Previous work from this laboratory has cloned a novel gene NOR1 and showed its extensive expression in normal tissues and down-regulation in carcinomas. To further investigate its downstream target genes and better understand its function, NOR1 was over-expressed in HepG2 hepatoma cells and global changes in gene expressions from a stable line were identified by cDNA microarrays. The results discovered 59 genes up-regulated in these cells compared with the original cells, including Grb2, HBP17,TNFRSF11B genes that have been implicated in tumorigenesis and cancer development. In addition, 103 down-regalated genes were also identified, including genes encoding Bik, MAP2K6 and ZFP95 proteins. The expression patterns of certain genes identified by microarrays were validated by quantitative real-time PCR and the results showed that expression difference were statistically significant (P< 0.05). These data suggest that NOR1 may influence the biology and cancerous behaviors of HepG2 cells by regulating expression of a set of genes involved in signal traasduction, cell cycle regulation, transcription and Wanslation controls.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; CD59 Antigens ; physiology ; Glycosylphosphatidylinositols ; physiology ; Humans ; Membrane Cofactor Protein ; physiology ; Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; therapy

Estrogen receptors (ERs) are members of nuclear receptors and related to several diseases such as cancer, inflammation and osteoporosis. ERs have two forms, ERα and ERβ, which have different functions and organism distributions. Compounds selectively targeting ERβ can regulate important physiological functions and avoid the side effects caused by targeting ERα. Therefore, selective ERβ ligands have received considerable research interest in recent years. In this article, different kinds of selective ERβ ligands were summarized and their structure-activity relationships were also analyzed.
Estrogen Receptor beta ; chemistry ; Humans ; Ligands ; Structure-Activity Relationship

Aged ; Coal Mining ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumoconiosis ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; Pulmonary Heart Disease ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; methods

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; pathology ; Gastritis ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Metaplasia ; Retrospective Studies

Aromatase is a key enzyme responsible for in vivo estrogen biosynthesis. Inhibition of the activity of the aromatase has become an alterative way for treatment of breast cancer. In this review, the structure and catalytic mechanism of the aromatase is briefly introduced followed by thorough review of the progress in the study of the steroidal and non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors. This review is focused on the natural compounds that exhibit the aromatase inhibition, which include flavonoids, xanthones, coumarins, and sesquiterpenes. The structure-activity relationship of these compounds is also discussed.
Androstenedione ; analogs & derivatives ; Antineoplastic Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Aromatase ; chemistry ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Aromatase Inhibitors ; chemistry ; classification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Catalysis ; Coumarins ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Estrogens ; biosynthesis ; Flavonoids ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Nitriles ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Sesquiterpenes ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Structure-Activity Relationship ; Triazoles ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Xanthones ; chemistry ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo set up thalassemia population intervention model in order to decrease the birth of thalassemia major, relying on population and family planning service system.

METHODSPregnant women and their husbands were educated about thalassemia, and participated in screening and prenatal diagnosis if the couple were carriers of thalassemia in the areas of Huangpu, Panyu, Zengcheng and Tianhe districts of Guangzhou.

RESULTSThe network of thalassemia intervention mainly dependent on family planning service system was set up in these regions. A total of 10 695 families participated in thalassemia screening and 16 thalassemia major fetuses were diagnosed in the last two years. No one was thalassemia major in the 8360 newborn.

CONCLUSIONThalassemia population intervention model was set up relying on family planning service system and it significantly decreased the birth of thalassemia major.

Family Planning Services ; methods ; Female ; Genetic Counseling ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mass Screening ; methods ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; methods ; Spouses ; Thalassemia ; diagnosis ; genetics ; prevention & control

The essence of endogenous turbidity in Chinese medicine (CM) is different from cream, fat, phlegm, retention, damp, toxicity, and stasis. Along with the development of modern scientific technologies and biology, researches on the essence of endogenous turbidity should keep pace with the time. Its material bases should be defined and new connotation endowed at the microscopic level. The essence of turbidity lies in abnormal functions of zang-fu organs. Sugar, fat, protein, and other nutrient substances cannot be properly decomposed, but into semi-finished products or intermediate metabolites. They are inactive and cannot participate in normal material syntheses and decomposition. They cannot be transformed to energy metabolism, but also cannot be synthesized as executive functioning of active proteins. If they cannot be degraded by autophagy-lysosome or ubiquitin-prosome into glucose, fatty acids, amino acids, and other basic nutrients to be used again, they will accumulate inside the human body and become endogenous turbidity. Therefore, endogenous turbidity is different from final metabolites such as urea, carbon dioxide, etc., which can transform vital qi. How to improve the function of zang-fu organs, enhance its degradation by autophagy-lysosome or ubiquitin-prosome is of great significance in normal operating of zang-fu organs and preventing the emergence and progress of related diseases.
Autophagy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex

AIMTo detect the expression of VASA in human ejaculated spermatozoa, and to compare the expression of VASA between normozoospermic men and patients with oligozoospermia.

METHODSEjaculated spermatozoa were collected from normozoospermic men and patients with oligozoospermia by masturbation, and subsequently segregated through a discontinuous gradient of Percoll to obtain the spermatozoa. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative RT-PCR (QRT-PCR), immunoflurescence and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of VASA in mRNA and protein levels.

RESULTSVASA mRNA was expressed in the ejaculated spermatozoa. QRT-PCR analysis showed that VASA mRNA level was approximately 5-fold higher in normozoospermic men than that in oligozoospermic men. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting analysis showed that VASA protein was located on the cytoplasmic membrane of heads and tails of spermatozoa, and its expression was significantly decreased in oligozoospermic men, which is similar to the result of QRT-PCR.

CONCLUSIONThe expression of VASA mRNA and protein was significantly decreased in the sperm of oligozoospermic men, which suggested the lower expression of the VASA gene might be associated with pathogenesis in some subtypes of male infertility and VASA could be used as a molecular marker for the diagnosis of male infertility.

Biomarkers ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Male ; Oligospermia ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spermatozoa ; cytology ; metabolism

This article provides an overview of metastases to jaws (MJ), mainly concerning the differences between American and Chinese patients, and exploring the relationship between the primary tumors' prevalence (PTP) and constituent ratio of MJ. Information concerning of 399 MJ cases in 215 papers, including one new case in our hospital, was subjected to statistic analysis. The main clinical features of MJ, such as constituent ratio of PTP and that of MJ, metastatic sites, treatments, and prognosis were summarized. Breast, lung, kidney, prostate and thyroid (in descending order) were the leading primary sites of MJ. Furthermore, the constituent ratio of MJ was found to be correlated with that of PTP in all subjects including American and Chinese subjects in our study. As to metastatic sites in the mandible, a specific "M" shaped pattern appeared regardless of the tumor type or constituent ratios of MJ were in all subjects. Almost all subjects received traditionally palliative treatments, and the prognosis was quite poor. The PTP had a significant impact on the constituent ratio of MJ. However, it was the properties of the microenvironment rather than characteristics or constituent ratios of tumor cells, that decided the metastatic sites in various tumor subjects.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Breast Neoplasms ; pathology ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Jaw Neoplasms ; mortality ; secondary ; therapy ; Kidney Neoplasms ; pathology ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Lung Neoplasms ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; physiopathology ; Palliative Care ; Prognosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; pathology ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Survival Analysis ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; pathology ; Young Adult