Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) refers to tne transition during which epithelial cells undergo the loss of apical-basal polarity, acquisition of migration capability and transformation into mesenchymal cells. EMT induces breast cancer in situ to developing into metastasis and associates with the drug resistence. The multiple elements including signal pathways, transcriptional factors and downstream genes orchestrate the transition. Among them, the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling pathway plays a key role in the regulation of EMT in breast cancer. And this paper reviews the development of TGF-β signaling pathway induced EMT in breast cancer.
Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Humans ; Signal Transduction ; Transcription Factors ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; physiology

Objective To preliminarily evaluate the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy on hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis(HLH) with hepatic dysfunction in children.Methods The children diagnosed as non-malignancy-associated HLH from Mar.2004 to Apr.2008 were selected,and the therapeutic effect was evaluated according to the HLH-04 protocol at the 8th week of chemotherapy,and the level of serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT),serum albumin(Alb) and plasma fibrinogen(Fib) were detected at pretherapy,2 weeks and 8 weeks of post-treatment.Results Altogether 60 HLH children complicated with hepatic dysfunction before chemotherapy,47 children had increased ALT,58 children had decreased Alb,and 38 children had decreased Fib.Forty-two cases(70%) were virus-associated HLH,1 case(1.7%) was fungi-associated HLH,and 17 cases(28.3%) had unknown origin.Among the 60 children,55 cases showed improvement in the 4 weeks of inductive treatment,15 cases gave up therapy,45 cases completed the 8 weeks of inductive treatment according to the protocol(among these children,42 cases had no active disease,3 cases had active disease),and these 45 children had obviously improved ALT,Alb and Fib at 2 weeks and 8 weeks of post-treatment,compared with pretherapy,the differences had statistical significance(Pa

OBJECTIVETo observe the mechanical properties of the prefabricated connective tissue tube as blood vessel substitute and its changes after implantation at the femoral artery.

METHODSThe acellular matrix tube of 8-12 cm in length with a silicone rod inside it was implanted into dog peritoneal cavity. 3 weeks later, a new formed tube around the silicone rod was transferred to the femoral artery as blood vessel substitute. The mechanical properties and histological examination of the blood vessel substitute were assessed and compared to those of the carotid artery and vein. 6 months after transfer, the patency of the blood vessels substitute was observed. The histological change was studied by light microscopy, scanning and transmitting electron microscopy.

RESULTS(1) The mechanical properties of blood vessel substitute was not as strong as artery, but better than the vein. (2) There were elastic and collagen fibers with many fibroblasts around the tube wall, but few mesothelial cells around the inner wall. All of the blood vessel substitutes (n = 6) were found to keep patency and the structure of the blood vessels substitutes became similar to femoral artery 6 months after they had been grafted to the femoral artery.

CONCLUSIONSThese results suggest that tissue engineering in vivo is a good approach to construct vessels substitute. The tissue tubes made in dog's peritoneal cavity have good condition when it is used as a blood vessel substitutes.

Animals ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Blood Vessels ; transplantation ; Carotid Arteries ; surgery ; Dogs ; Extracellular Matrix ; Tissue Engineering ; methods

UNLABELLEDOBJECTIVE Crosslink decellularized canine carotid artery allograft by EDC [1-3-(dimethylamino)propyl-3-ethylcarbodiimide methiodide] and evaluate the biocompatibility of it.

METHODSUse the multi-step detergent-enzyme method to construct decellularized canine carotid artery allograft and cross-link it by EDC with the weight ratio of decellularized artery to EDC 1:1 and 1:2. Evaluate the biocompatibility of it by the cytotoxical MTT test and the rat subdermal bury test.

RESULTSDecellularized canine carotid artery cross-linked by EDC has a lower degradation rate treated by collagenase type II, the result of MTT test show that the EDC cross-linked decellularized artery has no cytotoxity and the rat subdermal bury test show that crosslinking greatly enhance the ability of decellularize artery to resist the enzyme degradation and lower the immune reaction. The more the artery was cross-linked , the more effects it has.

CONCLUSIONSDecellularized canine carotid artery cross-linked by EDC has fairly good biocompatibility and ability to resist the collagenase degradation.

Animals ; Biocompatible Materials ; Carbodiimides ; Carotid Artery, Common ; transplantation ; Cross-Linking Reagents ; Dogs ; Female ; Male ; Materials Testing ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tissue Engineering

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of propofol combined with indomethacin on the contractile function of isolated human pulmonary arteries.

METHODSHuman pulmonary artery preparations were obtained from patients undergoing surgery for lung carcinoma. The intrapulmonary arteries were dissected and cut into rings under microscope for treatment with propofol or propofol combined with indomethacin. In each group, the rings were divided into endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded groups and mounted in a Multi Myograph system. In propofol group, the rings were preconstricted by U46619 to induce a sustained contraction, and propofol (10-300 mmol/L) was then applied cumulatively. In the combined treatment group, the rings were pretreated with indomethacin (100 µmol/L) for 30 min before application of U46619 to induce sustained contraction, and propofol (10-300 µmol/L) was added cumulatively after the tension became stable.

RESULTSPropofol (10-100 µmol/L) induced constrictions at low concentrations and caused relaxations at higher concentrations (100-300 µmol/L) in the pulmonary artery rings with prior U46619-induced contraction. Propofol caused stronger constrictions in endothelium-intact rings [EC=4.525∓0.37, Emax=(30.44∓2.92)%] than in endothelium-denuded rings [EC=4.699∓0.12, Emax=(31.19∓5.10)%, P<0.05]. Pretreatment of the rings with indomethacin abolished constrictions, and the relaxation was more obvious in endothelium-intact group [pD=3.713∓0.11, Emax=(98.72∓0.34)%] than in endothelium- denuded group [pD=3.54∓0.03, Emax=(94.56∓0.53)%, P<0.05].

CONCLUSIONPropofol induces constriction at low concentrations and relaxation at high concentrations in human intrapulmonary arteries with U46619-induced contraction. Indomethacin abolishes the constriction induced by propofol in isolated intrapulmonary arteries, suggesting that propofol potentiates U46619-mediated pulmonary vasoconstriction by promoting the concomitant production of prostaglandin by cyclooxygenase in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, and the mechanism for its relaxation effect may partly depend on the endothelium.

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical curative effect of the new Bian-stone therapy.

METHODSAccording to clinical trail principle of multi-centers, randomized grouping, parallel control and single-blind, the observation group (n=120) were treated by the new Bian-stone therapy, with multi-functional Bian-stone respectively dredging qi and blood of channels on the neck and shoulder, the shoulder and back, the limbs, and the control group (n=120) by electroacupuncture with Jianyu (LI 15), Jianliao (SJ 14), Jianzhen (SI 9), and other points selected. Their therapeutic effects were compared.

RESULTSThe two therapies had effects of analgesia, improving functional activity and transient analgesia. The total effective rate of the analgesic effect was 86.8% in the observation group and 72.5% in the control group with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05), the observation group being better than the control group; the total effective rate of shoulder functional activity was 86.8% in the observation group and 79.8% in the control group with no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe new Bian-stone therapy has obvious therapeutic effect on scapulohumeral periarthritis, with effects of analgesia, improving functional activity, and transient analgesia, and good long-term therapeutic effect.

Adult ; Aged ; Electroacupuncture ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Periarthritis ; therapy ; Shoulder Pain ; therapy ; Single-Blind Method

Copper and iron play important roles in a variety of biological processes, especially when being chelated with proteins. The proteins involved in the metal binding,transporting and metabolism have aroused much interest. To facilitate the study on this topic, we constructed two databases (DCCP and DICP) containing the known copper- and iron-chelating proteins, which are freely available from the website http:∥sdbi.sdut.edu.cn/en. Users can conveniently search and browse all of the entries in the databases. Based on the two databases, bioinformatic analyses were performed, which provided some novel insights into metalloproteins.

BACKGROUNDEvaluation of fetal central nervous system (CNS) agenesis by ultrasonography (US) is frequently limited, but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has its own advantages and is gaining popularity in displaying suspected fetal anomalies. The purpose of this study was to explore the value of MRI in detecting fetal CNS agenesis.

METHODSThirty-four women (aged from 22 to 35 years, average 27 years) with complicated pregnancies (16 - 39 weeks of gestation, average 30 weeks) were examined with a 1.5 T superconductive MR unit within 24 hours after ultrasonography. Half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) T(2)-weighted imaging (T(2)WI) sequence were performed in all patients, and fast low angle shot (FLASH) T(1)-weighted imaging (T(1)WI) sequence were applied sequentially in seven of them. Comparison of the results was made between the MRI and US findings as well as autopsy or postnatal follow-up MRI findings.

RESULTSThe gyrus, sulcus, corpus callosum, thalamus, cerebellum, brainstem, and spinal cord of fetus were shown more clearly on T(2)-weighted MR images than on T(1)-weighted MR images. MRI corrected the diagnosis of US in 10 cases (10/34, 29.41%) and the diagnosis was missed only in 1 case (1/34, 2.94%).

CONCLUSIONMRI has advantages to US in detecting fetal CNS anomalies and is a supplement to US in complicated pregnancies.

Adult ; Central Nervous System ; abnormalities ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Pregnancy ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

OBJECTIVETo study the relation between the nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) expression and nitric oxide (NO) content in the skeletal muscles and the injury condition of soft tissue in the 3rd lumbar vertebrae syndrome model rats, and to observe the effect of acupotomology therapy.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty-eight adult SD rats were allocated to 4 groups randomly: normal group, model group, aminoguanidin group and acupotomology treatment group, 32 rats in each group. NOS expression, NO content and injury of the soft tissue in the 3rd lumbar vertebra were observed on the 1st, 3rd, 7th and 14th day after the acupotomology treatment and aminoguanidine intervention.

RESULTS1) Inducible NOS (iNos) activity and NO content in model group was significantly higher (F = 522.860, P < 0.01), in acupotomology group and aminoguanidine group was significantly lower than the model group (FiNOS = 28.894, P < 0.01), and iNOS activity and NO content in all groups was in competence with the condition of soft tissue injuries. 2) Endothelium NOS (eNOS) expression raised in model group and acupotomology group, and achieve peak on the 7th day. There was significant difference between the eNOS expression in acupotomology group and the model group (FeNOS = 3.454, P < 0.05). 3) The expression of neuron NOS (nNOS) in the model group, aminoguanidine group and acupotomology group had no significant (FnNOS = 0.962, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupotomology treatment can restrain the development of high content NO, release the inflammatory reaction and injury condition, improve microcirculation, prevent the development of scar tissue of the injured soft tissue, and has significant recovering effectiveness in the soft tissue injured model rats.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; Guanidines ; therapeutic use ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Syndrome ; Time Factors

Macrophages are important components of the innate immune system.Two major subtypes, M1 and M2, play a key role in the induction and regulation of specific immune responses, and in the development and recovery of diseases.Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are a class of severe respiratory diseases.In ALI, M1 highly activates and releases proinflammatory cytokines, which produce acute lung injury damage such as pulmonary edema and increase vascular permeability while fighting against pathogen invasion.M2 can be further subdivided into M2a, M2b and M2c subtypes according to inducing factors and their respective functions.M2a plays a role in promoting injury repair.M2b and M2c mainly function in immune regulation and suppression.M2c can also promote tissue repair.M1 and M2 can be transformed into each other.In the course of ALI, the balance between M1 and M2 is important to remove pathogens and promote tissue repair.The imbalance between M1 and M2 will lead to ALI deterioration, and even progress to ARDS.The present paper reviews the characteristics of different subtypes of macrophages and their relationship with ALI, the polarization and mutual transformation of M1 and M2, and the factors that affect the balance of different subtypes at different stages.