Objective To evaluate effects of pretreatment with glutamine on lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion(II-R) in rats. Methods Glutamine or saline were injected through tail vein before the model of intestinal ischemia/reperfusion in rats were established.The gene expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) and heat shock protein-70(HSP-70) were tested with RT-PCR methods.The levels of heat shock protein-70 in the lung were measured with Western Blotting.Myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde and pathological changes were also measured. Results The gene expression of heat shock protein-70 was enhanced by pretreatment with glutamine,and the level of HSP-70 was parallelly increased.Nevertheless,MPO,MDA and the gene expression of ICAM-1 were inhibited. Conclusion Pretreatment with glutamine can lessen the lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion in rats,the induction of HSP-70 gene may be one of the potential mechanisms.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Brain Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 10 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9 ; Humans ; Lomustine ; therapeutic use ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Oligodendroglioma ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Procarbazine ; therapeutic use ; Prognosis ; Vincristine ; therapeutic use

Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Skin ; pathology ; Skin Neoplasms ; pathology ; Skin Ulcer ; pathology ; Tibia

In order to investigate the anti-proliferative effects of triptolide (TP) on 4T1 mice breast cancer cell line in vitro and in mouse model, as well as the possible mechanisms, we detected the effect of TP on cell proliferation by MTT assay or Crystal Violet Staining in our research. Flowcytometry combined with FITC-Annexin V/PI staining were used for detecting TP induced 4T1 cell apoptosis. The protein expression of ERalpha, p-ERalpha, ERbeta, p-ERbeta, ERK, p-ERK, p38, p-p38, SAPK/JNK, and p-SAPK/JNK was tested by western blotting. We also compare TP with chemotherapy drug doxorubicin in 4T1 tumor bearing BLAB/c mice model, the Xenogen bioluminescence imaging, H&E, and IHC result indicated that TP exhibits an anticancer proliferation activity. As a result, TP in 100, 10, 1, 0.1 micromol x L(-1), all inhibited the proliferation of 4T1 cells by MTT assay and Crystal Violet Staining. TP which concentrations is 10, 1, 0.1 micromol x L(-1) could induce the apoptosis of 4T1 cells and reduce the cell proliferation. TP in 200 microg x kg(-1) could inhibit the tumor growth in vivo. The anticancer proliferation of TP was involved in its effect on reducing expression of ERalpha, p-ERalpha, ERbeta, and p-ERbeta, but nothing to do with the activation of MAPK signaling pathway.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Diterpenes ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Down-Regulation ; drug effects ; Epoxy Compounds ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms ; secondary ; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Phenanthrenes ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Phosphorylation ; drug effects ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Tumor Burden ; drug effects

Objective To improve differential diagnosis of tumefactive demyelinating lesions (TDL) and primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) by analyzing the clinicopathological features of the diseases.Methods The clinical features,neuroimaging findings and pathological characteristics of 4 patients with pathologically proven TDL and 9 patients with pathologically proven PCNSL were retrospectively analyzed.Computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were used for neuroimaging studies.The hematoxylin and eosin staining,Luxol Fast Blue staining and immunohistochemistry were used for pathological studies.Results (1) The features of lesions on brain imaging scan:CT in TDL patients showed low density.Enhanced MRI demonstrations were different in different courses:3 cases with ring enhancement,1 case with spotty strengthen;5 PCNSL cases showed hyperdensity in CT,1 case showed isodensity,and 3 cases low-density.MRI showed enhancement of uniform enhancement in PCNSL patients.(2) The features of lesions on pathology:the plaques of lesions in TDL patients were characterized by massive demyelination with relatively axonal preservation associated with prominent astrocytosis and profound infiltrates composed.Typical pathological features in PCNSL cases were that tumor cells around blood vessels showed the cuff-like arrangement.Due to use of hormones and other causes,pathological demonstrations of a part of PCNSL cases were atypical,which were easily confused with TDL.There were 4 cases with more than one biopsy for diagnosis.Conclusions (1) PCNSL with low or equal density in CT needs to be differentiated with TDL.(2) The pathological features of some cases of PCNSL after hormone therapy were similar to TDL.It is better not to use hormone before definite diagnosis.(3) The pathology of PCNSL may be related to the progression of the disease.Some of patients need to be re-biopsied.It is important to combine clinical imaging and pathology for diagnosis of the disease,and attention should be paid to followup.

Hyperlipidemia is a major factor causing coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis. The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is a major indicator for measuring lipid levels. However, there is no an effective medicine that can obviously increase HDL-C at present. According to previous laboratory studies, atractylodes macrocephalae extracts could significantly increase HDL-C level. In this study, the metabolic hyperlipidemia rat model was established by feeding high-sugar and fat diets and alcohol-drinking to explore the effect and mechanism of atractylodes macrocephalae extracts on hyperlipidemia rats. According to the findingins, different doses of atractylodes macrocephalae extracts could reduce the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, ACAT and increase the contents of LCAT, HDL-C. Particularly, the atractylodes macrocephalae extracts (100 mg · kg(-1) group showed increase in HDL-C by about 50% and significant declines in HMG-CoA reductase, TC, TG. In conclusion, Atractylodes Macrocephelae Rhizoma extracts could effectively regulate the dyslipidemia of hyperlipidemia rats, especially on HDL-C. Its mechanism may be related to reduction in cholesterol synthesis by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase in livers and increase in lipid metabolism and transport by regulating LCAT and ACAT levels.
Acyl Coenzyme A ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Atractylodes ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; administration & dosage ; Hyperlipidemias ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; metabolism ; Lipoproteins, HDL ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Triglycerides ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the Chinese medicine syndrome type distribution in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its relationship with sexual hormones.

METHODSChinese medicine syndrome types of 212 PCOS patients were differentiated and sorted by adopting fuzzy mean C clustering method, and their relationship with the indices of sexual hormones detected on the 3rd to 5th day of menstrual cycle was analyzed, with the values got from 20 healthy women for controls.

RESULTSIntermingling syndromes were commonly seen in PCOS patients. Shen-deficiency syndrome (presented in 64 patients) and Gan-qi stagnancy syndrome (61 patients) were the dominance, accounting for 30.2% and 28.8% respectively, significantly higher than that of other syndromes (P < 0.05), which were Pi-deficiency syndrome (41 patients, 19.3%), phlegm-dampness syndrome (33 patients, 15.6%) and blood stasis syndrome (13 patients, 6.1%). Levels of estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), luteinzing hormone (LH), dehydroiso-androsterone (DHEA-S) and prolactin (PRL) were higher, while the level of sexual hormone binding protein (SHBG) was lower in PCOS patients than those in control, follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) level in patients of Shen-deficiency syndrome and phlegm-dampness syndrome was high than that in control (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01). However, no significant differences were found in comparing the various sexual endocrinal indices between patients with different syndrome types (P > 0.05). Besides, the level of PRL was positively correlated with LH and E2 levels in patients.

CONCLUSIONChinese medicine syndromes presented in patients with PCOS are mostly intermingling, Shen-deficiency and Gan-stagnancy are the basic syndromes, and there is some correlation between syndrome type and sexual hormone levels.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Estradiol ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ; blood ; diagnosis ; Young Adult

AIM: To investigate the influence of He-Ne laser on connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression and collagen formation of fibroblast in filtration site after trabeculectomy in rabbit, and to discuss the mechanism for preventing scar formation with He-Ne laserin vivo.METHODS: The upper nasal limbus area next to the upper rectus muscle in right eyes Received 10 minutes He-Ne laser irradiation (200mW/cm2) every day for three days, the left eyes served as control. Twenty-four hours after the last irradiation, both eyes of the rabbits were took trabeculectomy surgery. The expressions of CTGF in the filtration area were tested on the 7th, 14th and 28th day after surgery and collagen density was tested on the 14th and 28th day after surgery. Each of the time point had 7 rabbits. RESULTS: The expression of CTGF was lower than that of the control group's on the 7th and 14th day after trabeculectomy surgery (P=0.01, P=0.005). When examined on the 14th and 28th day, the collagen density of irradiation group were significantly lower than that of the control group's (P=0.013, P=0.01).CONCLUSION: Pretreating the filtration area with 200mW/cm2 He-Ne laser may be helpful in preventing scar formation after trabeculectomy in rabbit, possibly due to downregulation of the expression of CTGF and collagen synthesis in fibroblasts. He-Ne laser may be developed into a new scar preventing method in filtration surgery.

Background: Current treatments for scoliosis have some defects and complications. To study spinal deformities and test novel scoliosis treatments, many animal models of scoliosis have been developed. These models applied a single load to the spine and could not precisely modulate the spinal growth in different dimensions. In this study, we applied posterior tethering in various directions with the application of nickel?titanium (NT) coil springs in dog's spine to modulate spinal growth in the coronal, sagittal, and transverse planes and create a scoliosis model possess curves that mimic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) three dimensionally. Methods: Scoliosis was surgically induced in eight 8?week?old female dogs (weight: 1.95–2.30 kg) using bone screws and NT coil springs. The deformity was induced through the placement of posterior NT coil springs that tethered the spine by bone screw fixation. All dogs were monitored with serial radiographs to document changes in deformities. Results: All experimental animals developed scoliotic curves convex to the left in the lumbar segment. The mean coronal Cobb angle was 18.0° immediately postoperatively and 54.5° at 22 weeks. The mean lordosis increased from 6.2° postoperatively to 35.0° at final follow?up. Apical axial rotation increased from 4.5° postoperatively to 31.2° at 22 weeks. Conclusions: With the application of NT springs in dogs that allowed posterior tethering in various directions, lumbar spinal deformity was achieved in three planes: coronal, sagittal, and transverse planes. Notably, the lumbar spine in surgically treated dogs developed lordoscoliosis with obvious rotation and the curves mimic AIS three dimensionally well. This method allows lumbar scoliosis to develop without deep dissection of muscle and maintains the essential anatomical elements along the spinal curve. Moreover, the spinal growth modulation technique could yield information that would provide a basis for developing novel early?stage treatments for children with scoliosis.

OBJECTIVETo observe the regulating effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelop (E) 2 gene immunization-induced immune responses by adenovirus mediated interleukin 12 (IL-12).

METHODSHCV E2 protein was expressed and purified from NIH 3T3 and then used as an antigen to detect antibodies against HCV E2. With 51Cr release, SP2/0 expressing HCV E2 was used as target cell to detect specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) response; adenovirus recombined IL-12 was propagated by 293 cell. HCV E2 recombinant and adenovirus recombined IL-12 were injected into the quadriceps femoris muscles and abdominal cavities of 6-8 weeks old BALB/C mice. Sera were collected at 2, 3, and 4 weeks and detected for antibodies for E2. Spleen cells isolated at 4 weeks were analyzed for specific CTL response.

RESULTSIt was found that expression of IL-12 at an undetectable level did enhance HCV E2 gene immunization-induced CTL activity and there was no effect on its hormonal immune response.

CONCLUSIONUsing adenovirus to express interleukin 12 was helpful for regulation of HCV E2 gene immunization-induced immune response. Combined HCV E2 and IL-12 can render a strong anti-HCV CTL activity and may be of use in the development of HCV gene vaccine in the future.

Adenoviridae ; physiology ; Interleukin-12 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; immunology ; Viral Envelope Proteins ; genetics ; immunology