Objective To evaluate the feasibility of cell free fetal DNA(cffDNA)-based noninvasive prenatal diagnosis,we developed a precise technique for fetal sex determining region of Y chromosome(SRY)gene detection using size-fractionated cell-free DNA in maternal plasma.Methods Peripheral blood samples were collected form 117 pregnant women.cffDNA was extracted based on a column absorbent method and isolated by agarose gel electrophoresis.A dulex-polymerase chain reaction(PCR)was used to detected SRY gene and glycerol-dehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase(GAPDH)gene.Results Both SRY and GAPDH gene were detected in 86 cffDNA samples from women bearing male fetuses.And only GAPDH gene was detected in 71 cffDNA samples from women bearing female fetuses.These results had a coincidence whit those of villus or amniotic fluid samples.The specificity and sensitivity reached 100%(117/117)and 100%(66/66),respectively.Conclusion By agarose gel electrophoresis,re-extratedand and dulex PCR,size-fractionated cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma can be selective enriched and used to noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of sex-linked disorders and single gene disorders.

Objective To analyze genetic and clinical features of 14 children with ?-thalassemia intermedia in Guangxi area.Methods ?-thalassemia genes,?-thalassemia genes,single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) at position-158 of()~G?-globin gene,AT repeats polymorphisms of DNase I-hypersensitive site 2 of the ?-globin gene cluster locus control region(?-LCR-HS2) were detected by PCR techniques.Clinical data were analyzed.Results Genotype:1.Seven cases were homozygous or compound heterozygous for nt-28(A→G).Among them,2 cases′ genotypes were nt-28/nt-28,1 case was ?~E/ nt-28,2 cases were ?~0/nt-28,1 case(?~0/nt-28) co-inherited()~G?158(T) and 1 case(?~0/nt-28) co-inherited simultaneously()~G?-158(T) and——SEA ?-thalassemia-1 genes.2.Three cases with ?~0/?~0 presented()~G?-158(T),and other 3 cases co-inherited——SEA ?-thalassemia-1 genes.3.One patient with ?~0/?~0 co-inherited()~G?-158(T) and——SEA ?-thalassemia-1 genes.4.Six cases carrying()~G?-158(T) had(AT)_9 N_(12)(AT)_(10) sequences in ?-LCR-HS2.Phenotype:The values of Hb,MCV,HbF of 14 patients were(75.9?9.7) g/L,(68.9?5.9) fL,66.9%?16.3%,respectively.Except for 2 cases with genotypes of nt-28/nt-28 and 1 case with ?~E/nt-28 who had never been transfused,the others had more severe symptoms and required irregularly transfusion.Conclusions In the 14 children with ?-thalassemia intermedia from Guangxi area,nt-28(A→G),()~G?-158(T) and——SEA ?-thalassemia-1 gene are main alleviating gene factors.Incidence of(AT)_9 N_(12)(AT)_(10) sequence in ?-LCR-HS2 in these patients is high.Patients who are homozygous for nt-28 or compound heterozygous for ?~E have milder phenotypes.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the anti-tumor activities of WX-127-07,a new microtubule-tar-geting agent invitroand probe its molecular mechanism. METHODS The well-known microtubule-targe-ting anti-tumor drugs taxol,vincristine and anti-gout drug colchicine were used as positive controls. The anti-proliferation activity was examined in five different cell lines after treatment with WX-127-07(0.3 -300 nmol·L-1 )for 72 h by SRB assay. The cell cycle arrest profile was assayed by flow cytometry. The multiparameters of cytotoxicity,cell morphology,apoptosis and different signaling pathways related to tumorigenesis and inflammation were analyzed using the high content analysis platform. Tubulin tryptic digestion and competition inhibition assay for colchicine or vinblastine site were used to confirm the bind-ing site in microtubules at a molecular level. RESULTS All the tested compounds obviously inhibited the growth of A549,HepG2,HeLa,HLF and HUVEC cells. The lC50 values of WX-127-07 were 4.47±0.05, 5.18±0.08,4.90±0.19,4.10±0.16 and(5.04±0.08)nmol·L-1 respectively,lower than those of colchicine〔the lC50 values were 21. 17 ± 1. 22,14. 19 ± 0. 53,43. 80 ± 1. 64,145. 89 ± 10. 97 and( 27. 67 ± 1.79)nmol·L-1 ,respectively〕and those of vincristine〔the lC50 values were 16.51±0.36,16.76±0.33, 27.80±2.75,43.80±1.48 and(9.15±0.78)nmol·L-1 ,respectively〕,but were similar to or lower than those of taxol〔the lC50 values were 10. 68 ± 0. 61,12. 86 ± 0. 25,4. 81 ± 0. 61,102. 07 ± 15. 17 and( 3. 04 ± 0.12)nmol·L-1 ,respectively〕. High content multi-parameter analysis revealed that WX-127-07 induced a concentration-dependent microtubular depolymerization(P=0.0075)with the same pattern as colchicine and vincristine,but at a lower concentration. Both WX-127-07 and positive drugs could induce cell cycle arrest in A549 cells,increase nuclear membrane permeability and early signs of apoptosis in HepG2 cells,but neither cancer related pathways nor inflammation related pathways were affected. Microtubular competition inhibition assay showed that WX-127-07 inhibited the binding of colchicine with tubulin(P =0.0259). Tryptic digestion of tubulin-WX-127-07 premixture showed a similar electrophoretic band to that of tubulin-colchicine premixture. CONCLUSION WX-127-07 is a novel microtubule-depolymerizing agent with anti-proliferation activity and acting on the colchicine binding site.

The influenza A virus matrix protein2 gene(M2)which deleted transmembrane region was amplified by overlap extending PCR,and the multiepitope gene of hemagglutinin(HA)was PCR amplified with seven continuous synthesized segments by designing primer.The two gene segments were separately cloned into pMD18T vector to sequence analysis and prokarytic expression vector pET28a+ to construct the recombinant plasmid pET28a+M2dHA.The recombinant plasmid was transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3),and the high expression strain was obtained by screening monoclones.The recombinant protein existed as inclusion bodies,which accounted about 45% of the total cellular protein.The inclusion bodies were washed with 1% Triton X100 solution twice,and dissolved in 8 mol/L urea solution.The solution protein was purified by Ni+2 affinity chromatography,and refolded by dilution renaturation,then purified by Q Sepharose FF cation exchange column.The purity of the protein was over 90% by HPLC analysis.The result of Western blot showed it has good antigenicity and specificity.These results strongly supported for the further study of the broadspectrum influenza virus subunit vaccine.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

In temporomandibular disorders (TMD), pain takes place when neuropeptides stimulate synovial tissue to produce several cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, which activate neurons and glia of synovial membrane at the bilaminar regions of temporomandibular joint (TMJ). It has been reported that, after neurogenic differentiation, the synovial mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs), deriving from TMJ, possess the same cytological features as the neuronal cells. This study examined the ability of substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) to stimulate SMSCs and neurogenic SMSCs secreting inflammatory cytokines during TMD, evaluated the mutual effects of inflammatory cytokines and neuropeptides and tested the analgesic effect of hyaluronic acid (HA). The levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in SMSCs and neurogenic SMSCs in the presence of neuropeptides were measured by ELISA. SP and CGRP produced by SMSCs and neurogenic SMSCs were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The results showed that the expression of SP and CGRP was significantly enhanced in the neurogenic SMSCs in response to IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, and the effect was remarkably inhibited by HA. IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, in return, could be enhanced in the neurogenic SMSCs upon stimulation by SP and CGRP. Neuropeptides and inflammatory cytokines might work mutually on the TMD pain. The HA-mediated analgesic effect may be implicated in the inhibition of SP and CGRP expression in neurogenic SMSCs.

Objective To investigate the changes of serum glycocholicacid(CG),hyaluronic acid(HA),procollagen type Ⅲ(PCⅢ) in neonatal diseases.Method The levels of serum CG,HA and PCⅢ were measured by radioimmunoassay in 46 neonates with different diseases and 20 healthy neonates.Results Serum CG and HA in patients group were significant higher than those in healthy control group(P

[ ABSTRACT] AIM:To cultivate stem-like spheres from SW620 cell line in the specific serum-free medium and evaluate the features of the cancer stem cells, and to investigate the effects of docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA) and eicosapen-taenoic acid ( EPA) on the growth of SW620 stem cell-like cells.METHODS: Human colon cancer stem cell-like cells ( CSCLC) were obtained from SW620 spheres cultured in serum-free medium.These cells were tested for the expression of SSEA-1 and TRA-1-81 by immunofluorescence staining.The mRNA expression of Sox-2 and Oct-4 was detected by real-time PCR.The efficiency of colony formation on a soft agar gel and tumor formation in the nude mice was compared between SW620 adherent cells and CSCLC.The inhibitory effects of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and mitomycin C on both types of cells were measured by MTS assay.MTS assay, Annexin V/PI staining and trypan blue staining were used to determine the effects of DHA and EPA on both types of cells.MTS assay was also used to analyze the combined effect of DHA or EPA with chemotherapeutic drugs on SW620 CSCLC.RESULTS:SW620 cells formed spheres in serum-free culture.The cells from spheres highly expressed SSEA-1 and TRA-1-81, transiently expressed Sox-2 and Oct-4 genes and were more resistant to 5-FU and mitomycin C treatments.These cells exhibited a greater ability in clone formation and tumorigenicity, indica-ting that these cells carried stem cell-like features, hence were considered SW620-derived CSCLC.DHA and/or EPA sup-pressed SW620 CSCLC by inhibiting cell growth, inducing cell apoptosis and sensitizing them to chemotherapeutic drugs. CONCLUSION:The cells with stem cell-like features, such as high efficiency in clonogenicity, tumorigenicity and resist-ance to chemotherapeutic drugs, can be obtained from SW620 spheres cultured in serum-free condition.DHA and EPA in-duce apoptosis in SW620-derived CSCLC and sensitize them to chemotherapeutic drugs.

Purpose To study the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) quantitative technique in evaluating the perfusion of hepatic microcirculation in acute hemorrhagic shock (HS),and to investigate the value of CEUS quantitative analysis in HS diagnosis and treatment.Materials and Methods Sixty healthy adult New Zealand white rabbits of either gender were randomly divided into three groups for establishing mild,moderate and severe HS models,respectively.Before modeling and 30 min after stable modeling,liver CEUS examination was performed,and the original images were stored.Blood test of lactic acid,liver function,and liver biopsy for pathological examination were conducted after CEUS.Finally,the arrival time (AT),time to peak (TTP),rising time (RT),peak intensity (PI) and area under the curve (AUC) were analyzed offiine.Results Compared with pre-modeling,AUC decreased in mild HS group (P＜0.05);TTP and RT were delayed,but PI and AUC decreased in moderate and severe HS groups (all P＜0.05);AT was delayed in severe HS group (P＜0.05).The differences of TTP,RT,PI and AUC between the groups of mild,moderate and severe HS were significant (P＜0.05).Compared with pre-modeling,lactic acid in three HS groups increased significantly,the liver function indexes were changed to different degrees,and the degree of liver cell pathological changes was closely related to the degree of HS.Conclusion CEUS can quantitatively evaluate the changes of hepatic microcirculation induced by HS at different degrees.

Pttrpose Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a noninvasive technique that can monitor the blood perfusion of organs.The study aims to discuss the value of CEUS in quantitative analysis of renal microcirculation during resuscitation after hemorrhagic shock (HS).Materials and Methods Forty healthy New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into five groups in this prospective study.One group was selected as normal control group (T1),the other four groups were established HS model by using the modified Wiggers's method;one of the four HS groups was taken as shock group (T2),and the other three HS groups were named as 2 h group (T3),6 h group (T4),and 24 h group (T5) according to resuscitation time.CEUS was used to observe the rabbits' renal perfusion and the perfusion parameters were recorded including amplitude of peak intensity (A),time to peak (TTP),area under curve (AUC) and curve rising slope rate (Grad);the correlation of these parameters with histological examination was analyzed.Results Compared with T1 group,The TTP ofT2 group prolonged and the A,AUC and Grad decreased (P＜0.05);the HS model was established successfully.Compared with T2 group,the A,AUC and Grad of T3,T4 groups increased (P＜0.05),but the TTP of T3,T4 groups was not shortened (P＞0.05).The above parameters were all significantly different between T5 group and T2 group (P＜0.05),but the differences did not exist between T5 and T1 groups (P＞0.05),which indicated that the perfusion parameters gradually returned to normal level after resuscitation.The histological staining demonstrated that the renal tubular epithelial cell swelling and vascular congestion gradually restored after resuscitation.Conclusion CEUS can quantitatively assess renal perfusion changes during resuscitation as a noninvasive monitor.