Objective: To explore the relationship between the mutations in the reverse transcriptase (RT) domain of hepatitis B virus polymerase (HBV-P) gene and the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: In this case-control study, the serum samples from 202 HCC patients and 202 chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) carriers matching for age and gender were collected. The sequence of the RT domain of HBV-P gene was determined by direct sequencing following PCR amplification. The relationship between the mutations in the RT domain of HBV-P gene and the occurrence and development of HCC was analyzed. Results: The T895A, A904T and C955T mutations in the RT domain of HBV-P gene were all significantly associated with HCC compared to non-HCC controls (P = 0.034, 47.5% vs 37.1%; P = 0.011, 5.4% vs 1.0%; P = 0.030, 5.4% vs 1.5%). Furthermore, the Logistic multivariate analysis showed that T895A was an independent risk factor for HCC [odds ratio (OR) = 2.230, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.230-4.044, P = 0.008]. A904T or C955T increased the risk of HCC occurrence either (OR = 6.523, 95% CI: 0.838-50.733; OR = 2.904, 95% CI: 0.599-14.093), but it did not reach statistical significance. The mutation rate of combined mutation occurrence either in A904 or C955T was 9.4% in HCC group and 2.5% in non-HCC controls (P = 0.003). The adjusted OR was 4.145 (95% CI: 1.170-14.681), demonstrating its significant association with HCC (P = 0.028). Conclusion: The mutations in the RT domain of HBV-P gene are associated with the tumorigenesis of HCC. Copyright © 2014 by TUMOR.

Objective To investigate the influence of IL-8 on the tight junction of vascular endothelial cells.Methods Immunofluorescence was used to observe the modality and the distribution of three tight junction proteins (occludin,claudin-5 and ZO-1) of the EA.hy926 cells treated with IL-8 under different concentrations and different times.RT-PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of these three proteins.Results The results demonstrated that IL-8 could change the distribution of occludin,claudin-5 and ZO-1 in EA.hy926 cells,and the mRNA expression of occludin,claudin-5 and ZO-1 decreased with the increase of IL-8 concentration and treated time.Conclusion The effects of IL-8 on the distribution and the expression of occludin,claudin-5 and ZO-1 are dose and time-dependent.

Animals ; Lung ; immunology ; pathology ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Spleen ; immunology ; pathology ; fas Receptor ; analysis

Objective To analyze the prevalence and characteristics of skin diseases in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods Clinical out patient records for both elderly and non-elderly individuals with T2DM were collected from the dermatology department of Beijing Hospital.Statistical comparisons were performed between the elderly group and the non-elderly group on the prevalence of common skin complications and disease characteristics.Analysis was performed in the elderly group to identify any association of common skin disorders with gender,age,duration of T2DM,or level of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c).Results Among 679 elderly T2DM cases,pruritus was the most common complication (26.1％),followed by eczema (21.t ％) and tinea pedis/onychomycosis (18.3％).Pruritus was more prevalent in the elderly group (177 cases,26.1％) compared to the non-elderly group (34 cases,9.8％) (x2 =6.006,P＜0.01).On the other hand,tinea pedis/onychomycosis was less prevalent in the senior group (124 cases,18.3 ％) than in the non-senior group (112 cases,32.2 ％) (x2 =37.437,P＜0.01).In the senior group,pruritus was more prevalent among male patients (105 out of 358 cases,29.3％) than among female patients(72 out of 321 cases,22.4％) (x2 =4.181,P =0.041).On average,patients with eczema were older[(72.3 ± 2.2)years] and had a longer history of T2DM [(8.3 ± 0.3)years] compared with patients without eczema[age:(65.2±1.9)years,history of T2DM:(5.2±0.1)years] (t=1.250,P=0.023 for age;t=1.680,P=0.033 for disease duration).Patients with tinea pedis/onychomycosis had higher HbA1c levels (6.7 ± 0.4) ％ than patients without tinea pedis/onychomycosis (6.1 ± 0.3) ％ (t =0.790,P＜0.01).Conclusions Pruritus is the most common skin complication in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes and is more common in elderly patients and male patients.Risk factors for developing eczema in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes may include older age and long disease duration.High levels of glycosylated hemoglobin in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes indicates increased risk for foot fungi infections.

Objective: To explore the anti-proliferation and apoptosis-inducing effects of decitabine combined with paclitaxel on paclitaxel-resistant MCF-7 cells. Methods:Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays were used to determine the proliferation inhibition of drugs at different concentrations in 24, 48 and 72h. The group was treated with decitabine, paclitaxel and the combination of the two drugs, respectively. The cell apoptosis rate was determined by flow cytometry after the treatment with the drugs at different concentra-tions in 48h. Results:The results of CCK-8 showed the combination group significantly inhibited the cell proliferation when compared with the single drug use group(P<0. 05), and the anti-proliferation value was in a dose-dependent manner in all groups. The apopto-sis values after the treatment with decitabine, paclitaxel and the combination in 48h was(20. 4 ± 1. 98)%,(21. 8 ± 3. 34)% and(70. 8 ± 8. 23)%,respectively. Conclusion:The proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction are both increased significantly in the com-bination group. Synergistic effect of decitabine and paclitaxel is found in multidrug resistant breast cancer cell line MCF-7 in vitro.

Objectives This study aimed at investigating the cellular mechanism of isoproterenol (ISO) on delayed afterdepolarizations (DADs) and triggered activity (TA) of the noninfarcted myocardium in the myocardial infarcted rabbit model.Methods Rabbits with the left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion were prepared and recovered for 8 wk (healed myocardial infarction, HMI). Myocytes were isolated from regions of the noninfarcted left ventricular free wall. ISO was added to cellular surface by perfusion way. Action potentials and ion currents were recorded with whole-cell patch clamp. Results The results showed that treatment with ISO induced more DADs and TA events in HMI myocytes. Iti and ICa-L of myocytes treated with ISO were increased significantly compared with HMI cells, which contributed to DADs-related triggered arrhythmia. Conclusions The results suggested that more arrhythmia events of DADs and TA developed in myocytes with ISO treatment. The underlying mechanism was associated with the augment of Iu and calcium influxing.

Objective To investigate clinical features and therapeutic protocols of vulvovaginal-gingival syndrome(VVGS). Methods Clinical data were collected from 11 female patients with VVGS and analyzed. Results Among the 11 patients, the mean and median ages at a definite diagnosis of VVGS were both 46 years, and the average disease duration was 4 years. Painful erosive erythema was found on the vaginal vestibule in 7 patients, on the gingiva in 10, as well as on the bilateral buccal mucosa in 5. Additionally, 8 and 4 patients reported dyspareunia and vaginal hemorrhage, respectively. Seven patients were treated with low-dose oral methylprednisolone combined with hydroxychloroquine or colchicine, and the other 4 were treated with oral hydroxychloroquine alone. Furthermore, all of the 11 patients applied topical tacrolimus 0.1%ointment. Finally, 8 patients were cured or markedly improved. No obvious adverse reactions were observed in any of the patients. Conclusions VVGS mostly occurs in middle-aged women, with the vaginal vestibule and gingiva as predilection sites of painful erythema and dyspareunia as common symptoms. Patients have good responses to methylprednisolone combined with hydroxychloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine alone also shows good efficacy in patients with mild VVGS. Tacrolimus 0.1%ointment can be one of drugs for topical maintenance treatment of VVGS.

Objective To investigate the pathogenesis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) nuclear factor kappa-?B(NF-?B) in children with primary nephritic syndrome(PNS) and the effect of astragalus on the activity of NF-?B.Methods Twenty-five children with PNS and 20 normal children were studied.Isolated PBMC were separated from 5 mL venous blood in asepsis condition.NF-?B stimulator,NF-?B inhabitor and astragalus were added into the different tubes of PBMC,respectively.The nuclear protein was extracted from the pellets and the optical density(A) values of nuclear protein was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results The activity of PBMC NF-?B in PNS group was higher than that in normal group(P0.05).Astragalus could decrease the activity of PBMC NF-?B which had been stimulated by interleukin-1?(IL-1?)(P

This article reports the investigation of the effect of carvedilol (Car) on T-type calcium current (I(Ca,T)) of noninfarcted ventricular myocytes in rabbit models of healed myocardial infarction (HMI). Rabbits with left anterior descending artery ligation were prepared and allowed to recover for 8 weeks, as HMI group. Animals undergoing an identical surgical procedure without coronary ligation were served as the sham-operated group (sham group). Whole cell voltage-clamp techniques were used to measure and compare currents in cells from the different groups. Noting that I(Ca,T) density in HMI cells increased markedly to -2.36 +/- 0.12 pA/pF (at -30 mV) compared with cells of sham, where little I(Ca,T) (-0.35 +/- 0.02 pA/pF) was observed. Meanwhile, further analysis revealed a significant hyperpolarizing shift of steady-state activation curve of I(Ca,T) in HMI cells, where the time constants of deactivation were prolonged and the time of recovery from inactivation was shortened. Finally, the amplitude of I(Ca,T) was increased. Carvedilol (1 micromol x L(-1)) was found to decrease the amplitude of I(Ca,T) to -1.38 +/- 0.07 pA/pF through inhibiting process of I(Ca,T) activation. Furthermore, carvedilol delayed recovery from inactivation of I(Ca,T) and shortened the time constants of deactivation in HMI cells. This study suggested that the application of carvedilol in HMI cells contributes to the dynamic changes in I(Ca,T) and may account for reduction of incidence of arrhythmia after myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVETo establish a new quality evaluation method for Chinese herbal medicine, using one chemical reference substance to calculate multi-components simultaneously.

METHODRelative correction factors (RCF) of mutongsaponin B and C to saponin PJ1, a characteristic component as marker, were calcalated in The chromatographic conditions for determination of the three saponins in Caulis Akebiae akebiae as a research model. The contents of saponin PJ1 were determined by external standard method, and those of mutongsaponin B and C were calculated by saponin PJ1 and their RCF. The accuracy of the new method was evaluated by comparing the calculated contents with the determined contents.

RESULTThe analysis procedures were validated. There has been no significant difference between the calculated contents and the determined contents, according to the angle cosine value, and the calcalated RCF have confidence value.

CONCLUSIONThe method of multi-components quantitation by one marker has been verified in caulis akebiae and it is to be a new quality evaluation pattern for Chinese herbal medicines.

Animals ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; standards ; Humans ; Magnoliopsida ; chemistry ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Reproducibility of Results ; Saponins ; analysis