OBJECTIVETo investigate the apoptosis-inducing effect of Ent-11α-hydroxy-15-oxo-kaur-16-en-19-oic-acid (5F), a compound isolated from Pteris semipinnata L (PsL), on human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells and explore its mechanism.

METHODSThe inhibitory effect of 5F on SGC7901 cells was observed by MTT assay and flow cytometry, and the changes of the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in SGC7901 cells following 5F exposure were evaluated by Western blot analysis.

RESULTS5F inhibited the proliferation of SGC7901 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, and the cell apoptosis induced by 5F was confirmed by Annexin V-EGFP staining and caspase-3 activation assay. The cell apoptosis induced by 5F was associated with decreased Bcl-2 and increased Bax expressions.

CONCLUSION5F exposure induces apoptosis in SGC7901 cells by activating mitochondrial apoptotic pathways.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Diterpenes ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Pteris ; chemistry ; Stomach Neoplasms ; pathology ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the role of Undecanoate (Andriol), as a kind of testosterone, in regulating the relaxation of isolated rat corpus cavernosum in vitro.

METHODSThe castrated rats were given high and low dosage Andriol respectively, compared with intact and castrated rats. After treatment of 4 weeks, the corpora cavernosa were cut, trimmed as to strips. Norepinephrine(NE) was added to contract each of the tissue strips. Next, sodium nitroprusside(SNP), electric functional stimulation(EFS) were used to relax the strips. Percent relaxations were examined.

RESULTSHigh-dose Andriol(20 mg/kg) was significantly effective to castrated rats on percent relaxation induced by 10(-3) mol/L SNP and EFS. Low-dose Andriol(10 mg/kg) was also effective to relax strips induced by 10(-3) mol/L SNP. According to statistics, the differences were significant (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe percent relaxations of castrated rats were increased after taking Andriol, and it could increase the relaxation of corpara cavernosa.

Animals ; Castration ; Male ; Muscle Relaxation ; drug effects ; Muscle, Smooth ; drug effects ; physiology ; Penis ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Testosterone ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting Apollon in enhancing the chemosensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in vitro.

METHODSHCC cells transfected with the siRNA targeting Apollon were tested for Apollon protein expression using Western blotting. MTT assay and ELISA were used to evaluate the proliferation and apoptosis of HCC cells transfected with siRNA after exposure to 5-FU or adriamycin.

RESULTSApollon siRNA obviously down-regulated Apollon protein expression in HCC cells. The siRNA-mediated suppression of Apollon expression resulted in a marked inhibition of cell growth and increased apoptotic rate of HCC cells, and enhanced both the growth-inhibiting and apoptosis-inducing effects of the chemotherapeutic drugs.

CONCLUSIONApollon siRNA can enhance the chemosensitivity of HCC cells to the chemotherapeutic drugs. Apollon can be a potentially important and feasible therapeutic target for HCC.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Apoptosis ; genetics ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the relevant position of C(2) pedicle to C(2) inferior articular process, set up a technique of C(2) pedicle screw placement with the inferior articular process of axis as an anatomic landmark.

METHODSFifty C(2) bone specimens were used to measure the distance from the sagittal midline to the medial border, the midpoint and the lateral border of C(2) inferior articular process or C(2) pedicle; the width and the height of the C(2) pedicle were also evaluated. The anatomic relation between the measurements data of C(2) pedicle and that of C(2) inferior articular process were analyzed, and the technique of C(2) pedicle screw fixation was established.

RESULTSThe medial border of C(2) inferior articular process was averaged (3.67 +/- 0.41) mm lateral to that of C(2) pedicle, and the midpoint C(2) inferior articular process was averaged (1.15 +/- 0.44) mm lateral to the lateral border of C(2) pedicle, respectively. Using the C(2) inferior articular process as landmark, two techniques was established for C(2) pedicle screw placement. The entry point of method A was located in 2 mm medial and superior to the central point of C(2) inferior articular process; the entry point of method B was at the crossing point of the medial border C(2) inferior articular process with the superior quarter of C(2) inferior articular process.

CONCLUSIONSThere is a steady anatomic relation between C(2) pedicle and C(2) inferior articular process, the C(2) inferior articular process could be as a convenient key anatomic landmark to determine the location of C(2) pedicle and the position of C(2) pedicle screw entry point.

Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Humans ; Spinal Fusion ; methods

OBJECTIVETo determine the role of the sexual function inspection room in the treatment of patients with special penile insertion disorder.

METHODSThis study included 6 couples received at the Andrology Clinic of Shanghai Renji Hospital from September, 2010 to February, 2011, who complained of being unable to accomplish sexual intercourse, all due to the husbands' abnormal penile erection. The couples had tried to make love 3 to 6 times after getting married, but never succeeded. Consequently the wives were planning to divorce, unwilling to attempt sexual activity again. We performed examinations and sexual education for the patients in the sexual function inspection room of Shanghai Institute of Andrology. The inspection room consisted of an inner and an outer section separated by a one-way transparent glass, through which what happened in the outer section could be observed from the inner section. The husband was given 20 mg of tadalafil to induce penile erection, followed by Doppler ultrasonographic determination of penile hemodynamics. Meanwhile, the wife was allowed to observe her husband's penile erection through the glass to get sensory stimuli and relieve the mental burden. In the end, the doctor advised the couple to try sexual intercourse.

RESULTSIn nature, the 6 wives were all impatient, while their husbands were all introverted. Doppler ultrasonography displayed normal penile hemodynamics. After sensory stimulation, the wives gained confidence in their husbands' erectile function. A one month follow-up visit showed that all the 6 couples could perform sexual intercourse normally.

CONCLUSIONThis sexual function inspection room can help doctors and wives to observe the status of the patient's penile erection, and meanwhile disburden the mind of the wives by giving them sensory stimuli, which contributes much to successful attempt at sexual intercourse.

Coitus ; physiology ; Erectile Dysfunction ; diagnosis ; Health Facilities ; Humans ; Male

OBJECTIVETo explore the optimal treatment selection for treating varicocele (VC) male infertility patients accompanied with oligozoospermia or azoospermia of different Chinese medical syndrome types by comparing the efficacies of integrative medicine.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty male infertility patients with VC accompanied with oligozoospermia or azoospermia were assigned to Chinese medical treatment group (A) and the surgical group (B), each consisting of three Chinese medical syndrome types, i.e., damp-heat stagnation syndrome (DHSS), Shen-deficiency blood stasis syndrome (SDBSS), and blood stasis stagnation syndrome (BSSS), 20 in each group. Corresponding Chinese medical treatment was administered to those in Group A, C, and E, while microscopic ligation of internal vena spermatic was administered to those in Group B, D, and F. The routine analysis of semen, biochemical analysis of seminal plasma, and serum sex hormones (prolactin, testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and estradiol) were performed before treatment and by the end of the 24th week after treatment.

RESULTSTotally 18 patients' spouses were pregnant. Of them, 1 in Group A of DHSS (abbreviated as Group A), 3 in Group B of DHSS (abbreviated as Group B), 4 in Group A of SDB-SS (abbreviated as Group C), 5 in Group A of SDBSS (abbreviated as Group D), 1 in Group A of BSSS (abbreviated as Group E), and 4 in Group B of BSSS (abbreviated as Group F). After 24-week treatment, the sperm concentration, class a sperm percentage, class a + b sperm percentage, the motility rate, the seminal plasma of fructose density, and the seminal plasma neutral alpha-glucosidase were more significantly improved in Group B, C, D and F, when compared with the same group before treatment (P <0. 01, P <0. 05). There was no statistical difference in the aforesaid indices between before and after treatment in Group A and Group E (P >0.05). As for the improvement percentage of seminal routine indices, the difference of the seminal plasma of fructose density, and the difference of seminal plasma neutral alpha-glucosidase between before and after treatment in the same Chinese medical syndrome types, better effects were obtained in Group B than in Group A (P <0.01), and better effects were obtained in Group F than in Group E (P <0.01). There was no statistical difference between Group C and D (P >0.05). There was no statistical difference in the 5 items of sex hormones in each group between before and after treatment (P >0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSurgical treatment could effectively improve the semen quality for male infertility VC patients accompanied with oligozoospermia or azoospermia. Of them, Chinese medical treatment could be recommended to those of SDBSS who would not receive surgical treatment.

Adult ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Integrative Medicine ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phytotherapy ; Varicocele ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of growth hormone( GH) supplementation on erectile function and expression of nNOS in the intracavernosal nerves in aging rats.

METHODSTwenty male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 18 months were randomly divided into Groups A and B, and ten 2-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats included in Group C. 1 U/(kg x d) GH was given to Group A, and the same volume of saline to Groups B and C. After 8 weeks of treatment, evaluation was made of the erections induced by apomorphine (APO), maximal intracavernous pressure (ICP) induced by intracavernous papaverine injection and expression of nNOS in the intracavernosal nerves by streptavidin-peroxidase immunohistochemical techniques.

RESULTSAfter 8 weeks of treatment, the erection frequency, maximal ICP and expression of nNOS in the intracavernosal nerves of the rats in Groups A and C were significantly higher than those in Group B (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONGrowth hormone supplementation can improve the erectile function of aging rats, which may be attributed to the increase in the expression of nNOS in the intracavernosal nerves.

Animals ; Apomorphine ; pharmacology ; Growth Hormone ; pharmacology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I ; biosynthesis ; Papaverine ; pharmacology ; Penile Erection ; drug effects ; Penis ; enzymology ; innervation ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo detect the levels of seminal plasma leptin (SPL) and serum leptin (SL) in patients with azoospermia, and to explore the methods of using SPL and SL alone or the combination of SPL, SL and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) for the differential diagnosis of obstructive azoospermia (OA) and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA).

METHODSWe enrolled in this study 45 patients with diagnosed OA, 41 with unexplained NOA and 30 men with normal semen parameters as controls. The azoospermia patients underwent percutaneous aspiration from the epididymis (PESA) or aspiration/extraction from the testis (TESA/TESE), and all the subjects were detected for the levels of serum FSH, SPL and SL. Individual and multiple indexes were evaluated by Fisher's discriminant analysis combined with ROC curve analysis.

RESULTSThere were no significant differences in the body mass index (BMI) among the three groups. Compared with the normal control, the OA patients showed an obviously elevated level of SPL (P = 0.048), and the NOA patients remarkably increased levels of FSH (P = 0.000), SL (P = 0.000) and SPL (P = 0.000). In comparison with the OA group, the levels of FSH (P = 0.000), SL (P = 0.006) and SPL (P = 0.033) were significantly increased in the NOA group. For the differential diagnosis of OA and NOA, the areas under the ROC curve of SPL and SL were 0.658 (P = 0.014) and 0.702 (P = 0.002) , respectively, both significantly greater than 0.5, while that of the combination of SPL, SL and FSH was the greatest (0.953). In addition, with 0.026 x SPL +0.05 x SL +0.106 x FSH -2.197 as the combined indicator value and -0.289 as the cut-off value (> or = cut-off value for NOA), the sensitivity and specificity of the combination were 0.878 and 0.902, respectively, both reached the maximum.

CONCLUSIONBoth the levels of SPL and SL are valuable for the differential diagnosis of OA and NOA, but the joint consideration of SPL, SL and FSH may provide better indicators.

Adult ; Azoospermia ; blood ; diagnosis ; Case-Control Studies ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Leptin ; blood ; Male

OBJECTIVETo study the relevant position of the pedicle of C1 to the lateral mass of C(2-4), set up an identification technique for the entry point decision of C1 pedicle screw by using the lateral mass of C(2-4) as anatomic landmarks.

METHODSTwenty cadaver specimens were used to measure the distance from the sagittal midline of spine to the medial border, the midpoint and the lateral border of C1 pedicle or the lateral mass of C2, C3 or C4. The anatomic relation between the measurements data of C1 pedicle and that of the lateral masses of the cervical vertebrae were analyzed, and the technique of C1 pedicle screw fixation was established.

RESULTSThe average medial border of the lateral mass of C2, C3 and C4 was 0.37 mm, 0.27 mm and 0.24 mm lateral to that of C1 pedicle, the average midpoint of the lateral mass of C2, C3 and C4 was 1.18 mm, 1.41 mm and 1.74 mm lateral to that of C1 pedicle, and the average lateral border of the lateral mass of C2, C3 and C4 was 1.96 mm, 2.54 mm and 3.24 mm lateral to that of C1 pedicle, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThere is a steady anatomic location relation between C1 pedicle and the lateral mass of C2, C3 or C4. As well as the lateral mass of C2, the lateral mass of C3 or that of C4 could be convenient anatomic landmarks to determine the location of C1 pedicle and the position of C1 pedicle screw entry point.

Adult ; Cadaver ; Cervical Atlas ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Cervical Vertebrae ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Spinal Fusion ; methods

Objective To identify the epidemic characteristics and risk factors of an emerging infectious disease-severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in Hubei province.Methods Active surveillance program on SFTS was set up in monitoring sites-hospitals,at the township level or above,in Suizhou,Huanggang and Wuhan from January to December,2010.Specific surveillance program on SFTS was launched across the province in hospitals above the county level.Cases that matched the definition of surveillance case were identified and reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs).Cases were interviewed and their blood samples collected and detected using PCR and virus isolation.We also conducted serum antibody surveys among healthy population and livestock and surveillance on vector ticks in those high-epidemic areas.Results 188 cases that matched the definition of surveillance case and 21 deaths were reported in 11 cities,32 countries and 100 towns in 2010,with an incidence rate of 0.33/106.The fatality rate was 11.2％.Data showed that the patients were from hilly areas at the altitude elevated between 28-940 meters.The epidemic period was between April and December with the peak from May to September.The youngest case was an 11-year old,while the eldest was 81 with median age as 56-year old.95.3 ％ of the patients were farmers.All Patients did not have the history of traveling,two weeks before the onset of SFTS.93.6％ of the patients engaged in different kind of work which was associated with agriculture.52.8％ of the patients had been exposed to ticks.22.0％ of the patients had been bitten by ticks.Skin injury was found in 64.2％ of the patients.Samples from 129 cases (68.6％) were collected and detected,with 67.4％ of them (87 cases) showed positive by Real time-PCR for SFTS virus.An elevation in antibody titer by a factor of four or evidence of sero-conversion was observed in 11 patients; SFTS virus was isolated from 2 patients.The total antibody positive rates were 3.8％,55.0％ (6/11 ),36.7％ (2/3) and 80.0％ (4/5) respectively in healthy population,dogs,sheep and cows.Ticks from grass,cattle and sheep were detected positive by Real time-PCR.Conclusion Most cases of SFTS in Hubei were infected by SFTS virus,and cases of livestock were infected by SFTS virus.Ticks might serve as an important vector.Skin injury,exposure to tick bites seemed to be the risk factors.