical research, we should explore and develop ideal scaffolds in on the basis of therapeutic aim. However, most of the scaffold studies are stil at the extracorporeal and animal experiment stage, and the comparative studies on composite scaffolds and optimal proportion of those composite scaffolds stil need to be further investigated.